Dive site
RMS Lusitania
Old Head of Kinsale, Ireland
- Typical depth
- 93 m
- Type
- Wreck
- Level
- Technical
Notes
Cunard liner torpedoed by U-20 in 1915, ~11 nautical miles (20 km) off the Old Head of Kinsale. Designated heritage site; permit required.
Marine life
- Other
- site is a designated heritage wreck and war grave — over 1,100 lives lost
- Pelagics
- seasonal blue shark sightings on the surface interval
- Reef fish
- pollack, wrasse, conger eel
- Invertebrates
- plumose anemone, dead-mans-fingers, jewel anemone, lobster
Wreck
- Vessel
- RMS Lusitania
- Class
- ocean liner
- Origin
- United Kingdom (Cunard Line)
- Sunk
- 1915 — torpedoed by German submarine U-20, 7 May 1915
- Length
- 239 m
- Penetration
- Not advised
Site features
- Wreck
- Deep Wreck
- Trimix
- Cold Water
- Drysuit Required
- War Grave
- Permit Required
- Historic
- Exposed Site
When to dive
- Best
- Jun–Sep
- Avoid
- Nov–Mar
Celtic Sea weather window is narrow — surface conditions and visibility best in calm summer high-pressure systems. Wreck is exposed; surface swell and current dictate go/no-go.
Conditions & access
- Visibility
- 5–15 m
- Water temp
- 9–14 °C
- Current
- Moderate
- Access
- Permit required
- Min cert
- Full trimix with multi-hour decompression. Wreck is protected under the Irish National Monuments Acts; a licence from the Underwater Archaeology Unit is required to dive or recover artefacts.
Location
51.4233° N, 8.5619° W
Dive clubs that visit this site
2 operators list this site on their website
- Kinsale Deep Sea Angling (Charter Boat HARPY)Kinsale, County Cork, Ireland · Day boat[source]
- Lusitania Project 17Kinsale (research expedition), Ireland · Club[source]
Sources
Curated from 1 source
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