Wreck Dives
La Mauve
The 65 foot long former States of Jersey barge, La Mauve was deliberately scuttled in 1993 to create an artificial reef and attraction for recreational divers. She sits upright on a rocky seabed and has attracted a wide variety of marine life such as tom pot blennies, pollack, crab, lobster and is usually surrounded by a huge shoal of pouting. Her location is only half a mile from Bouley Bay and her size makes her an ideal first wreck for new divers. As well as La Mauve itself there is also a pontoon which was sunk in 2002 to extend the artificial reef, and the wreck of a small fishing boat, the Striker, lying within feet of La Mauve's stern. Typical depths are 22-30 m depending on the tide.
One of La Mauve's chain winches was preserved and is now mounted on the old cider press in Bouley Bay.
SS Heron
This ship sank in 1961 and lay undiscovered until 2003. It sank whilst transporting tomatoes and other produce bound for England. It is one of the most popular wrecks dived from Jersey and remains very much intact. It lies off the North coast and is easy to get to from Bouley Bay. Typical depths are 22-30m depending on the tide.
SS Schockland
This 1500 ton freighter sank after hitting a reef off the south coast of Jersey in 1943. A troop transport ship, she was carrying German troops on leave bound for France, and sank with a reported loss of 136 lives. It is also rumoured to have been carrying 'ladies of the night' due to artefacts such as perfume bottles being found in the wreck, although the German authorities deny any women were ever onboard. Her cargo of cement bags and iron girders are still sitting in the holds. She is 225ft long and sits 3 miles off St. Helier, and divers can ususllay expect to see many conger eels and huge lobsters. It is one of the prettiest wrecks on the island, and is usually dived at slack water and on small tides. Typical depths are 26-32m depending on the tide.
The Kromwijk
A small armed coaster carrying bricks, the Kromwijk also lies off the south coast at a similar depth to the Schockland. She lies upside down and while most of the hull is intact there is some damage amidships revealing her two boilers. The Kromwijk was sunk in 1942 by two RAF aircraft, which are rumoured to have been shot down during the attack and lying close by.
The Olway
The Ollway was another vessel scuttled to form an artificial reef, and now lies around one mile off Bouley Bay. She came to rest upside down on a rocky seabed and is usually surrounded by huge shoals of pouting which also hide inside the wreck. This is a beautiful site with the light penetrating the wreck with fish everywhere. It is also home to a very big conger eel and lots of tom pot blennies. It is a fun dive and it’s easy to go around the wreck in a single dive, and also allows for easy penetration as it is so open. Typical depths are 30-38m depending on the tide.
The Princess Ena
The Princes Ena was a passenger steamer that sank in 1935 after a fire broke out. She was found in 1982 lying 9 miles off Corbeire. She lies reasonably intact and is usually is surrounded by pouting, ling and pollack. She is a popular if slightly deeper than usual wreck, with typical depths being 40-48m.
M343 German minesweeper
This vessel was sunk by HMS Ashanti and now lies just off the Minquiers rocks about 9 miles south of Jersey. It is broken in two with its bow section sitting on its port side 5-8m away from the main body of the wreck. The wreck still has guns, depth charges and a huge anchor on it’s bow. Typical depths are 22-34m depending on the tide.
The Hirondelle
This vessel was rediscovered in 2009 after divers were told of nets snagging by local fishermen. She lies on her starboard side and is mostly intact. Typical depths are 26-34m depending on the tide.
The 'Armed Trawler'
This vessel was sank by allied aircraft off the south coast of Jersey during World War II. It is a fairly small vessel and although broken up many distinguishing features are still intact, with several winches, a large boiler and bow section. Lots of conger eels and shoals of pollock and pouting are usually present. Typical depths are 18-28m depending on the tide.