Penzance, England, United Kingdom

Runnel Stone

Runnel Stone is a granite pinnacle just off Gwennap Head, near Land's End in Cornwall, marked by a south cardinal buoy. The pinnacle rises from a seabed of about 30 metres to within a few metres of the surface and has claimed many ships, including SS City of Westminster in 1923, whose wreckage now lies scattered across the seabed around the rock. The site combines rich reef life with substantial wreckage, making it one of the most rewarding dives in west Cornwall. Vertical walls and gullies are cloaked in jewel anemones, plumose anemones, dead man's fingers, sponges and hydroids. Resident species include ballan wrasse, cuckoo wrasse, pollack, bib, conger eels and the occasional sunfish in late summer. Visibility commonly reaches 10 to 15 metres on neap tides and water temperature varies between 10 and 17 degrees Celsius. Tidal currents over the pinnacle are strong and dives must be timed around slack water. Charter boats run from Penzance and Newlyn, and the site is suitable for advanced divers comfortable in tidal sites.