The Empire Harry  

Nestling amongst the rocks at the base of Beacon Point, 0.5miles North of Hope Cove, lies what remains of the Empire Harry.

There isn't much left there today, just a large boiler, the propshaft, the br/oken prop and a scattering of large but now indisginguishable lumps of metal. That said, I find this site a real haven for the photographer precisely because of it's fairly shallow and sheltered position and also because in the one area you have wreck photography, scenic possibilities in the adjacent gullies, and at low tide there's rockpooling!

My first outing to the wreck was as a snorkeller from Hope Cove. It really is quite a swim (though you can scramble part-way over the rocks) and not one for the unfit or casual swimmer. There are no currents to worry about, it's just the distance that could be a problem. I had walked that coastline many times and taken photos from the surrounding cliffs of what was supposed to be the boiler. My photos were in-conclusive so I was really heading out for a rekkie to see what I could see. That day I managed to find the wreck and confirm it's location ready for a thorough investigation. Having now re-visited the wreck from my kayak, I wouldn't attempt to swim there again! If you're new to kayaking on the sea this is a great outing to try.

It really is very easy to locate this wreck, just go to the base of Beacon Point and follow the rocks outwards to the West. In good vis you'll be able to see the boiler from the surface and it's then simply a case of jumping in and having a mooch around. I can't really take you on a 'tour' as it's not a huge site, but the propshaft and majority of the wreckage lies to the south-east of the boiler, and once you've had you're fill of metal, simply head West into the sand-filled gullies to look at the sponge strewn rocks and play hide-and-seak with the dogfish amongst the kelp hold-fasts. If you are in your kayak you can either anchor up over the wreck or beach it on the secluded cove which you will probably have to yourself.

On a low tide the top of the boiler will just br/eak the surface, and the surrounding scar will be about 5m deep - which at the top of a big spring will give you at most 10m of water. Most likeley you'll be in about 7m once you're over the surrounding rocks where the prop-shaft is. So this is a great site for competant snorkellers at high tide, and absolutley anyone at low water! The vis here can exceed 10m so following the wreckage from the surface is easy.

I've never seen this site being 'dived' from a boat, as I think it's often overlooked as too shallow and let's face it, with the Louis Sheid just down the road everyone will head there for a novice wreck dive. But the stunning beach, surrounding cliffs and interesting gullies coupled with the wreck make this one of my favourite snorkelling sites. I'm hoping to get back there with my scuba kit soon to thoroughly explore the site and I'll update this page if I find anything I've missed previously.

Launching your kayak is possible from both Inner and Outer Hope, but you won't have to fight your way through hoards of beech-goers at Inner Hope so I'd recommend that side. Watch out for surf though as even a small swell can cause some nice breakers on the beach below half-tide!

When to dive? High tide is better, but is a good site at with any depth of water.

When Not To Dive? This shore-line faces West, so any wind from the NW, W or SW will render it useless, but also watch out for swells forming (check the A1-surf webcam) that will make it an uncomfortable experience being down there.

How to get there? Just point your sat-nav or AA Route Finder at Hope Cove in South Devon!