Location:Descriptive location referring to nearest landfall i.e. town, village, harbour or island
Carlingford Lough
Type:Describes whether this dive site can be dived from the shore, from a boat, or both
Boat
Wreck:Dive sites which include a shipwreck (or part of a shipwreck) are labelled with a ‘Yes’
Yes
Min. dive depth (m):The approximate minimum depth of the dive given in metres
5
Max. dive depth (m):The approximate maximum depth of the dive given in metres
6
Max. seabed depth (m):The maximum depth of the seabed at the site taken from the intersect between the dive site point and the depth contour on an Admiralty Standard Nautical Chart
6
Diving experience (min level):The recommended minimum level of diving experience for a specific site, described as Novice (<50 dives in temperate/cold waters and minimum certification of PADI Open/Advanced Open Water, BSAC Ocean Diver or CMAS 1 star), Intermediate (50-100 dives in temperate/cold waters and minimum certification of PADI Rescue Dive, BSAC Sports Dive or CMAS 2 star) or Advanced (>250 dives in temperate/cold waters and minimum certification of PADI Divemaster, BSAC Dive Leader or CMAS 3 star
Optimal wind direction:The general wind direction which causes minimal exposure at the site, corresponding to 8 points of the compass: North (N), North East (NE), East (E, South East (SE), South (S), South West (SW), West, North West (NW)
W/NW/N
Exposure:The approximate level of exposure to wind and wave action at the site on any given day, described as Sheltered (inshore sites surrounded by a form of shelter on all sides), Moderate (sites which are partially sheltered) or Exposed (sites with little to no shelter)
Exposed
Tidal strength:Anecdotal description of tidal strength at the site
Marine Protected Area:A Yes or No highlighting whether or not the site occurs within a Marine Protected Area
Yes
Visibility:Anecdotal description of the typical underwater visibility at the site
Visibility averages at 5-10 metres
Best time to dive:Anecdotal recommendation for the best time to dive the site for optimal underwater conditions. This typically relates to the stage of the tide
Slack water
Getting there:Directions for getting to the site
By boat from Carlingford head approx. 5km out to the site which lies approx. 550m south of Cranfield Point (about 50m south of the S.S. Connemara wreck)
Facilities:Details of nearest facilities to dive site i.e. public car parking and toilets, slipways etc
Carlingford Marina provides facilities including a slip, pontoons and toilets (visit: https://www.carlingfordmarina.com/). Public toilets are also available near to the western pier in Carlingford.
Small boats can be launched from the shore at Greenore. Free car parking is available above the launch site: https://goo.gl/maps/Xv6PPocjis3ftBMP9 The nearest public toilets are in Carlingford village.
Hazards:Anecdotal information on possible hazards at the site for divers and snorkellers
Strong currents
Close to the main shipping channel
Description:A general description of the physical features of the dive site
Mostly sand cover, with boulders and patches of cobbles and pebbles.
History:The history of the wreck provided by the Senior Marine Archaeologist from the Department for Communities Historic Environment Division (only included for wreck sites)
Date of loss 03/11/1916. This British steamship, carrying coal, was in collision with the SS Connemara, carrying passengers. The collision happened after the Retriever’s cargo had shifted in heavy seas. It sank 15 minutes after the Connemara. 8 lives were lost. There was only 1 survivor, 21 year old James Boyle. Salvage was contemplated at the time. (Source: AWD).AWD (Admiralty Wreck Data)
Information derived from Historic Environment Record of Northern Ireland (HERoNI), Department for Communities, Historic Environment Division.
Biodiversity:A description of the species composition at the site. Species of interest are highlighted. Follow the links for more information about the species on the NBN Atlas Northern Ireland website
The wreck is covered in intermittent patches of dead men’s fingers Alcyonium digitatum, anemones, urchins and short animal turf.
A link to the dive site location on the NBN Atlas Northern Ireland website, showing all species records from within a 1km boundary of the site centroid. Any new species records from the site submitted to Seasearch, iRecord, CEDaR Online Recording or iNaturalist will appear here
Local charters:A link to the website for the nearest Dive Centre to the site. A map of all dive centres is provided under ‘Go Diving’
Environmental and Historical Designations:A list of any environmental or historical designations attributed to the site, or overlapping it. Follow the link for more information
In an emergency call 999 or 112 and ask for the coastguard.
Follow VHF radio Channel 16 (156.8 MHz), the international distress frequency. Send a distress alert followed by ‘MAYDAY, MAYDAY, MAYDAY’ and ‘This is [boat name]’.
Carlingford Lough: +353 42 937 3072 . When navigating within the harbour/marina, use VHF Channel 12/16.
Latitude, Longitude:The approximate XY coordinates for the dive site in Decimel Degrees (DD). These can be converted to DMS or DDM by following the link below
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