SOUTH COAST SHORE DIVE OVERVIEW

As divers emerge from their forced hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Stuart Philpott provides an overview of some of the best shore-diving sites on the South Coast to whet the appetite

PHOTOGRAPHS BY STUART PHILPOTT

As 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

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.

This site is more susceptible to strong currents, waves and surge, which will undoubtedly effect entries and exits.

The far end of the car park is a good spot to kit up for the World War Two landing craft. Sitting two to three metres proud of the seabed at a depth of around 12m, this little wreck is often overlooked by divers. There are one or two small overhead sections as well as a huge winch and twin engines on display. Same marine life encounters as the Adelaide. At the end of August, it’s possible to encounter grey triggerfish at both of these wreck sites, although numbers have dwindled due to too many anglers.

If the beach sites are blown out, there are a number of alternatives available, although on-site facilities aren’t so good. It’s possible to dive underneath the Ferry Bridge. Turn off the A354 onto Ferryman’s Way and there should be an area for parking. Access to the water’s edge is under the bridge itself, but watch out for the slippery concrete blocks. The sand and shingle seabed is littered with colourful anemones and small bottom dwelling marine life, maximum depth 3m-4m. Be aware that the narrow channel can be subjected to strong tidal streams.

Newton’s Cove in Weymouth is another option. Use the Brewers Quay car park. This is quite a shallow dive site, max depth 3m-4m. Bottom composition is mainly sand and shingle, but a few hundred metres out from the shoreline there is a rocky reef teeming with marine life. The beach at Castletown can also be used for entries/exits to the Mulberry harbours, but they are classed as Grade II Listed structures and certain restrictions apply. Seek advice from local dive centres before attempting this shore dive.

Moving around the coast to Bournemouth, the old Victorian pier would make a great shore-diving site but sadly it is out of bounds unless divers have special permission from local authorities. Close by there are a number of disused sewage outlet pipes that actually make interesting dive sites. Poole Diving dive centre, based at New Quay Road near Poole lifting bridge, regularly dive at the outlet pipe located next to Shore Road, Sandbanks. There is an on-site car park, toilet facilities and Jazz café, but during the summer months this popular beach area can get very busy. Resident Course Director Ian Craddock has adopted the dive site under the latest PADI Project Aware initiative – Dive Against Debris - which encourages divers to get involved with maintaining and protecting a local site, clearing away rubbish, ghost nets, etc. The pipe is located about 100 metres from shore. It’s roughly 500 metres long by three metres wide and fringed by rocks. Marine life sightings include hundreds of spider crabs, edible crabs, wrasse, lobster, congers, dogfish, plaice and juvenile fish. Maximum depth is approximately 4m-5m. Ian said: “I often spend a good 1.5 hours exploring the site”.

Kimmeridge Bay is the ideal place for barbeques, has onsite parking and toilets. It’s also just a short walk down to the water’s edge. There are two slipways. The slipway furthest away from the road is best for entries. This is a great scenic dive, max depth 3m-4m. Contact the Fine Foundation Wild Sea Centre located on site, where they can tell you all about the local marine life and the best areas to explore. Chapman’s Pool would also be on the list if it wasn’t for ease of access. The steep path leading down to the seashore is far too extreme for the average diver.

Lulworth Cove doubles up as a popular tourist attraction and a shore-diving site. There is a large car park, toilets and a selection of cafes. The single-track road leading down to the beach front is usually closed off during the day, but open early mornings. Divers drop kit off at the beach and then park up. The toilets are next to the car park, so do any loo stops beforehand as it’s at least a 200 metre walk back to the beach! The best areas to explore are near the entrance to the horseshoe-shaped bay. The east side is mainly sand and shingle seabed with a good chance of finding scallops. The west side, predominantly made of rock, is probably more interesting. There can be strong currents outside the cove.

Bottom composition is mainly sand and shingle, but a few hundred metres out from the shoreline there is a rocky reef teeming with marine life

Studland Bay near Swanage rounds off the area. There is a National Trust Car park next to the Bankes Arms Inn. A public toilet is also at the end of the road. Divers can either kit up in the car park or carry equipment down to the beach. This seagrass area is well known for spiny seahorse sightings but they are a protected species and divers are not allowed to specifically go looking for seahorses. Maximum depth is around 6m. Beware of boats passing overhead and anchoring. The Bankes Arms makes the perfect après dive spot. There is a large beer garden overlooking the sea, with Old Harry Rocks as a backdrop.

Further along the coast, Brixham in Devon is another popular shore dive site. Brixham Dive Shack, owned by Baz Drysdale, supplies equipment and gas needs. There is a nearby car park, toilet and the Breakwater Bistro caters for food. Divers usually kit up by the breakwater wall and enter via the beach. There are three different routes. Either left along the wall, where scenery mainly consists of giant boulders covered in kelp, straight out into the bay or right to Ladybird Cove, which is a seagrass area perfect for nudibranchs and the odd seahorse.

Final stop is Porthkerris Dive Centre located in deepest darkest Cornwall, who offer everything a diver could possibly need on one site (except maybe beer?), from accommodation and camping to dive shop and beach side café. On the diving side they offer excellent shore diving, charter boats, basking sharks, blue sharks, thornback rays and probably more. The shore dive site is currently open but other facilities are closed.

Check for updates. There is plenty of on-site parking down by the beach. Divers just kit up and walk straight into the sea. The cove is pretty much diveable in most wind directions. Underwater topography includes big boulders, walls and gullies swathed in anemones and kelp, all at a respectable max depth of 20m. Marine life sightings include all the regulars as well as red gurnard, john dory and possibly a passing basking shark. Currents on the outward reef can be strong at times.

That completes my South West shore-diving line-up. I haven’t mentioned all of the sites, the idea was to give a general overview. I have also included some of lesser-known sites that are not usually on the radar. Please respect the

surrounding countryside and take away any rubbish with you. It would be a shame to see the sites spoilt by carelessness. I’m not sure that all of the car parks are open yet, same goes for the toilets and cafes, but this information is being updated on a regular basis. When parking on the road and kitting up near residential areas, don’t upset the natives!

With gyms and leisure centres all being tied up by the same restrictions, fitness levels may well be suffering - I know mine is! Shore diving requires more walking and carrying heavy kit, so make sure you pace yourself and watch out for any back strains and pains.

Dehydration can also be an issue over the summer months, so try and plan your dives during the cooler morning periods. I hope you enjoy shore diving! n

The most-prominent section of the Adelaide, the starboard bow, can be difficult to find but it’s worth persevering