Wreck of Portaferry

Protected Area

Lochs Duich, Long and Alsh Reefs

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 Portaferry 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 the Portaferry isn’t about huge pelagics or technicolor corals. This is proper, moody UK diving. We’re talking about history here, a real piece of wartime intrigue resting on the seabed off the Scottish coast. She went down after hitting a mine in 1940, and you feel that sense of time when you’re down there, especially when the visibility has that typical Scottish green hue. What we love about the Portaferry is her accessibility. She’s broken up, certainly, but enough structure remains to give you a genuine sense of a ship. You can follow her keel, trace the lines of what were once decks, and poke into small holds. It’s not a deep dive, making it great for newer wreck divers or those who just want some decent bottom time. The real stars, for us, are the critters that have made this wreck their home. Expect to see plenty of wrasse darting between encrusted metalwork, plumose anemones waving like ghostly fingers, and nudibranchs adding surprising pops of colour to the rust. We’d suggest a good torch, not just for peering into nooks, but for bringing out those vibrant anemone colours. Dive it on a calm day; the Scottish weather can be fickle.