LOW LEE UNDERSEA NATURE TRAIL
Welcome from the Penzance BSAC
Our Club House is on the end of Albert Pier,
Penzance. It is open every Thursday from about 8.30pm onwards. We have charts,
local dive information and an excellent bar. We hope you have a good holiday
and if there is anything we can reasonably do to help you enjoy your diving
please contact us.
Low Lee Reef
Low Lee Reef lies under a maximum of 20 meters of water approximately 2 kilometre’s offshore of Newlyn Harbour in Mounts Bay, Cornwall. It is composed of natural granite . There is also evidence of ballast stone which may have come from a Dutch East Indian ship wrecked there. It attracts a wide variety of submarine flora and fauna, which makes it a fascinating place to dive and explore. A bronze cannon from the site can be seen outside the Penzance Library.
It has the added interest of the wreck remains of the SS Primrose, a 262 ton Liverpool coaster that was built in 1885. On her last voyage she was carrying coal from her home port of Garston to Newlyn. Captain Lewis misjudged his distance offshore and struck Low Lee Ledges on the 23rd August 1906. She flooded immediately and subsequently broke up in bad weather before she could be salvaged. The wreckage is widely scattered.
In 1995 members of Penzance BSAC created a roped circular trail on the reef, which enabled any diver to explore the reef in safety. In 1999, the trail was upgraded by members of Penzance BSAC, with funding and support from English Nature.
Included in this guide is a Route Guide, Species list and a map of Low Lee Reef. A laminated colour copy of the map and a species identification chart are also available from Penzance BSAC.
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