Hallsands

Thurlestone Beach (★4.2)

Thurlestone Beach is a kind open water dive site with the advantage of having the wreck of the Louis Sheid accessible from shore. A fun dive for all abilities.

Scubapro, Stephen Frink

Challaborough Bay (★4.0)

Challaborough Bay is a beautiful dive site on the shores of Challaborough, just opposite Burgh island. The dive is perfect for beginners and is even a great site for snorkelling in the summer.

Stoke Beach (★4.2)

The seabed off Stoke Point and to the west could well be described as South Devon’s “Sponge Gardens”. There are depths to suit novice divers but the best rock formations and wildlife are deeper than 20 m below low water level.

Mewstone East (★3.9)

10 minutes from Plymouth Breakwater by RIB, lies the Mewstone - a distinct mountain-shaped rock that shelves down to the seabed. This means the area has hardly any silt compared with the rest of the local area, leading to excellent visibility. During spring tides you can often get a strong drift in this area.

Glen Strathallen (★4.4)

On 27th April 1970, the Glen Strathallen was towed out of Plymouth and sunk just off the Shag Stone in approximately 15m of water. Today you can still find the wreck on the sandy bottom.

Hand Deeps (★4.0)

The visibility is usually fantastic as the site is 9 miles offshore and swept with clean water constantly. The diversity of sea life supported by this reef is staggering and combined with the sheer size of the drop-offs and walls makes this a favourite site to all who visit.

Heybrook Bay (★3.9)

Heybrook Bay is a shore about 3 miles by road from Bovisand. There is a coastal path down a river to the water’s edge where there is a small rocky beach. At high tide, the depth is around 9m and at low tide, the depth is around 3m.

Shag Stone (★4.2)

This reef can be reached by RIB from Fort Bovisand. The stony seabed is a mixture of green and purple pebbles with perfect seaweed gullies that could be straight from a fish tank. Marine life includes dogfish, rays, wrasse and crabs.

Aqualung

Panther Shoal (★4.3)

What makes this location interesting, apart from the marine life, is that Panther Shoal lies directly between the firing line and fall of shot from both Fort Picklecombe and Breakwater Fort. As such, the observant diver can find cannonballs and so on, which litter this area.

Mares, Predrag Vuckovic

Cawsand Bay (★4.1)

Cawsand and Kingsand Bay are both on the western side of Plymouth Sound in Cornwall and can both be done as shore dives, with parking 200m from the beach. Further out on the outcrop of Cawsand, close to the old boat slipway, is a great drift dive as the current moves out of the bay.

Crown Hill Bay (★3.8)

This site is the third of three beaches at Bovisand. Parking available and the beach is accessed by steps leading down. The conditions are perfect for beginner dives, yet there is still plenty to see for even the most experienced diver or keen photographer.

HMS Scylla, wreck (★4.2)

HMS Scylla was sunk in 2004, after laying in disrepair for ten years. A lot of work was done to ensure the ship was safe and easy to explore inside, and as expected, she has become a very popular dive site, situated some 40 minutes by boat from Plymouth.

Talland Bay (★4.1)

Talland Bay in Cornwall offers a great dive for beginners or those just wanting to dive from the shore. There’s also a wreck in Talland Bay; the Marguerite which lies in shallow water between the two main beaches.

Abelard (★4.0)

This old steam trawler which had been converted into a minesweeper now sits at 13m on a sandy bottom, with her bow facing out to sea. The wreck is quite broken up but not widely scattered. With care, you can penetrate the boiler that stands about 5m high for about 1m but is quite confined. Fascinating marine life.

Scubapro, Stephen Frink

Breakwater Fort (★3.8)

The Breakwater Fort is located just inside the Breakwater and is surrounded by a variety of both ancient and modern debris of all shapes and sizes to explore. A number of structures that form a circuit can be followed via an orange cable along the seabed.

Bovisand Bay (★4.2)

Bovisand has a series of three bays, and Bovisand Bay is the first. There is plenty of parking (paid), and the beach is easily accessible via a path and steps down. These bays are perfect for beginners and usually sheltered, yet there’s enough to keep even the most experienced diver occupied.

Scubapro, Stephen Frink

Fort Bovisand (★3.7)

Fort Bovisand is a shore dive that offers good all-round cover from the weather and is used primarily for beginners due to the protection the harbour walls provide.

James Egan Layne (★4.2)

The James Eagan Layne was hit near the Eddystone reef and towed by Admiralty tugs towards Plymouth in an attempt to save as much cargo as possible. However, on her way back in, the stern collapsed causing her to sink in Whitsand Bay, where she now rests in an upright position on a sandy seabed.

Jenny Cliff (★4.1)

Jenny Cliff Bay is on the main road to Bovisand and is a good shore dive to get into the water, as there is a car park nearby and the beach is sandy and protected.

Drake's Island (★4.0)

Drakes Island lies directly at the mouth of the River Tamar and before the Breakwater was built a number of ships that were blown into Plymouth Sound by southwesterly gales came to an untimely end on her rocky shores.

Eastern Kings (★4.0)

Found by Devil’s Point, Eastern Kings can be done as a shore dive although boat cover is advisable. There is a sloping cliff to 40m. Best to dive at high water (ideally neap tides).

Scubapro

Waterfront Plymouth Hoe (★4.0)

The Waterfront Plymouth Hoe is an ideal dive site for all levels, access via steps to sheltered water. Can be used for training dives and an excellent location for snorkelling and macro photography. Air fills available at the dive centre 100m from the entry point.