Scapa Flow Wrecks: A Living Reef Beside a Century of History

Picture dropping down a line in cold, green Orkney water until the shape of a warship appears below you, covered in life. Scapa Flow's wrecks are part of a living marine world. Fish shelter around them, small animals settle on them, and researchers are still discovering what lives nearby.

Two things happened in 2025. The wreck area became a Historic Marine Protected Area. And a seabed survey found a flapper skate egg nursery site in Scapa Flow. These are two very different reasons to look carefully before you get in the water.

A wreck site with a long human story

Scapa Flow is linked with the scuttling of the German High Seas Fleet in 1919, at the end of the First World War. It is also linked with the Royal Navy's history as a naval base through both World Wars.

The wrecks and the seabed around them are now protected under a Scottish Historic Marine Protected Area order, which came into effect on 1 November 2025. The Scottish Government describes the site as holding the largest concentration of warship wrecks and other wartime artefacts in the UK. Under Scotland's Historic MPA system, it is a criminal offence to remove, alter or disturb a protected site.

The designation recognises the national importance of these wrecks and objects. Orkney Islands Council has also said the wrecks are slowly deteriorating, which is one more reason to leave every piece where it is. Check the current rules for each site before you dive, because rules can change, and never remove, move or disturb any material.

A habitat that keeps changing

Wrecks can give structure to the sea. Living things settle on them and fish shelter around them.

But be careful with the words "artificial reef". Calling every wreck one can make it sound as if its value for nature cancels out its history. It does not. And a wreck does not replace natural habitat either.

The flapper skate egg nursery is a reminder that the seabed matters beyond the wreck you can see. Survey work and local notices help show the places where activity may need extra care.

How do you dive Scapa Flow with care?

Choose a qualified local operator. Match the wreck to your training and experience. Follow the briefing.

Keep your buoyancy controlled. Do not touch fragile growth. Do not collect artefacts. Follow any mooring and protected-site instructions.

Going inside a wreck brings overhead and entanglement risks. Only enter spaces that your training and equipment support.

See our UK ocean guide for more marine travel context. A century-old warship and an egg case on the seabed belong to different chapters of the same place. Both deserve a careful visit.

Questions people ask

Wildlife encounters are never guaranteed and never forced. Ocean Calling works only with vetted, ethical local operators, and every animal is free to approach, or not, entirely on its own terms.