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HMS RECOIL (STERN SECTION)(PROBABLY)

Okay, so the HMS Recoil, or at least what we’re pretty sure is her stern section, is a proper deep dive off the Cornwall coast. You're dropping onto a piece of wartime history down at 48 metres. We love it because it’s a tangible link to 1940, a former German trawler, the *Balnkenburg*, pressed into Royal Navy service only to hit a mine just a few months later. You’ll find an upright stern section, surprisingly intact for its age and depth. Visibility here can be hit or miss, but on a good day, the silhouette emerges from the gloom, draped in plumose anemones. Look for conger eels peering from the deeper recesses and schools of pouting swarming the edges. It’s a serious decompression dive, best suited for experienced trimix divers who appreciate the sombre history and the peace of a wreck that sees few visitors. Our favourite time to dive it is late summer, when the thermocline pushes down and the surface conditions are usually calmer, giving you a better shot at a smooth ascent.