CLANGULA (PROBABLY)

Best months: Jul–Sep

Protected Area

Welcombe

Why dive here

With 176+ marine species recorded in the area - including blue sharks, dolphins, dwarf minke whales, humpback whales and ocean sunfish (mola mola) - CLANGULA (PROBABLY) offers some of Cornwall & Devon's richest wreck diving. Water ranges 10-18°C, warmest July, August, September.

Best timeJul–Sep

WetsuitA 5mm wetsuit

Marine lifeBlue Sharks, Dolphins, Dwarf Minke Whales, Humpback Whales and Ocean Sunfish (Mola Mola) · 176+ species recorded

Water10-18°C · warmest July, August, September

CharacterWreck dive · max 28m

StandoutExceptional marine biodiversity

The Clangula is one of those wrecks that really sticks with you. Dropping down onto her, she emerges from the gloom, a proper steamship with a story. We particularly love finding the boilers – always a good landmark on a deeper wreck like this, and a magnet for conger eels. You’ll often see pouting shoals flickering around the superstructure, and if you get lucky, a John Dory might just drift by the bow. It’s a dive for those with a bit of experience, given the 28m depth and the typical UK conditions, but the rewards are there. The wreck itself, snapped in two and lying on its starboard side, feels huge, 86 meters of twisted metal now completely colonised by plumose anemones and dead man’s fingers. She went down fast in 1917 after hitting a mine, and that history makes the dive feel even more poignant. We’d suggest diving her on a slack tide, aiming for a neap for the best visibility. Take your time to explore the debris field around the main sections; sometimes the most interesting finds are scattered a little further out.