Wreck
down to 11 m
Churchill Barrier 2 blockships
Shallow shore dive (1-10 m) among about eleven blockships beside Churchill Barrier 2, best at high tide.
- Open Water
Advanced≤30 m
SMS Karlsruhe
Dive site in Scapa Flow (Orkney), United Kingdom
A broken-up German cruiser in 25 m where areas inaccessible on other cruisers become accessible, with 40-minute dives possible.
- Usual dive
- 25 m
- Deepest point
- 27 m
- Level
- Advanced
- Best months
- Jun–Sep
The story
Karlsruhe is the only Königsberg class cruiser to have been successfully scuttled in Scapa Flow. Today she is the most broken up cruiser remaining there.
Source: scapaflowwrecks.com
The dive
A wreck dive.
Who it's for
Advanced≤30 mSource: scapaflowwrecks.com
Recommended minimum: Advanced (PADI Advanced Open Water, N2).
- DepthThe usual dive goes deeper than lower certifications allow.
- Cold waterCold water, often with a drysuit; plan for heavier kit.
Conditions
- Dive type
- Wreck
- Environment
- Open water
- Water
- Sea water
Season in Scapa Flow (Orkney)
- J
- F
- M
- A
- M
- J
- J
- A
- S
- O
- N
- D
- Best
- Good
- Possible
- Closed
- Not documented yet
Best months: Jun–Sep.
Source: padi.comWhere is Scapa Flow (Orkney)?
The point shows the Scapa Flow (Orkney) area, not the exact dive site.
More dives in Scapa Flow (Orkney)
Wreck
down to 18 m
Dyle (Burra Sound)
A Burra Sound blockship in 12-17 m ringed by kelp, covered in dwarf plumose anemones and patrolled by wrasse and pollack.
- Advanced
- Pollack
Wreck
down to 20 m
F2 & YC21
A WWII German escort boat and its sunken salvage barge in 16-18 m, diveable at any state of the tide and a great second dive.
- Open Water
Wreck
down to 15 m
Churchill Barrier 3 blockships
Walk-in shore dive to blockships including the Empire Seaman, Martis and Gartshore, used for drysuit courses, to 15 m.
- Open Water
Wreck
down to 18 m
Tabarka (Burra Sound)
A Burra Sound blockship in 14-18 m covered in flora and fauna, where light pours into the interior from December to April.
- Advanced
Wreck
down to 36 m
SMS Brummer
A largely intact mine-laying cruiser on its starboard side in 36 m, much of its arsenal lying on the seafloor.
- Experienced
About this page
Values marked “Estimated” come from our original catalogue and are being checked against published sources one by one. Sourced values link to where they come from. Conditions change with the season, the weather and the tide: confirm with a local dive centre before you dive.