GRELEEN

Best months: Jul–Sep

Protected Area

Lyme Bay and Torbay

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) - GRELEEN 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 38m

StandoutExceptional marine biodiversity

The Greleen, oh, she’s a proper dive. Not one for a Sunday splash, mind you, with her deck at 38 metres. This old steamer, built by Harland & Wolff in 1894, went down in 1917, and time has been kind to her, in a diver’s sense. We love how she’s broken but still holds her shape, a sprawling iron skeleton across the seabed. You drop onto the debris field first, then the main sections start to resolve out of the gloom. The two huge boilers are our favourite, often swarming with pollack that seem to shimmer as you approach. Keep an eye out for conger eels in the deeper recesses; some of them are the size of small tree trunks. Penetration isn't really the point here, but there's plenty to poke your head into, like the old engine room, if you're comfortable with the depth and the often-murky Cornish visibility. We'd suggest aiming for a calm day with a neap tide, as the currents can really rip through here, making a pleasant dive quite the workout. It’s a site for experienced wreck hounds who appreciate history and don't mind a bit of a challenge.