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The Citrine had
been on my to do list for several years before I finally got the
opportunity to dive it with Pothkerris in July 2003. It's
certainly a dive I'd like to repeat.
In his briefing, on the way down, Mike told us
that the Citrine had been carrying a cargo of limestone when her
forward hold gave way in |
heavy seas and she sank in 1956.
Today she lies upside down, bows to the NNE stern to the SSW, in
about 18-25m adjacent to rocky reef. The location is tidal and
should be dived on slack water.
Mike put the shot into the bow, the only bit of her that sticks
up significantly and down we went. Our decent took us to a large
opening in the hull. Mike had warned us about the opening and had
told us that the shifting bottom could cause it to partially close
at times and that we were to be careful, sound advice! On the day we
dived it the opening large and we could clearly see the other side
so in we went. There was no sign of the two conger that the first
pair in had seen. However, as we swam over the large fallen ladder
and through the tangles of ironwork we did see a nice shoal of bib,
some probably the largest I've seen.
Outside the wreck were an inquisitive male cuckoo wrasse, a few
sea fans and dead means fingers, neither species was as prolific as
on the Manacles, but present non the less.
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An inquisitive male cuckoo wrasse just outside
the wreck. |
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Dead men's fingers and .... |
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gorgonian sea fans can be found on the site, but
they are not as prolific as in other areas. |
The midships were well flattened but with plenty of nooks and
crannies for marine life to shelter in. The stern was also well
compressed with fairly large spaces inside for fish but not of them
penetrable.
All in all a very pleasant dive well worth repeating. My thanks
to Mike and all at
Porthkerris divers for an excellent days diving.

Depth ~17-24m (gets deeper further out)
Rating ****
Location Lizard
Caution - Tidal, slack water on neep tides only. |