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
Tabarka (Burra Sound)
Dive site in Scapa Flow (Orkney), United Kingdom
A Burra Sound blockship in 14-18 m covered in flora and fauna, where light pours into the interior from December to April.
- Max depth
- 18 m
- Level
- Advanced
- Best months
- Jun–Sep
- Current
- Strong
The story
Built in Rotterdam in 1909, the steamship Tabarka was sunk to protect the entrance of Scapa Flow from enemy submarines and now rests in the strong tides of Burra Sound.
Source: scapaflowwrecks.com
The dive
A wreck dive. Known for crustaceans and starfish and urchins.
Who it's for
Advanced≤30 mSource: scapaflowwrecks.com
Recommended minimum: Advanced (PADI Advanced Open Water, N2).
- CurrentCurrent can be strong; you need good air management and buoyancy.
- Strong current: dive with a local guide and carry a surface marker buoy.
Conditions
- Dive type
- Wreck
- Environment
- Open water
- Water
- Sea water
What you might see
- Crustaceans
- Starfish and urchins
- Reef fish
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 27 m
SMS Karlsruhe
A broken-up German cruiser in 25 m where areas inaccessible on other cruisers become accessible, with 40-minute dives possible.
- 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.