Chester E Poling Wreck - New England
The Poling is one of those New England wrecks we just keep coming back to. Sitting upright in about 30 metres of water, she’s a tanker that went down in 1977, carrying fuel oil. You can still smell it faintly sometimes, a ghost of her past when the current shifts just right. We love how intact she is, especially the bow and stern sections. Diving the Poling, you’re enveloped by the sheer scale of the ship. Schools of pollack often swirl around the mast, and you’ll spot wolfish tucked into crevices in the engine room – keep an eye out for their grumpy faces. The visibility here can be a bit of a mixed bag, classic New England, but on a good day, when the sun penetrates the green water, the light plays beautifully through the superstructure. Our favourite is exploring the wheelhouse, seeing the gauges still in place. It’s a proper penetration dive for those with the right training, but even staying on the exterior offers plenty to see. Just remember, strong currents can pick up, so time your dive for slack tide.
- Location
- New England, United States, North America
- Coordinates
- 42.573612, -70.670000
- Type
- wreck
Marine Protected Area: Marsh Island and Days Creek CR
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- Andrea Doria (wreck)
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- Brace Cove (reef)
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- Burlington Bay Horse Ferry - 15.24 (wreck)
- Burnham Rocks
- Cape Neddick Nubble
- Cathedral Rocks
- Cedar Island Ledge
- Champlain II (wreck)
- City Of Portland (wreck)
- City of Rockland Wreck (wreck)
- Classroom Rock - 6m
Nearest Dive Centres to Chester E Poling Wreck
Marine Life in New England
Home to 35 recorded species including 26 reef fish, 4 sea snails & nudibranchs, 2 other, 1 sharks & rays, 1 octopus & squid, 1 clams & mussels.
Notable Species
- sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus)
- Banded killifish (Fundulus diaphanus) - Reef Fish
- Slimy Sculpin (Cottus cognatus) - Reef Fish
- brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) - Reef Fish
- Rainbow Smelt (Osmerus mordax) - Reef Fish
- Sea Trout (Salmo trutta) - Reef Fish
- Rainbow Trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) - Reef Fish
- salmon (Salmo salar) - Reef Fish
- American eel (Anguilla rostrata) - Reef Fish
- Cisco (Coregonus artedi) - Reef Fish
- pumpkinseed (Lepomis gibbosus) - Reef Fish
- Yellow Perch (Perca flavescens) - Reef Fish
- Great Pond Snail (Lymnaea stagnalis) - Sea Snails & Nudibranchs
- Edible periwinkle (Littorina littorea) - Sea Snails & Nudibranchs
- Lake whitefish (Coregonus clupeaformis) - Reef Fish
- Atlantic oyster drill (Urosalpinx cinerea) - Sea Snails & Nudibranchs
- Common carp (Cyprinus carpio) - Reef Fish
- Golden Shiner (Notemigonus crysoleucas) - Reef Fish
- Longnose gar (Lepisosteus osseus)
- White Sucker (Catostomus commersonii) - Reef Fish