MARIA JOSE

Best months: Jul–Sep

Protected Area

South-West Approaches to Bristol Channel

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) - MARIA JOSE 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 55m

StandoutExceptional marine biodiversity

The Maria Jose is a proper deep dive, sitting at 55 metres off Lundy Island. We love this wreck for its ghostly calm, a stark contrast to the often lively waters closer to shore. Dropping down, the light fades quickly, and the outline of the sailing vessel starts to emerge from the blue. She went down in 1918, a victim of a German U-boat, and time has given her a real sense of history. What you'll find is a largely intact hull, settled upright, with masts long gone but the general shape still very much there. We’ve seen conger eels poking out from every nook and cranny, sometimes surprisingly large ones, and the deck plates host brittle stars and dead man’s fingers. The visibility can be surprisingly good down here, often better than shallower sites, giving you a chance to appreciate her scale. This isn’t a rummage dive; it’s about appreciating a piece of maritime history, deep and quiet, with just the ambient hum of the ocean for company. It’s definitely one for experienced divers comfortable with the depth and the chill of the Atlantic.