The insider’s guide to Plymouth’s greatest dives

Bob Moore Hand Deeps Debbie Bauckham Keith Hiscock Lynne Bracegirdle Hilsea Point Rock Jeremy Clark Mark Prior James Eagan Layne Scylla Kevin Pidgeon John Gould Damian Walker Dahlia Anemone Hatt Rock Pete Flaxman Safety check

PERSIER: 50°17.115’N, 03°58.138’W
Nominated by: Bob Moore, 71, BSAC advanced diver

The Belgian steamer Persier came to grief on 11 February 1945. It was 6km from the Eddystone, travelling as part of a convoy, when a torpedo struck her on the port side. Located midway between Plymouth and Salcombe, the Persier can be dived at any tide, with only a negligible current present.

Owned by the club, the wreck is one of the most popular sites among members, among them Bob Moore, who has completed about 50 dives on the Persier in the 12 years he’s been diving. ‘It’s pretty much intact with big boilers and a big driveshaft tunnel that you can easily swim through,’ he says. ‘Down at the stern, there are conger eels. Schools of bib and pollack populate the wreck, along with plumose anemone, dead men’s fingers and sea fans. The wreck is teeming with life, and there’s always something new to see even after years of diving here.’

HAND DEEPS: 50°12.580’N, 04°20.400’W
EDDYSTONE REEF: 50°10.750’N, 04°15.950’W
Nominated by: Debbie Bauckham, 47, BSAC dive leader

Although two separate dives, both are reefs and offer similar diving experiences. Due to the distance from shore and their proximity to one another, they are often combined on the same trip.

The Eddystone lighthouse is about 19km south of Plymouth Sound and offers a variety of diving, from the shallow kelp-covered gullies on the north side to the rocky reefs on the south, where drop-offs reach depths of around 40m.

Debbie Bauckham enjoys wrecks for the marine life they attract, but prefers the attractions of these overtly scenic dives. ‘The Eddystone is great for both novice and experienced divers with its fantastic life and rock formations,’ she says. ‘There are schools of bass and pollack with plenty of crustaceans, and the pink sea fans seem in far better condition than those on the more-often dived sites.’

Hand Deeps is a kelp-covered pinnacle sitting some 10m below the surface, but its rocky terrain plunges down to more than 50m. ‘There are some fantastic rock formations covered in jewel anemones, and the rock face is quite sheer in some places,’ says Bauckham. ‘There’s also no freshwater run-off from land out there, which can give really good visibility.’ Both sites can be dived at any time during neap tides, but slack water is advised during springs; it falls two and a half hours after high and low Devonport.

STOKE POINT: 50°17.24’N, 04°01.35’W
Nominated by: Keith Hiscock, 60, advanced diver

Located beyond the Mewstone to the east of Plymouth Sound, Stoke Point’s rocky headland offers shelter from the northerly winds that can sometimes curtail diving at other more exposed sites.

With a gradual incline onto a sand and rock sea bed, bottoming out at 33m, it provides an excellent habitat for sea squirts, sponges and anemones, with the occasional thornback ray sighting, to the delight of marine biologist Keith Hiscock: ‘The light sandy sea bed allows me, as an underwater photographer, to get that nice mix of natural and artificial light, which is important when recording the many species in the area.’

Slack water occurs midway between high and low water at Devonport. If you prefer, a high-water drift dive will let you explore the site with the minimum of effort. ‘There’s the opportunity to get some good lengthy bottom time at the depths on offer,’ Hiscock adds. ‘I find the visibility here, east of Plymouth, is often better than to the west, which can sometimes be affected by the proximity of the rivers Plym and Tamar.’

MAINE: 50°12.820’N, 03°51.045’W
Nominated by: Lynne Bracegirdle, 54, dive leader

After a torpedo strike to its port side, the 3,600-tonne steamship Maine came to rest less than 2km off Bolt Head where it now sits upright on a white sandy sea bed, the deck at 22m with the stern at 34m.

Dive leader Lynne Bracegirdle describes the Maine: ‘There’s good water clarity and it’s reasonably intact, apart from amidships where it has collapsed. The fore and aft holds are filled with fish. There seems to be different fish here to elsewhere – a lot of tompot blennies and schools of bib, with lobsters, crabs, scallops and an old conger at the bow.’

First dived in 1961 by Torbay BSAC – who purchased the wreck for £100 – the Maine is a slack-water dive due to the strong current. At springs, it should be dived two hours after high water or two and a half hours after low water.

JAMES EAGAN LAYNE: 50°19.609’N, 04°14.720’W
Nominated by: Mark Prior, 53, advanced diver

One of the UK’s best-known wrecks, the James Eagan Layne was one of 2,700 Liberty ships constructed during the Second World War. After it was holed by a torpedo off Devon’s West Rutts, an attempt was made to beach the stricken vessel. But just over a kilometre off Rame Head, it became clear nothing could be done to keep her afloat and, on 21 March 1945, it sank to its final resting place.

Mark Prior has dived it many times. He says: ‘She’s obviously not the wreck she once was due to her age and gradual collapse, but she is still full of atmosphere.’ Diving is possible at all states of tide, and with the buoyed bow at 6m, it makes an ideal place for initial entry and for safety stops on ascent. The deepest part of the wreck is 24m and safe penetration is possible, although caution is advised as there are loose or sharp girders and plates. Despite the ravages of time, the James Eagan Layne is still a haven for marine life: the bow is covered in plumose anemones, large wrasse are plentiful, and the stern, found southwest of the main wreck, is home to schools of pollack.

HILSEA POINT ROCK: 50°17.305’N, 04°02.646’W
Nominated by: Jeremy Clark, 46, dive leader

Hilsea Point Rock is a popular scenic dive suitable for all grades of diver. While slack water gives optimum conditions, a drift dive is possible after half tide for the more experienced. Located south of the old coastguard lookout hut on the cliff face, east of the point itself, the rock rises just a few metres from the surface and descends over a broken rocky sea bed to 25m.

A narrow canyon – wide enough for a diver to swim through – offers sightings of cup corals, jewel anemones and sponges, very much to the liking of Jeremy Clark. ‘The underwater scenery is spectacular and you can see most of the colourful species in the popular identification guides,’ he says. ‘You can see all of the UK wrasse species, John Dory, dogfish and, albeit a rarer sight, monkfish.’

HMS SCYLLA: 50°19.644N, 04°15.200W
Nominated by: Kevin Pidgeon, 45, sport diver

Four years on from its sinking off Whitsand Bay, the former Royal Navy frigate HMS Scylla is now rivalling the James Eagan Layne as a magnet for marine life. The starboard side is covered with plumose anemones; the shallow deck is colonised with kelp, offering a home to the plentiful wrasse; and large pollack hang almost motionless in the current off the bow.

Kevin Pidgeon, a former Devonport Dockyard worker, has a particular interest in the vessel, having been involved in refitting its weaponry during the 1980s. ‘It’s fascinating to see how it looks below the water after having seen and worked on her during my time in the dockyard,’ he says. ‘I’m very interested in how they prepared it for divers, such as the cut-outs to allow access from one side to the other. I think this is the way forward for diving as the older wrecks deteriorate.’

EAST RUTTS: 50°13.400’N, 03°58.800’W
Nominated by: John Gould, 71, advanced diver

The East Rutts are an offshore formation of several pinnacles of rock that descend to a depth of 40m and rise to within 8m of the surface. Veteran diver John Gould enjoys exploring the large boulders and fissures that form the reef. ‘You can have a good drift dive here and the boulders allow shelter if you want to get out of the tidal flow, whichever way it’s running,’ he says. ‘Silt can sometimes be a problem, but there’s lots to see like pollack, lobsters and football sea squirts. Sea fans are quite common here and there’s a lot of marine life among the kelp in the shallows.’

MEWSTONE: 50°18.132’N, 04°06.637’W
Nominated by: Damian Walker, 38, PADI rescue diver

A ten-minute RIB ride due south from Plymouth Sound’s breakwater, the Mewstone is an island that was once joined to the nearby shore. It’s now an isolated and impressive sight as it rises high above the surface of the water. No less impressive below, the Mewstone slopes 15–30m in places.

Damian Walker sees the site as valuable for upping the experience levels of novices. ‘The gradual increase in depth means it’s easy to have a controlled environment in which to further a diver’s exposure to depth,’ he says. ‘With fingers of rock stretching out into gullies of light-coloured sand combined with prolific marine life, the Mewstone makes an ideal spot for the underwater photographer.’

HATT ROCK: 50°10.600’N, 04°29.300’W
Nominated by: Pete Flaxman, 64, advanced instructor

A 27km journey from Plymouth, a dive at Hatt Rock depends on favourable weather conditions, but the rock’s isolated location has its advantages. Diving officer Pete Flaxman has vivid memories of his first-ever dive with the club, which still remains a firm favourite: ‘Dropping down onto the top of the rock in 30m with nothing else around is like being in a wilderness – I can only compare it to standing on a rocky tor on the wild and empty landscape of Dartmoor.’

Due to its depth – it starts at 25m and plunges to more than 60m – there is no kelp forest on the pinnacle. Instead it is covered in brightly coloured jewel and plumose anemones.

PLANNING AND PRACTICALITIES

Plymouth Sound BSAC (www.plymouthdivers.org.uk ) meets Monday evenings at 9pm and is based at the Mountbatten Watersports Centre, Mountbatten, Plymouth. The centre has a bar, a restaurant and reasonably priced accommodation, with no charge for the use of its two slipways.

There is also an excellent free slipway at Richmond Walk, Mount Wise, which can be used practically at any state of the tide apart from low-water springs.

Fort Bovisand also offers a free slip, while the Queen Anne’s Battery Marina, usable at all tides, has a launching fee which includes use of the toilets, showers and car parking.

AIR/NITROX FILLS

Sandford & Down, Pier Street, West Hoe: 01752 266248
In Deep, Mountbatten Centre, Lawrence Road: 01752 405400
Aquanauts, 88 Vauxhall Street, Barbican: 01752 228825
Sound Diving, Queen Anne’s Battery Marina: 01752 670674
Plymouth Diving Centre, Queen Anne’s Battery Marina: 01752 263900

CONTACTS

Diving Diseases Research Centre (DDRC), Hyperbaric Medical Centre, Tamar Science Park: 01752 209999
Plymouth Longroom (harbourmaster – contact before diving in and around Plymouth Sound): VHF channel 14 or telephone 01752 663225
Brixham Coastguard: VHF channel 16 or telephone 01803 882704