Madang & the North Coast · Papua New Guinea · Wreck
Henry Leith
The remains of a truck still lying in the cargo hold
The Henry Leith is a small cargo ship scuttled for divers in the calm water of Madang Lagoon. Completely overgrown with coral, it sits between 10 and 20 m and is an easy wreck dive with a hold, a bridge and deck gear to explore.
Also known as Henry Lieth.
Where it is and how deep
No published position for this site — the map shows Madang & the North Coast and its other sites; operators know the mooring.
The dive
The bridge is at 14 m, the deck at 16 m and the cargo hold at 18 m, with the sand at 20 m. In the hold lie the remains of a truck and other junk, the bow carries winches and other equipment, and divers can peer into the bridge, inspect the rudder and look into a few hatches. Trevally, batfish, snappers, lionfish and sweetlips live around the coral-covered hull.
The wreck
- Vessel
- Henry Leith
- Type
- Cargo ship
- Length
- 35 m (115 ft)
- Cause
- Scuttled as a dive site
- Lies
- In 20 m in calm water of Madang Lagoon, on the western side of Wongat Island
The Henry Leith is not a World War II vessel, unlike many of the wrecks around Madang. The 35 m cargo ship was scuttled in the 1980s specifically to give divers a wreck in the lagoon, and it has since become completely overgrown with coral. Its name is also spelled Henry Lieth.
Marine life and season
- Trevally & jacks
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Good | Good | Good | Good | Fair | Fair | Fair | Fair | Fair | Fair | Good | Good |
Season follows Madang & the North Coast: Diving runs all year; May to October brings the heaviest rain and run-off that clouds the sites nearest the mainland.
Dive videos
Henry Leith Dive. Madang, Papua New Guinea. · Samantha Lindley on YouTube
Questions divers ask
Is the Henry Leith a good wreck for newly certified divers?+
Yes. It lies in calm lagoon water with the bridge at 14 m and the deck at 16 m, so Open Water divers can see most of it without going near the 20 m bottom.
Sources
- Henry Leith — DivePlanit
- Henry Lieth — Pacific Wrecks
More dive sites in Madang & the North Coast
Wreck
Machine guns still in the nose, midships and tail of a 1943 bomber
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Hooded epaulette sharks tucked under ledges on a current-fed wall
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Office items and big refrigerators still sitting in the holds
Channel & pass
A wall of big-eye trevally closing around divers on the turning tide
Seamount
Grey reef sharks on patrol and hammerheads in the deeper water
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Silvertip sharks on a sheer wall a few metres from shore
Similar dives elsewhere
Malaysia's first underwater post box, on a sunken cargo ship's wheel
A whole fishing boat sitting upright with its mast still standing
Old bicycles under coral on a pontoon that sank in 2003
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Dolphin 88
Labuan & Brunei Wrecks · Brunei
Dolphin 88: a stone barge sunk off Pelong Rocks in 2013, top at 10 m, back half at 24 m