MACEDONIA
Protected Area
Sanda Islands
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) - MACEDONIA offers some of Scottish West Coast's richest wreck diving.
The Macedonia is a proper Scottish wreck, deep and moody, exactly what we love about diving here. Lying off the Mull of Kintyre, she’s a big iron steamer, almost 100 metres long, that went down in 1881. You’re descending into the gloom, and then her structure slowly materialises – a real sense of history. We’ve found her to be completely colonised by life; it’s not unusual to spot a couple of massive conger eels peering from the darker corners of her engine room. The bow section is impressive, still relatively intact, and we always spend time exploring the cargo holds, sometimes finding remnants of her original load. Visibility here can be a bit of a lottery, as it often is in the Clyde, but when it's good, it’s genuinely atmospheric, with the daylight just penetrating to illuminate the wreck's skeletal remains. This isn't a dive for beginners, the depth and potential for current mean you need to be comfortable in these conditions. But for experienced wreck divers, the Macedonia offers a fantastic dive into a substantial piece of maritime history, with plenty of resident critters to keep things interesting. Our favourite dives here have been on a slack tide, giving us more time to really appreciate her scale.
Safety Notes
Wreck site - avoid penetration without wreck diving certification. Watch for sharp metal and entanglement hazards.
Reviews for MACEDONIA
Conditions
Ocean conditions, forecast and tides for MACEDONIA
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