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s I write this, UK dive charter boats are still unable to operate due to current regulations, but that doesn’t mean you can’t go diving. Shore diving is an attractive alternative, but where are the best places to go and what, if any, are the drawbacks? The South West coast offers many exciting and adventurous shore-diving sites. The problems are usually associated with ease of access, sea entries and exits, and car parking. It also makes life easier if there are public conveniences close by, a local dive centre for air fills and any last-minute equipment needs, as well as somewhere to sit down and eat, all in keeping with social distancing guidelines, of course. When shore diving, basic common sense rules prevail. If you are not sure about anything, ask another diver on site, or pop into the local dive centre to get more information on entries and exits, tidal flows and safety related issues. The internet is obviously a good starting point when planning a trip. Most of the popular sites have daily social media feeds describing weather conditions, underwater visibility, marine life encounters, etc. Better still, join one of the local dive clubs. Swanage Pier in Dorset is probably the most-popular shore-diving site in the South West. The pier should have re-opened for divers on Saturday 4 July. It’s a site that ticks all the boxes. Facilities include car parking, Divers Down dive centre, 1859 pier café and toilets. Swanage town centre is also within walking distance. Entries can either be via the steps or giant stride from the end of the pier. Maximum depth is approximately 6m at high tide. This site caters for nearly every need, including training courses, underwater photography, night dives or just easy pleasure dives. There is also Swanage old pier as an alternative site. Marine life sightings include velvet swimming crabs, edible crabs, spider crabs, black-faced blennies, lobster, wrasse, pollock, sea bass, cuttlefish and more. The pier also acts as a staging post for Swanage Boat Charters and Divers Down running out to the deeper offshore favourites. On the far side of Swanage Bay (Ballard end) where Shore Road meets Ulwell Road, next to the Waterfront café, there is another shore-diving site which is not so widely known. Car parking is on the road and entry via the sand/shingle beach. Underwater scenery is made up of a rocky reef at a max depth of around 8m-9m inhabited by mostly the same marine life as the pier. Arguably Chesil Beach rates a close second in the popularity stakes. There are some top-notch shore-diving sites stretching along the whole 29km length of Chesil Beach from Chiswell Cove on Portland past Abbotsbury all the way to West Bay. The infamous beach entry up and down Chesil Bank in full kit can make even the hardiest diver tremble. The pebbles give way underfoot making the experience very similar to walking up an escalator moving downwards! The better sites seem to be located at the Portland end. Facilities at Chiswell Cove include free limited car parking, toilets and on-site Quiddles café. Underwater Explorers and Dive Beyond dive centres are located close by for air fills, equipment needs and local knowledge. All but a whiff of predominant south westerlies will make entries and exits difficult. Conditions can easily deteriorate during a dive, so be very careful. If it looks dubious don’t risk it. Keep your regulator in place at all times and crawl out
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on all fours if necessary! The seabed varies from sand and shingle to massive car-sized boulders. Kelp is prevalent during the summer months. Maximum depth at Chiswell is around 16m. Usual marine life encounters include dogfish, cuttlefish, john dory, pollock, lobster, velvet swimming crabs, conger eels as well as the more-exotic angler fish, thornback rays, crayfish, squid and octopus. Travelling along the A354 Causeway Road past Ferry Bridge, there is a large pay and display car park next to the Fine Foundation Chesil Beach Centre. On-site facilities include a café and toilets. Divers get kitted up in the car park before experiencing a five to ten minute trudge up and over Mount Chesil to the entry point for the Royal Adelaide and Nor wreck sites, maximum depth 16m. The shelving pebble seabed is littered with large metal plates, winches, boilers and propellers. The most-prominent section of the Adelaide, the starboard bow, can be difficult to find but it’s worth persevering. Marine life sightings include shoals of sea bass, pouting and pollock, ballan wrasse, lobster, edible crabs, john dory, cuttlefish and congers.
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