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HMS ZAREFAH

Forget the big German battleships for a minute, the HMS Zarefah offers a different kind of Scapa Flow charm. This isn’t a massive, imposing wreck, it’s an elegant, almost delicate yacht, lying upright at 38 metres. We love dropping down onto her decks, feeling that slight compression as the light fades and the shape of the vessel resolves itself from the gloom. You can really trace her lines, picturing her as a luxury pleasure craft before the war. The bow points north, and we find the stern a great place to start, working our way forward. Look for the triple expansion engine, it’s still remarkably intact, a fantastic piece of engineering history. Schools of saithe often swirl around the mast, and we’ve seen some decent-sized conger eels peeking out from various nooks and crannies. The Zarefah makes for a fantastic second dive after one of the larger scuttled fleet ships, offering a more intimate, reflective experience. It's a site that rewards careful exploration, not just brute force.