wreck

Log This Dive

LA MINETTE

We love a wreck with a story, and the *La Minette* has one of the most dramatic. This small trawler, just shy of 15 metres, met its end in 1988 not through bad weather, but by snagging a rogue WWII mine in its nets. The resulting explosion shattered its hull, sending it to the seabed in pieces. Today, at 37 metres, she’s a dispersed but fascinating dive, more a debris field than an intact vessel. Dropping down, you’ll find sections of the stern, bow, and wheelhouse scattered across the sand, each piece now heavily encrusted with plumose anemones and dead man’s fingers. Look closely in the nooks and crannies – conger eels often lurk in the bigger sections, and we’ve spotted impressive spider crabs picking their way across the metal. Visibility here can be a bit variable, typical for the Channel, but when it’s good, the light filtering down onto the scattered wreckage makes for a really evocative dive. It’s a site for experienced divers comfortable with depth and navigating a broken wreck, but the history alone makes it worthwhile. Our favourite bit is imagining the sheer force of that blast, still evident in the twisted metal.