Isle of Man

So, what’s new?
Traditionally, diving in the the Isle of Man has been a little tricky – limited to shore and RIB dives. However, things are changing. Now a hardboat, the Blue Fin, a 26ft Cygnus Cyclone, is operating along the south of the island which has the best diving. The boat is run by David ‘Richie’ Richards and, from her base in Port St Mary, is 20 minutes from the dive sites around the Calf of Man (the island just off the southern tip). In addition, MV Castaway, an Offshore 32 hardboat, is now operating out of Douglas through the dive centre Diving Air Services.

And how’s the diving?
Stunning. Clear waters (the visibility is often 10–15m), strong tidal currents and plenty of waterborne food mean that marine life thrives. The island’s position in the Irish Sea ensures that the diving caters for wreckies, many ships having been lost in these waters.

South of the island, below the kelp at 15m, the rock surfaces are plastered with animal life. Many surfaces have dead men’s fingers standing out, and are coated with its relative, the less easily spotted, pink fingers.

If this isn’t enough, there are the fish. Friendly is hardly the word. Ballan and cuckoo wrasse are everywhere, and take delight in looking into camera lenses.

Rock cook swim around, often in small shoals just above the kelp. Ling and topknots inhabit larger crevices, and tompot blennies can be found in smaller ones.

Air fills are available and cylinders and weights can be hired through local diver Mike Dunning (01624 628123).

From May to August the Isle of Man is the place to watch basking sharks. These animals come in search of the vast amounts of plankton found in the Irish Sea at this time of year. Ken Watterson of the Basking Shark Society runs shark-watching trips out of Peel harbour on the island’s west coast.

Accommodation any good?
Accommodation is abundant, ranging from cottages to bed-and-breakfasts and hotels. However, during the TT races in June, places to stay tend to get booked up.

Tell us about the island
Before the age of package tourism the Isle was a very popular holiday resort – the rows of faded boarding houses and small hotels bare witness to a long-gone era. However, the natural beauty of the rugged coast and the wild, hilly interior are untouched. There are also plenty of sea birds including puffins, shearwaters and cormorants. Today the island is a booming financial services centre with full employment and staggering property prices. The fishing industry collapsed more than a decade ago – herrings are now imported for smoking, but the local scallops (called Queenies) can still be found and are excellent.

And the verdict?
If you are into cool-water (temperate) diving, then what the Isle of Man offers is as good as it gets. Stuck in the middle of the Irish Sea it has stunning, clear water. Make no mistake, when the conditions are right, the quality of diving here is very high, although it should be said that few of the dives are suitable for the inexperienced.

How do I find out more?
Getting to the Isle of Man is easy enough, with car ferries operating from Liverpool, Heysham and Dublin. For crossing details contact Isle of Man Steam Packet Company on 0990 523523 or http://www.steam-packet.com. Fare structures are complicated, but you can consider £150 as a benchmark price for a five-day return with a car and two passengers.

British European Airlines flies from London City Airport to Isle of Man airport. Return tickets cost betweeen £80 and £100. Phone British European Airlines on 08705 676676.

Charters are available on the Blue Fin, phone Richie Richards on 01624 833519.

Charters out of Douglas on the MV Castaway are priced £250 per day, and the boat takes 10 divers. The centre has kit for hire, and can be contacted on 01624 628123, or see the web site http://www.aecdas.com.

For details on shark-watching trips contact the Basking Shark Society on 01624 801207.

For accommodation details contact the Isle of Man tourist centre on 01624 686766 or see the web sitehttp://www.gov.im/tourism.