wreck

Log This Dive

KOORAH

The SS *Koorah* isn’t one of Scapa’s grand fleet wrecks, but we love it for its scrappy charm. This trawler ran aground in 1954 and broke up on the rocks off Dunnet Head, leaving a surprisingly engaging dive. You’re not exploring an intact vessel here. Instead, you’re navigating a fascinating debris field, an organised chaos of twisted metal plates, sturdy winches, and massive sections of engine, all scattered across a rugged bedrock reef. What makes *Koorah* special is how marine life has utterly reclaimed it. Every crack and crevice in the wreckage seems to shelter something. We’ve found wolf fish tucked into collapsed sections of the hull, an impressive number of crabs scuttling amongst the plates, and the resident conger eels are truly enormous. Visibility can vary, but on a good day, the light plays beautifully through the fragmented metal, highlighting the vibrant jewel anemones that carpet everything. This site really suits divers who appreciate the ecological side of wreck diving, those who enjoy picking apart a story told in rust and anemones. It’s a shallower dive, often less than 15 metres, making for good bottom time, though surge can be a factor on choppier days. We’d suggest timing your visit for slack water, and keeping an eye out for the occasional inquisitive grey seal.