I was diving the legendary Moldavia, a 9,500 ton liner which was converted to an armed merchant cruiser for the First World War and sunk by torpedo in 1918. The Moldavia is not an easy wreck to get to. Situated over 20 miles off shore in 50 metres of water and between the shipping lanes, charter boats will only attempt it when conditions are favourable. Today the sea was glassy calm and the sun was shining. After a number of aborted trips I was finally there.
The Moldavia lies on her port side. From the stern railing the hull sloped down below us. The hull was encrusted with sponges and there was an enormous shoal of Pollack patrolling above me. I could see all the way down past a propeller shaft to the keel. Expecting murky English Channel water, I had decided to leave my camera at home this weekend - big mistake, this was probably my only chance ever to get real wreck pictures of the Moldavia and I had blown it. Never mind, I had a great time exploring the cabins and corridors of the wreck, teasing the ever smiling tompot blennies and looking for conger eels.
It is easy to get obsessed with one wreck - a sort of Everest complex, but there are lots of excellent wrecks to keep divers of all levels from novice to trimix technical diver entertained along this stretch of the Sussex coast.
This picture of a tompot blenny and the above picture of a shoal of poor cod were taken on the wreck of the Shirala, a 5,300 ton cargo liner which was carrying a cargo of ivory, also sunk by torpedo in 1918. Tusks are still being found occasionally.
Amongst the medium depth wrecks in the 25 to 35 metre range are the Jaffa, a 1,400 ton steamship sunk by torpedo in 1918 and HMS Northcoates, an admiralty trawler, this time lost by foundering in bad weather in 1944. The wreck sits upright in 33 metres.
A shallower dive is HMS Pine, another armed trawler sunk in 1944 in 15 to 18 metres of water. Now well broken up, some parts of the wreck still stick up a few metres from the seabed. Being shallow and on a light sandy seabed, HMS pine can make a bright and cheerful dive.
The Basil was a 3,200 steamer sunk by collision in 1917 while carrying a cargo of munitions. The wreck lies upright in 38 metres and the hull is reasonably intact. Forward of the superstructure is a hold just stacked with shells, an interesting place to rummage. Amongst the shells are howitzer caps and charges.