The Runnelstone.
One of the U.K's finest dive sites for more experienced divers.
Situated 1 mile offshore with rocks rising up to just a few metres
below the surface Runnelstone is the last resting place of many
ships. Diving Runnelstone is akin to swimming through massive tower
blocks with not a square inch of rock that isn't smothered in anemones
of one kind or other. As you drift along it is not uncommon to come
across anchors, boilers, propellers and other wreckage with the
only drawback of the site being which direction to look in so as
not to miss anything. Possibly our most popular requested dive site.
Drift or Slack, (not spring tides) 18-40m.
Outer Bucks.
Brilliant wall dive. Large rock faces covered in a blanket of Jewel
anemones making them look like patchwork quilts of magnificent colour.
Other inhabitants of the site include male cuckoo wrasse providing
even more vivid colour to the surroundings. 18-40m drift.
Loguns Gully.
A baby Runnelstone. A steep sided gully just 1m wide at its narrowest
with walls towering above you up to the surface from depths of 18m.
The walls of the gully provide a home for thousands of Plumose,
Jewel and Dahlia anemones, Cuttlefish are often encountered here.
Slack water dive, depths 18-21m.
Prussia Cove.
One of the prettiest coves in Cornwall both above and below the
surface. Lots of gullies to explore with nooks and crannies providing
refuge for Tompot Blennies, Squat Lobsters, Rocklings and much more.
Other marine life you may encounter includes Squid, Cuttlefish,
Dogfish as well as the usual wrasse and Pollack.
Easy site with no currents and depths of 6-14m.
Lamorna Cove.
Probably the most accessible of shore dives with car parking right
at the water’s edge. This beautiful cove offers safe easy
diving from the shore as well as being a useful base for boat trips
to more distant sites. The cove has no currents though with a little
groundsea the surge can add fun to moving around underwater. There
are lots of fish to observe as well as Cuttlefish and Pipefish.
Depths of up to 20m. can be reached by venturing to the centre of
the cove.
Low Lee Reef and the wreck of the
Primrose.
Low Lee reef is situated about 1 mile offshore from Penzance and
its position is marked by the Low Lee shipping buoy. The reef offers
not only a fine display of marine life, with large shoals of Bib
and some very inquisitive Cuckoo Wrasse, but also the wreck of The
Primrose. She was a coal carrier which struck the reef and sank
at the beginning of this century. Cannons have also been found on
this site, their history is unclear but they are thought to be of
17th. century Belgian origin. Nature trails have been laid around
the site and one of the mystery cannons can be found by following
one of the trails.
This reef is a favourite with our regular divers offering an abundance
of life difficult to surpass. Depth to 21m.
Hellopes.
This Schooner rigged steamship which sank in 1911 provides us with
one of our deepest and most intact wrecks. Heading forward from
the easily recognisable stern with its massive propeller you will
find row upon row of Seafans leading you to the two huge boilers.
With depth restricting dive time you will want to return to this
wreck time and time again.
Hellopes can be dived at all states of the tide. Depths 34-38m.
Lincoln.
One of the early steam/sailing ships, The Lincoln, which sank in
1865, was yet another victim of the Runnelstone. This 3 masted Schooner
with its stern engine now makes for a lovely dive site with the
bow section lying on a spectacular reef of deep gullies and walls.
Curious Cuckoo wrasse are often encountered and many Seafans can
be found on this wreck. Depths vary between 34m at the stern to
18m on top of the reef. Slack dive.
Alice Marie.
A victim of the Runnelstone this French steel barque finally came
to rest in Mounts Bay in 1908.
Surrounded by sand this wreck has become the home of a wide variety
of marine life. Plumose anemones now inhabit the ribs of the wreck,
some good photo opportunities here. Lobsters and congers can often
be seen hiding under the platework.
Can be dived at all states of the tide with depths varying between
23-27m.
The Conqueror.
A modern Freezer Trawler which ran aground on Boxing Day 1977 with
a cargo of frozen Mackerel.
The Conqueror now provides us with our most intact shallow wreck,
a popular site for all experience levels with plenty of wreckage
to explore. Although this is quite a new wreck it has already become
the home of many marine organisms. Jewel anemones and Red fingers
are amongst the many forms of life that can be seen here.
Depths 10-22m.
Sennen Cove & the wreck of the
"Beaumaris".
Just the place for anyone who fancies an energetic shore dive. The
main car park steps lead down to the beach and the remains of the
"Beaumaris" can be found 300/400 metres from the shore.
The wreckage consists of the double bottoms of the ship (10 metres
wide) to the west, crank and propeller shaft to the east leading
to the upright stern-post. There are scattered plates, sometimes
covered with sand, on the shoreward side, whilst to the north amongst
the kelp there are more plates and portholes, if you are lucky!
Depths 10 - 12 metres to the west, gradually sloping up to 6-7 metres
at the stern-post at high water.
Seghy Rock.
Seghy is a small rocky island just to the west of "Castle Treveen
Point" near Porthcurno, its variety of depths and features
means it provides interest to divers of all experience levels.
At the south east point one can descend a vertical face to about
25 metres, less experienced divers can start at the north end where
there is a wide sandy area at about 15 metres with rock faces and
boulders to be explored only a few metres away.
On the east side of the rock many of the faces are vertical which
means that there is very little kelp to inhibit ones exploration,
jewel anemones thrive here with some real monsters in only a few
metres of water. At the deeper, south eastern end there are various
'swim-thru' opportunities between and under large boulders.
Seghy is diveable on most states of the tide though better whilst
rising with various depths to 30 metres.
The Mystique and "Mystique
Reef"
The wreck is that of a small fishing vessel, 65ft. in length, which
sank after striking the "Outer Bucks" rock near Lamorna
Cove. Having only foundered a couple of years ago (no loss of life)
the wreck is virtually intact lying in about 35 metres. She hasn't
yet been colonised by marine life so if that's your preference simply
heading north for about 20-30 metres brings you to the start of
a reef which climbs to within 7-8 metres of the surface. To the
west side of this reef there are many gullies and crevices absolutely
full of life and makes an excellent 'multilevel' dive.
The wreck needs slack water but the reef can be enjoyed at any state
of the tide. Warning - still nets onboard, great care needed.
The Mulberry Dock.
This is a relic of the second world war, originally designed to
aid the landing of allied machinery on the beaches of France. This
one can be found a couple of miles off Lamorna Cove. The "Mulberry"
is basically a large steel tank, filled with concrete, now forming
an artificial reef in its last resting place. At 70 metres long
and both 17 metres high and wide, covered in soft corals and anemones
it forms a breathtaking sight. Depth range approx. 35 metres to
the top, 50 ish to the bottom, depending on tide.
Needs slack water and good visibility.