Old Head of Kinsale

Good diving all year

Protected Area

Old Head of Kinsale 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) - Old Head of Kinsale 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 10-30m

StandoutExceptional marine biodiversity

The Old Head of Kinsale isn't just a dive; it's a dive into history, right near where the Lusitania went down. We're talking proper Irish wreck diving here, a little silty, a little mysterious, and absolutely brilliant for it. The main attraction is the wreck itself, spread across a seabed that generally sits around 20-25 metres, though you can drop to 30m if you follow some of the deeper debris. You'll spend most of your time exploring the broken sections of hull, the twisted metal beams, and what’s left of the ship’s structure. It’s an intermediate dive, definitely not for your first time out, as currents can pick up and visibility can be variable. We’ve had days where it’s a murky 5 metres, and others where it opens up to a good 15, letting you really appreciate the scale. Inside the wreck, or what’s left of it, there are jewel anemones absolutely coating the darker corners, glowing like tiny stained-glass windows. Look out for the common pipefish weaving through the kelp that grows on the higher sections, and we often spot Norway lobsters scuttling away into crevices. This site is our pick for divers who love to feel the weight of history, who don't mind a bit of a challenge, and who get a real kick out of seeing nature reclaiming something man-made.