wreck

Log This Dive

AMELIE (PROBABLY)

The Amelie, or what we’re pretty sure is the Amelie, is one of those wrecks that just *feels* old. You drop down, and at 59 metres, the light really starts to fade, giving the whole site a wonderfully atmospheric gloom. Built in 1883, she’s a steamship torpedoed in 1917, and her age shows in the way the wreck has settled, almost melting into the seabed. We love picking our way through the collapsed sections, trying to piece together her original form. The stern is often a good spot to start, looking for the rudder post, then working forward. Visibility here can be hit or miss, typical for the Channel, but when it's good, you can make out the lines of the hull stretching into the murk. Dogfish often rest in the sand nearby, and conger eels peek out from every dark crevice, their eyes catching the beam of your torch. It's a deep dive, definitely one for experienced tech divers comfortable with decompression, but the sense of history down there is palpable. Our best tip? Go on a slack tide, obviously, but also look for a day with minimal surface chop – it makes the long deco stops much more pleasant.