Scuba Dive

Scapa Flow blockship at low tide

Mention scuba diving, and most people conjure up images of warm, tropical locales in the Caribbean or the Pacific.  But many places in Europe offer great diving too with the added bonus of some very interesting topside cultural experiences.  In particular, the United Kingdom and Ireland offer fantastic diving, enhanced by the water that surrounds them as well as their rich history. 

So, yes.  The water is cold up there.  In winter the ocean temperature ranges between 45-55F degrees.  And, yes.  The visibility is not always crystal clear, like in some warmer climes.  BUT, if you get past these small challenges, there are some amazing wrecks to dive and even spots of prolific sea life to explore.  Some examples:

Scotland
Scapa Flow in the Orkney Islands is one of the most famous dive sites in the UK.  Numerous warships from the early 1900’s litter the ocean bottom. These wrecks are in remarkably good shape, in particular the Blockship Tabarka, scuttled to prevent a submarine attack during WW2.  The Tabarka is covered in sea life and offers a fascinating window into the past.  On this and some of the rest of the sunken fleet, huge guns protrude from the wreckage.  Sea life includes wrasse, brittle stars, large jellyfish, sea urchins, sponges and starfish, which are often seen on the wrecks and in the kelp forests nearby.  Divers may also be joined by seals on the surface.

Oban, on the west coast of Scotland, also offers high quality wreck and wall dives. This area is known for visibility that allows divers to easily explore the wreckage of several ships, such as the shallow Shuna and the more demanding Rondo. The abundance of wrecks is a result of the bad weather that plagues the area. Rocky outcrops, such as Calve Island, provide interesting wall dives with faulted ledges and overhangs.  The water is generally clear and green and there may be strong currents, particularly after a lot of rain. Life is abundant and varied, with dogfish, pollack, octopus, cuttlefish, wrasse, corals, crabs, hydroids, nudibranchs, plumose anemones and sea squirts being found. Sometimes even porpoises and whales can be seen here.

England

Eddystone Reef around the Eddystone lighthouse lies 10 or so miles outside of Plymouth Sound. Visibility here is okay, usually at about 40 feet.  The reef is from 8 to 60 m, and encompasses large boulders, walls and plenty of crevices that encourage sea life.  The numerous rock gullies are lined with kelp and house anemones, sponges and sea fans.  Divers can spot dogfish, bib, pollack, congers, wrasse, lobsters, edible crabs, star fish, urchins and loads of cucumbers.  Lucky divers might even spot smooth hound and basking sharks.  On the way back to shore, a second dive can be made on the James Egan Layne, one of the most famous dived wrecks in the UK.

The Mohegan Wreck sits on the Manacles granite reef off the Lizard Peninsula.  The bow is at a depth of about 65 feet with the rest of the ship deeper.  This ship sank in 1917 after repeatedly hitting the reef.  Pieces of the ship, including the boiler, can still be seen, while a great deal of sea life has moved in, including jewel anemones and coral fans.  Visibility varies, but can stretch to 65 feet on a really good day.  Over 200 wrecks lie around the Manacles, making it an excellent area to see multiple wrecks on a single dive trip.  In the months of May and June basking sharks are regularly seen as well as orca whales and dolphins.

Ireland

North Wall, Rathlin Island of the coast of Northern Ireland is an amazing, high-vis wall dive with sometimes fierce currents.  The wall starts at the shoreline with a steep descent, after which it plummets to 200m. A sea arch and a series of large sea caverns are found at depth.  The kelp forest in the shallows hides healthy communities of wrasse, sea hens, mackerel, pollack, and sometimes even moon jellyfish.  Huge numbers of actinithoe anemones cover the bottom, and nudibranches of many varieties can be found in abundance.

Fanore, located about 7 miles south of Black Head, offers what some call the “nicest shore dive in the country.”  This Atlantic site offers crystal clear water, but is very exposed, so it can only be dived in fair weather.  All along this reef there are ledges and overhangs, which teem with a great variety of fish. Lobster, crayfish, pollack, congers, ling, bib, whiting and wrasse are here in abundance.  Also spotted here occasionally are John Dory, shark and even electric ray.  The underwater topography doesn’t disappoint, either, with an enormous rock feature called “The Cathedral” that looms over the curious diver.

Diamond Rocks, Kilkee is a very popular, cold-water dive site situated on the South West Clare coastline in a natural break in the cliff wall facing the Atlantic. The bay is fairly sheltered, but is graced with high visibility and filled with rocks and gullies to poke around.  There is a reef teeming with sea life at about 6-9m deep, which protects a deep valley about 30m deep between itself and the shore. Two circular holes at the narrow entry to the reef are often filled with crabs. The sea face of the reef falls in steps from about 20m down to 40+m, and has lots of sea life hiding in the cracks and crevaces for a diver to find. There are over twenty surveyed dive sites in Kilkee, so pair this with another of the many nice dive sites in the area for a great day of Irish scuba diving.

Fastnet Rock, near Cape Clear Island in Roaringwater Bay sticks straight out of the water and is topped by a stone lighthouse that can be explored by foot on calm days.   The visible rock is in the middle of a narrow reef running SW – NE about 1km in each direction with depths of 45m.  Strong and sometimes erratic tidal flows and deep water all around the rock make diving here only for the experienced during calm weather and water.  But when conditions are right, the clarity of the water can be incredible, and the underwater scenery is spectacular with huge shoals of fish and fantastic growths on every rock face.