ALICE DAVIES - Northumberland & Northeast

The Alice Davies, resting just off the Northumberland coast, is one of our favourite shallow wrecks in the UK. She’s a wooden hulled sailing vessel, sunk after a collision in 1878, and while dispersed, still offers a fantastic dive. You won’t find towering superstructures here. Instead, it’s a debris field of timbers, ribs, and planks, scattered across the seabed at a consistent 13 metres. We love how the wooden wreckage has become an artificial reef, attracting a surprising amount of life. Dropping down, the first thing you notice is the sheer scale of the scattered remains. It feels like an archaeological dig, tracing the outline of what was once a grand ship. We’ve spent hours here, meticulously sifting through the timbers (with our eyes, of course!), spotting everything from wrasse darting between the beams to squat lobsters tucked into crevices. Keep an eye out for the larger crabs too, scuttling across the exposed timbers. It’s a dive that rewards slow exploration, peering into every shadowy gap. The Alice Davies suits divers who appreciate history and enjoy the hunt for smaller marine life over dramatic, intact wrecks. Dive it on a slack tide for the best visibility, which can be surprisingly good on a calm day.

Location
Northumberland & Northeast, United Kingdom, Mediterranean & Europe
Coordinates
53.428720, -3.014183
Type
wreck
Maximum Depth
13m

Wreck History - ALICE DAVIES

Year Sunk
1878
Vessel Type
sailing vessel
Cause
collision

The Alice Davies was a 52-meter wooden sailing vessel whose career came to an abrupt end on a winter night in 1878. While navigating the waters near the Sandon Basin, she was struck by the steamship SS Cherbourg. The collision proved fatal for the wooden-hulled ship, and she quickly sank to the seabed. In the years that followed, the wreck was considered a navigational hazard and was dispersed with explosives, scattering its remains across the seafloor.

Today, the site of the Alice Davies offers a fascinating dive for history enthusiasts. Lying at an accessible depth of 13 meters, the wreck is a scattered field of timbers, iron fittings, and other remnants of a bygone era of sail. Divers can explore the debris, searching for clues that tell the story of the ship's construction and its final moments. It's a dive that feels like an underwater archaeological survey, providing a direct connection to the region's 19th-century maritime trade.

Marine Protected Area: Mersey Narrows

Nearby Dive Sites in Northumberland & Northeast

Nearest Dive Centres to ALICE DAVIES

Marine Life in Northumberland & Northeast

Home to 132 recorded species including 53 reef fish, 15 whales & dolphins, 11 sharks & rays, 10 other, 10 seagrass & algae, 9 crabs & lobsters.

Notable Species