CARBINEER - Cornwall & Devon

The Carbineer is one of our absolute favourite wrecks off the Cornish coast, particularly if you appreciate a good intact steamship. She went down in 1914 after a collision, settling upright in about 32 metres, which means even on a shorter bottom time, you get a real sense of her scale. We’ve always found the visibility here to be surprisingly good for the UK, often around 10-15 metres, which really lets you take in the bow and stern, often silhouetted against the emerald light filtering down. What we love most is how the Carbineer has become a living reef. Her hold is often packed with bib and pouting, swirling so thick you can barely see the bulkhead. Look closer, and you’ll spot dogfish tucked into crevices and plump conger eels peeking from beneath plates. The wheelhouse area is a personal highlight, still reasonably defined, and if you’re careful with your fin kicks, you can poke around some of the remaining structure. It’s a proper wreck dive, best for those comfortable in deeper water and with a bit of current, but the reward is a genuinely atmospheric exploration of a working steamship turned marine habitat.

Location
Cornwall & Devon, United Kingdom, Mediterranean & Europe
Coordinates
50.597733, -0.674500
Type
wreck
Maximum Depth
32m

Wreck History - CARBINEER

Year Sunk
1914
Vessel Type
cargo ship
Cause
collision
Tonnage
675 GRT

The SS Carbineer was a coastal cargo steamer built in 1907 in Newcastle-upon-Tyne for the Fisher-Renwick Manchester-London Steamship Company. Her career was brief, lasting only seven years before a fateful encounter in the English Channel. On April 22nd, 1914, while navigating through thick fog off Start Point, Devon, the Carbineer collided with the much larger SS Brika. The impact was catastrophic for the smaller vessel. While the Brika survived, the Carbineer was mortally wounded and quickly began to sink. Fortunately, the proximity of the other vessel allowed for a swift rescue, and all 14 members of her crew were saved before she slipped beneath the waves.

Resting upright on a sandy seabed at 32 metres, the Carbineer is a popular and accessible wreck for local divers. Though her wooden decks have long since rotted away, the hull remains largely intact, with the bow and stern still clearly defined. The single boiler and triple-expansion engine are prominent features midships, providing shelter for a variety of marine life. Divers can expect to see large shoals of bib, pollack, and poor cod swirling around the superstructure, while conger eels and lobsters have taken up residence within the decaying hull, making it a lively and picturesque dive.

Marine Protected Area: Offshore Overfalls

Best Time to Dive in Cornwall & Devon

The warmest water temperatures in Cornwall & Devon occur in January, averaging 9.6°C. The coolest conditions are in December at 9.6°C.

Monthly Water Temperatures

  • January: 9.6°C (air: 7.3°C)
  • February: 9.6°C (air: 8.4°C)
  • March: 9.6°C (air: 8.6°C)
  • April: 9.6°C (air: 10.1°C)
  • May: 9.6°C (air: 12.6°C)
  • June: 9.6°C (air: 15.2°C)
  • July: 9.6°C (air: 16.6°C)
  • August: 9.6°C (air: 17.1°C)
  • September: 9.6°C (air: 15.9°C)
  • October: 9.6°C (air: 13.5°C)
  • November: 9.6°C (air: 10.7°C)
  • December: 9.6°C (air: 8.7°C)

Nearby Dive Sites in Cornwall & Devon

Nearest Dive Centres to CARBINEER

Marine Life in Cornwall & Devon

Home to 192 recorded species including 93 reef fish, 18 sharks & rays, 13 whales & dolphins, 11 crabs & lobsters, 11 other, 10 seagrass & algae.

Notable Species

Recommended Packing List for CARBINEER

Based on average water temperature of 9.6°C.

  • Drysuit - water at 10°C demands a drysuit with thermal undergarments
  • Hood & Gloves (7mm+) - critical to prevent heat loss
  • Mask - essential for every dive
  • Fins
  • BCD - buoyancy compensator
  • Regulator - your most safety-critical piece of gear
  • Dive Computer - tracks depth, time, and NDL
  • Surface Marker Buoy (SMB) - essential for boat pickups
  • Dive Torch - useful for crevices and colour at depth
  • Underwater Camera - capture your diving memories