Weymouth & Portland · United Kingdom · Wreck
Spaniard/Encuri
A shallow wreck inside the breakwater for a first wreck dive
Area photo: Jacko · CC BY-SA 2.0
The Spaniard, also listed as the Encuri, is a wreck just inside the outer breakwater at Portland, with a maximum depth of 14 m and structure coming up to 7 m. It is the site the boats use for a first wreck, a gear check or a skills dive, and the shelter of the breakwater is what makes that possible. The base is silty, so the visibility is only as good as the divers ahead of you leave it.
Also known as Encuri, Spaniard.
Where it is and how deep
50.5911° N, 2.4285° WApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.
The dive
The wreck lies just inside the outer breakwater, with a maximum depth of 14 m and structure rising to 7 m, so the whole dive fits into a long, unhurried profile. Divers use it to check out gear, test skills or simply head out for an easy dive, and the sheltered water behind the breakwater is what keeps it available when the offshore wrecks are not an option.
Drop onto the shallow part of the wreck and work down and around it slowly, keeping off the bottom: the visibility here is generally good, but the base is silty and it kicks up easily. The wreckage itself is the habitat, with nudibranchs on the plating, butterfish and tompot blennies in the gaps and spider crabs walking the structure, so the dive rewards looking closely at one section rather than covering the site quickly.
The wreck
- Vessel
- Not identified; the site is listed under the two names Spaniard and Encuri
- Type
- Not published
- Cause
- Not published in the sources used for this record
- Lies
- Just inside the outer breakwater at Portland, maximum depth 14 m and rising to 7 m
Marine life and season
- Nudibranchs
- Macro critters
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fair | Fair | Fair | Good | Good | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Good | Fair | Fair |
Season follows Weymouth & Portland: Sea temperature runs from about 7 °C in February to 17 °C in August; winter gales off the Atlantic rather than the cold are what stop the boats.
Questions divers ask
Is Spaniard/Encuri a good first wreck dive?+
It is the site the Portland boats put beginners on: 14 m at its deepest, structure up at 7 m, and inside the outer breakwater. The one thing to manage is the silty base, which clouds the water if you drop onto it.
Sources
- Spaniard/Encuri (Wreck) - Scubago — Scubago
- Dive Sites — Dive Beyond
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