Shorething: Breakwater Beach annd Shoalstone Beach

Shingle bimble: the northern prawn can be found here, at the southernmost extent of its range Photo: Simon Rogerson Brixham harbour at sunset Photo: Richard Trevithick The entry point at Breakwater Beach Photo: Richard Trevithick Map of Brixham

The bustling Devon fishing port and seaside town of Brixham is a long-established favourite of divers in southwest England. There are two principal shore-diving sites at Brixham – Breakwater Beach and Shoalstone Beach. Both sites face north, meaning that shore dives are sheltered from the prevailing southwesterly winds and diving is possible when many other sites on the south coast are blown out.

Breakwater Beach is by far the more popular dive, both for recreational diving and for training, due to easy access to the water, benign currents and the Breakwater Bistro, which tempts divers with all-day breakfasts and hot drinks. The car park overlooks the beach and the toilets are open year-round.

The beach itself comprises pebbles, and slopes away, giving way to sand and mud and beyond that, eel grass, to a maximum achievable depth of 9m. As the beach is popular with boat users, diving with SMBs is a sensible precaution.

The rocks to the right provide an interesting area to explore. Prawns can be seen in the holes that have been worn into the rocks, and kelp provides sanctuary for wrasse as well as for smaller forms of life.

The middle of the bay is teeming with critters and is also home to scallops, crabs and pipefish. During the summer, the whole bay is a popular haunt for transitory cuttlefish. You may also be lucky enough to stumble across a dogfish resting on the bottom.

To the left, the bay is defined by the breakwater itself. Searching for life among the shadows of the large concrete blocks provides an exciting night dive.

Just a little further along Berry Head Road is Shoalstone Beach car park. Although there are toilets here, they are locked out of season. Steps lead down from the car park to an open-air swimming pool and a wide concrete platform above the rocks, which leads to the water’s edge. While it’s less popular than Breakwater Beach, there is more to see here, and this site provides the opportunity for more depth. The dive is best attempted around high water to minimise the distance across the slippery rocks.

Underwater, a reef runs out; the rock strata, a continuation of the rocks exposed above water, is almost parallel to the shore. The reef shelves gradually down to approximately 11m, depending on the state of tide. This gives way to a large, slightly shelving expanse of sand and mud, where a few extra metres of depth can be achieved, although the ground becomes less interesting.

The reef itself holds the most interest with its shallow gullies, some dressed with sand and home to scallops. Swathes of the higher ground are covered in boring sponges, while other nooks and crannies are home to lobsters and prawns. When I dived the site recently, I was astounded by the number of crabs – velvet swimming, harbour and hermit – locked together in pre-mating embraces.

Care should be taken when diving on the ebb tide, as further out, you can encounter a current pushing east, towards Berry Head. The current can be avoided by simply heading back in. Use SMBs to help shore cover to monitor divers.



Need to know
Directions
Enter Brixham on the A3022 and follow signs for the harbour. As you approach the harbour front, take a sharp right at the junction into The Strand opposite the tourist information office and the Golden Hind, then follow sharp left into King Street, which rises above the harbour and takes you onto Berry Head Road. Just past the breakwater, turn off down the ramp on your left. This leads onto the Breakwater Beach car park. For Shoalstone Beach, follow the directions above, but continue past the Breakwater Beach car park and turn left further along Berry Head Road into the car park, which is signposted.

Parking
Parking is available at both sites. However, in peak season, parking spaces are at a premium and an early arrival time is required to guarantee a space close to the beaches.

Tides and weather
The dive sites are sheltered from all winds from the south and west, but are exposed to strong winds from the north through to the east.

Air fills
Although the convenience of the gas station at Breakwater Beach is no more, the two long-established dive shops in nearby Paignton – Nautique and Venture Sports – remain, offering double-filtered air, oxygen and sufficient dive kit to cater for mishaps and omissions on the day.

Nautique South Quay, The Harbour, Paignton TQ4 6DT 01803 550278

Venture Sports 371 Torquay Road, Preston, Paignton TQ3 2BT 01803 523023

Facilities on site
Breakwater Bistro (with webcam), Breakwater Beach (www.thebreakwater.co.uk 01803 856738)

Clubs
For contact details of local BSAC branches, see the website: www.bsac.com