Scuba Season
Underwater at SMS Kronprinz Wilhelm
Velvet Swimming Crab confirmed 1 month agoPeak season now

SMS Kronprinz Wilhelm

Scapa Flow · United Kingdom

The last König class dreadnought built for the German Imperial Navy lies inverted on the sandy floor of Gutter Sound, scuttled alongside the entire High Seas Fleet on 21 June 1919. At 146 metres long with a 28-metre beam, Kronprinz Wilhelm is the most accessible of Scapa Flow's three remaining battleships: the hull rises to 12 metres, well within recreational limits. The defining feature lies deeper — five 30.5cm casemate guns protrude from the port bow section at 25-35 metres, the most visible main armament of any Scapa wreck. Every hollow and overhang shelters conger eels, European lobster, edible crab, and thick colonies of dead man's fingers coral and plumose anemones.

Conditions

Depth

12 to 40 m

Advanced depths

Current

Usually gentle

Can pick up on the edge

Visibility

12 to 20 m

Clearest in the calm season

Water

7 to 14°C

Drysuit

Month by month

MonthJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Water (°C)7777891112121087
Vis (m)6681012121212121286
CurrentGentleGentleGentleGentleGentleGentleGentleGentleGentleGentleGentleGentle

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Gear

  • Basic kit

    • Mask and fins
    • BCD and regulator
    • 7mm wetsuit or drysuit · cold water
    • Dive computer
  • For this site

    • Drysuit · Water temperatures of 7–14°C year-round make a drysuit essential for any dive of meaningful duration.
    • Surface marker buoy (SMB) · Open-water ascents in a busy anchorage require a highly visible SMB for boat traffic safety.
    • Torch · Penetration into casemate gun turrets and interior spaces requires a primary dive light.