A change is as good as a rest

Photo: Charles Hood Photo: Phil Hutchinson Photo: Phil Hutchinson Photo: Phil Hutchinson Photo: Phil Hutchinson Photo: Phil Hutchinson Photo: Phil Hutchinson Photo: Phil Hutchinson Photo: Charles Hood Photo: Map Photo: Phil Hutchinson

‘Brilliant, but imagine how good it would be if there was a wreck down there.’ It was probably the most generous compliment I could have expected after plonking a load of grunting wreck-heads on a scenic dive. After all, as a committed wreck diver myself, I fully understand that colourful marine life is just like washing – it’s something you simply don’t bother with.

Rest assured, the Burroo is worth the bother. Even if your group has diving eyes fully magnetised towards steel wrecks, they will still be impressed by this site, which must rank among the top UK scenic dives. Luckily, I knew there were also a couple of planks of wreckage down there – sufficiently exaggerated during my dive briefing – and that was all it took to prevent mutiny and get everyone in the water.

The Burroo is a distinctive rock promontory from the very southern end of the Calf of Man, which itself is the large rocky island just off the south of the Isle of Man. The Calf of Man is a scenic diving paradise, and the full potential of this area would take a diving lifetime to explore.

The day I took my fellow wreck divers to this site, it was blowing a stiff westerly, which made for a lumpy journey around from Port Erin on the western side of the Isle of Man, and dampened our plans to do an offshore wreck. However, tucked up against the rock face adjacent to the north side of the Burroo, we had a flat, quiet patch of water to kit up in – a good site under the circumstances.

Out of the wind and in the sun made for a pleasant kit-up under the watchful eye of several large seals out on the rocks, whose rounded, blubbery physiques – so well adapted for life at sea – were emulated by a few of the more experienced divers in our own party! Not that such a serene scene occurs very often on the Burroo. This site is exposed to all swells and most winds, with any sea movement bouncing back off the sheer cliffs. If you come here mid-tide, the sea visibly and audibly falls around the Burroo promontory as it squeezes around this last main lump of the Isle of Man. You need to get tide and weather absolutely right to enjoy a relaxed dive on this site.

At least locating the site is easy. Just keep heading south down the eastern side of the Calf of Man until you run out of land, and there you are. The Burroo is noticeable from miles away and easily identified by the large hole through it called ‘the eye’. Setting your GPS to 54° 02.60’N 004°48.78’W will also get you there. It’s a three to four-mile steam out of Port Erin or Port St Mary.

Where to start the dive is also a simple decision. You should try to drop onto the outer rock pinnacle – these rocks show well clear of the surface at low-water slack. As you manoeuvre the boat in to drop divers, the seals on the rocks get nervous and may slide into the water with an annoyed grunt. They’re less nervous below the water and you’re bound to get a close encounter with one of them during the dive. Just remember to keep looking behind you, as they have a habit of watching you from your blind side.

Starting the dive on the pinnacle, you drop down the sheer kelp-covered sides and start to see the gullies and large rock formations below. The first impression as you descend is that this is an expansive site. Big, angular rock formations, sheer kelp-covered walls in clear blue water make you want to drift back and view the underwater scenery. In these conditions, viewing the many seals is spectacular, but other than the occasional large ballan wrasse, the site is not well populated with shoaling fish.

As you drop below the kelp line, the rocks take on furry, grey diffuse appearance as most upper faces are carpeted with hydroids. You might feel you’ve found the last resting place of all those 1970’s Ford Capri furry seat covers, but all this fur is the first view of the static life, and it’s here that you need to switch your dive brain from ‘big’ to ‘close in’ dive mode. Switch on your torch, seek out the dark or vertical rock faces and watch the colour leap out of your torch beam.

It’s on the vertical, overhanging or crevice surfaces that this site is truly spectacular, and overwhelming in the diversity and colour of static life. The larger wall-faces just below the kelp line are dominated by white and orange plumose anemones. In the many gullies around the 15–20m mark, anemones of all descriptions dominate and provide the full spectrum of colour in vivid tones. In one patch purple and white may dominate, a metre away yellow and green, and further on yet another colour combination. All this is punctuated with large sponges, starfish and other creatures, all of which radiate healthy colour. The clean water that sweeps this site for most of the tidal cycle has generated a living kaleidoscope – I’ve not seen anything that betters it for colour on all my many diving travels around the UK.

Descend further and the gullies and overhangs start to peter out; at 35m you’re on a firm, flattening sea bed and below the best diving. This is a 15–25m site and most appreciated by divers who go slow and get in close. The good visibility may tempt you to hover above the site, but any distance will dilute the full effect of the colours and not get you beyond the ‘furry seat covers’ effect.

For the underwater photographer, this site is a must. As my dive with the wreck-heads came to a close, I was desperate to capture all this on film and struggled to overcome my photographic incompetence. I almost regretted my misspent youth ratching around on wrecks instead of practising my camera skills. Almost!

Heading back up the slope and round to the north of the outer pinnacle, we arrived at a deep, wide gully heading back inshore. I had saved the best for last. The vertical sides of the gully stretched right up above the kelp line and were coated with invertebrate life – definitely the highlight of the dive. Lobster, squatties and other crustaceans filled the abundant crevices. As we worked our way up the gully, we eventually came up to a couple of large timbers, the remnants of a shipwreck thought to be the Young Holliday, which sank around 1840. It was at this point that we met up with the rest of our party, perhaps finishing their dive time in this spectacular location or more likely gaining some comfort from being close to the only bit of wreckage. One or two of the more hardened wreck-heads were scooping sand from beneath the timbers, in the vain hope that the rest of the wreck dangled below. Their digging efforts becoming increasingly frenzied as the realisation started to grip that they might have to log a scenic dive!

We surfaced up the vertical kelp wall of the inner pinnacle. For such a tidal site, it is best to instruct all divers to surface up the rock wall, then swim out once surface contact is made with the boat (or haul-out/hang on if not!). I would strongly recommend not to use surface marker buoys in such a tangled topography, but carrying a delayed SMB is always a good idea.

Slack water is essential for this site, and starts 1.5 hours before LW (low water) and lasts until LW. Slack starts and stops very rapidly, so be kitted up and ready to hit this window. Local tidal stream information suggests another slack occurs three hours before HW (high water) to two hours before HW. I’ve not checked this out, but if it exists it is certain not to be as lengthy as the LW slack.

For a boat full of wreck-heads who can’t be persuaded to dive this site, it’s worth noting that in November 2002 the 20m-long wooden scalloper boat Fenella Anne hit the Burroo while on her way back to Port St Mary. She eventually sank with no harm to the crew, just over half a mile due east of the Burroo at GPS position 54° 02.64’N 004° 47.84’W. The wreck now lies upright and intact on a sandy sea bed at a maximum depth of 41m, and should by now be starting to acquire some colourful inhabitants. Visit before the wooden hull starts to break up.

The Fenella Anne is just one of many nearby wrecks, and the Burroo is just one superb dive in an area which offers so much diving diversity, covering wrecks, reefs, caves and drifts – all in the clear blue Manx water. The one downside of the Isle of Man is that many offshore or windward dives are frustrated by weather on this windy isle, but when you do manage to get below the waves, you are rarely disappointed.

Need to know

Getting there Isle-of-Man Steam Packet has sailings from Heysham and Liverpool. For more information see the website www.steam-packet.com

When to go Diving the Isle of Man is best from mid-June onwards, as it is difficult to get accommodation during TT week (early June) and you may hit the plankton bloom prior to then.

Launching Good all-tide launching and berthing is available at Port St Mary and Port Erin.

Getting air This may be difficult in the south of the island. Check with Steve Cowley of Island Technical Divers ( 07624 482002) or Isle of Man BSAC coach Dave Copley ( 07624 463563).

A dive shop and air is available in Douglas at Diving Air Services, The Old Boathouse, South Quay, Douglas. However, this is an hour’s drive from the southern launch sites.

Accommodation Good, reasonably-priced accommodation is available in Port St Mary and Port Erin. The diver-friendly Balmoral Hotel in Port Erin is highly recommended, and owner Phil Crellin – an ex-diver and lifeboat man – is an excellent source of local maritime advice. 01624 833126 or see the website www.balmoralporterin.co.uk

Boat charter a 6.5m RIB is available for charter from Mike Keggan. 01624 833133 or see the website www.isleofmandivingholidays.com