wreck

Log This Dive

GRIP FAST

The Grip Fast, sitting at 18 metres, is one of those wrecks that just hums with history. She went down carrying coal in 1893, and you can really feel that sense of a working vessel. We love dropping onto her stern, often the most intact section, where you’ll find the propeller still largely in place, usually covered in a thick carpet of plumose anemones swaying in the surge. Her hull plates have started to peel away in places, creating these lovely swim-throughs where you can duck in and out, observing dogfish tucked into crevices and small schools of bib darting through the shadowed corridors. Penetration isn't really on the cards here, but the decay has opened her up beautifully for exploration from the outside. Look for the large boiler midships, now home to crabs and lobsters. Visibility here can be hit or miss; on a good day, when the sun filters through, the wreck feels alive, the metal glinting through the green water. Our best dives have always been on a neap tide, allowing for a relaxed exploration of her full 61-metre length. She’s a fantastic dive for anyone who appreciates a proper old steamer and the marine life that has truly made it home.