Cornwall · United Kingdom · Reef
The Manacles
Church stones in Cornish: rocks that have wrecked over a hundred ships
The Manacles are a set of treacherous rocks off the east coast of the Lizard Peninsula, a reef that has wrecked more than one hundred ships and cost over a thousand lives. The reef now lies inside a Marine Conservation Zone, and divers come for granite rocks thick with jewel anemones and for the shipwrecks scattered across them.
Also known as Manacles Reef, Meyn Eglos.
Where it is and how deep
50.0446° N, 5.0462° WApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.
The dive
Most dives on the Manacles stay between 5 and 15 m, through gullies lined with anemones, while dive sites across the reef range down to 80 m. The granite rocks carry a dense cover of jewel anemones in many colours, and the gullies, walls and crevices hold cuttlefish, dogfish, dead man's fingers, sea fans and plumose anemones. Visibility averages about 10 m and can reach 30 m offshore in the deeper areas.
Background
The Manacles take their name from the Cornish Meyn Eglos, meaning church stones, because the top of St Keverne church spire is visible from the area. More than one hundred ships have been wrecked on the rocks, with over a thousand lives lost, among them the liner Mohegan in 1898. The Manacles Marine Conservation Zone was designated on 21 November 2013, covers about 3.5 square kilometres (1.4 sq mi) and runs from Porthoustock Point south to Polcries.
Marine life and season
- Octopus & cuttlefish
| 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.
Know before you go
- The tides over the rocks are very strong.
Dive videos
The Manacles , 25th of August 2025 with Porthkerris Divers · Rustic Diver on YouTube
Sources
- The Manacles — PADI
- The Manacles — Wikipedia
- Six of the best dive sites in Cornwall — Adventure Cornwall
Photo credits
- Dark rocks breaking the surface of a choppy grey sea, with a headland behind under an overcast sky by Mark.murphy at English Wikipedia, CC BY 2.5, via Wikimedia Commons
More dive sites in Cornwall
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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
Wreck
A coal steamer lost with all hands in a storm off Towan Head
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