LA PETITE ROUSSE

Best months: Jul–Sep

Protected Area

Les Ecrehous

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) - LA PETITE ROUSSE 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

StandoutExceptional marine biodiversity

There’s something about a trawler wreck that just feels right in these waters, and La Petite Rousse is a cracker. She’s not huge, just 12.8m, but it’s enough to get a proper rummage around. We love poking into the nooks and crannies where the light barely reaches, often finding a dogfish tucked away or a grumpy crab scuttling for cover. Her deck house is still pretty intact, which is always our favourite spot to hover and watch the schools of bib darting through the rusted metalwork. It’s a proper dive for those who enjoy the intimate scale of a working boat, feeling the history of the sea beneath your fins. Expect good visibility on an incoming tide, but she can get a bit silty if there’s been a lot of recent weather. While there’s no deep exploration here, it’s a brilliant shallow dive, perfect for extending bottom time and really getting to know a wreck.