GHAMBIRA

Protected Area

Puffin Island - Ynys Seiriol

Why dive here

With 118+ marine species recorded in the area - including dolphins, dwarf minke whales, humpback whales, ocean sunfish (mola mola) and orcas - GHAMBIRA 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 17m

StandoutRich in charismatic marine life

The *Ghambira* in Northumberland, now that’s a wreck with a story. She started life as a British India steamship, then got scuttled as a blockship at Scapa Flow, only to be refloated and used for target practice. You can still see the impact of that gunfire, which is a bit grim but fascinating. The wreck sits upright on a sandy bottom at 17 metres, generally well-sheltered, making it a cracking dive for most experience levels when conditions are good. We love exploring the holds, which are surprisingly open and offer easy penetration for divers comfortable with overhead environments. Light filters in, highlighting the thick carpets of dead man's fingers clinging to every surface. Look for the lobsters lurking in darker crevices and the blennies darting amongst the broken plating. It’s a proper historical piece, but the marine life has really made it home, turning a wartime relic into a vibrant artificial reef. Our favourite time to dive it is on a slack tide, an hour either side of high water, for the clearest visibility and easiest exploration.