Plymouth, England, United Kingdom

HMS Scylla

HMS Scylla is a former Leander-class Royal Navy frigate that was deliberately sunk in March 2004 in Whitsand Bay, Cornwall, becoming the United Kingdom's first purpose-built artificial reef. The 113-metre warship sits upright on a sandy seabed at around 24 metres, with the bridge and superstructure topping out at 12 to 15 metres. The hull was carefully prepared with cut access points to make it safe for divers, and the deck guns, helideck, exhaust funnels, bridge, mast and stern flight area are all easily explored. Visibility ranges from 5 to 10 metres and water temperatures vary between 8 and 16 degrees Celsius across the year, peaking in late summer. Marine colonisation has been remarkable: dense plumose anemones, dead man's fingers, sponges and hydroids cover most of the structure, and the wreck is patrolled by pollack, ballan wrasse, bib, conger eels, lobsters, edible crabs and the occasional cuttlefish. Currents are weak and the site is dived from charter boats out of Plymouth. Scylla is suitable for AOWD divers and is often paired with the nearby James Eagan Layne wreck.