Malin Head is the most northerly part of mainland Ireland, and the waters offshore are one of the most famous wreck diving locations in the world. The bottom composition helps create some stunning viz conditions a lot of the time (up to 40m on occasions).
Malin Head is famous for its wreck diving and that will be the focus of this trip. The wrecks include: -
- HMS Audacious (depth: 64 metres) - built in 1913, the HMS Audacious is a King George V class Super-Dreadnought Battleship which grossed 23,00 tonnes and dimensions of 182x27x8metres. The vessel sunk in 1914 after striking a mine while on a gunnery exercise.
- SS Carthaginian (depth: 58 metres) - built in 1884, the SS Carthaginian was a British sail and steam ocean liner. She hit a German mine on the 14th of June in 1917 and sank off Innistrahull island with no lives lost.
- SS Empire Heritage (depth: 66 metres) - built in 1930, the SS Empire Heritage was heading for Liverpool from New York with a cargo of oil, Sherman tanks and half-tracks, she was torpedoed with 113 lives lost.
- RMS Justicia (depth: 72 metres) was launched in 1914 and was a British troopship. Heading to New York from Liverpool, she was torpedoed several times and sank losing 16 of the 600 strong crew. This is a massive wreck with large boilers and 3 huge propellers on view.
- SS Laurentic (depth: 42 metres) - after leaving Co. Donegal, she struck a mine and sank in 45 minutes. Part of her cargo included 3,211 gold ingots each weighing 40lbs. Sadly, nearly all the gold has now been recovered but you can hope and dream!
- SS Athenia (depth: 60 metres) - built in 1923, the SS Athenia was a British ocean liner. On route to Montreal from Liverpool, she was torpedoed by a German U-boat and sank with a loss of 112 out of 1,418 passengers and crew. She represented the first naval casualty of WW2, with the war on Germany only declared hours prior and was widely condemned worldwide.
- U-2511 (depth: 67 metres) - laid down in 1944, German submarine U-2511 was a type XX1 U-boat. At 77 metres long, she was the only operational type XX1 U-boat. She was scuttled on the 7th January 1946 and rests relatively intact.
- U-89 (depth: 62 metres) - U-89 was an operational German U-boat. On the 12 February 1918, she was rammed by HMS Roxburgh off Malin Head and sank losing all hands.
Diving will be from the Cat Laura Dean, 11m catamaran, the Laura-Dean, is the perfect vessel for your wreck diving trip as it offers fantastic space and comfort plus the convenience of a divers lift. Boat charter is paid per day at €750 with a €550 charge for inclement weather cancellation. We split the boat cost between us all, There are 10 spaces available so bank on £80 to £90 per person per day, wrecks that are further out have fuel surcharges (see photo).
Closed Circuit diving is highly recommended for this trip as the gas usage and logistics on OC will be high.
We will bring our own gases and booster so can provide PreBlended 15/55 and 10/70. You will need to bring your own bailouts.
Accommodation is TBC but bank on €50 per night. For travel, the plan is to drive, taking the ferry to Belfast.
Spaces are limited due to the amount of equipment required and this will surely be a very popular trip, so get in touch ASAP to reserve your space. We are taking a £250 deposit on a first come first served basis - get booked in now!
