wreck

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HMS IVANHOE

The HMS Ivanhoe is a proper little time capsule, sitting in just two metres of water near Eyemouth. We love a wreck you can actually spend some time on without deep decompression, and this trawler, pressed into service as a minesweeper, fits the bill perfectly. Built in 1898, she went down in 1914, so you’re looking at over a century of history right there. Even in the shallow East Coast water, the wreck has held up well. You can still trace the outline of the hull, and we’ve found the triple expansion engine surprisingly intact, a solid chunk of industrial heritage now coated in green algae and anemones. Visibility can swing a bit here, but on a good day, the sunlight filters right through to the seabed, illuminating crabs scuttling over the plates and small wrasse darting between the frames. It’s an easy dive, perfect for photographers wanting to play with ambient light or anyone who enjoys pottering about a bit of history. We’d suggest timing your dive for slack water, just to avoid any surge, though at this depth, it’s rarely a problem.