Here are comments on some of the dive sites our members have visited, the depths are not necessarily the deepest you can get, but the max depth they have done.

AVONDALEPARK….57m
This Canadian Liberty ship was sunk the day after WW2 ended by a U-boat, which had not received notification. Lying 2miles South of The Isle of May in the Firth of Forth she lies with a list to port, I have only dived her in visibility of up to 3m so I found it very hard to work out.

BAKU STANDARD ….53 m
The wreck of this tanker lies off Gourdon in 58m with the deck at 52m. This is a vitually intact wreck with torpedo damage just forward of the bridge section, it boasts a most impressive stern gun which points skyward. The decking has rotted away in this area, which allows access to what I believe to be accommodation quarters. Dropping over the stern the top of the rudder sits at 54m going down to 58m. Not a lot has been written about this wreck as it is only rarely dived by local divers. With greatly varying visibility, anything from 1m to 20m she lies in a very exposed tidal area.

BAYERN TURRETS….40m
The 28000-ton Battleship Bayern which lay upside down on the seabed of Scapa Flow, was lifted during salvage operations, as she was lifted the 600 ton gun turrets fell off & embedded themselves in the seabed at 37m. The barrels of the 15in guns are not visible as the are buried in the soft seabed. You can gain access inside the turrets which takes you down below the seabed to 40m but you stir up the silt very quickly so it is best not to spend too long in there. It is difficult to imagine what they were really like as they are upside down, but what sticks in my mind most is the immense size of the ball bearings on which these guns rotated.

BRUMMER….36m
Lying in Scapa Flow this Light Cruiser is my favourite of the German Fleet, lying on her starboard side at 36m & 20m to her port side. There two impressive5.9in guns still in place at the stern, the masts stretch out along the seabed & there is not too much salvage damage apart from round the engine rooms. But what really sets this apart form the rest is its impressive intact bridge area, control tower with rangefinder & 5.9in gun directly in front, this area is worth a dive in itself.

SS BURNSTONE….53m
Lying 40miles East of Arbroath two or our members were part of a team to first dive this virtually intact Collier, it lies on an even keel, but is starting to collapse on its starboard side. Built in 1903 it was renamed SS Kilsyth, it was torpedoed by U62 19/3/1918, five crew died. The torpedo damage is at the stern which is detached & lies on its starboard side. The stern gun is missing but the mount remains with lots of shells lying in the vicinity. The holds are full but you can easily swim below deck
from the bridge area (which has collapsed) to the stern. The foc’sle contains lots of large earthenware storage containers & it was in this area we recovered the bell which has its former name on it “SS Kilsyth 1903” Visibility that day was in the 20m region

CAPEL ROCK....18m
A very scenic dive which rises from 18m to 2m about 1 mile NE of Cullen, it's usually teeming with life.

CAIRNAVON….20m
Lying a couple of mile South of Peterhead all that remains are bits of flattened plate covered in several inches of silt.

CATTERLINE ISLAND….16m
Situated 5 miles South of Stonehaven it is usually done as a shore dive, but involves a 20minute fin out this is quite a nice dive with loads of life hiding in the numerous cracks. Lobsters, ling, congers, angler fish & all sorts of crabs are usually in attendance, you often see lots of seals on the surface here but only occasionally do you see them underwater.

THE CLINT….24m
Lying a couple of mile off Montrose, it is no more exciting than an empty hull lying on its side can get.

COUNTESS OF ABERDEEN….20m
A shore dive at Cove on the south side of Aberdeen with easy access but renowned for poor visibility, 3m at best, however it is still worth a poke around, portholes were recovered in 1995 after the winter storms. It ran aground in 1894 in thick fog, now it consists of no more than flattened plates scattered over a wide area with most of the wreckage around 14m.

COTAVIA….41m
A Freighter, which was mined in 1917, sits in a strong tidal area off the East coast of Orkney, making for some superb visibility of up to 25m. It is a very nice dive even if most of this wreck is flattened but still has kept its shape, there is a very large part around the engine & boiler area which rises up15m & is very spectacular, several used shell cases lie around the stern area but there is no trace of the gun which should be in this area. There is an abundance of fish life around the wreck making for a most pleasant dive.

CRAWTON REEF….22m
Much of the reef is around 16m with crevices down to 22m. If the tide is running it can be very exciting especially in poor visibility with large rocks coming at you out of nowhere. Close into shore you can find lots of life in the numerous cracks. We always do it as a boat dive but I have heard tales of shore diving it in days gone by, but not recommended if you have the use of a boat . It is situated about 5 miles South of Stonehaven.

DILLON'S CAVE....15m
Launching out of Rosehearty & heading West to near Pennan, made famous in the film "Local Hero", there is a cave of around 4m in width & 60m in length, with one branch off leading to a dead end, it extends through a cliff, exiting the other side. There is not much to see inside but very nice on the North side it is very nice with always plenty of seals buzzing in & out, whether or not you see them depends on you looking in the right direction at the right time. Another cavern lies to the East on the North side, which extends back about 30m. It is only accessible by boat & the cox needs to be alert to which side you you intend exiting.

DUNDONNIE REEF….25m
A very nice dive a few miles South of Peterhead. Lots of life to be seen here, including the odd curious seal. Lots of nice gullies to shelter in from the tide, which can get fairly strong, round the headland.

DRESDEN….36m
Lying in Scapa Flow this Light Cruiser lies opposite to the others on her Port side at 36m with the starboard side at 20m. This one is a little less intact than the other cruisers but still has a very impressive intact bridge area & three 5.9in guns still in place.

SS EXMOUTH….53m
40miles East of Arbroath ensures visibility in excess of 20m. We believe she struck a mine in 1944 with no loss of life. Today she is pretty much intact but beginning to collapse on the starboard side. In August 2008 two of our members were part of the team to first dive this wreck, they recovered some crockery (Reported to ROW) which had the “American Export Lines” logo which led to the identification of this previously unknown. They commented this as possibly their best dive ever.

SS FERNSIDE….58m
This has always been thought to be the SS Cushendall but as the bell has now been recovered we now know the true identity. This armed collier lies on her Port side & is fairly intact till you reach the bridge area where it is a little more broken up. It was never known where she sank, all that was known was, it somewhere on her way to Scapa.

FRAM (Bow Section)….40m
This is a good dive, with 20m visibility not unusual, even if you don’t get it that good it is still an excellent dive. Lots of big fish, lobsters & octopus are ever present; seals also are to be seen around the wreck. Lying on a sandy bottom in Aberdour Bay 2miles out of Rosehearty, this Swedish steam ship was torpedoed in 1940 while at anchor. The bow section sank where it was anchored but the stern section drifted 1.5 miles before sinking. The stern section was found in 1976 but the bows were only discovered in 1995.

FRAM (Stern Section)….47m
Lying on a sandy bottom in Aberdour Bay 3.5miles out of Rosehearty, this Swedish steam ship was torpedoed in 1940 while at anchor. The bow section sank where it was anchored but the stern section drifted 1.5 miles before sinking. The stern section was found in 1976 but the bows were only discovered in 1995. The rearmost section lies at about a 60degree angle & access is easily gained into which can best be described as an aquarium, round the prop & rudder also proves to be a very rewarding sight. Moving forward it has collapsed but still retains a ship shape appearance. The occasional porthole is still to be found here.

F2 & BARGE….16m
Two for the price of one here in Scapa Flow, a destroyer & barge which was in the process of salvaging the destroyer, they lie about 30m apart with a connecting cable A very nice dive with several guns to see on both parts, the destroyer is reasonably intact at the bow but soon becomes a tangled piece of scrap, so stick to the intact pieces.

GARRON POINT….14m
Situated about 1mile North of Stonehaven there is always a good selection of marine life here, including seals.

GLWADMINA….39m
A freighter which sank, due to collision in 1918 off Lerwick in Shetland. Her bow section is reasonably well intact but becomes more broken toward the stern. The visibility here is generally very good but on the one occasion I dived her we only got 3m.

GLENISLA….45m
This freighter was in a collision in1917 just outside Lerwick in the Shetland Isles carrying a cargo of coal. It is reasonably intact with the deck at 38m, I have only dived it in 3-4m visibility so found it rather unimpressive, but some of my friends have seen it in 20m visibility & found it to be a terrific dive.

GOBERNADOR BORIES….16m
This Blockship in Burra Sound is a pleasant dive in crystal clear waters of 20m+ visibility. It is only divable at slack, which never really goes entirely slack. The wreck provides shelter for divers to explore the insides but it is good fun to pop out here & there & get a taste of what the current is like. The wrasse here have over the years taught divers to feed them, they come looking for you as soon as you arrive here, needless to say there are not too many urchins to be found here. The stern section is quite intact & the prop still in place.

INVERLANE….15m
One of the block ships lying in Burra Sound, one of the entrances to Scapa Flow, it is no longer dived since its collapse several years ago. You still can get on it if you exit the Tabarkas bow with the current going in the right direction. It is well broken up now but there is still a large section to be found with a huge amount of life on it & outstanding visibility due to the fearsome currents that run through here.

SS ISLAND….21m
A well broken up wreck on the East Coast of the Isle of May in the Firth of Forth. It is easily found as part of her is visible stranded on the rocks.

JACONA….75m
Mined in WW1 this freighter was found in 2001 by John Leigh & Bruce Humby but never dived until August 2002. I was lucky enough to get the opportunity to join the team of seven for the first dive ever on her. She is pretty well intact & lies on an even keel at 75m. The deck is at 68-70m but has rotted away leaving the interior exposed & easily penetrable. There is a big split amidships & the part we dived was around the engine room & stern. Nets drape around the split on the port side & are held clear of the wreck by buoys, the nets rise about 10m above the deck , though they do not really interfere with the dive.

JAMES BARRIE….43m
Lying in Hoxa Sound, one of the entrances to Scapa Flow the tidal currents ensure everything is swept clean. This very large fully intact trawler is lying on her starboard side after she ran aground in 1975, she was taken in tow & thankfully she sank while undertow as it makes for an unforgettable dive. All areas are accessible, though some of them are a bit of a tight squeeze.

KOLN….34m
Lying in Scapa Flow this Light Cruiser is a superb dive with not too much damage by salvagers. She lies in 35m on her starboard side with the portside at 20m. Towards the stern two 5.9in guns still in place, moving forward, the teak decking can be seen along with some intriguing doorways for the bravest of divers. Amidships boat davits hang downward to the seabed & masts reach out into the gloom. There is a lot to see here & can be all seen in one dive if you don’t hang about, but ideally you should do several dives & really see it.

LOSSIEMOUTH SKERRIES…. 14m
A very pleasant dive can be had here following the edge of the reef with lots of life to be found. The top of the reef at 7m is covered in kelp & drops of steeply down to a sandy bottom at 14m, there are several vertical rock faces in the various gullies which are home to loads of different species of marine life.

LUNOKHODS….20m
Lying off Bressay in the Shetland Isles, this Russian factory ship broke its moorings & ran aground in 1995. A lot of it is widely scattered but there is one extremely large part with several levels, which makes this dive superb, you can swim through the engine rooms, workshops & storerooms. Most of the best stuff is around the 10m region which means it will sadly deteriorate fairly rapidly, there is seemingly another large part farther down the slope at 40m.

SMS MARKGRAF….43m
Lying in Scapa Flow this 25000-ton Battleship is lying upside down listing to port, so make sure you go down the correct side. On nearing the seabed you can begin to recognise a few features but it is difficult to comprehend because of narcosis, sheer size & tangled wreckage. Blast holes by salvagers give you opportunities to peer inside the wreck in various places & a few 5.9in guns can be seen on the upturned deck.

HMS METEOR….65m
A WW1 wreck it is well broken up over a large area, the part I have dived on consisted of small boilers, engine parts & scattered wreckage with quite a few fishing nets, reasonably interesting sifting through debris, but the best bit was the fish life, it was outstanding, with lots of large fish which came to investigate us & did not back off at all, I enjoyed playing about with them. According to reports by fishermen there is a larger piece, which is yet to be dived.

MURIEL....48m
This wreck of a collier torpedoed in 1918 lying in 50m 3miles off Peterhead is an excellent dive. It was found in September 1999 by Buchan Divers, it still has some portholes in place & still has artefacts scattered around. From the boilers back it is intact but the decks have collapsed, it is 48m inside the wreck with the very impressive stern gun standing well proud at around 42m.

NEW MILL REEF….25m
5 minutes out of Rosehearty, this is a very scenic dive & covers a large area. Once you get to know the area you can pick where to drop in, you will find an abundance of marine life here. If there is a current running you then pick the kind of dive you want, stay in the shelter of the gullies or have a great drift dive.

NORTH NESS….20m
On the NE corner of the Isle of May in the Firth of Forth playful seals are everywhere. Lots of fin nibbling which can keep you occupied the whole dive


PICNIC SITE (ROSEHEARTY)….20m
Possibly the best shore dive in the North East of Scotland. Situated on the West side of Rosehearty this site has very easy & sheltered entry/exit points, average visibility is in the 10m range but gets up to 20m, has car parking very close to the water & has very spectacular scenery. Jump in at the gully & its straight down to 10m, if you stay close to shore it doesn’t get deeper than 14m but head North & you soon find 20m. This is a favourite shore dive with divers from the NorthEast so it can get a little crowded sometimes.

PRESTONIAN….16m
A well broken up wreck with a big boiler a couple of miles West of Rosehearty, which ran aground in 1915. Lots of wrasse, lobster & octopus seen here & occasionally the odd seal to be seen underwater but lots hang around on the surface. It’s quite a good dive but generally done as a second dive as it's shallow. It is a sheltered site so usually divable most of the time.

PRIMROSE….32m
This steam trawler lies West of the South tip of the Isle of May in the Firth of Forth. It is not what you would call intact but it still has its ship like appearance as opposed to a pile of flattened plates and it is covered in soft corals making it a very pleasurable dive. Right in the middle is the boiler, which stands up as the highest point of the wreck at around 28m. You can easily dive the whole wreck in one dive & a seal colony resides on the island so it is not unexpected to se one or two.

St BRIAC….64m
40miles East of Arbroath ensures visibility in excess of 20m. Built in 1923 this 100m former cross channel ferry was & still is a beautiful ship, she struck a mine & sunk 12/3/42. In 2008 two of our members were part of a team to first dive what at the time was an unknown wreck. They recovered the bell (Reported to ROW) to give positive identification. The stern and bow are still complete but the rest is beginning to collapse but still easily recognisable. This was remarked on as being one of their top three dives ever, along with the SS Exmouth.

SAN TIBURCIO….40m
Excellent dive, on the port side an anchor sways in the current at 40m, but you don't need to go that deep as the deck is around 28m & that is where the interesting stuff is. The San Tiburcio struck a mine in 1940& is split in two behind the bridge; the stern lies at right angles to the bow 30m apart. The two sections are generally done as two separate dives but certainly possible to do it all on one dive. As you swim through the bridge you come to the split, an incredible sight as the break is so clean. The stern section has a bit more twisted metal about it, but is still an excellent dive the stern gun has been removed from its mounting in a failed attempt to lift it & there are loads of live shells around this area. During the summer months there are usually permanent shot lines on both sections. It is a longish RIB journey out of Burghead so it really needs nice weather to make the trip comfortable. On the trip over the firth we regularly see dolphins, porpoises & occasionally Minkes, we have even seen Orca's.

TANTIVY….40m
Sunk in 1952 as a sonar target for the RAF this T-class submarine is an excellent dive as it is almost completely intact, not too much life here but a cool dive nevertheless. The conning tower is draped in fishing nets so care needs to be taken to prevent entanglement. We normally launch out of Findhorn or Burghead & as it is a lengthy journey from there it is best done in favourable weather conditions, be on the lookout for dolphins & porpoises which you usually spot round this area.

TABARKA….14m
One of the blockships in Burra sound she lies upside down in the clearest water I have ever seen in UK waters, 25m+ visibility. It is only divable at slack as currents race through the sound at up to 8knots. The whole dive is done inside the wreck but light still penetrates through the many holes in the hull. The propshaft tunnel can be swum the whole length inside but there is not much to see inside it. Reaching the engine & boiler room is an breathtaking sight, as the entire place is visible as a whole, three boilers lie on the seabed, having fallen from there mountings on the hull & congers can be found hiding in the various pipes. The entire wreck was filled with rocks to make her sink quickly & these now make up the seabed. This wreck reminds me of a derelict cathedral due to the arch shaped hull & the light streaming in through openings in the hull. At the top of the hull air pockets have gathered where you can remove your demand valves & speak to each other. If you exit the bow depending on the current you may find the Doyle or Inverlane or go for a blast in the current & catch the Gobernador Bories. Visibility outside of the wreck is not so good as it is inside; it perhaps is only in the 20m region. Do not under any circumstances come to Scapa & miss this one.

TAURUS…. 52m
This impressive wreck lying off Gourdon was bombed in 1941 & sank whilst in tow. Lying on an even keel in 52m it is fairly well intact. The bow is pretty much intact, as is the bridge, this section rises to 39m, the deckhouse above the engine room to 42m which again is very much intact. Aft of this deckhouse it gets a little tangled up & hard to imagine its former glory, until you see the stern section which lies at a 30 degree angle on its port side. This is a cracking dive, though it is in a very exposed tidal area, the visibility can vary greatly here, but when it is nice it is an awesome dive.

TENNESSEE….14m
This freighter ran aground in 1940 off the East coast of Orkney, it has been heavily salvaged & is well scattered. The only thing I found of any interest was large parts of the engine, but even that was not enough to make me want to dive it again.


TREBARTHA….13m
Lying 1mile south of Aberdeen this is a fairly big wreck, which is flattened, but worth a dive even if it is very silty. It can be done as a shore dive but it involves about a 20-30minute surface swim plus a scramble down & up a steep rocky slope if you get back to your entry point, not for the faint hearted.

TROUPHEAD....22m
5 miles West of Rosehearty this area is fairly large & very nice with lots to explore, always lots of seals here, visibility on this corner is usually very good too when it may not be not so good nearby. It is only accessible by boat.

UNITY….28m
A trawler which caught fire & was towed outside Lossiemouth harbour & allowed to sink. This fairly small wreck lying on an even keel is teeming with life which makes for a very pleasant dive. Easy access can be gained to the hold & engine room as the engines have been removed.

SS WYNOR….57m
Lying on an even keel & pretty well intact, apart from damage to her bows, this small steamship still has its cargo of sacks of manure intact. It is a haven for large lobsters & congers, plenty fish life can be found also. The decking above the engine room has rotted away which makes access simple. I am not sure when it sank but I believe it sank due to bad weather, I found it to be a nice dive. She lies 15miles North of Lossiemouth.

VALENTINE TANK….11m
Lying just off Burghead approximately 5m in length, 2m in width, 1m in height with the turret another 0.6m higher, it makes for a very short dive but nevertheless an interesting one as it is so unusual to dive on a tank. It sank during rehearsals for the D-Day landings & is fully intact apart from missing one of the tracks. Lots of crabs occupy the various nooks & crannies, even down the barrel of the gun. Being so small it makes it difficult to locate & took me several attempts over the years to find it even though our GPS marks were only 10m off. On one attempt to find it we saw a pod of dolphins approaching so three of us kitted up sharpish & jumped in, we drifted along in the gentle current surrounded by eight dolphins circling us clicking & squeaking in perfect formation no more than 3m away for 8minutes, an amazing experience for us.

HMY VERONA....43m
This Yacht disappeared without a trace during WW1, it is thought to have struck a mine. Lying about 10miles N of Lossiemouth it is broken in two at the extremely large boiler, it is an excellent dive. It requires good conditions to get here as it is well offshore, lots of dolphins & porpoises can be seen on the way out. This is a war grave so please treat it with the respect it deserves.

ZITELLA….15m
Lying in a sheltered cove a couple of miles South of Peterhead there is only one decent sized piece of wreckage & a boiler to be found.