MARIE LOUISE

Protected Area

Loch Sunart

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) - MARIE LOUISE 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 55m

StandoutRich in charismatic marine life

The Marie Louise is a real treat, especially if you’re into the drama of a recent wreck. She’s a wooden-hulled trawler, about 17.6 metres long, and she went down in October 2005 while being towed in bad weather. That relatively recent sinking means she’s still very much intact, sitting upright at 55 metres. When you drop down, the visibility here can be surprisingly good on a calm day, letting you make out her shape from a distance. As you get closer, you see the wheelhouse and mast still standing proud. We love exploring the bow, where the fishing gear is still largely in place, a ghostly echo of her working life. Down in the engine room, if you're comfortable with overhead environments, you can fin around the big diesel engine. The wreck is quickly becoming a home for critters; we've seen squat lobsters tucked into every crevice, and plumose anemones now adorn almost every surface, waving gently in the current. This site is definitely one for experienced divers, comfortable with deeper air or mixed gas profiles, who appreciate a well-preserved wreck with a story.