Scuba Diving Southwest Coast of England, UK, Europe – Tinker’s Shoal, Plymouth

Dive Site: Tinker’s Shoal

Location: Plymouth

Description: Reef

Depth: 14 metres max (46 feet)

Visibility: 4 – 20 metres (13 – 65 feet)

Tinker’s shoal is a reef south of Plymouth Breakwater. The seabed is fairly rocky with large kelp growths, making it the home to lots of sealife. This is a great place to put newly qualified divers down on their own, being relatively safe and having plenty to see. There is a lot of treasure here in terms of objects that must have been cast out of the ships that have past through these waters to Plymouth over the years.

Scuba Diving in Baltimore, County Cork, Ireland, Europe – Stag rocks, Near Toe Head

Dive Site: Stag Rocks

Location: Near Toe Head, County Cork, Ireland, Europe

Description: Reef

Depth: 6 – 13 metres (20 – 43 feet)

Visibility: 5 metres (15 feet)

Marine life consists mainly of wrasse, starfish and jewel anemones, an abundance of kelp forests and very rare sightings of seals.

Scuba Diving in Baltimore, County Cork, Ireland, Europe – U-260, 51°29’09"N; 009°06’14"W Near Castletownshend

Dive Site: U-260

Location: 51°29’09″N; 009°06’14″W (Near Castletownshend, County Cork, Ireland, Europe)

Description: 1070 ton VII C-Class German Submarine

Length: 67 metres (220 feet)

Depth: 38 – 42 metres (125 – 138 feet)

Visibility: 5 – 15 metres (15 – 50 feet)

The U-260 was commissioned in March 1942 and sank in uncertain circumstances in a NE-SW direction with a slight port list. It lies nearly perfectly intact on the sandy seafloor with the conning tower open so you can look inside and the periscope up with the glass still in place. There are torpedoes in the tubes and an aft gun and the twin propellers still as they should be. Marine life includes a few congers around the conning tower and a free-swimming dogfish. The depth of this dive means unless using twin cylinders you will get a short bottom time before hitting decompression, but the dive is well worth the effort.

Scuba Diving South Coast England, UK, Europe- The Karaoke, wreck, Out from Brighton

Dive Site: The Karaoke

Location: Out from Brighton

Description: Wreck

Depth: 10 metres (30 feet)

Visibility: 10 metres (30 feet)

The Karaoke is a small, dull wreck that you can cover a few times in one dive if you were inclined. However, sea life is quite good and includes crabs and shoals of fish. Launch is best from Brighton.

Scuba Diving South Coast England, UK, Europe – The Gascony,

Dive Site: The Gascony

Location: 50°39.46N; 0°39.66W

Description: 3133 ton British steamer

Depth: 22 metres (72 feet)

Visibility: 5 metres (15 feet)

The Gascony was torpedoed in 1918. The nearly intact wreckage now lies almost upside down, with the port side more exposed. Getting your bearings can be difficult on this wreck, so using a compass might help. Head northwest to the port side so that you are not stuck looking at the ships hull. The propeller has been salvaged, but the rudder lies on the seabed. A little penetration is possible, but many of the holes are too small to get through. The wheel shaped cargo of gun carriages can be seen along with the ships four boilers and the engine room. The anchor winch and chains can also be identified. Launch is from Littlehampton or Brighton.

Scuba Diving South Coast England, UK, Europe – The Duke, 50°29.50N; 00°26.03W

Dive Site: The Duke

Location: 50°29.50N; 00°26.03W

Description: 3099 ton iron steamer

Length: 130 metres (425 feet)

Depth: 60 metres (200 feet)

Visibility: 10 metres (30 feet)

The Duke is a large, four-masted steamer that was built in 1874. It sank in 1889 after colliding with sailing ship Vandalia. All forty seven of the crew died. It is an amazing dive and has to be one of the best UK wreck dives. The wreckage lies upright on the seafloor with the masts lying across it. The holds are still full crockery such as plates, bowls, cups and saucers, as well as iron rails. Because of the depth it is quite dark diving on the Duke, but the visibility is usually good. Marine life includes ling, and some huge lobsters. Launch is best from Brighton or Littlehampton.

Scuba Diving in Scapa Flow, Scotland, UK, Europe

Dive Site: F2 (& YC21 Barge)
Location: 58°50.46N; 03°11.30W
Description: WWII Escort vessel
Length: 82 metres (270 feet)
Depth: 14 – 17 metres (46 – 56 feet)
Visibility: 15 metres (50 feet)

The F2 and its accompanying barge sank together in 1946. This makes a very pretty, ideal second dive after doing on of the deeper dives in the fleet. There is a lot of sea life including some very friendly wrasse. The barge itself is not that interesting, it is small with only one compartment to look in. The rope at the end of it leads a few metres on to the bigger and better wreck of the F2. There are three main chambers to make an entry. There is a gun barrel and some other holes to rummage around in, plus plenty of debris littering the surrounding seabed.

Scuba Diving Norway, Europe

Dive Site: M.S. Hamburg
Location: Lofoten, Norway, Europe
Description: German fish factory ship
Depth: 7 – 25 metres (23 – 82 feet)
Visibility: 15 metres (50 feet)

The M.S. Hamburg was a German fish factory ship used for transporting fish oil and glycerine (used in the construction of munitions) during the Second World War. On March 1st 1941 a Special Services Battalion designated No.3 and No.4 Commando and lead by Lt Colonel Durnford-Slater and Lt Colonel Lister respectively left the Faroe Islands for the Norwegian coast. Comprising some 500 British Special Forces Commandos and 50 Norwegian Sailors the fleet had originally left Scapa Flow in the Orkney Islands in February under the command of Brigadier Haydon. Preparations complete, HMS Queen Emma, Princess Beatrix and a naval escort of 5 British Destroyers arrived for the first raid on the Lofoten Islands Operation Claymore on March 4th 1941. The Germans were taken completely by surprise assuming no one would attempt a raid in such foul weather conditions and within hours German officers and soldiers were rounded up. 11 factories (800,000 gallons of herring oil) and 5 ships were systematically destroyed (including the M.S. Hamburg which was sunk by one of the British destroyers whilst she was moored in the harbour). Also recovered from the trawler Krebs were a set of rotors for a German Enigma coding machine which we dispatched to Bletchley Park where they aided greatly in code breaking. In total 225 Germans & 60 collaborators were taken prisoner and 314 Norwegian volunteers were given passage to UK based Norwegian forces. There was not a single British loss and the destruction of key German glycerine producing factories and ships gave a great boost to the Commandos morale and indeed the UK.

The wreck of the M.S. Hamburg now lies on her starboard side in 25 metres of water in the harbour. The port side of the wreckage starts as shallow as 7 metres towards the bow (depending on the tide) and the wreck is very well preserved. Once in the harbour surface conditions were calm and there was no current on the wreck. There were several shot lines on the wreck and we descended down the port bow line and dropped to the seafloor on the keel side of the wreck. First exploring the keel there were vivid pinks and oranges clearly illuminated by our torches. Small starfish, anemones, urchins and hermit crabs littered the hull. Heading deck side many of the features of this wreck are intact; hatches are open inviting penetration onto the empty holds. Winches, superstructure, masts and the bridge are all in place and all with a bright pink coating of sea life, although some of rear section has been cut away. Slowly ascending we made our way back along the top (port) of the vessel whilst peering into open portholes. The visibility was excellent although we were told it can suffer due to the location within the harbour.

Scuba Diving in Baltimore, County Cork, Ireland, Europe

Dive Site: The Illyrian
Location: 51°26’N; 09°29’W (Eastern side of Clear Island, County Cork, Ireland, Europe)
Description: 2967 ton steamer
Length: 119 metres (390 feet)
Depth: 5 – 23 metres (16 – 75 feet)
Visibility: 4 – 6 metres (13 – 20 feet)

The Illyrian is a very broken up steamer that sank in May 1884 after colliding with the cliffs in fog. Head in an easterly direction down the wall through the kelp to hunt for the boiler which is the highlight of this dive. On your way down look out for a large anchor and other parts of indistinguishable wreckage. The boiler is easy to miss in low visibility and we almost swam past it and only really came upon it by chance. It lies on its side and is approximately 2.5 metres in diameter. It is deteriorated enough to swim through and inside there are lots of small wrasse and seas scorpions. The dive can be ended either by heading to the 26 metre mark where there is another smaller boiler or by heading back up into the shallows before sending up a DSMB.

Scuba Diving in Baltimore, County Cork, Ireland, Europe

Dive Site: Fastnet Rock
Location: 4 miles southwest of Cape Clear, County Cork, Ireland, Europe
Description: Pinnacle
Depth: 0 – 50 metres (0 – 164 feet)
Visibility: 5 – 10 metres (15 – 30 feet)

Fastnet Rock has a reputation for being a very difficult dive site due to its exposed location. However, get it on a calm day and the dive is very easy with the beautiful scenery making for a relaxing dive. One side of the rock drops down to around 50 metres, the other side is only a maximum of 30 metres, but you can pick whatever depth you want to go to. The reef runs approximately in a northeast-southwest direction for over a kilometre and has lots of boulders to each side to swim around along the way. The top of the rock is covered in kelp and lower down the exposed rock surfaces are decorated with jewel anemones, dead men’s fingers, dahlia anemones and plumose anemones. Hunt around the crevasses and fissures to look for all sorts of crabs, gobies and sea scorpions. Wrasse feed on the bottom, which is also strewn with starfish of all sizes. Pollack hang in the kelp near the surface; some of them are over a metre in size. On the safety stop look out for compass, moon and lion’s mane jellyfish.