wreck

Log This Dive

MONKWEARMOUTH

Monkwearmouth is a proper old-school wreck dive, a real slice of history lying just 5 metres deep. We love this site for its accessibility and the way it connects you directly to the past. The wooden hull, still mostly intact, gives you a real feel for what a sailing ship was like in the early 19th century. We’ve spent hours poking around the ribs and timbers, imagining life aboard before it came to grief in 1824. It’s a shallow site, so you get plenty of bottom time, which is great for photography or just soaking it all in. Visibility can be a bit hit or miss, typical for the East Coast, but when it’s good, the light filtering through the water onto the dark wood is quite atmospheric. You'll often find crabs scuttling amongst the timbers, and we’ve seen some surprisingly large lobsters tucked into crevices. It's not about big pelagics here; it's about the delicate ecosystem that has colonised this piece of maritime heritage. This site is perfect for anyone who loves wreck history and doesn't mind a bit of a treasure hunt amongst the timbers.