MAKESHIFT (POSSIBLY)

Best months: Jul–Sep

Protected Area

Gouliot Caves and Headland, Sark

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) - MAKESHIFT (POSSIBLY) 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 · max 20m

StandoutExceptional marine biodiversity

The *Makeshift* is one of those sites that just oozes history, the kind you feel rather than just read about. Sunk way back in 1592, this 70-ton pinnace is a proper time capsule, thought to have gone down in rough weather en route to Brittany. Dropping down onto her feels like stepping back into the Elizabethan era; you can almost hear the creak of timber. The wreck itself is around 18 metres long, mostly broken up now, but the sheer age makes it fascinating. We love how the structure, what's left of it, has been completely taken over by the sea. You'll spend your dive exploring the scattered timbers, imagining the seven to nine cannons she once carried. It’s not about penetration here, more about the atmosphere and the incredible sense of history. Look closely and you’ll find plenty of resident critters – lobsters tucked into crevices, velvet swimming crabs scuttling over the wood, and wrasse darting between the frames. This site is definitely for divers who appreciate the story behind the dive, for those who find beauty in the old and the wild rather than just intact structures. It’s a dive that makes you think.