HMS PRINCE PHILLIPE - Scottish West Coast
Diving the HMS Prince Phillipe on the Scottish West Coast, you’re not just exploring a sunken ship, you’re touching a piece of wartime history. This old Belgian motor vessel, sunk in 1941, sits upright at 55 metres, largely intact. We love how the cold, clear Scottish water preserves these wrecks; it’s like a time capsule down there. When we drop in, the sheer scale of her is always impressive. At nearly 100 metres long, there’s plenty to explore. The bridge section is particularly atmospheric, often swarming with schools of pollack that swirl around the superstructure, making the visibility feel even more dynamic. Look out for the resident conger eels, they’ve made homes in the deeper crevices and engine room access points. We always suggest bringing a good torch, not just for penetration, but to really bring out the colours on the encrusting anemones and dead man’s fingers that blanket the metalwork. This dive suits experienced wreck divers comfortable with depth and colder conditions. Surface support is essential, and often a bit of a journey out, but the reward is a truly engaging dive on a significant, well-preserved wreck.
- Location
- Scottish West Coast, United Kingdom, Mediterranean & Europe
- Coordinates
- 55.060307, -5.344694
- Type
- wreck
- Maximum Depth
- 55m
Marine Protected Area: Corsewall Point to Milleur Point
Nearby Dive Sites in Scottish West Coast
- ACCORD - 9m (wreck)
- ADONO - 10m (wreck)
- ADROLIS - 5m (wreck)
- AGATE - 10m (wreck)
- AGIOS MINAS - 10m (wreck)
- AKKA - 28m (wreck)
- ALBIA - 10m (wreck)
- ALEXANDER - 10m (wreck)
- AMY JANE - 52m (wreck)
- AMY (POSSIBLY) - 38m (wreck)
- ANGELA - 5m (wreck)
- ANNIE JANE - 29m (wreck)
- ANNIE MC FADYEN - 7m (wreck)
- ANNIE MELLING - 54m (wreck)
- ANWOTH - 0m (wreck)
Nearest Dive Centres to HMS PRINCE PHILLIPE
- Aquaholics - ["PADI"]
- C&C MARINE SERVICES
- Eagle Divers NI - ["PADI"]
- Field Studies Council Millport
- Freedive Northern Ireland
- Fyne Diving - ["PADI"]
Marine Life in Scottish West Coast
Home to 127 recorded species including 50 reef fish, 15 whales & dolphins, 10 seagrass & algae, 9 sharks & rays, 8 other, 7 crabs & lobsters.
Notable Species
- harbour porpoise (Phocoena phocoena) - Whales & Dolphins
- Common minke whale (Balaenoptera acutorostrata) - Whales & Dolphins
- Common sea star (Asterias rubens) - Starfish
- Devonshire cup coral (Caryophyllia (Caryophyllia) smithii) - Hard Corals
- Cowfish (Tursiops truncatus) - Whales & Dolphins
- basking shark (Cetorhinus maximus) - Sharks & Rays
- Common shore crab (Carcinus maenas) - Crabs & Lobsters
- Common brittlestar (Ophiothrix fragilis)
- Short-beaked Common Dolphin (Delphinus delphis) - Whales & Dolphins
- Acorn barnacle (Semibalanus balanoides)
- Light-bulb sea squirt (Clavelina lepadiformis)
- bladder wrack (Fucus vesiculosus) - Seagrass & Algae
- Blue mussel (Mytilus edulis) - Clams & Mussels
- Norway Lobster (Nephrops norvegicus) - Crabs & Lobsters
- Sand mason (Lanice conchilega) - Worms
- Dog whelk (Nucella lapillus) - Sea Snails & Nudibranchs
- knotted wrack (Ascophyllum nodosum) - Seagrass & Algae
- Edible periwinkle (Littorina littorea) - Sea Snails & Nudibranchs
- Star ascidian (Botryllus schlosseri)
- Common whelk (Buccinum undatum) - Sea Snails & Nudibranchs