England

United Kingdom

Steamship, sank 1894, plates boiler & anchor, viz usually good, loads of fish, iron pyrite. Good shelter from East winds. Loads of life. Nudibranch heaven!

By boat only.

The Gertrude Wreck is also known as Hartlepool.

The Gertrude Wreck

Good shelter from East winds. A steam-driven admiralty trawler wrecked in fog on rocks below the cliffs of Blacknor Fort in 1920. All crew were rescued and the ship sank during attempts to tow her off the rocks. Today, the stern remains intact and detached from the smashed forward end, and there is a boiler and engine towards mid ships. Good life, loads of Nudibranchs!!

By boat only.

James Fennel Wreck

This Harbour provides access to various wrecks, drift dives for all levels. There are various boat operations with ribs tending to provide access to closer dive sites and hard boats for those further out. Inside the Harbour I dived the Countess of Earn. Vis was good and at 14m and inside the harbour makes a good first sea dive.



Portland Harbour is also known as Portland.

Portland Harbour

Lulworth Cove is a 0-star rated scuba dive and snorkel destination in UK, England, South West which is accessible from shore based on 0 ratings.

Lulworth Cove

Boring sandy bottom, some reef further out. Current rund parallel to the shore. Not much to see except flat fish and spider crabs. Pretty boring but OK for training purposes.

Dorset county. Shore dive, easy walk down beach, more tricky on the upward slope on exit. Watch the wave heights and do not enter if above 3 ft as you will struggle to exit.

Burton Bradstock

Boring bimble over sand. Lots of crabs and some flat fish. Not legendary but OK for a training dive.

Dorset county. Shore dive, some large pebbles to carry gear over to cross the beach and reach the sea. Car Park right at the edge of the beach.

Seatown

The marine environment under the pier is great for novice dives as it is easy to navigate and has lots of interest for budding naturalists and for wannabe wreckies.
It's not just for novices, though as there is a great deal to interest the experienced diver as well.

It's a Pier - It's a big wood and iron structure - you can't miss it!

Swanage Pier

The USS Illinois was a tanker (steamship) built in 1903, sunk by the German submarine UC-21 on March 18th, 1917. This is one of the best wrecks in the UK, as it lies upright and has not been broken in two. British explorer Leigh Bishop and Bob Hughes (www.deepimage.co.uk) have explored it extensively and recovered the bell a few years after the discovery of the wreck in 1989.

Depth: 68m to seabed, 55 to decks, 50 to bridge 
Length: 140m 
Displacement: 5,225 tons 
Location: 49o58'30.9"N 2o20'12.4"W WGS84 

Exact coordinates: WGS84: 49°58.571'N,02°20.081'W (shot-line, stern)

From Weymouth harbor.

USS Illinois is also known as Steamship Illinois, American Dream.

USS Illinois

The Orestone has a variety of rocky ledges all round, going down to 25m on the Eastern side.

A tunnel through the rock has a narrow tunnel (1.5m) on the South West side going through to a 4m wide cavern on the North West side. You can see through it at extreme low water springs, but the rest of the time it is completely submerged, making the max depth inside around 7m at High springs.



Orestone Rock

The Sunker catches currents at all states of the tide, but is sheltered from the worst excesses of the weather, so is a prime site for all sorts of marine filter feeders and the fauna that feeds on them. The shallower surfaces have kelp & Sea Lettuce (Ulva Lactuca) with Blue rayed limpets & a variety of bryophytes and the nudibranchs that feed on them. You will find many species of Hermit crab, Jewel anenomes, Daliah anenomes, Dead Mens fingers & Pink sea fans. Take your camera. Learn to use the manual white balance correction!

Sunker Rock is just off the South West corner of the Orestone. This rock comes to within 0.5m of the surface at a low spring tide.

Sunker Rock

On the Eastern (seaward) side an underwater amphitheatre dropping to 20m. The constant currents in this area provide nutrients to support a large variety of life.
Use of an SMB and Buddy line are advised.

Access from Torquay, Brixham or Babbacombe.
The Leadstone is a 10m high rock found between Hopes Nose and the Orestone.

Leadstone is also known as Flat Rock.

The Gertrude Wreck

Snorkeling and Scuba Diving at The Gertrude Wreck