HMS BREDAH (POSSIBLY)

Good diving all year

Protected Area

Cork Harbour SPA

Why dive here

With 185+ marine species recorded in the area - including blue sharks, dolphins, dwarf minke whales, humpback whales and ocean sunfish (mola mola) - HMS BREDAH (POSSIBLY) offers some of South Coast's richest wreck diving. Water ranges 9-15°C, warmest July, August, September.

Best timeYear-round

WetsuitA drysuit

Marine lifeBlue Sharks, Dolphins, Dwarf Minke Whales, Humpback Whales and Ocean Sunfish (Mola Mola) · 185+ species recorded

Water9-15°C · warmest July, August, September

CharacterWreck dive · max 4m

StandoutExceptional marine biodiversity

The HMS Bredah, or what we believe is the Bredah, is an interesting one. It’s shallow, only four metres, but that’s part of its charm. This isn't a dive for coral fanatics, obviously, but if you love history, this site hums with it. We’ve spent hours here, feeling the current tug, imagining the chaos back in 1690 when it blew up. It was a massive loss of life, a real tragedy. What's left is spread out, a scatter of timbers and cannons mostly, but there's a definite hull shape discernible. The wooden planks are dark, almost black, and completely encrusted with mussels and anenomes. Finding a cannon still bolted to the seabed, half-buried, is always a thrill. It's a dark dive, even in bright sunshine, the light struggling to penetrate the silty water, giving it a sombre, reflective mood. We’d suggest going on an incoming tide, as the visibility tends to be better before the current picks up too much. It’s a site that rewards patience, letting your eyes adjust, slowly picking out the details. We love finding the old pottery shards – a small, tangible link to the past.