The Louis sheid

You have a choice facing you when you decide to dive on the wreck of the Louis Sheid: do you prefer a longer walk but shorter surface swim, or a shorter walk but longer surface swim? If I tell you that the longer walk not only produces the shorter swim, but by far the easier navigational task then I might just sway your decision. I am, in fact, going to assume that you will plump for the easy navigation route and base this dive guide on that option - believe me you won't regret it!

Once at the village of Thurlestone, keep driving through until you pass the tennis courts and the golf club on your right to head back up the hill. When the road veers to the left there is a 'T' junction to the right which you want to take as 20 yards beyond the turning is the car park where we are going to be based. Pay the friendly chap at the gate and follow his directions to a space... but try to pick one on the grass as it is much kinder to your feet and kit than the gravel.

The car park is perched a-top a 70 foot high cliff that gives you stunning views over to Bolt Tail, the Eddystone Light House (on a clear day) and Burgh Island. If you could walk into the sea from the cliff-edge you would be right on-top of the wreck, but sadly the local council has deemed cliff jumping a hazardous past time so we will have to follow the footpath to the beach.

Before you start off from the car park, double check that you have got all your kit and do your buddy check because you do NOT want to get to the water to find that your fin-strap has broken or that that 230 bar fill is only 130 bar! From the car park the footpath will lead you to the left (South) and down on to the sandy beach. Once on the sand double back and head to the Northerly end of the beach where the headland sticks out to provide us divers with a well earned resting point before we enter the water.

Having recovered from the walk from the car park (now you can see why you don't want to forget any kit!) enter the water opposite the large rock that sticks out of the sand (about 30 yards before the end of the beach) and do a short surface swim straight out. The wreck lies due South-West of this point but you don't really need a compass to find it as the topographical features of the coastline make this easy. If your descent lands you on sand, just swim North for a few years before you find rock and then follow the gully to the South West for 7 - 10 minutes... hey presto a wreck!

Depending on how far South you have travelled depends on where you will start your wreck dive. If the first thing you find is a 7 foot high steel plate then you are at the perfect starting point for this dive. If you come across the ribbed structure of the hull, I will be starting this guide from a point about 40 yards clockwise around the wreck from where you are now, but you could just do your own thing instead.

Diving the Louis Sheid should be a very laid back and relaxed affair as there is lots of light, lots of life and lots of nooks and crannies to have a look in - a complete circuit of this wreck can be done in about 15 minutes if you really are in a hurry!

From the 7 foot steel plate you are a short swim from the prominent propeller shaft that stands proud of the wreck. Find the shaft and keep it on your right as you progress along the wreck. If you stick to the prop shaft it will (unsurprisingly) take you to the huge boilers that provided the power to the ship. Though I would advocate moving away from the prop shaft to find the edge of the hull and follow that to the South-West as this will take you to a strange climbing-frame like structure that has eluded explanation in every Wreck Book I have read.

Just past this frame are the three large boilers, the tops of which will dry out at the bottom of a spring tide. Spend some time looking around this huge mass of steel as it is a good home for lobsters, cuttle-fish, wrasse, tube worms and many, many other critters. Heading further West of this point will only take you to some smaller bits of wreckage so it is at this point that I usually start heading back into shore to cover the rest of the wreck.

Keep the boilers on your right and head back into shore (East, or North East) but spend some time looking in the rocks to your left, and under the steel plates to your right as this is a very popular spot with Bib, Pollack and shoals of Sand Eel or Lance. You will be able to see the prop shaft again before too long so you should be able to recognise the wreckage from your outward journey.

And that's about it! There really is no excuse for rushing this dive because there is so much to see if you take your time and start to take in your surroundings. Heading North East will take you back into the beach, but keep you eyes peeled for Plaice, Pipe Fish and Bass on the swim back. And as Hope Cove has a resident population of seals you are quite likely to be joined by one of then during your dive... what more could you ask for?

On a hot, clear summers day this dive is like being in the Mediterranean Sea. Visibility can exceed 10m, and as you will only be in 12m of water at the top of the tide, the rays of sunlight playing over the structure are mesmerising. One of my favourite past times on this wreck is to sit down with my back against the boilers looking back along the prop shaft and just watch the fishes going about their business. It is amazing what you can observe by just stopping and looking.

Due to the shallow depths of this wreck, it is a great snorkel too, and in my opinion you will see more of the life if on it you don't have those noisy bubbles escaping from you where-ever you go!

I have purposfully not covered the history of this wreck because there are many articles out there that go into greater detail that I could hope to do... take this one for example: TwoThirdsBlue. There is a fab sketch of the wreck site there too.

How To Get There:
To save a very long explanation... click here

When To Dive:
High tide is best as you will have more water and better visibility. But if you are planning to snorkel the wreck then you might prefer low tide because you can see most of the wreck from the surface. There are no currents to be wary of at any state of the tide.

If your underwater navigation is not too hot, low tide is the time for you too as the boilers break the surface making it possible to swim directly to the wreck before descending... what could be easier?

When Not To Dive:
Thurlestone beach faces West so any wind from that direction (South-West, West or North-West) will mess up your plans.

A strong Southerly wind will also create a swell that will make your entry potentially hazardous due to breakers on the beach so keep an eye on the weather for the day preceding your dive too. There is a webcam at www.a1surf.com which is based at Bigbury 2 miles along the coast. If the waves are breaking on the beach in the photo then you can be pretty sure that there will be a swell affecting Thurlestone beach too.