FLORENCE (POSSIBLY)

Protected Area

Calf and Wart Bank

Why dive here

With 118+ marine species recorded in the area - including dolphins, dwarf minke whales, humpback whales, ocean sunfish (mola mola) and orcas - FLORENCE (POSSIBLY) offers some of Northumberland & Northeast's richest wreck diving.

Marine lifeDolphins, Dwarf Minke Whales, Humpback Whales, Ocean Sunfish (Mola Mola) and Orcas · 118+ species recorded

CharacterWreck dive · max 38m

StandoutRich in charismatic marine life

The Florence is a deep wreck, certainly, at 38 metres on the seabed off Northumberland. We wouldn’t recommend this one for anyone but experienced UK divers comfortable with the chill and the lower visibility you often get up here. But if you’re up for it, she’s a beauty. This old coaster went down in 1889 and now lies largely intact, a proper time capsule. What we love about the Florence is the way she’s settled. Her bow points north, and you can still make out a lot of her structure, particularly the engine room. It’s a proper swim-through if you’re careful and properly trained, a dark descent into the machinery space where conger eels lurk. You’ll often find them, thick as your arm, peering out from behind the rusting plates. The hold is open, and if you bring a good torch, you’ll see the beams still running the length of the ship, now draped in dead man’s fingers and hydroids. Visibility can be hit or miss, but on a good day, with a bit of sunlight filtering down, the sight of those long-disused engines is quite something. It’s a dive that rewards slow exploration.