Wreck of Kittiwake - Northumberland & Northeast
Forget whatever images pop into your head when someone says "UK diving". The Kittiwake, off the Northumberland coast, is a proper dive, one we always enjoy. She’s not some scattered pile of planks; this is a solid, intact wreck, lying upright, and it feels like you're exploring history. We love picking our way through the superstructure, seeing the davits and winches, then dropping into the holds. On a good day, with a bit of sunlight filtering down, it’s genuinely atmospheric – the kind of light that makes the resident wrasse and pollock glow with an almost ethereal sheen. The Kittiwake is perfect for divers who appreciate the story behind the metal. Look closely and you’ll find plenty of plumose anemones, like fluffy white flowers, clinging to every surface, and we’ve often spotted lobsters tucked into crevices. It’s a site that rewards multiple visits; you always find something new, a different angle, another detail you missed before. We’d suggest timing your dive for slack water, otherwise, that North Sea current can make it a bit of a workout. It’s a site that really showcases the beauty of cold-water wreck diving.
- Location
- Northumberland & Northeast, United Kingdom, Mediterranean & Europe
- Coordinates
- 54.695957, -4.364214
- Type
- wreck
Marine Protected Area: Isle of Whithorn Bay
Nearby Dive Sites in Northumberland & Northeast
- AARLA - 35m (wreck)
- ABBOTSFORD - 7m (wreck)
- ABYDOS - 8m (wreck)
- ACACIA - 11m (wreck)
- ACTION - 0m (wreck)
- ADC 527 - 60m (wreck)
- ADC 527 - 50m (wreck)
- ADC 527 (POSSIBLY) - 37m (wreck)
- ADGILLUS - 36m (wreck)
- AFTON - 22m (wreck)
- AFTON - 0m (wreck)
- AILSA - 1m (wreck)
- ALARM - 27m (wreck)
- ALASTOR - 13m (wreck)
- ALBANIAN - 35m (wreck)
Nearest Dive Centres to Wreck of Kittiwake
- Above & Below Dive Centre - ["PADI"]
- Academy Divers - ["PADI"]
- Aqua Adventurers Scuba Diving
- Aqualogistics
- Aquaventurers - ["PADI"]
- Barracuda Scuba Ltd
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
- Protestant (Clupea harengus) - Reef Fish
- whiting (Merlangius merlangus) - Reef Fish
- Cowfish (Tursiops truncatus) - Whales & Dolphins
- Haddock (Melanogrammus aeglefinus) - Reef Fish
- Common sea star (Asterias rubens) - Starfish
- Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) - Reef Fish
- dab (Limanda limanda) - Reef Fish
- harbour porpoise (Phocoena phocoena) - Whales & Dolphins
- long rough dab (Hippoglossoides platessoides) - Reef Fish
- sprat (Sprattus sprattus) - Reef Fish
- Edible periwinkle (Littorina littorea) - Sea Snails & Nudibranchs
- Common lobster (Homarus gammarus) - Crabs & Lobsters
- Acorn barnacle (Semibalanus balanoides)
- Blue mussel (Mytilus edulis) - Clams & Mussels
- bladder wrack (Fucus vesiculosus) - Seagrass & Algae
- Dog whelk (Nucella lapillus) - Sea Snails & Nudibranchs
- Beadlet anemone (Actinia equina) - Hard Corals
- Common brittlestar (Ophiothrix fragilis)
- butterfish (Pholis gunnellus) - Reef Fish
- Common shore crab (Carcinus maenas) - Crabs & Lobsters