Dive sites you can visit from the event

DIVE SITES - BOAT DIVING

All sites listed here will be buoyed to ensure safe diving practices and easy location by visiting vessels.

Udder Rock (reef/wall 8–26m) and SS White Rose (wreck 10–30m)

Udder Rock has a series of ledges running around it full of marine life – dogfish are particularly common in the spring. The rock makes an ideal multilevel dive and training site. To the seaward side is the anchor and chain of the SS White Rose which hit Udder Rock on 5 February 1901. Contrary to many reports the rest lies very well broken-up much further inshore near Nealand Point.

Kanteong Dredger (wreck 17m)

The 3,500-ton Kanteong  was the world’s largest tin dredger in her day. She was on tow from the builder’s yard in Holland bound for the Far East when she capsized in a storm off the Eddystone. She was abandoned and drifted down the coast to Fowey where she sank on 8 March 1937.
The wreck settled on the sea bed in two distinct parts. At low water, a huge iron gear-wheel can be seen above the surface close inshore. The shallow part of the wreck can be found seaward of this. There are usually large shoals of fish hiding in the many nooks and crannies provided by the broken-up wreckage. This makes quite a good training site.

Cannis Rock (reef 5–15m)

This reef system is full of gullies – many of which are filled with bright sand which reflects the sunlight greatly increasing the visibility. Fish life is usually very good with many species of wrasse, pollack, whiting and occasionally
SS Eastfield (wreck 45–51m)
The SS Eastfield was an armed steamship of 2,150 gross tons. She was torpedoed by the German submarine UB-57 during the First World War on 27 November 1917 just off Dodman Point.
The wreck basically lies upright with its bow some 8m proud of the sea bed. Other parts of it are also relatively intact - especially the boilers and engine-room, although the midships has collapsed. It carried a cargo of coal which remains strewn over the sea bed.

Gwineas (reef/deep gullies 20–30m)

This well-known site just around the bay from Mevagissey is worth visiting. It is a good inshore site for the first dive of the season and usually has a profusion of fish and invertebrate life. To the north-east, at the bottom of a drop-off, lie the broken-up remains of the SS Caroni River.
It has plenty of fish life including many different species of wrasse. There are many gullies and swim-throughs providing hiding places for crabs and cuttlefish, while flounders and lemon sole are often seen towards the sea bed. There is a reef system that continues all the way to Pen-a-maen which is ideal for underwater photographers.
Lath Rock (pinnacle/reef 9–27m)
This offshore, submerged rock consists of a series of gullies and spectacular walls. There is a great deal of marine life around with many species of anemone, coral and sponge. In late summer the fish life can be quite prolific with shoaling mullet not uncommon. The best visibility tends to be on the flood tide and a little current will bring out all the anemones.

The Whelps (wall/reef 5–30m)

The Whelps is a series of peaks and gullies that just break the surface south of Gull Rock. The depth quickly drops to around 27m with many superb steep- sided walls.
The walls are full of sponges and soft corals while towards the bottom gorgonian fan coral and Ross coral are quite common. Fish are generally abundant with wrasse and shoals of pollack and whiting ever-present. Cuttlefish can often be seen hiding in sandy crevices during the summer. Visibility is usually excellent even after a storm as the sea bed consists of coarse sand and shingle.

SS Hera (wreck 19m)

The Hera was a 280ft, 1,994-ton four-masted steel barque built in Tecklenburg in Germany, originally named the Richard Wagner. She struck the Whelps reef during a southwesterly gale on 1 February 1913. She managed to stay afloat and sail just a quarter of a mile before she sank on the west side of Gull Rock.
The hull is in two virtually separate halves, with the remains of the masts to lead you from one to the other. In places the wreckage stands 5m up from the sea bed. There are plenty of plumose anemones and dead man’s fingers which attract a wide variety of fish life. The central section of the hull is largely collapsed, although the ribs and decking are easily distinguished. In places the hull forms large iron caves big enough to swim into and where huge pollack hide.
In good visibility light filters in from holes in the plating, lighting up shoals of small fish and making the whole experience quite surreal. The Hera is a surprisingly compact but picturesque wreck and it is often buoyed in the summer months.

SS Rosehill (wreck 26m)

This British-owned armed merchant ship, 314ft-long and weighing 2,788 tons, was torpedoed by the German submarine UB-4O on 23 September 1917. She eventually sank in Whitsand Bay with her 3,980-ton cargo of coal. The wreck lies in about 30m of water among a series of rocky outcrops making it difficult to find. It is now quite broken-up but its boilers are still intact.
The wreck is lying virtually upside down and generally the visibility is poor at an average of 5m. The engine-room has opened up and around the two boilers is a huge jumble of metal. At the bow is an anchor and chain and part of a mast complete with the pulleys. There are usually quite a few lobster, large conger and shoals of bib to be found all through the summer months.

DIVE SITES -SHORE  DIVING

PORTHPEAN BEACH
Two miles from Pentewan, along the coast road towards Charlestown. Access from a shingle beach, best dived at high tide.  A shallow pretty reef dive  – 8m approx. Not advisable if the sailing club is sailing. Best location is the far left side near the cliff face. SMB’s strongly recommended due to boat traffic. Car park at the top near the church.

PORTMELLON
Access via a concrete slipway.  Dive-able either side of the bay – max depth 7m – stay near the rocks or there is lots of sand!  Car parking either on the road or ask in the pub nicely – usually they are fine if you go in for a pint afterwards!

TALLAND BAY
45 minute drive to a very pretty bay situated between Polperro & Looe – wreck of the SS Marguerite in 5-7m. Dive at high tide or it’s a long walk over the rocks. Parking available at beach car park, or you can use café car park if you use the café. Great gullies to the left as you look out to sea, or the wreck out towards the right hand side.

LAMORNA COVE
Just the other side of Penzance, entry from the slipway – dive at high tide. About a 75 minute drive but a good spot for a couple of dives. Dive around the harbor wall & out to the right side – max depth of 15m, pretty reefs & gullies.

NEWQUAY – THE OLD LIFEBOAT SLIP
30 minute drive to the north coast from Pentewan. Access on the left of the slip by the pump-station, exit to the right of the slip by the first sandy cove. Max depth 8m, dive at high tide  Follow the rocks & a chance of seal encounters.

MEVAGISSEY
Sal Diving will have staff on site to guide divers around ( – donations to Commando SpiritJ) but we recommend you make a ‘provisional booking’ with Sal Diving so that the site does not become too busy.