Eddystone Lighthouse
The rock surfaces here are covered in jewel anemones and algae of all colours, tiny sea spiders are everywhere and spiny starfish clung on to any bare patch of rock they can find. Cotton-spinners oozed their way along the sand, taking refuge in the nooks and crannies and a huge lobster abound the rock crevasses.
Dead mens' fingers, sea-squirts and many other current feeders are present and large wrasse flit around the kelp.
It is possible to reach depths of 45m plus here, so good buoyancy control is essential, although the craggy, uneven character of the reef makes it ideal for multi-level profiles which can extend your bottom time, and any extra minute gained is worth it.
Hand Deeps
This site is about 10 miles offshore, to the northwest of the Eddystone lighthouse. Hand Deeps is a set of five pinnacles (or fingers, hence the name) rising to within 7m of the surface. The bedrock drops steeply with sheer walls, ledges and gullies to over 60m. In places there are large boulders.
The tops of the pinnacles are kelp covered and the walls below predominantly covered in jewel anemones with an abundance of life including other anemones, hydroids, sponges and on the ledges and between boulders frequent sea fans.
James Eagan Layne
One of the 2,700 Liberty ships built by the US during World War Two, the JEL was on her maiden voyage when struck by a torpedo from the U-1195. Taking on water rapidly, two Admiralty tugs attempted to tow her to shore where she could be beached, but the ingress of water overpowered the pumps and she had to be cut loose to slip below the surface a mile from Rame Head.
The JEL really is a shipwreck the way shipwrecks should be. A lot of the hull plating and girders have fallen away and now lie on the seabed around the wreck. This reef of steel has become an almost perfect environment for spider and edible crabs, large lobster and, of course, the ubiquitous tompot blenny. The wreck itself, while providing opportunity for penetration dives, is so picturesque many are satisfied to stay outside the hull and enjoy the spectacular views through the ribs laid bare by the structural collapse. In many places along the hull, where the plating has fallen away, the ribs remain standing proud and are covered with dead man's fingers feeding in the gentle current. Lying against some of these ribs is old agricultural equipment and spoked wheels, part of the cargo of vital war supplies.
HMS Scylla
The HMS Scylla is the first ship to be scuppered as an artificial reef in the UK. A large vessel, she has diligently been made safe for exploration, so divers can explore the whole wreck, inside and out.
With marker buoys attached forward, amidships and at the stern it is your own choice where to start the dive. Descending the stern line and floating gracefully down onto the helicopter landing pa,. it is possible to enter the wreck. The, seemingly, cavernous space of the helicopter hanger still contains many of the control panels from Scylla's life in service, with loose wiring, switches and levers still operational. With gun mounts, depth charge racks and missile launchers still in place, Scylla is a fascinating wreck to dive and will, hopefully, become more interesting as the marine life moves in.