France
TOP DIVE SITES – BRITTANY
Amoco Cadiz – the wreck of Liberian supertanker lies at a depth of 30 m. The ship hit the bottom, broke in two and sank in 1978 and polluted almost 400 km of Brittany’s coast with tons of oil. The crew was rescued. 330 m long Amoco Cadiz is the biggest shipwreck in the world.Location: Men Goulven RocksType of dive: boat diveSea bed: rockyRequirements: BSAC Ocean Diver, PADI Open WaterBerwind – the wreck of British cargo ship lies at a depth of 40 m. The ship was torpedoed and sank in 1918. The parts of this shipwreck were initially thought to be from the Lake Portage which was part of the same convoy. However, when the divers discovered the remains of a gun it was clear that it couldn’t have been Lake Portage which didn’t have any guns.Location: near BrestType of dive: boat/shore diveSea bed: sandRequirements: BSAC Sports Diver, PADI Advanced Open WaterKleber – the wreck of French armoured cruiser lies upside down at a depth of 45 m. The ship hit a mine and sank in 1917. The wreck is complete with guns and turrets.Location: BrestType of dive: boat diveSea bed: reefRequirements: BSAC Sports Diver, PADI Advanced Open WaterLake Portage – the wreck of the ship lies at a depth of about 50 m. The ship, which was part of the same convoy as Berwind, was attacked with a torpedo and sank in 1918. Location: near BrestType of dive: boat diveSea bed: sandRequirements: BSAC Sports Diver, PADI Advanced Open WaterLe Meuse – the wreck lies upside down at a depth of 30 m. The currents are low and the visibility is quite good. The only danger may be caused by boat traffic.Location: Douarnenez BayType of dive: boat diveRequirements: CMAS 3 stars, BSAC Advanced DiverPenhir – the wreck of small steamship lies at a depth of 20 m. The ship was on her way from Brest to Nantes when she hit the rocks at the bottom and sank in 1935.Location: near BrestType of dive: boat diveSea bed: sandyRequirements: BSAC Ocean Diver, PADI Open WaterSwansea Vale – the wreck of British freighter lies at a depth of 30 m. The ship hit the rocks and sank in 1917. The wreck is almost intact and serves as home to conger eels and other marine life.Location: near BrestType of dive: boat diveRequirements: BSAC Ocean Diver, PADI Open WaterTrane – the wreck of Norwegian steamship lies at a depth of 26 m. The ship was carrying iron ore from Bilbao to Middlesbrough when she sank in 1924. This is a spectacular dive with good visibility and profuse marine life.Location: near BrestType of dive: boat diveSea bed: sandyRequirements: BSAC Ocean Diver, PADI Open Water