PORTHKERRY - Cornwall & Devon

Porthkerry is a properly chunky wreck, a great dive if you ask us, lying in a pretty exposed spot off Portland. She was a steamship, built in Sunderland, and went down in 1917 after hitting a mine. You can still see the scale of her, 85 metres long, broken but upright on the seabed at 45 metres. We love dropping onto the stern, where the triple expansion engine and those two big boilers are still very much intact. The prop shaft stretches out, a clear pathway through the gloom. You’ll find squat lobsters tucked into every crevice and conger eels peering from the deeper recesses. The visibility here can be… challenging, so pick your day carefully, ideally with slack tide and calm seas. It’s a dive for those comfortable with deeper wrecks and a bit of current, but she rewards the effort. You get a real sense of history here, the metalwork cloaked in dead man's fingers and anemones. Our favourite part is navigating the broken midships section, feeling the sheer size of the vessel even in its current state.

Location
Cornwall & Devon, United Kingdom, Mediterranean & Europe
Coordinates
50.630043, -0.314307
Type
wreck
Maximum Depth
45m

Marine Protected Area: Kingmere

Best Time to Dive in Cornwall & Devon

The warmest water temperatures in Cornwall & Devon occur in January, averaging 9.6°C. The coolest conditions are in December at 9.6°C.

Monthly Water Temperatures

  • January: 9.6°C (air: 7.3°C)
  • February: 9.6°C (air: 8.4°C)
  • March: 9.6°C (air: 8.6°C)
  • April: 9.6°C (air: 10.1°C)
  • May: 9.6°C (air: 12.6°C)
  • June: 9.6°C (air: 15.2°C)
  • July: 9.6°C (air: 16.6°C)
  • August: 9.6°C (air: 17.1°C)
  • September: 9.6°C (air: 15.9°C)
  • October: 9.6°C (air: 13.5°C)
  • November: 9.6°C (air: 10.7°C)
  • December: 9.6°C (air: 8.7°C)

Nearby Dive Sites in Cornwall & Devon

Nearest Dive Centres to PORTHKERRY

Marine Life in Cornwall & Devon

Home to 192 recorded species including 93 reef fish, 18 sharks & rays, 13 whales & dolphins, 11 crabs & lobsters, 11 other, 10 seagrass & algae.

Notable Species

Recommended Packing List for PORTHKERRY

Based on average water temperature of 9.6°C.

  • Drysuit - water at 10°C demands a drysuit with thermal undergarments
  • Hood & Gloves (7mm+) - critical to prevent heat loss
  • Mask - essential for every dive
  • Fins
  • BCD - buoyancy compensator
  • Regulator - your most safety-critical piece of gear
  • Dive Computer - tracks depth, time, and NDL
  • Surface Marker Buoy (SMB) - essential for boat pickups
  • Dive Torch - useful for crevices and colour at depth
  • Underwater Camera - capture your diving memories