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HMS LAURENTIC

The HMS Laurentic is one of those wrecks we return to, time and again, when we’re in Scotland. It’s a beast of a ship, 167 metres of history, lying upright on the seabed at 36 metres. Dropping down, you feel the sheer scale of it; the stern is often the most intact, with huge propellers still in place, encrusted with dead man’s fingers and anemones. We love picking our way through the more open sections of the hull, where the light shafts down, illuminating schools of saithe that swirl like liquid silver. Yes, it’s cold, and yes, the visibility can be moody, but when it’s good, it’s spectacular. The Laurentic was carrying gold when she went down in 1917, and while the gold is long gone, the wreck itself holds a different kind of treasure. Keep an eye out for conger eels peering from every dark hole and the occasional inquisitive ling. It’s a dive for experienced wreck lovers, comfortable with depth and sometimes challenging conditions, but the rewards are immense. Our favourite time to dive it is on a slack tide, giving you maximum bottom time to appreciate the sheer size and presence of this old cruiser.