Wreck of Maple Valley

Protected Area

Scarba, Lunga and the Garvellachs

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) - Wreck of Maple Valley 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

StandoutRich in charismatic marine life

The Wreck of Maple Valley off the Scottish West Coast isn’t your typical tropical jaunt, but for wreck enthusiasts, it’s a proper dive. We love the sheer atmosphere here. Drop down, and the stern section immediately looms out of the green, often with the visibility playing tricks, adding to the drama. You can spend a good hour exploring the remains of the superstructure, which are still remarkably intact in places, offering a few swim-throughs if you're comfortable in overhead environments. It’s a robust dive, often with a decent current, so we'd suggest this for divers who are confident with their buoyancy and comfort in low visibility. On a good day, the light shafts cutting through the water, illuminating the kelp-draped metal, are genuinely striking. Look closely, and you’ll find nudibranchs crawling across the plates, and often, shoals of small pollack darting in and out of the broken sections. It’s cold water diving, so thick drysuits are non-negotiable, but the reward is a tangible piece of history, slowly being reclaimed by the North Atlantic.