wreck

Log This Dive

NO 194 AX

The NO 194 AX, just off the Cornish coast, is a proper chunk of history and one we always enjoy getting on. This isn't some broken-up mess; it’s a caisson vessel, essentially a giant concrete box, that went down in 1944 while under tow. You descend onto a vast, flat deck, a landscape of concrete now softened by encrusting sponges and anemones. We love how the sheer scale of it hits you – it’s 62 metres long, a truly impressive artificial reef. Visibility here can be a bit of a lottery, like much of the UK, but on a good day, the light filtering through the green water gives it a real atmospheric feel. Keep an eye out for the resident conger eels tucked into any available crevice, and we’ve often seen big ballan wrasse patrolling the edges. It’s not a site for poking through delicate structures, but rather for appreciating the sheer mass of the wreck and the life it now supports. We’d suggest this one for any diver who appreciates a solid, historical wreck that feels more like an underwater monument than a tangled wreck.