BENGAR - Northumberland & Northeast

Bengar. What can we say? If you're looking for a deep, challenging wreck, this isn’t it. But if you appreciate history, and a chance to get seriously intimate with a piece of the past, Bengar delivers. She's a steamer, built in 1889, gone down in 1909. Now, when the tide is out, the top of her boilers break the surface, a stark reminder of her fate. We love Bengar for its sheer accessibility and the way the North Sea has reclaimed her. At high tide, you're looking at a metre of water, maybe a bit more on a big spring. It’s a snorkel or really shallow free-dive. You drift over her plates, sometimes catching the glint of light on a lobster antennawaving from a crevice. Crabs scuttle across the collapsed deck sections. The real joy here is the intertidal life – anemones, barnacles, and small fish using the structure for shelter. It's a living history lesson, right there at your fingertips. We'd suggest going on a calm day, maybe an hour or two either side of low tide for the clearest view. The water can be murky, but even then, the scale of the wreck is impressive. It’s a different kind of dive, perfect for a surface interval or when you want something genuinely unique.

Location
Northumberland & Northeast, United Kingdom, Mediterranean & Europe
Coordinates
53.347767, -2.917191
Type
wreck
Maximum Depth
1m

Wreck History - BENGAR

Year Sunk
1909
Vessel Type
cargo ship
Cause
grounding

The SS Bengar was a workhorse steamship of the late Victorian era, built in 1889 in West Hartlepool and originally christened the 'Verax'. Powered by a 219 NHP triple-expansion engine, she plied the coastal routes for the Steam Transport Co Ltd, a typical tramp steamer of her day, carrying cargo between British ports.

Her career ended abruptly on January 20th, 1909. While the specific cause of her loss isn't detailed, her final resting place tells the story. Lying in just one meter of water, she was almost certainly driven ashore by a storm or navigational error, breaking her back on the unforgiving Northumberland coast.

At such a shallow depth, the Bengar is not a traditional scuba dive. Instead, she offers a fantastic opportunity for snorkelers or can even be explored on foot during a very low tide. A century of relentless wave action has flattened and scattered the wreck, but her two large boilers remain prominent features. Exploring the wreckage, now encrusted with marine life and tangled in kelp, provides a uniquely accessible glimpse into maritime history.

Marine Protected Area: Mersey Estuary

Nearby Dive Sites in Northumberland & Northeast

Nearest Dive Centres to BENGAR

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