PRIMROSE HILL

Protected Area

Holyhead Mountain

Why dive here

With 118+ marine species recorded in the area - including dolphins, dwarf minke whales, humpback whales, ocean sunfish (mola mola) and orcas - PRIMROSE HILL 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 14m

StandoutRich in charismatic marine life

The Primrose Hill is a big lump of history. We’ve always been drawn to wrecks with a story, and this barque, almost 100 metres long, certainly has one – driven ashore by a storm in 1900. Lying in just 14 metres, it’s not a deep dive, making it accessible for plenty of divers, though we’d suggest waiting for a calm day. Despite the ‘dangerous wreck’ classification, which really just means you can’t salvage it, it’s a friendly site if you pick your conditions. What you’ll find is a substantial, broken-up hull spread across the seabed, creating countless nooks and crannies. We love cruising over the scattered plates, imagining the chaos of that storm, while cod and pollock eye you from behind rusty beams. Crab and lobster are everywhere, scuttling into crevices as your torch beam sweeps by. It’s a proper rummage dive, a chance to explore a significant piece of maritime heritage now completely reclaimed by the North Sea.