Enigmatic wreckage and a riot of life await visitors to Whirl Rocks in the Farne Islands, says James Hickman
COMPETITION
A diver examines one of the two Admiralty Pattern anchors at the site
Dive the dreamscape
Enigmatic wreckage and a riot of life await visitors to Whirl Rocks in the Farne Islands, says James Hickman
Briefing: Whirl Rocks off the Farne Islands in Northumberland, is, in my opinion, Britain’ s best dive site. A kaleidoscope of marine life and plenty of wreckage keeps everyone happy, but it’ s one of those sites that requires Goldilocks conditions.
The Dive: Whirl Rocks is located to the north of the Knivestone. The site is a series of dolerite reefs, the two largest being In
The second anchor shows the proliferation of marine life at Whirl Rocks
Bus and Off Bus. It is exposed to the full ferocity of the tide, causing the sea to look like it’ s boiling when the tide is running over the reef. At high tide the top of the reef can produce rogue waves. On one memorable occasion a freak wave nearly overturned our RIB. While this makes it more challenging to dive, these conditions yield a proliferation of marine life. Anemones, Devonshire cup corals and dead man’ s fingers cover every inch of every surface. The site is home to lobsters, crabs and many species of fish. Large shoals of pollock are not unusual. Inquisitive ballan wrasse will follow you around while the ubiquitous Farnes seals have their surfing lessons. It is so busy it can feel like an underwater city at times.
The reef has wrecked many vessels over the years, which is understandable once you witness the full force of the turning tide here. The most famous is the Jan Van Ryswyck, a 2000-ton Belgian cargo ship powered by a triple-expansion steam engine, which is one of the more prominent features that you are likely to shot, along with the boilers.
Swimming northeast from here, with the wall on your left, leads you into a narrow gulley. This is a must visit with anemones of every colour leading to an impressive pair of Admiralty Pattern anchors with a huge pile of chain next to them. The cargo of pig iron and steel ingots, originally destined for Grangemouth in Scotland, litter the top of the In Bus reef.
The most recent piece of wreckage can occasionally be glimpsed inside the upturned boiler with its condenser tubes pointing to the sky- one of our shot weights with a short bit of line that couldn’ t be retrieved, despite me standing on top of the boiler and pulling with all my strength!
One of the best ways to finish off a dive at Whirl Rocks is to catch the start of a flooding tide and put up a dSMB. You will drift swiftly south over what is best described as a dreamscape of dead men’ s fingers. After five minutes you will be well past the Knivestone.
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The engine of SS Jan Van Ryswyck
Debrief: Whirl Rocks has it all, and the fact that you can’ t dive it all the time makes it that much more rewarding when you do.