LAUNCH SITES, WEST WALES

Photo:Richard Trevithick

Dale is probably the most popular and easiest place to launch from. There is a good slip and jetty, which are useable at most states of the tide, although both are dry at LW. That said, for the sadistically-minded dive marshal, it is still possible to launch, if enough divers can be mustered to push the boat out across the mud! Likewise, if returning to Dale by sea around LW, it may be necessary to walk the boat in for quite some way, especially on springs. Dale forms an ideal base for a large group, having a good-sized car park, a welcome café and a pub, the Griffin Inn. The speed limit within the bay, known as Dale Roads, is 5 knots. Yellow buoys mark the perimeter of this area. Care should be taken to keep boat wake to a minimum, to minimise disturbance both to the many yachts moored along the trots and to other sailors on the water, especially through the busy summer season.

Martin's Haven provides another option as a shore base for a diving group, having toilet facilities and a sheltered lunchtime anchorage. It also offers a good shore dive in its own right. Boats normally arrive at Martin's Haven by sea, 8.6nM from Dale, as anything larger than an inflatable can only be launched with a serious off-road vehicle from the steep pebbly beach. Care should be taken to avoid anchoring the boat, or diving in the vicinity of the landing stage, as this is used by the Haven Express, a passenger boat that makes frequent trips to and from Skomer. If diving from the shore, it is advisable to use an SMB, to encourage boat traffic to stay well clear.

Little Haven The slip at Little Haven is short and only useable around the hours of high water (HW). However, the sandy beach is firm and cars normally drive onto the beach and launch from there. The beach shelves very gently and as the sea floods and ebbs, it covers and uncovers the beach at quite a pace, necessitating efficient boat launches and recoveries. The car park is normally busy during peak season, which can make manoeuvring boats and trailers something of an art form. There is a café, as well an RNLI gift shop in the village and these, together with the sandy beach, make Little Haven popular with families. At the end of a good day's diving, the Castle Inn just above the beach is an excellent place to eat.

NEED TO KNOW
Dive shops
Dive In 2 Pembrokeshire 01646 636684
http://www.dive-in2-pembrokeshire.com
Dive Pembrokeshire 01437 781117
http://www.dive-pembrokeshire.com
West Wales Divers, Hasguard Cross 01437 781457
http://www.westwalesdivers.co.uk
Charts
Admiralty charts 2878, 1482, 1478
‘Tidal Streams around Skomer’ available
from Skomer Nature Reserve
Dive guides
Shipwrecks Around Wales Volumes 1 & 2
by Tom Bennett (ISBN: 0951211404 and 0951211420)
Coastguard
Milford Haven Coastguard 01646 690909
VHF Channel 16

Note: GPS numbers listed here refer to OSGB36 datum (Degrees, Minutes and Decimals). Times of HW and LW relate to the port of Milford Haven.