wreck

Log This Dive

DESDEMONA

We’ve spent a fair bit of time exploring the North Sea’s wrecks, and the Desdemona always comes up in conversation. She was a steamship, sunk by a mine in 1944 on her way from Hamburg to Skien, and now she lies at a very accessible 27 metres. What we love about her is how intact she still feels. You can swim down into the cargo holds, even peek into the engine room if you’re comfortable with overhead environments. The sense of history here is palpable, the structure eerily preserved. Vis can be a bit of a gamble, often around 5-10 metres, but when it’s good, the light filtering down onto the old deck plates is quite something. It’s not just a steel hulk either; the wreck has become an artificial reef, absolutely covered in anemones and dead man’s fingers. Cod, wrasse, and even small schools of pollock weave through the superstructure. Our pick for timing a dive here is definitely late summer or early autumn for the best chance of settled conditions. This is a dive for experienced wreck enthusiasts who appreciate a good historical narrative and aren’t afraid of a bit of chill.