wreck

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Wreck of SM U-8

The SM U-8, resting in the often-chilly waters off the Cornish coast, isn't your typical colourful reef dive, but we think it's a profoundly atmospheric one. This isn't a site you descend onto expecting sun-dappled corals. Instead, you're dropping onto a piece of history, a Type U 5 submarine from 1911, sunk in the early days of World War I. What we love here is the sheer sense of scale and the way the sea has reclaimed it. As you descend, the shape slowly resolves from the gloom-a long, dark shadow on the seabed. There's an eeriness to tracing the lines of the hull, feeling the surge of the current against the metal. It’s a proper wreck dive, with plenty of nooks and crannies for resident conger eels, and often swarms of bib or pollack schooling around the superstructure. We’ve found the best visibility here usually follows a few days of settled weather, so keep an eye on the forecast. It’s certainly a dive for those who appreciate history and the silent power of the ocean more than a vibrant colour palette.