Cornwall · United Kingdom · Wreck
Syracusa
A coal steamer lost with all hands in a storm off Towan Head
Area photo: Bernard Picton · CC BY 4.0
The Syracusa, also recorded as the SS Siracusa, is a steamship wreck off Towan Head at Newquay on the north Cornish coast. Caught in a storm as she passed Newquay, she sank with the loss of all on board, and she now lies in 30 m at low water, starting to break up, a 5 to 10 minute boat ride from the harbour.
Also known as SS Siracusa, Siracusa.
Where it is and how deep
50.4359° N, 5.0968° WApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.
The dive
The wreck sits in 30 m at low water, with a maximum depth of 36 m, and is starting to break up. The dive is made at slack, which comes about 1 hour after high or low water at Newquay. The wreck has plenty of life and is a good introduction to diving in the 30 m range.
The wreck
- Vessel
- SS Siracusa
- Type
- Steamship carrying coal
- Cause
- Caught in a storm passing Newquay and sank with the loss of all on board
- Lies
- In 30 m at low water off Towan Head, Newquay, starting to break up
Marine life and season
The sources we used don't single out particular species here.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fair | Fair | Fair | Fair | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Good | Good | Fair |
Season follows Cornwall: Wrecks and reefs are dived all year when the weather allows; mid-May to September brings the sharks.
Dive videos
Syracusa Wreck - Newquay · Dive Newquay on YouTube
Sources
- Dive sites — Harlyn Dive School
- Syracusa — ScubaGo
More dive sites in Cornwall
Reef
Two rocks at the mouth of Port Quin, diveable at any tide
A rock just off Porthkerris beach, reached without a boat
Wreck
A wartime wreck at 40 m with boxes of anti-aircraft heads at the bows
A Victorian liner broken up on the rocks that sank her in 1898
Reef
Remains of two First World War U-boats a short swim from the steps
Church stones in Cornish: rocks that have wrecked over a hundred ships
Similar dives elsewhere
A 1939 mine casualty broken across a 30 m seabed
A cannon still on its wooden carriage aboard a frigate lost in 1678
Tiger Moth biplanes were in her holds when she went down
Wreck
Chadwick
Isle of Skye · United Kingdom
An upturned 1892 coal ship beneath the cliffs just north of Neist Point