CONLEA

Best months: Jul–Sep

Protected Area

Les Minquiers

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) - CONLEA 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 43m

StandoutExceptional marine biodiversity

The Conlea is a properly moody wreck. Lying at 43 metres, she’s a dive for those comfortable with depth and the sometimes-finicky conditions of the English Channel. We love her for the sheer scale and the sense of history. Sunk in heavy weather in 1975, you can still feel the drama. She sits upright, largely intact, with her bow pointing seaward. The wheelhouse is gone, but the engine room, where the flooding began, is accessible if you’re comfortable with overhead environments and good on your trim. Look out for the propeller, often shrouded in a cloud of jewel anemones, a genuinely startling splash of colour against the rusted steel. The hold offers cavernous entry points, and we’ve often found conger eels coiled amongst the twisted metal, surprisingly curious. Visibility can be 20 metres on a good day, but when it’s 5 metres and the light is dim, the Conlea becomes an atmospheric, almost ghostly, experience. Dive her on a slack tide, ideally early morning, for the best chance of clear water before the currents pick up. It’s a dive that rewards careful planning and a healthy respect for the conditions.