Wreck of Macrae - Northumberland & Northeast
The Wreck of the Macrae, just off the Northumberland coast, is one of our top picks for a good old-fashioned British wreck dive. This isn't some pristine, intact vessel; she's a proper working wreck, broken up but still very much a ship, scattered across the seabed at a depth that suits most advanced open-water divers. We've spent many hours nosing around her various sections, discovering the prop shaft, bits of engine, and the distinctive outline of her bow and stern. What we really love about the Macrae is the sheer quantity of life that calls her home. You'll often find enormous ling lurking in the gloom, their eyes tracking your every move, while shoals of pollock dart through the superstructure. Look closely at the metalwork and you'll spot dead man's fingers and colourful anemones clinging on, swaying gently with the current. It’s a dive that requires good buoyancy and a keen eye, especially if the visibility isn’t at its best, which, let's be honest, can happen. Our favourite time to dive her is on a slack tide, otherwise, you'll be battling a fair push. She's a bit of a local legend, a proper piece of history underwater, and a genuinely rewarding dive for anyone who appreciates the character of a working wreck.
- Location
- Northumberland & Northeast, United Kingdom, Mediterranean & Europe
- Coordinates
- 54.700012, -4.958427
- Type
- wreck
Marine Protected Area: Port Logan
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 Macrae
- 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