Most of our diving is around Pembrokeshire, south west Wales...
The red dots on the map below represent
Not to Scale. The following sites are linked on the above map; Stack Rocks, Hen & Chicks, St Brides Haven, Martins Haven, The Lucy, North Wall, Garland Stone, South Skomer, North Skokholm, South Skokholm, Triangle Drift, 'The Greek', Dakotian, Behar, Landing Craft, Sheep Drifts, Stackpole Quay.
Martins Haven (NGR SM760092). This shore dive offers depths down to about 18m (depending on the tide) from a cobble beach at the foot of a steep lane. Parking is available in the large car park at the top of the road, although it is possible to drive down to the end of the tarmac first to drop off kit. Sometimes parking is available outside the toilets (with useful outside tap) half way up the lane, although this parking is primarily intended for the crews of the Dale Princess and other boats. Don't attempt to drive out onto the cobbles; this is a sure fire way to start a prolonged vehicle recovery operation; been there done that.
The site is within the Skomer Marine Nature Reserve so there is a strict no-take policy. Beware of the boats operating and moorings; whilst they are operating divers are strongly discouraged from heading out along the western side of the bay, keep clear of the landing stage. However, the eastern side of the bay and out round the corner to the east offers an excellent dive. Lobsters, scallops, large crabs and lots of smaller fish and invertebrate life can be seen (all basking in protected status and secure from culinary adventure). Seals can also be encountered on this dive, both underwater and on the surface. On a rising tide this makes a very good evening dive, particularly when the tourists have all pushed off and left the car parking clear.
St Brides Haven (NGR SM802110). A nice easy shore dive suitable for beginners. Park near the church and enter the water down the sandy beach. It is possible to dive out to both east and west sides over sand and mild rocky gullies with depths down to 15m if you try hard. Lots of wrasse, pollock and some small lobsters and crabs further out. It is also possible to see shoals of sand eels here. Beware of boats operating and of abandoned monofilament fishing line and hooks, also stay clear of any pots and keeps. Vis here can be poor if there is any significant swell.
Stackpole Quay (NGR SR994957). A shore dive out of the old harbour at Stackpole with convenient parking and toilets in the adjacent National Trust car park. Out of the harbour mouth rocky gullies both to north east and south east. A refreshing cup of tea and a cake available at the cafe for apres dive refreshment.
Stackpole Quay shore dive. The approach from the car park is behind the photographer.
Stack Rocks. This boat dive is around an obvious set of rocks about half a mile off the coast and two miles west of Little Haven and offers many potential dives. A typical approach would be to descend in a sheltered corner near the NE end of the rocks to about 15m. Heading roughly north leads to gradually deeper water, exploring many complicated gullies and boulder jumbles to a max depth of perhaps 25m, before sending up the DSMB for boat pickup. Lots of life here including lobsters, edible crabs, leopard spotted gobies, butterfish and prawns.
There are also good dives to be had on the western side of the rocks and further south along the eastern side.
Hen And Chicks. Another boat dive this is often used as a second dive after doing Stack Rocks. Some distinctive rocks (looking like a hen and chicks????) sticking out from the coast near the Howney Stone. From a buttress sticking out from the shore a series of rocks break surface and a good place to start a dive is to the western side of the most seaward (northward) showing rock. Descend to fabulous gullies and sculptured caves and overhangs. Here a close inspection of rock cracks may show several species cohabiting. During the late summer months this site is also frequented by trigger fish; totally distinctive if you see them. They seem to like to get into holes in the reef and often a big cloud of silt at the hole mouth is a clue to a triggerfish. Heading north from the hen and chicks across a bottom of broken shell leads to a good scallop bed.
The Lucy. This in many ways is THE Pembrokeshire wreck dive. The story is well known. The freighter was carrying a cargo of calcium carbide and grounded on a rock in Jack Sound in February 1967 (it is not clear why the master attempted to take his sizable ship through the rock infested tidal race of Jack Sound). However, due to the possibility of the cargo getting wet and giving off explosive gas the crew (plus dog) promptly abandoned ship.
The ship sat on its rock for the rest of the day before floating off to the North, holed and disabled, hidden by the weather. Later during the night (14/2/67) the ship sank off the north side of Skomer, pretty much directly off the mid-line of North Haven (the bay where the Dale Princess lands tourists and bird watchers).
The wreck now sits in 40m of water, making it a deep wreck for most divers, and is normally buoyed (as at September 2009 there is one buoy, to the bow of the wreck). The vessel is sitting on its' keel and pretty much intact although the holds are filled with silt and the accomodation is dark. The wreck is aligned pretty much east - west, with the bows pointing to the east. The outside of the wreck is covered in life; dead mens' fingers and plumose anemones with the mast and stern area being especially spectacular. Beware also seals which have a habit of hiding in this wreck and then dashing out in an attempt to scare the life out of visiting divers!
One approach I've used to successfully dive this wreck, on the bottom of low tide, is to descend to the bows (at about 35m) and do a tour round the gunwales of the ship. This makes for easy navigation allowing short detours off to look at things, or off the side of the ship to photograph the hull, and brings one back to fixed bouy rope at the end of the dive. Obviously each diver will have to make their own approach depending on their experience and air consumption rates. The wreck is almost 170' long and 30' wide so circumnavigating it will easily fill the no decompression time available.
North Wall. This site starts at the northwest corner of North Haven on Skomer and continues along the underwater cliff to the west towards the Garland Stone. How this is dived depends somewhat on the tide but one approach is to enter the water close to the wall at the North Haven end; the boat echo sounder will be showing 30m plus if you are in the right area. A descent takes one quickly through the kelp and down around rock buttresses to the thirty meter zone, where things level off a bit. It is then possible to traverse west gradually rising back up the cliff as one goes. This is (in my opinion) the best dive in Pembrokeshire; the water is often particularly clear and the area is crowded with life; sleepy dog-fish, big lobsters and edible crabs, crayfish, cuckoo wrasse, candy-striped worms, pink sea-fans, it is all here. A photographers dream. You may encounter a few lobster pots which should be left alone; although this is a nature reserve and there is a strict no-take policy this does not apply (yet) to the potting boats. Another landmark sometimes seen is an old iron wheel, about two foot across and propped against a rock. There is no indication as to how it got there or what its' purpose might have been. A really lovely dive which should end with an easy DSMB deployment and surfacing to rejoin the boat.
Garland Stone. A complicated reef dive around the major rock off the NW corner of Skomer. The area is much frequented by seals (and this is one of the places where I've had my fins nibbled by them) but divers need to be aware that several currents join in this area and there have been reports of powerful down-currents. Also, boat-handlers need to be cautious of a number of rocks which are just under water at some states of the tide! (A useful tidal atlas leaflet for the Skomer area used to be / may still be available from the wildlife shop / Loxley Lodge at Martins' Haven).
South Skomer. There are several reef dives around the South side of Skomer, including around the Mew Stone and 'The Wick', although for most of the year the Wick is out of bounds for diving due to the nature reserve. The diving off the Mew Stone is surprisingly complicated with underwater pinnacles and gullies going in unexpected directions.
Dakotian. This large wreck can be found about 100m NW of the Dakotian cardinal buoy in Milford Haven; sometimes there is a buoy (old 20l container) on the wreck, sometimes not. An echo sounder will clearly show the wreckage standing 10m proud of what is basically a flat sandy bottom at about 20m (depending on tide).
The wreck is often dived when the weather is too foul to get out of the haven, under these circumstances it is a dark and depressing place with vast chunks of dark and twisted steel half seen in the dark water. Spring tides can bring vile milky visibility. However, in good weather and with mild tides, when (with luck) all other divers have pushed off to more adventurous destinations, the diving here can be truely outstanding.
The wreck is pretty broken up now (it was a liberty ship, four hundred feet long and of almost 6,500 gross tons, blown up by a mine in November 1940) but it is large, and in places the structure stands well with decking and superstructure discernable. It is still possible to find pieces of the original cargo of tin plate, shining like mirrors, and there is all the usual life. Shoals of pollack and bib lurk in the holds and under overhangs, candy-striped worms creep across the weed covered plate work and colouful devonshire cup corals and jewel anemones are found everywhere, just waiting to be photographed. There are also some big old lobsters but most of them are well wise to the ways of divers.
Skokholm North Side This generally turns out to be a gentle drift dive over a bouldery (western end) or sandy (further east) bottom in perhaps 15m of water, perhaps a second dive after doing Skomer or the south side of Skokholm. There are some gullies and I have seen seals under water here. The only place where we have been boarded by Fisheries Patrol Officers and not a crustacean on the boat!
Skokholm South Side As with the north side of the island there are various ways of diving this area, most resulting in a reef dive of some sort. Diving off the bay with the landing stage gives a sandy bottom with enjoyable reefs on either side going east or west. This dive is frequented by seals; you will see them on the surface and they will see you underwater, up to them whether or not you get to see them underwater.
A more interesting and challenging dive can be had further west, perhaps a couple of hundred meters east of the lighthouse, where the echo sounder will show the bottom dropping rapidly to 30m within a few metres of the shore. Diving here takes one down into a series of gullies which run round the contours of the island. Ascending out of one gully allows one to drop over the wall and deeper into the next. There is some wreckage in this area, including a large old anchor, but no clue as to the identity of the wreck. The gullies are full of all the typical Pembrokeshire life, including lobsters, crabs, wrasse and squat lobsters. On one dive here a patch of sand in the bottom of a gully suddenly got up and swam away; the biggest angler fish I've ever seen (above or below water).
"Triangle Drift" This is the clubs name for the diving, normally drift diving, in the area south east of Gateholm Island, past Marloes sands and Westdale Bay towards St Anns' Head. The bottom here is generally found at 10m to 15m and is rocky reef, covered in sponges, rose coral and star fish, with crabs and lobsters hiding in the cracks. However, the tidal flow in this area can be very powerful and it may well be a case of just flying past, rather than stopping and looking. An SMB and careful boat cover is required for this dive, especially if the tide is running south as it will take the divers towards St Anns' where conflict with surface craft of various types is likely!
"The Greek" This is a well known wreck dive just to the east of the headland of St Anns', almost under the lighthouse. Go east from the actual point of the headland, heading into the mouth of the haven, and shortly a small brick lookout (second world war vintage) will be seen part way up the cliff. Divers put in the water just off this lookout should descend through gullies to find wreckage in about 10m to 15m of water.
The real name for the ship that met its' end here was 'Adamantios J Pithis', a steamer of almost five thousand tons, but whether it is known by its' real name or as 'the greek' it is now a scrapyard dive. In places pieces of polished brass can be seen and there are some notable pieces of wreckage, for example a huge steel cogwheel some six feet across, lying amongst the cobbles of the sea bed. Any bricks found are likely to have been ballast from the ship.
The Behar Another well known wreck dive off Great Castle Head within Milford Haven. Sometimes a little tricky to find, well north of and a bit west of the cardinal buoy of the same name and sometimes marked by a buoy of some sort (old 20l fuel can or similar). This wreck is only very slightly smaller than the Dakotian and was similarly sunk by a German magnetic mine on 24th November 1940 (only three days after the Dakotian went down). There was no loss of life.
The wreckage is much broken but the huge main drive shaft can be found along with some of the engine machinery; piston rods, etc. Massive coils of cable, all concreted together by the sea, can be seen - these were cargo on the ship. These seem to be particularly in evidence to the east of the highest remaining piece of structure, which judging from the windows might have been the bridge. There are some good swim-throughs and the wreck can be very scenic in the sunshine, with ribs and plate silhoueted against the bright water. Plenty of fish life including conger eel. The maximum depth my log book records for this wreck is 17m, which makes it a good second dive.
(The marks for this wreck are as follows. Heading about ESE up the Haven, inside and west of the Behar cardinal mark, put the fort on Stack Rock in front of you with the three even sized oil tanks on the distant horizon behind it lined up across it's roof. This will have the fort looking like it's got three domes on top. Then watch the coast guard lookout to the NNW on the top of Great Castle Head. You are waiting for the moment that the window to the left (west) of the door is just hidden by the porch. When both marks are lined up you are bang over the wreck. The Behar buoy will be about 100m to the south.)
Landing Craft. There are a couple of landing craft which sank in the approaches to Milford Haven; these are war graves and should not be dived. However the landing craft on the south side of the haven, between the lifeboat station and Thorne Island, is not a war grave and makes an interesting if small wreck dive.
The wreck can be tricky to find without exact coordinates and an echo sounder, as it is the only feature on a generally flat sand and marl bottom and there are no really good shore marks. A nice little wreck covered in plumose anemones and velvet swimming crabs the landing craft is inverted and it is possible to swim into the hold where the bow door is missing. The sea bed around this site is well populated with scallops but, having seen the shipping that goes up and down this stretch of water and having contemplated the towns that are upstream, they are safe as far as I'm concerned!
Sheep Drifts. An area of reef diving south east of Sheep Island which because of the tidal runs in this area is usually dived as a drift dive. Depths are comparitivly shallow, down to about 20m depending on tide, and the bottom consists of a mixture of reefs and boulder clusters. There is plenty of life; sponges, star fish, urchins, rose coral, cushion stars, etc. This is one of the few places where I have seen an octopus around Pembrokeshire.
