Wreck of Queen Of May - Scottish West Coast
The Wreck of Queen Of May on the Scottish West Coast isn’t for the faint of heart, but that’s precisely why we love it. Forget warm, clear water; this is proper UK diving, complete with a chill that bites even through a drysuit. What you get in return is a genuine piece of history, a trawler that went down in 1937, now completely claimed by the Scottish sea. Dropping down, the first thing that hits you is the sheer scale. She’s largely intact, sitting upright, with the bow and stern still well-defined. We’ve spent hours here, poking around the holds, imagining the crew. Visibility can be a bit of a lottery, but when it’s good, the light filtering through the green water makes the metal gleam, and you start to notice the details: portholes, winches, even the outline of the funnel. This wreck is a haven for local critters. Lobsters peer out from cracks in the hull, and conger eels are often found coiled up in the darker sections. On our last visit, we spotted a huge wolf fish, its stony face perfectly camouflaged against the encrusted steel. It’s an advanced dive, for sure, with potentially strong currents and the cold to contend with, but for those who appreciate wrecks with a story and a real sense of atmosphere, it’s a truly rewarding experience. Just make sure your drysuit skills are up to scratch.
- Location
- Scottish West Coast, United Kingdom, Mediterranean & Europe
- Coordinates
- 55.866966, -5.409020
- Type
- wreck
Marine Protected Area: Kyles of Bute
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 Wreck of Queen Of May
- 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