GB Dives: The feel-good factor

Right turn: the remains of the Chris Christenson emergency wheel. Photo by Trever Reeves Sealed off: a seal swims above the reef of the wreck of the Chris Christensen. Photo by Richard Booth Cornish sights: jewel anemones. Photo by Trevor Rees Cuckoo wrasse. Photo by Trevor Rees Metal magic: diver amid wreckage on the Rosehill. Photo Neil Hope The Rosehill in her former glory Schooling bib use the wreck for cover. Photo by Neil Hope Line of fire: the 20mm guns on the YC21 barge loom up towards the surface Map

The Chris Christensen, Farne Islands Lying close to the lighthouse on the Longstone reef, the Chris Christenson was a Danish steam ship that ran into the reef and was wrecked on 16 February 1915 while on passage from Aarhus in Denmark to Newcastle upon Tyne, fortunately without any loss of her 19 crew. Today, the wreck lies at 32m off the southwest corner of the Longstone reef, in an area subject to strong tidal flow.

This is a slack-water dive, and the strong currents ensure that the wreckage is regularly swept clean of loose debris. Underwater visibility can be exceptional at this site, with 30m-plus not unknown, particularly at times when cooler, plankton-free water flows across the wreck site. The boilers can usually be easily located by the boat’s sounder, as they stand 3m proud of the bottom.

As you drop down the shot-line, the broken wreckage soon looms out of the green water. Close to the boilers lie the remains of the three-cylinder compound engine that once drove this proud vessel across the oceans of the world. The shifting sands that surround the wreckage sometimes expose the black-and-white tiled floor of the engine room.

Drifting back up the slope, you pass intact cargo winches and the remains of an old ship’s emergency wheel. Once intact and standing proud, the wheel now sadly lies shattered on the sea bed, a victim of a botched salvage attempt. Further up the slope, a rich white carpet of soft corals and anemones covers the bottom. Look carefully down on this scene, however, and you notice straight lines that indicate the wreckage hidden beneath the corals.

At the base of the Longstone reef at a depth of 20m lies the huge, cast-iron propeller. Look up and outwards and you will more than likely catch a glimpse of some of the many seals that frequent this part of the Farnes.

This combination of inquisitive seals and cliffs shrouded in rich marine life ensures that any decompression stops pass quickly when you ascend towards the surface. If you want to start your season on a high, this dive is obligatory.



The Manacles, Porthkerris, Cornwall
The Manacles is a spectacular array of granite reefs that represent British scenic diving at its best. They can be found half a mile off the east coast of the Lizard Peninsula in Cornwall and consist of steep-sided pinnacles, walls and gullies, from near the surface to depths of more than 50m.

Although many divers come for the wreck diving, others prefer the reefs for their marine life, especially the soft corals, jewel anemones and abundant fish life. Like almost any rock that sticks up from the depths, there is quality diving to be had here.

The Manacles have a treacherous reputation. There has been more loss of shipping here than on any other comparable reef on the south coast. The wreck of the Mohegan from 1898, a huge Victorian passenger steamer, is perhaps the best known. Many diving clubs head to the Manacles for their first outing of the year. Cold water early in the season, combined with formidable depths and currents, can push divers beyond their comfort zone. However, you should not be deterred, as there is suitable diving for all levels of experience – it just requires a little local knowledge and a competent skipper to put you on the right dive spot.

Well known rocky reefs include Carn Du, Maen Voes, Pen Win and Raglan. The latter, with its series of submerged pinnacles, is a favourite for many divers. It is on the outer edge of the Manacles and, as such, gets stronger currents. Slack water is five hours before and one hour after high water, with the best slack coming after high-water neaps.

Porthkerris makes a convenient base from which to dive the area, and Porthkerris Divers has both a RIB and a big catamaran available for charter. Both clubs and buddy pairs can book diving, and there is also a tractor launch available for those who wish to bring their own boats. You get all the colour and excitement of Cornish diving, and that – plus a cream tea – is enough to put a smile on anyone’s face.



The Rosehill, Cornwall/Devon
On the evening of 23 September 1917, the armed merchant ship SS Rosehill was on the last leg of her voyage from Cardiff to Devonport when she came under attack from the German submarine UB-40. A single torpedo struck the vessel just aft of the engine room and the order was given to abandon ship, as the weight of the Rosehill’s cargo – 3,980 tonnes of Welsh coal – saw her stern sink low into the water.

But an hour later, the Rosehill was still afloat. The crew bravely reboarded the vessel and, assisted by local tugboats, headed towards nearby Fowey in an attempt to save her. However, the arrival of the Admiralty’s own tugs resulted in a change of direction; making for Plymouth, the Rosehill broke her back and was abandoned to her fate.

The wreck can be found two miles off Portwrinkle, Whitsand Bay, Cornwall. Lying upside down at 30m, the wreckage is well broken up and sits alongside a series of rocky outcrops. This is a dark, challenging, dive with visibility normally around 5m – you need a good torch on this wreck, but the atmosphere is something special.

The two boilers stand 3m clear of the sea bed and make an ideal entry and orientation point. Heading in a northerly direction, you’ll find the wreck is pretty flattened, with sections of sand-covered hull, some bollards, wooden decking and, on reaching the bow, the large starboard anchor, anchor chain and winch on show.

South of the boilers are the remains of the engine room, which make an ideal home for conger eels among the masses of twisted metal. Sea fans are prominent along the hull plating, with schools of bib congregating among the many nooks and crannies. Adjacent to the holds, coal can still be found scattered on the sea bed. A raised area of wreckage marks the furthest Rosehill’s stern, with the propeller, prop shaft and rudder lying more or less intact.

So, a dark wreck, but also an ideal primer for the more experienced UK diver – with so much to see, you’ll still be smiling on your decompression stops.



F2 escort ship and YC21 barge, Scapa Flow
When you go to Scapa, the light cruisers are the benchmark wrecks and the battleships are the challenging dives – but there are also a lot of quirky little dives, which I think are underrated. This one is notable in that it involves two separate shipwrecks, one of which has an impressive 20mm gun inside its hold. It’s shallow, but there’s a lot to see in your longer-than-usual bottom time – it’s definitely a feelgood dive.

The site is located northeast of Lyness Pier on the island of Hoy, where the buoyed wreckage sits on a silty bottom, brushed by a gentle mid-channel current. The F2 was a Second World War German escort vessel captured by the Allies in the early part of the war, and was left to rot on her moorings until she sank in 1946. Today, it’s an ideal afternoon dive, with a depth range of 8–18m. The bow section is mostly intact, with a forward gun still in place, while the stern is much more broken up and the sea bed is a tangled mass of wreckage.

You’ll find some very tame cuckoo wrasse around this wreck; in fact, it’s a productive hunting ground for all manner of critters, including blennies, shrimps and even the elusive wolf fish (itself the largest of the blenny family) can be found. There’s a handy line to follow on the 30m swim to the second wreck, a barge that was used to salvage the F2, whose run of ill fortune proved contagious: the barge sank during a storm in 1968. Today, it still sits upright, though the wooden hull is slowly being eaten away by colonising invertebrates. The highlight of the barge is its open hold (beware the silt in the closed section), where you can find a rusty but recognisable 20mm ack-ack gun, which had been salvaged from the F2.