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Favourite These are the wrecks and reefs that will most likely be on are weekend shuttle schedule.
REEFS AND DRIFTS
BOULDER/PULLAR BANKS (10-20mts)
Normall dived as a drift, The Bolder banks is a large reef of limestone boulders. The ridge of the reef is in less than 10m of sea water and drops off on the south face to 20m. there a variety of seaweeds including kelp where ballan wrasse, corking wrasse, pollock and bass occupy. As the bank drops off it to southerly the deeper known as Pullar Bank is where you can see dogfish, flat fish and the occasional cuckoo wrasse.
14NM from Littlehampton south of Selsey. Best done as a 2nd dive to a westerly two dive trip.
THE MIXON HOLE (30mts)
Dived at Slack water, the Mixon Hole is believed to be a segment of an ancient roman river gorge swept clear by tidal current. There's a limestone ledge at 4m covered by foliose red algae. There are many species of crustacea including squat lobster, edible crab . Tompot blennies and leopard-spotted gobies are frequently seen on cliff ledges. Other fish observed swimming at or near the top of the cliff face include pollack, ballan wrasse, corkwing wrasse, goldsinny wrasse and shoals of the small two-spotted goby. The steep slope is covered by cobbles, attached to these are keel worm and the sea squirt. As you go down the cliff face there are holes occupied by lobster and hermit crabs. At the base of the hole is a level area pebbles and shells. This site makes a good multi level dive with a visual reference plenty to see at all depths
KINGSMERE ROCKS (17mts)
Normally dived as a drift, Kingmere Rocks comprises a large area of sandstone and mudstone boulders, about 500 m wide and 6 km long. Cracks and overhangs in these rocks provide shelter for lots of animals including Tube Worms, Ballan Wrass, Corking Wrass and Edible Crabs. Close to the North & South parameter of the reef is where Rays, Smoothounds and Tope can be spotted as well as Place and Flounders. located 5.5NM SE of Littlehamton
HOUNDS REEF (14mts)
Normally dived as a drift, The Hounds limestone reef is alive with life and colour – sponges, sea squirts and seaweeds carpet the surface and squat lobsters and crabs hide within the crevices. 15NM from Littlehampton on the west side of Selsey.
SHELLEY ROCKS (11mts)
The areas of pebbles, gravel, shell and sand may be dominated by chains of slipper limpets, with tubes of sandmason worms and stalked sea squirts. Here too are found the dahlia anemone , less commonly the snakelocks anemone, and patches of the reef-forming polychaete . Mobile life includes hermit crabs, small edible crabs, and occasionally shore crabs and spider crabs. Fishes to be seen include butterfish, small juvenile gobies, and flatfish such as plaice and sole . From February until April, lumpsuckers come into these shallow waters to lay their eggs, which the males will guard for four weeks or more until they hatch. At the same time of year, cuttlefish may also be found here.
THE WALDRONS (17mts)
Normally dived as a drift, The Waldrons is one of our favourite reefs. The tall standing Sandstone rocks are teaming with life such as a variety of sponge species, tube worms, nudibranch, Tompot Blennies, Ballan Wrass, Corking Wrass, Dog fish, Rays, and is also serves as a nursery Juvenile Pollock and bass in the summer to autum months. Located 5NM east of Littlehampton.
OUTER WALDRONS (18mts)
Normally dived as a drift, The Outer Waldrons Sandstone Reef SE of the Waldrons. It holds less rock formation and hight but still a great deal of marine life such as, Pollack, Bass, Rays and dog fish, Flounder and Place. Located 4.5NM SE of Littlehampton
WRECKS
SS ARIEL (30mts)
The British cargo ship ARIEL, built in 1885, on voyage from Varna to Hamburg with wheat, sank on the 10th June 1892 after a collision in foggy weather with ship Lancashire, 11NM SE from Littlehampton I lies at a depth of 30m. Decks have collapsed and ribs can be seen. The stern is on its keel and upright. The bow is deeper but intact. The rudder wheel is visible.
SS AXWELL (45mts)
On 13th November 1917, SS AXWELL was torpedoed and sunk 2NM south of the Owers and 11nm from Littlehampton by German Submarine UB-56 (Hans Valentiner) whilst on a voyage from Warkworth to Rouen with a cargo of coal. 2 lost. The wreck is sitting upright, lying in 45m the highest points are the bow and the area of the bridge, both around 8m above the seabed. The hull is still largely intact, with the damage from the torpedo very obvious around the boiler room. The superstructure has gone but the bottom section of both masts remain in place.
SS CARBINEER (35mts)
On April 22nd, 1914, the British cargo Carbeener, on voyage from London to Manchester with general cargo, was sunk in fog in a collision with cruiser HMS ISIS (5690 GRT), 3.5NM south of the Owers Lightship. She now lies at a depth 35m and is located 13nm out of Littlehampton. Stands around 6m proud. Lies almost 90 degrees on port side with bow to the North. Large boiler and triple expansion engine approx 2.5-3m long. Rounded stern. 4 bladed prop and rudder still in position.
SS GARTLAND (28mts)
Remains of the 1918 wreck of a Scottish cargo vessel, torpedoed by the German submarine UB 30 approximately 1nm south-east of Owers. She was a steel-hulled steamer, en route from Newcastle upon Tyne to Gibraltar with a cargo of coal. This wreck was formerly thought to be the remains of the English cargo vessel LIGHTFOOT, which was also torpedoed in 1918. There also another site formerly thought to be the location of the remains of the GARTLAND. The collier went down with the loss of two of her crew. She now lies at a depth of 28m and is located 13NM out of Littlehampton
MV HEDWIG LUNSTEDT (33mts)
Hedwig Lunstedt, built in 1963. Sunk in heavy weather, when her cargo of iron shifted. Partly buried in the gravel seabed. Starboard side bows, failry intact shifted. 8 crew lost there lives. Now lies in 33m 3.5NM south of the Owers and 14NM SW from Littlehampton.
BASIL SS (37mts)
The Basil SS now lies 3nm from the Owers and 14NM SE of Littlehampton on a coarse sand sea bed at a depth of 37m. Sits upright, bow section has parted from hull and is listing 45° to port. Stern stands 7m proud with gun pointing aft. Two decks have collapsed. Some shells remain despite salvage of cargo. Engine exposed.
SS BRIGITTA / TEA POT (18mts)
First known as the Tea Pot the Brigitta was a 2,084grt defensively-armed British Merchantship. On the 4th December 1917 when 5NM east from the Nab Tower and 15NM from Littlehampton she hit a mine and sank to the 18m deep sandbed . 2 lives lost.
NY EEASTETR (30mts)
NY Eeastetr is a wooden vessel, and was built in Germany in 1970. Not much is known about this vessel, other than it sank on the
12th August 1980 while travelling from Yarmouth to the Isle of Man. It now lies 11NM SE of Littlehampton on the west side of the Rampion win farm in 30m of water, and is mostly intact, with the stern shoved in.
SS GASCNONY (27mts)
On January 7th, 1918, Gascony, on a voyage from Southampton to Calais with a cargo of government stores, was sunk by the German submarine UC75. There were no casualties. The largest high point of the wreck is just aft of the boilers, 25m. She is virtually upside-down, collapsed to starboard. The more interesting part of the wreck is the port side. The port side is marked by intact bits of railing and other deck fittings. Heading aft, the jumble of metal hull plates and railings is broken by the remains of a mast. Continuing aft, the next section of upright railingmarks the point where the stern is slightly more intact and rises above the seabed. Less than 1NM east of the Owers 10NM SW of Littlehampton.
SS GLENLEE (25mts)
On August 9th, 1918, Glenlee, on a voyage from Dunkerque to Portland with a cargo of government stores, was sunk by the German submarine UB57. The wreck site is now very flat with the ships hull being effectivly opened up and flattened on the sand. It is easy to swim along the ships ribbing until you find the the 2 Boilers standing approx. 4 mtrs high. Living between the boilers was an extremely large congor eel. She now lies at a depth of 25m 7NM SW of Littlehampton
SS HUNTSHOME (36mts)
was a British steamer of 2073 tons. On June 11th, 1917, Huntsholm, on a voyage from Dieppe to Southampton in ballast, was sunk by the German submarine UB-40, Now Lies 4NM SE the Owers and 11NM SW of Littlehampton. There were no casualties.
SS JAFFA (27mts)
SS was built as a steel British Merchant steamship in 1897. Powered: Triple expansion engine 251nhp capable of 12 knots. 1,383 grt and defensively-armed. On the 2nd February 1918 when on route from Boulogne for Southampton when she was torpedoed by German submarine UB-30 and sunk when 3NM west from the Rampion wind farm and 10NM SE of Littlehampton.10 lives lost. Height is 6 metres. Lies on Port side. Keel is broken along its length. Boilers are 6 metres high. Heavy scour around keel area.
HMT NORTHCOATS (27mts)
The HMT Northcoats is locally known as the Armed Trawler
was a British Royal Navy Trawler requisitioned in August 1939 and used as a Minesweeper. The 277 ton trawler was built for the Royal Navy as the HMT George Corten in 1918. Became commercial fishing trawler 1921 as FV Zencon. Requisitioned again as Naval minesweeper 1939. She sank on the 2nd December, 1944, in heavy weather when under tow after engine failure 3NM east of the Owers and 9NM south of Littlehampton. She now lies at a depth of 27m
HMT PINE (17mts)
Built and sunk in 1940 this is a wreck of a tree class admiralty trawler and was sunk by a torpedo from S-142 (one of a pack of 18 German E-Boats) on January 31, 1940, with the loss of 10 crew.
The wreck is very broken up and is surrounded by sand. Many parts are still above the sand, even a big chunk of one of the engines is clearly visible. The site is covered in shoals of Bib and Whiting. She's located 6NM SW from Littlehampton and lies at a depth 17m .
SS SHIRALA (24mts)
Built in Glasgow 1901, On July 2nd, 1918, Shirala, while on a voyage from London to Bombay with 213 passengers and 5.000 tons of cargo, was torpedoed in her port side and sunk by the German submarine UB-57, 4NM NE from the Owers and 7.5NM SW from Littlehampton . 8 persons were lost. Her cargo consisted of general cargo, wine, marmalade, vehcile spares, binoculars, telescopes, ivory, 180 tons of ammunition (detonating caps), 1.700 tons mail and diamonds.
TANK LANDING CRAFT (24mts)
Outer Mulberry (12mts)
The 'Outer' Mulberry Harbour unit is the most popular wreck dive site off the West Sussex coast. It was one of 80 'caissons' temporarily parked off the Selsey-Bognor coast in the early summer of 1944, but broke its back when being raised from the sea bed. It now lies in 8-12 of sea water 7.5NM west of Littlehampton. It provides a hard and stable substratum as an artificial reef, which rises above the surrounding flat sea bed of sand, gravel and pebbles. The wreck provides a variety of inclined surfaces aswell as sheltered and exposed locations and is home to a larger variety of marine life.
SS CONCHA / ORE WRECK (16mts)
CONCHA SS was a Belgian Cargo well decked steamer of 883 tons, built in 1877 by the John Cockerill in Hoboken. She measured 64.98m x 8.32m x 5.09m and was equipped with a two cylinder compound steam engine. She was built on the corporation yard in Hoboken and operated by the Cockerill Shipping line to transport iron ore, then sank on 20th August 1897 after a collision with the Liverpool registered steam ship Saint Filians. The concha is known locally as the Ore wreck and makes a delightful dive with plenty of marine life. Coaster, broken with boilers & engines to see, bib, pollack and congers, as well as iron ore. its one of the more shallow wrecks at 16m, Located 8NM SE of Littlehampton
SS RAMSGARTH (27mts)
Built in 1910, On November 28th, 1916, Ramsgarth, on a voyage from Cardiff & Brixham to Tyne in ballast, was sunk by the German submarine UB-39, 1NM west of Rmpion wind farm and 10NM SE of Littlehampton. There were no casualties. She lies on starboard side, bow and stern fairly intact, midships is collapsing. There are some large ship shape pieces still standing, making a very interesting dive. There's Pollock and a large Lobster in residence.
SS STANWOLD (36mts)
On 22/02/1941, SS Stanwold was in convoy, carrying a cargo of coal from Southend to Cowes, IOW. At 11.30hrs she reported steering problems due to a heavy list to port. At 04.20hrs the following day, she was reported as being sighted with a list to starboard. No further communication was received. Some bodies were washed ashore some days later. The Captain and crew of 19 and 2 gunners were lost. Now lies in 36m and is 9m high. She lies on her port side mostly upside down. She's 13NM SE of Littlehampton in at the SW corner of the Rampion wind farm.
9NM South of Littlehampton
UNKNOWN #3 (27mts)
50°37.659'N 0°26.505'W. 12NM SE of Littlehampton
SS ZAANSTROOM (30 mts)
On December 21st, 1911, the Dutch steel cargo ship ZAANSTROOM, built in 1895 by Huygens & Van Gelder and owned by Hollandsche Stoomboot Maatschappij, on voyage from Fowey to Amsterdam with a cargo of china clay, was lost in a storm 2.5NM from the Owers and 10NM from Littlehampton. She stands proud, the engine room's reasonably intact and there a few Conger eels resident. Orientation is E to W
UNKNOWN #4 (26mts)
50°38.214'N 0°46.395'W 14NM SW of Littlehampton
SS WAR HELMET (28mts)
War Helmet SS was a 8.184 ton mass-produced British standard steamer, built in 1917. She measured 445ftx58x40ft, had two decks and was powered by a twin screw triple expansion engine 6 cylinder 5600 nhp that gave her a 12 knots speed. She was armed during the war. On a passage from London to Barry, she was sunk 19th April, 1918 by a torpedo from UC-75. All crew were saved. She now lies 28m deep and is located 3NM SE of the Owers and 11NM SW from Littlehampton. Lies upright with bow to north-west. Flattened midships. Three boilers clear. Engine room easy to locate. Bow is complete. The stern is well quite broken.
CHARTER ONLY
These Wrecks and reef are either outside are weekend shuttle range or too deep for recreational diving. You can add any of the dive sites on this page (tides permitting). Technical diving is best done on neap tides. We can help you plan your charter to insure you get the most diving out of your day.
SS ARISTOS (60mts)
A Greek Cargo Vessel of 5,198 tons built in 1939 by William Hamilton & Co. On the 28th August 1967 she was involved in a collision with the vessel Linde and sunk 15NM SW of Beachy Head when on passage from Antwerp to Pirzus. Its know lies at 60mts deep just outside the shipping lanes 22NM SE of Littlehampton.
SV BRITISH COMMERCE (45mts)
On April 24th, 1883, the iron and fully rigged British sailing ship Commerce was on a voyage from London to Melbourne with general cargo when she collided with the sailing ship County of Aberdeen in the English Channel. She sank with many of her crew. She's broken up and now lies 45m deep 15NM SE of Littlehampton.
SS CLAN MCMILLAN (63mts)
Built in 1901 as a steamship. Dimensions:396.5x48.2 feet. Powered; Triple expansion engine. On route from Cittagong to Clyde via London. At 4.525grt was defensively-armed. On 23 March 1917 she was Torpedoed without warning and sunk by a German U-Boot.She now lies 14NM south of Brighton and 17NM SE of Littlehampton in 63m. It's upside down, but twisted. The Stern section is impressive with huge prop suspended mid-water. the wreck is starting to split open and there are Large hole midships with access to engine room
SS SINES (69mts)
SINES SS was a Portugese Cargo Steamer of 2,843 tons built in 1896. She was built as the Lynrowan SS in Liverpool. In 1901 she was purchased Deutsche Levvnate Linie, Hamburg and renamed Milos SS. In 1916 she was purchased by the Portuguese Government Lisbon and renamed SINES SS. On the 20th March 1929 she sank after collision with French trawler Adine in the English Channel when on passage Lisbon for Hamburg. She now lies at 69m deep 17NM south of Selsey and 23NM south west of Littlehampton.
SS VIGDA (28mts)
On February 25th 1917, Vigda, on a voyage from Hull to Chantenay with a cargo of coal, was sunk by the German submarine UC-65 (Otto Steinbrinck), 5NM south of the Owers and 17NM SW from Littlehampton . There were no casualties.
THERE'S MORE WRECKS YET TO BE ADDED TO THIS SECTION THAT WE HAVE MARKED INCLUDING A FEW UNKNOWNS
SS DUKE OF BUCCLEUGH (58mts)
The Duke of Buccleugh was a 3.099 ton four-masted iron steamer, built in 1874. 380ftx38ft. 500hp engines. It was carrying a cargo of 600 tons hand-painted Belgian china and glassware, 2.533 tons of iron rails and machinery. On her way from Antwerp to Madras she was sunk in the night of March 7th 1889 in collision with the 1.478 ton sailing ship Vandalia. All 47 crew of Duke of Buccleugh were lost. She Now lies 58m deep 19NM south of littlehampton, Upright and 8m proud of the seabed. The masts is lying across the wreck. Theres a large split in starboard side close to bridge is collision damage, suggesting it was rammed by Vandalia and not, as its captain stated, the other way round. The china and glass-ware in holds are mostly broken, but there's some intact pieces to be found. The Viz is usually good on this dive.
SS DONEGAL (49mts)
DONEGAL SS was 1,885grt, defensively-armed British merchant steamer built in 1904 as a Passenger Vessel for the Midland Railway Company, Belfast. She was powered by a steam, triple expansion, 386 hp, giving 13 knots. On the 17th April 1917, carrying 639 British wounded soldiers from Le Havre to Southampton. She was torpedoed without warning and sunk by German submarine UC-21, 29 of the British wounded soldiers and 11 crew went down . She now lies 49m deep 16NM south of Selsey Bill and 24NM SW of Littlehampton
SS HIGHLAND CORRIE (36mts)
HIGHLAND CORRIE SS was a British Passenger/Cargo Vessel of 7,583 tons built in 1910. She was powered by a steam, triple expansion giving 837 nhp and 13 knots. On the 16th May 1917 she was torpedoed and sunk by German submarine UB-40 5NM south of the Owers and 17NM SW of Littlehampton. She was on passage from La Plata for London carrying a cargo of frozen meat. There were 5 men lost. She lies to port side at 36m deep. The orientation is NW-SE. Portholes around stern area. The stern steering equipment is on sea floor on starboard side. The 4.7 gun still attached to deck angles, pointing gun barrel into sea floor. The ship's rudder and propeller are in situ and intact.
HMS PRINCE LEOPOLD (35mts)
2.938 ton, Belgian steamer, built 1930, converted to infantry landing ship in 1941and armed. On Passage to Normandy from Isle of Wight she was sunk 29 July, 1944 by torpedo from German U-boat U-621, striking portside, midships.
Despite capsizing on sinking, wreck is now upright, but twisted with starboard list on gravel seabed. Highest point is Bofors gun, 10m proud. Large hole on port side is torpedo damage. Bow lists more than stern. She now lies at a depth of 35m 8NM east of Isle of Wight and 20NM SW of Littlehampton
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