CECILIA (POSSIBLY) (OR ANGELA MADRE) - Scottish East Coast & Borders
Forget your tropical dreams for a moment. The CECILIA, or possibly the ANGELA MADRE, is proper British diving, and we absolutely love it for that. This isn't some deep, dark mystery; it’s a shallow, accessible wreck sitting at just 6m. We've always found it a brilliant way to spend an hour, especially when the light cuts through the green water. This iron barque, sunk way back in 1881, lies scattered but still offers plenty of structure to explore. You can trace the lines of the hull, spotting ribs and plates, and in the calmer sections, the sand ripples softly. It’s not about grand swim-throughs here; it’s about appreciating the history, feeling the cool surge against your drysuit, and observing the resident critters. Lobsters often peek out from under plating, and we’ve seen some surprisingly large cod hanging about the larger sections. Our favourite moments are finding the small, intricate sections, almost like miniature gardens, where anemones and dead man's fingers have taken hold. If you appreciate the ghosts of maritime history and don't mind a bit of chill, this wreck is a solid shout.
- Location
- Scottish East Coast & Borders, United Kingdom, Mediterranean & Europe
- Coordinates
- 54.969265, -1.355150
- Type
- wreck
- Maximum Depth
- 6m
Marine Protected Area: Tynemouth to Seaton Sluice
Nearby Dive Sites in Scottish East Coast & Borders
- ABESSINIA - 2m (wreck)
- ACCLIVITY - 26m (wreck)
- ADAMS BECK (PROBABLY) - 52m (wreck)
- ADORATION (POSSIBLY) - 52m (wreck)
- AEPOS - 60m (wreck)
- ALASKAN - 43m (wreck)
- ALBANO - 49m (wreck)
- ALERT - 42m (wreck)
- ALEXANDER - 2m (wreck)
- AMSTERDAM - 38m (wreck)
- ANGELA - 18m (wreck)
- ANLABY - 20m (wreck)
- ANNETTE MARY - 15m (wreck)
- ANN MODROS - 36m (wreck)
- ANU - 7m (wreck)
Nearest Dive Centres to CECILIA (POSSIBLY) (OR ANGELA MADRE)
- Aquanorth - ["PADI"]
- Aqua Purists
- Deep Blue Scuba - PADI
- Deep Sea World Aquarium - ["PADI"]
- Libertas Scuba Stirling
- Newcastle University Sub Aqua Society - ["PADI"]
Marine Life in Scottish East Coast & Borders
Home to 126 recorded species including 53 reef fish, 12 whales & dolphins, 10 seagrass & algae, 10 sharks & rays, 9 crabs & lobsters, 8 other.
Notable Species
- Protestant (Clupea harengus) - Reef Fish
- whiting (Merlangius merlangus) - Reef Fish
- dab (Limanda limanda) - Reef Fish
- Haddock (Melanogrammus aeglefinus) - Reef Fish
- Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) - Reef Fish
- long rough dab (Hippoglossoides platessoides) - Reef Fish
- sprat (Sprattus sprattus) - Reef Fish
- Common sea star (Asterias rubens) - Starfish
- Cowfish (Tursiops truncatus) - Whales & Dolphins
- Edible periwinkle (Littorina littorea) - Sea Snails & Nudibranchs
- Acorn barnacle (Semibalanus balanoides)
- harbour porpoise (Phocoena phocoena) - Whales & Dolphins
- Blue mussel (Mytilus edulis) - Clams & Mussels
- Common lobster (Homarus gammarus) - Crabs & Lobsters
- Beadlet anemone (Actinia equina) - Hard Corals
- bladder wrack (Fucus vesiculosus) - Seagrass & Algae
- Dog whelk (Nucella lapillus) - Sea Snails & Nudibranchs
- Common brittlestar (Ophiothrix fragilis)
- butterfish (Pholis gunnellus) - Reef Fish
- grey gurnard (Eutrigla gurnardus) - Reef Fish