X-RAY MAGAZINE FEATURE

Maërl: The Trees of the Sea

Maërl is one of those species that is indicative of clear, clean waters. Whilst it is known locally as Scottish coral, maërl is not a coral, but it does have a hard, bone-like structure. It is actually algae, and its beds can be quite common in a huge number of locations, from the Mediterranean to Scandinavia. Lawson Wood shares his insights and photography of this special species.

Words:
Lawson Wood
Images:
Lawson Wood
Painted gobies (Pomatoschistus pictus) on a bed of maërl
➥ Download the full article as pdf ⬅︎
Ecology & Science

Maërl beds are found along most of the Atlantic coastline, from Portugal to Norway, as well as the south coast of England, the Irish Sea (around the Isle of Man) and, in particular, Cornwall and Pembrokeshire. They live principally in the “photic” zone of high sunlight along the sublittoral coast down to around 30m (100ft); however, they can also be found in depths around 120m (400ft) in the Mediterranean.

Lost WWI Cruiser HMS Bayano Identified After 110 Years

Divers confirm the wreck of Royal Navy armed merchant cruiser HMS Bayano in the North Channel, between Scotland and Northern Ireland, lost with 198 men in 1915

The wreck of HMS Bayano
Wrecks & Archaeology
ProjectXplore

After more than a century of mystery, technical divers from the community-led initiative, ProjectXplore, have conclusively identified the wreck of HMS Bayano, a First World War armed merchant cruiser sunk by the German submarine U-27 on 11 March 1915. The 126-metre vessel now rests at a depth of 106 metres in the North Channel, between Scotland and Northern Ireland.

Scotland Grants Added Protection of Historic Wrecks at Scapa Flow and Shetland

New legal protection for Scapa Flow naval wrecks and the 18th‑century “Queen of Sweden” sees sites safeguarded for future generations.

Wrecks & Archaeology

From 1 November 2025, Scotland’s underwater heritage gains new protections: the shipwrecks of Scapa Flow and the 1745 wreck of the Swedish East Indiaman Queen of Sweden are now designated Historic Marine Protected Areas. The move ensures these powerful symbols of maritime history remain preserved—and accessible—while defended against disturbance.

WWI Shipwreck Found in North Sea Could Be SS Tobol

Surveys for the MarramWind floating offshore wind project have uncovered a shipwreck believed to be the SS Tobol, a Russian merchant vessel sunk in 1917 by a German U-boat.

Wrecks & Archaeology

The SS Tobol was originally built as the SS Cheltenham in Sunderland in the early 20th century. The vessel featured a distinctive turret deck design and was operated by a British steamer company. In 1904, Russian warships seized the ship, and it was later transferred to the Russian Imperial Navy, where it was renamed SS Tobol after the Tobol River in Russia.

Wreck of WWI Cruiser HMS Hawke Found in “Amazing” Condition

The wreck of HMS Hawke, a British Royal Navy cruiser, which was torpedoed by the German submarine U-9 on 15 October 1914 and presumed lost for over a century, has been located off the Scottish coast.

Wrecks & Archaeology

HMS Hawke was discovered earlier this week after an extensive search by Lost in Waters Deep—a group that searches for WWI shipwrecks—about 70 miles off the Aberdeenshire coast. It was found to be in "remarkable" condition, lying at a depth of around 110 metres (360ft).

Oban Hyperbaric Chamber Loses Funding

The National Health Service (NHS) has withdrawn its funding for the Oban Hyperbaric Chamber with immediate effect, leaving the entire west coast of Scotland without an NHS-registered treatment facility, according to the operator.

Travel & Trips
Tritonia Scientific

The abrupt discontinuation of NHS funding for the Oban Hyperbaric Chamber has been confirmed, prompting substantial concern within the diving community. This development effectively leaves the west coast of Scotland without an NHS registered facility to treat decompression illness, a critical service for divers.

X-RAY MAGAZINE FEATURE

Scotland: Muck Diving at Home

Do we really need to go underwater at the other end of the world (and its challenges)? Lawson Wood poses this question while comparing the muck diving found in his home country of Scotland to that found in exotic locations in Asia and other regions of the world, renown for their muck diving sites.

Words:
Lawson Wood
Images:
Lawson Wood
Download the full article as pdf ⬇︎
Travel & Trips

“Muck diving” is now a recognised, broad term for (generally) close-up and macro or micro photography, often in terrible visibility, resulting in low light and backscatter problems in photographs; and some disorientation with depth, resulting in finding deep-water critters in much shallower water due to the cut in natural light.

The SS Express: A Century-Old Mystery Resolved Off Orkney

Divers locate the wreck of the SS Express, bringing closure to the Orkney community over a tragic event from 1918.

Wrecks & Archaeology

A team of British divers have identified the wreck of the SS Express, a ship that sank off Orkney in 1918, resulting in the loss of 13 lives. The vessel, which had been a vital lifeline connecting Orkney to mainland Scotland, met its unfortunate end following a collision with another ship, the HMS Grenville.

X-RAY MAGAZINE FEATURE

The Loch Etive Spurdogs

Over a number of years, the actions of fishermen and sea anglers have attracted the attention of marine scientists at the Dunstaffnage Marine Laboratory who quickly became aware of these fishers catching spurdogs in the Loch Etive area near Oban on the west coast of Scotland. These small sharks were always on a catch-and-release scheme, and the researchers thought that this little British shark deserved a bit more interest in order to discover what they were up to, trying to learn more about their habitat and habits, and why Loch Etive was so important to the Scottish population of these fascinating sharks.

Words:
Lawson Wood
Images:
Shane Wasik
Download the full article as pdf ⬇︎
Ecology & Science

Glen Coe and Glen Etive cradle Loch Etive all the way to the western shores of Scotland and was used as a through-road by our ancestors. Indeed, much of the valley can still only be reached by foot, but there is a small and rarely-used road that runs most of the way down Glen Etive to the old pier at the head of the loch (the pier was once used as a stopping-off point by a small ferry, where passengers would disembark to a horse and carriage to explore Glen Coe).

X-RAY MAGAZINE FEATURE

Scapa Flow Wrecks: Multibeam Sonar Survey & 3D Photogrammetry

Scapa Flow, located in the Orkney Islands of Scotland, is the site of the scuttling of the High Seas Fleet of the Imperial German Navy in June 1919 at the end of World War I. While many of the wrecks were salvaged following the war, the remaining wrecks have become popular dive sites. In recent times, efforts to learn more about these wrecks through multibeam sonar surveys and 3D photogrammetry have taken place. Rosemary E. Lunn interviewed key figures involved in these developments to gain further insight.

Words:
Roz
Images:
Photogrammetry of the mast of the Kronprinz Wilhelm wreck in Scapa Flow by 3DVisLab at the University of Dundee
➥ Download the full article as pdf ⬅︎
Wrecks & Archaeology

“It takes years to get to know the German shipwrecks properly, to become familiar with these amazing shipwrecks, and to understand the sense of history that still pervades Scapa Flow both beneath and above the waves.”

Rod Macdonald, author of Dive Scapa Flow (Whittles Publishing)

Subscribe to Scotland