HMS APPLETREE

Protected Area

Lynn of Lorn

Why dive here

With 112+ marine species recorded in the area - including blue whales, dolphins, dwarf minke whales, humpback whales and ocean sunfish (mola mola) - HMS APPLETREE offers some of Scottish West Coast's richest wreck diving.

Marine lifeBlue Whales, Dolphins, Dwarf Minke Whales, Humpback Whales and Ocean Sunfish (Mola Mola) · 112+ species recorded

CharacterWreck dive · max 43m

StandoutRich in charismatic marine life

The HMS Appletree sits upright at 43 metres, a proper time capsule of a wreck. Built in 1907, this drifter-turned-patrol-craft went down in 1940 after a bump with an RAF pinnace. We love that you can still make out her single boiler, triple expansion engine, and the shaft, all reasonably intact. The visibility up here can be fickle, but on a good day, the light penetration makes for a wonderfully atmospheric dive, casting long shadows across the deck. Exploring the Appletree, you’ll find the hull draped in Dead Man's Fingers and plumose anemones, their white tentacles swaying gently with the current. Ling often lurk in the deeper sections, and we've spotted conger eels peeking out from various nooks and crannies. This dive isn't for the faint-hearted; it’s deep, and the Scottish West Coast can throw some unpredictable weather at you. We'd suggest saving it for a calm day, and it absolutely suits those who appreciate historical wrecks colonised by hardy Scottish marine life, not just big pelagics.