wreck

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Wreck of Cotovia

Cotovia. She’s not one of Scapa’s big German fleet, but we love this little auxiliary trawler. You drop onto her at around 20 metres, and she’s lying mostly intact, listing slightly to starboard. What we really appreciate here is the scale; you can get a real sense of the ship’s original layout, navigating through the holds and engine room without feeling lost in a cavernous space. The wooden decking has long since rotted away, leaving the steel ribs exposed, which create these fantastic skeletal structures. Light filters through, illuminating the jewel anemones that cling to every surface, their colours startling against the gloomy steel. Look closely and you’ll find plenty of inquisitive coalfish darting between the beams and the occasional common brittlestar tucked into a crevice. It’s a dive that rewards careful exploration, perfect for divers who appreciate the quieter narrative of a smaller wreck. We’d suggest pairing it with a dive on one of the larger cruisers for a complete Scapa Flow experience.