Diving in Cornwall
Diving in Cornwall
Cornwall offers a range of excellent dive sites for people with diving experience and for beginners taking there first plunge (first lessons)
The majority of Cornwall diving focuses on wrecks, marine life, and rock formations.
Some wrecks are shallow enough so that less experienced divers can enjoy them.
Since sailing around Cornwall is notoriously hard – there is an abundance of wrecks that are teeming with marine life.
Cornwall is renowned for its mild temperature and the sea temp is mild at around 16 degree C in June to 7 degree C in winter months.
Beware of strong currents particularly on the north coast – Newquay is known for strong waves.
Cornwall has one of the most under water landscapes in the UK.
The sea is clear, the Sealife is amazing, and the colours are a feast for the eyes.
Top dive sites in Cornwall— in no particular order
Lands end
A marine conservation zone and responsible for more than 30 shipwrecks
The top reef in this area is the runnel stone.- Gwennap Head, Cornwall
The most famous wreck is the SS City of Westminster which laid to rest in 1923.
Lamora cove is a great night dive and is one of the best marine havens in the area.
Logans gully is great for less experienced divers – best for spotting dolphins sun fish and lobsters.
Logan’s Gully lies off the southwest tip of Logan Rock and is a very easy dive.
Lands end is a fab location for snap shots on your camera above and below the waves.
Falmouth
Falmouth is great for all levels of diver, as its shallow and has many offshore dives.
Look out for wrecks of WW1 submarines around Pendennis and castle beach.
A fantastic beginners dive is hera wreck – spread over 2 halves. it is a German four masked steel barge which sank in 1914
The Hera is a surprisingly compact wreck so there is not much chance of getting lost.
Look out for basking sharks and dolphins!
With a 250-mile coastline there is plenty of diving to be had a round Falmouth bay.
The lizard peninsula
There are countless wrecks around the manacles. one of which is SS Mohegan
Which took 106 lives. it is a scuba must teeming with life – pinnacles of raglan and vase.
Another good dive in this area is SS-Volnay which was torpedoed in WW1, it is known as an
Easy dive with an abundance of wartime relics
Porth Kerris is closer to shore is thought to be one of UKs prettiest dives.
Possible marine life expected to see on your Cornwall dive.
- Basking sharks
- Conger eels
- Crabs
- Dead man’s fingers – type of coral
- Lobsters
- Octopuses
- Pink sea fans -coral
- Cuttle fish
Haralyn bay
Best for Dolphins, basking sharks, and lobsters
The manacles
One of the most popular dive sites in Cornwall is the manacles. It is quite dangerous for beginners due to strong tides. it is a granite reef on the east coast of the lizard peninsula.
Great for cuttle fish and dog fish etc
A basking shark (Ceterhinus maximus) feeding in open water off the Cornish Coast in June. Cornwall, UK. North East Atlantic Ocean.
Syracusa
Just off the coast of Newquay lies a 1243 ton German steamship. A historical shipwreck which went down in the 19 th century
The Runnel Stone or Rundle Stone, is a hazardous rock pinnacle about 1-mile (1.6 km) south of Gwennap Head
Best for beginners
Porth rock reef
A must for photographers and new divers
You will see a variety of marine life i.e., corals and crustations – also lots of spider crabs and large star fish.
