wreck

Log This Dive

ATLAS (PROBABLY)

The Atlas, or what we’re pretty sure is the Atlas, sits upright at 40 metres, a proper deep dive that’ll test your gas planning. We love a good mystery, and the identity of this wreck has kept local divers guessing for years, adding a cool layer of intrigue to an already impressive site. She’s a decent sized steamship, 66 metres long, and while the superstructure is largely gone, her bones are still very much there, laid out on the seabed. You’ll drop down onto the bow, often seeing some impressive conger eels poking out from the plates. Moving aft, the single boiler is a real focal point, and the triple expansion engine stands proud, a ghostly monument to a bygone era of steam. The visibility can be hit or miss, typical of the Channel, but when it’s good, you can make out the scale of the wreck from above, schools of pouting swarming the deck like a living cloud. Our advice? Hit this on a slack tide, obviously, but also look for a day with minimal surface chop – that’ll make the whole descent and ascent a lot more comfortable. It’s a dive for those comfortable with depth and who appreciate a proper historical wreck, not just the critters, though the critters are certainly here.