wreck

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PAUL MCCOLLUM

Diving the *Paul McCollum* is a proper history lesson in the making of modern Abu Dhabi. We love how accessible this wreck is, sitting upright at just 15 metres, practically begging for exploration. You can clearly see the outline of the self-propelled jack-up barge that came to grief in 1976. The story goes it slipped a leg while positioning near the Zakum 29 well – a stark reminder of the risks involved in offshore oil. Now, the wreck is a canvas of soft corals, a vibrant counterpoint to the steel structure. We’ve spotted everything from curious batfish schooling around the collapsed crane arms to sneaky moray eels peeking from beneath twisted metal plates. The sheer bulk of the *Paul McCollum* provides plenty of nooks and crannies, making it an ideal spot for macro enthusiasts to hunt for nudibranchs and small crabs. It’s a great dive for anyone keen on wreck diving without the overhead of deep decompression, offering a tangible link to the region's industrial past now reclaimed by the Gulf. Visibility here can vary, but on a good day, the light plays beautifully through the superstructure, creating some dramatic photo opportunities.