W

ho would have thought that a sunken battleship would make such a welcoming home for colourful and curious marine life? As unbelievable as it may seem, the HMS Scylla  is a kaleidoscopic adventure playground for fish and scuba divers alike.

The 2,500 ton navy frigate was specially sunk in Whitsand Bay near Plymouth back in 2004 to create a large artificial reef for divers. Over the last few years, the battleship has transformed into a living organism where anemone, sea squirts and fish including pollack, pouting, bibs and wrasse thrive.

With so many colours and odd-shaped creatures, it’s a photographer’s dream. To explore this incredible underwater world, all you have to do is join one of many dive operators operating from Plymouth and take the plunge.

There are few places in the world where you can dive an intact warship and at 113 metres long, it’ll take a fair few trips to see everything she has to offer. Beyond the fascinating and beautiful marine life, you can check out the Exocet and Sea Wolf missile launchers.

Thanks to large holes cut into the hull, experienced divers can even head inside for some serious button bashing on the radar control consoles. Swimming with the fishes has never been so much fun.