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Technical Diving International

Salcombe Wreck Diving Expedition:

June 2006

Dive-Tech have arranged another wreck expedition.

This expedition is to Salcombe in South Devon, it's a 3 day trip from Monday 13th June to Wednesday 15th June
The expeditions are designed to explore some of the best wrecks in a particular area. This isn't just a normal dive trip. Included in the expedition you get;
Courses can also be run during the expedition including Introduction to Technical Diving, TDI Basic Nitrox, TDI Advanced Nitrox, TDI Decompression Procedures, TDI Extended Range and Advanced Buoyancy control. One-on-one instructing on any aspect of your diving is also available.

For more information on diving Sacombe take a look at Divernet's review of Salcombe diving

The focus of the expedition is to dive some of the best wrecks in the area. In particlar we will be aiming to dive;

The Maine (30-35m)

The Maine was torpedoed on March 23rd 1917 by the U boat UC-17. Despite a determined rescue operation, she sank "gracefully, upright and on an even keel" just offshore from Soar Mill Cove.

The wreck lies in a depth of around 35m, upright on an even keel and about 15m above the sea bed.

The Maine is a big boat - just under 400 ft long with a beam of 46 ft. Although the ship was robust she is beginning to deteriorate. In the mid 80’s her decks were largely intact and you could even find unopened bottles of champagne inside her. The decks have now largely collapsed - which has had the positive side effect of opening up the wreck.

There is a lot to see on this wreck. The bows are the shallowest part and still support a loading gantry on the tip. There is a large anchor still strapped on the outside. The first hold supports a large population of fish and in good light is a memorable sight. The engine room is well exposed and worth careful investigation. The boilers are massive. Her stern section is largely intact with some nice guard rails. The diver can also swim down to the seabed by the stern, sit on the prop shaft, look upwards and see a superb sight as the curve of the overhanging counter stern lies above.


The Riversdale (35-45m)

There are a lot of South Devon wrecks caused by U boat attack in 1917. The Riversdale's end came at the end of the year during the night of December 18th. The armed merchant steamer was going from Tyneside to Savona. Her route took her past Start Point and this is where UB 31 picked her off. A single torpedo hit her, but fortunately for most of the crew the ship was run aground off Prawle Point. She was patched up and optimistically towed off. She didn't get very far. Within a mile her patch blew off and the Riversdale gently sank in over 40m of water.

She lies upright on a light sandy bottom in an E - W axis. It is 35m to her decks and over 45m to the sea bed. The Riversdale is a large wreck - over 300 ft long. In some ways she resembles the Maine. Her decks have largely caved in, but she is a very intact and recognisable wreck. She has large holds that can be swum into, although care needs to be taken. A great iron propellor dominates the stern section and there are large quantities of coal strewn around and inside the wreck.

The Medina (52-64m)

One of the most impressive of the Salcombe wrecks, the Medina was not the usual tramp steamer found plying the channel, but a 12,350 ton P & O liner, with construction so lavish that she had served her time as a royal yacht! She was on her way back from Sydney, Australia (via several other stops - with the Viceroy of India's personal cargo aboard) when she lined herself up in the sights of Oberleutnant Bieber's UB-31. Fitted with quadruple-expansion steam engines, the Medina was capable of 19 knots, and fitted with a 4.7 inch gun, she would have been more than a match for the UB-31 on the surface. U-boat attacks on liners are thus always stealth ambushes, and if the torpedo isn't made to count, the liner will get away. In this case, the torpedo slammed into the rear of the engine room, disabling the big liner and sealing her fate. Fortunately, the Medina had put most of her passengers ashore in Plymouth, and in less than an hour she was abandoned. Six engine-room crew killed in the initial explosion were the only casualties.

She lies in 64m with her decks starting at 52m, 4 miles off Start Point. She is 550ft long and 63ft wide. At this depth Trimix is essential to safely dive this wreck


The boat we will be using is DIVETIME. DIVETIME is an OFFSHORE 125, huge deck space, plenty of room for kitting up and storage, room for all divers onboard in the wheel house, fridge and microwave on board. DIVETIME is equipped with all modern navigational aids, carries oxygen, has plenty of space for changing and has a toilet onboard. It also has a lift so getting back on board, even with twinsets and stages is easy.

The cost is £200 per person. This includes

However it doesn't include travel to/from Salcombe, accomodation or gas. I can provide detals of accomodation in Salcombe if required.

Expeditions fill up quickly so email us to reserve your place today.