Local Wrecks

Leysian

Our "Local" wreck - only 200mt from our launch site at Abercastle, and in 15mt of water, this large wreck is well broken up and makes an easy dive for experienced divers or a safe first wreck dive for beginners. There is never usually much current on this site but this does mean silt settles here and is easily stirred up.

When diving this wreck beware of the huge prop. shaft as the inshore end is only supported by a few 90 year old bolts, and one day it's going to fall down.... don't swim under it!

The stern section is the most intact part of the wreck and stands 3 or 4m off the sea bed. It could be possible to enter this part, but again everything is 90 years old!

The rest of the 3800 ton wreck is laying all around and provides few problems other than sharp edges. Look out for the spare anchor, the large shiny winch and the large bollards used for securing the ship, some with the ropes still attached. 

The prop. shaft is an ideal navigation aid as it is 25-30mt long and is suspended 1-2mt above the sea bed.

Baron Ardrossan

About 2 miles away by boat, another wreck we often use, particularly on our PADI  wreck diver specialty, lies near the village of Porthgain. This little wreck is also a good beginners dive with the propeller still there and one boiler still intact. 

Being only 12-13mt deep, the ship has been well broken up by the storms,  and suffers from any swell or weather coming from the west.

The stern half of the ship is the most recognizable, with the bow sections broken on the rocks on the south side of the bay. The port side of the bow section leads into a gulley and the overhang at the end has some interesting marine life.

There is never much current on the wreck, but there can be a lot of swell.

Vendome

About  4 miles from Abercastle, this wreck lies very close to the rocks she hit, and so does not seem to have been salvaged as most other Pembrokeshire wrecks.  As it is lying in 30-35 mt there is not as much wave action as on the shallower wrecks. However there is almost always a strong current at this site and it is not a beginners wreck. 

The Boiler and engine are still there and you can make out the hold with a spare anchor. At the bow the 2 main anchors have dropped and are leaning on each other like the classic crossed anchors. The stern is at a funny angle to the rest of the ship but you can see the propeller and the rudder in place. We use this wreck as a site for our PADI deep diver specialty. 

Dan Beard

In the same large bay (Pwll Deri) as the Vendome, this is the front section of an American Liberty ship. 

Well broken up and flattened by the storms there is often a swell here and as the depth is only 10mt you can get moved around. The biggest part of this wreck is the bow section which is upside down with the flukes of the 4 ton anchor 2m off the sea bed. From the bow follow the anchor chain to the biggest pile of chain you have ever seen!

In good conditions an easy wreck for those who don't want the depth or time penalties of the Vendome.

Calburga

A wooden sailing ship which hit Pen Brush Point in 1912, completely broken up at 40-42mt. At 12mt on the rock face you find one anchor with chain cascading down the rock (very pretty), but the wreck itself is a fair swim from this point. 

Charles Holmes

A casualty of the Royal Charter Gale in 1859 this was a wooden ship which hit a rock near Aberbach and broke up completely. The only evidence of this tragedy is hundreds of pieces of broken pottery around Carreg Dandy, at a depth of 6-10 mt.