wreck

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CLIBURN

The Cliburn, a steamer sunk by UB-18 in 1916, sits deep at 51 metres off St Catherine's Point. This isn’t a dive for the casual enthusiast, but for experienced wreck heads, she offers a proper challenge and a seriously rewarding exploration. The sheer depth means careful planning, deco, and ideally, trimix, but what awaits is a beautifully preserved piece of history. We love the Cliburn for her intact structure. You can still make out the bow pointing defiantly into the current, the cargo holds, and the stern section where the prop would have been. Schools of pollack often swirl around the superstructure, and we’ve seen some huge conger eels peering out from gaps in the plating. Visibility can be patchy, as with most deeper UK sites, but when it clears, the scale of the wreck is truly impressive. Our favourite time to dive her is late summer, after a long spell of settled weather, when the thermocline is higher and the surface conditions are calmer for the long boat ride out. It’s a serious undertaking, but for those with the training and ambition, the Cliburn delivers a genuine deep wreck experience.