wreck

Log This Dive

KYLE FIRTH

The Kyle Firth, for us, is one of those frustratingly brilliant Northumberland dives. She’s a coaster, sank in 1940, and now sits in truly shallow water, sometimes barely breaking the surface at low tide. We’re talking a maximum depth of one metre here, often less, so it’s less a dive and more a snorkel or a crawl, but don't let that put you off. Visibility can be a real challenge – it’s the North Sea, after all, and that much sediment in such shallow water means you’ll often be feeling your way along the hull plating. But when it clears, even just a little, the rewards are immense. We’ve spent hours here, nose-to-bow with some of the biggest lobsters and crabs we’ve ever seen, sheltering in crevices, their antennae waving through the gloom. The wreck itself is quite broken up, but you can still make out the ribs of the hull, and the boiler is a prominent feature, a dark mass against the shifting sand. It’s an intimate encounter, almost archaeological, as you trace the remains of a working ship now completely given over to the sea. Our best advice? Pick a calm day with minimal swell, and go on a slack tide for any chance of seeing more than your own mask.