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The diving off the south coast of England can be somewhat unpredictable. The visibility is rather weather-dependent and the water temperature ranges seasonally, from 8°C in the winter up to around 22°C in the summer. In rough weather, the sea conditions can change from the virtually flat to completely un-diveable. But despite all of this, the south coast is a very worthwhile trip, with the highest concentration of shipwrecks in the UK.
To ensure maximun enjoyment and safety for all UK Dive trips, the minimum certification level is advanced with at least 4 logged UK dives, we also recommend the use of Drysuits.
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Cornwall
Between mid April and the beginning of August, basking sharks can be found off the coast of Cornwall. These huge animals swim with their mouths wide open, consuming vast quantities of planktonic life. We will be diving off a hard boat with these massive sharks, as well as doing some excellent shore dives on this three-day trip
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Farne Islands
We will be diving with a seal colony here that live amongst the gullies of the amazing topography and feed on the plentiful sea life. There are also a few wrecks around the area. Being in the North Sea the water temperature can get a bit low (up to a max of 12° C) so you will definitely want a dry suit to dive here. This is a long-weekend trip and the historically interesting land-based surroundings may be an enticement for a non-diving partner as well |
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Plymouth
The famous James Eagan Layne is just one of the dive sites that can be reached from this location. The visibility is generally good around here, the marine life is diverse and the currents are never that strong.
Poole
We dive off the James Alexander, a former fishing boat and perhaps the most notorious dive vessel in the area, skippered by Dave "Crusty" Saywell.
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We usually do a wreck dive in the morning, the most well known wreck in this area is the Kyarra. In the afternoon we generally do an interesting drift dive along Ballard Down's or a similar site.
Portland
This island just off Weymouth is a great base from which to explore both wrecks and reefs. The weather is often better here than in Weymouth itself, and even in really awful weather there is always shelter to dive in Portland harbour or off the shore in Chesil. You may have heard about the M2 &
Littlehampton
We will be broadening our horizons by diving out of Littlehampton for the first time in 2002. Like most places along the coast there are numerous wrecks and some good drift dives available. Notable wrecks include the Cairndhu, well known for its huge boilers, which are largely intact, and the huge gun still on the wreck, as well as the Jaffa, a 260ft Wilson Line Steamer that was torpedoed by UB30 in 1918.
Teignmouth
Provides a good base from which to explore wrecks in the Torquay area such as the Peron or the Galicia. The small town is nestled between the sea and a large set of hills behind. There is a variety of good reef dives here as well, with a large diversity of marine life.
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