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HMS Niger

The HMS Niger, sitting off the Lizard in Cornwall, is one of those wrecks we return to again and again when we’re in the area. It’s an old torpedo gunboat, sunk by a mine in 1915, and she’s broken up now, but that’s part of her charm. We love weaving through the skeletal remains of her bow and stern sections. You’ll find some great swim-throughs here, manageable even for divers who aren’t big on penetration. The wreck acts like an artificial reef, of course, drawing in all sorts of cool stuff. Expect to see plump lobsters peering out from under twisted metal plates, and conger eels, some of them proper monsters, coiled up in the darker nooks. The light here, especially on a sunny day, filters through the water in a way that gives the whole site a moody, historic feel. Visibility can be a bit variable, as it often is in the Channel, but on a good day, it’s just magical. We’d suggest diving this one on a slack tide, otherwise, you’ll be working a bit too hard to enjoy the details. It’s a great dive for anyone comfortable with slightly cooler water and a bit of history.