Browns Bay

This is very popular between May and October as it is only 5 minutes from Deep Blue Dive Centre, handy for air fills and spares! It offers a sheltered bay with a nice wreck, The Butetown, to explore. As well as the wreck, the site displays an interesting array of aquatic flora and fauna, being as it is a popular haunt for fish, crab, lobster and starfish as well as a dense garden of kelp. It provides an ideal mix of features which make for a worthy dive in relatively shallow water; it is definitely worth a visit. Maximum depth around 10m.

Finding the wreck - Enter the gully beside a small swimming pool hewn into the rock. Swim away from the shore and descend to avoid the worst of the surge that is especially noticeable close to the shore on the higher tides. Descend and set off at a leisurely pace on an Easterly heading for two or three minutes. Re-set your heading South and continue for another minute or so until you come across a reef wall which will be straight in front of you.
Once you have located the reef wall which is in amongst the kelp, keep it on your right hand side, and use it as a handrail continuing East for another couple of minutes until it disappears. Maintain your Easteriy heading until the reef reappears on your right hand side. There are several gaps in the reef wall over a distance of approximately 30 metres which allow you to swim through. On the other side of the wall approximately 4 - 6 fin kicks away, you will start to come across obvious metalwork below you, this is the wreck of the Butetown which lies approximately 150 metres from the shore. You will see ribs, plates and two large boilers and when visibility is good you can see the whole wreck laid out before you.

St Mary’s Island 

St Mary's Island is a well-known landmark, situated on the North East Coast, 11 miles from Newcastle. It is signposted from the A1058 Coast Road, and from the A19. This is another easily accessible dive site offering shallow sheltered reefs as well as a wreck, The Janet Clark, to explore. The area is a voluntary marine nature reserve so life can be more prolific than Browns Bay. Plenty of parking is available adjacent to the end of the causeway

Diving the island and wreck - St Mary's should only be attempted during calm weather or periods of offshore wind. Conditions deteriorate rapidly if the wind moves onshore. The maximum depth of the dive is 10m at high spring tides, and 7m at an average between high and low tides. The tide floods from the north, and ebbs to the south, so there may be a slight current from north to south.

The wreck is easier to access at low tide, as it is possible to walk over the island and drop immediately into deeper water. If diving at high tide, snorkel over shallow areas to marker buoy or use an alternative entry point. The fore section is broken up and partly obscured by the kelp and boulders, whilst the stern and propeller is almost complete and clear of the rocks in deeper water. The wreckage is approximately thirty metres long and lies at right angles to the reef. The boiler stands separately just off the starboard side. Scattered plates lie on the seabed. Various species of fish inhabit the area like Pollock, Wrasse and Lumpsuckers. The reef is covered in kelp which provides a habitat for shore crabs, edible crabs, hermit crabs, lobster, starfish, sea urchins and others. After you have explored the wreck, head south, keeping the reef on your right. Follow the reef, bearing south east, then east into the gully, which is the easiest exit point, close to the causeway.

Beadnell

A popular fishing village, boasting the only west facing harbour on the East Coast. It lies a few miles south of Seahouses. There is a large car park next to the caravan park but it can be crowded at weekends and bank holidays. There are many options for shore diving in the village with the main ones covered below. Note: All sites are exposed to N .E. winds, but the south side of Beadnell point can offer some protection. Watch out for strong rip off Beadnell point during spring tides, especially on the ebb.

Beadnell Point; South Side - The south side of Beadnell Point slopes gently down into 8 metres, and is an area of 3 metre high reefs interspaced with sand. It can be a very exposed site in southerly winds, but on a good day, it is a nice, easy dive. There is evidence of a wreck here and some reports say they are from the Mistley they may, however, be from the Yewglen or the Brugia. Marine life includes lobsters, crabs, anemones, lump suckers and often cuttlefish. An easier option than the long walk entailed in the next site.

Beadnell Point; North Side - Easy entry points along this imposing finger of rock, which slopes gently into the sea. A swim along its face reveals a vast assortment of marine life: overhangs covered in dead man fingers, plumose, dahlia and jewel anemones, hydroids and urchins. The strata create crevasses, which harbour squat lobsters, spider crabs, gobies, blennies, and wrasse. It is possible to swim out for 40 minutes before the reef disappears into the sand. It curves south and then reappears again. This section of the reef has provided some beautiful scenic shots over the years, and the encrusting life is exceedingly colourful; sponges, bryozoans, sea squirts and soft corals cover the reef face.

Wreck of the Yewglen - This 1000-ton, 220ft motor vessel was high and dry on the point in February 1960 and now lies in 8 metres on the north side of the point. Much of her has been salvaged but what remains is interesting, safe and picturesque. Boilers, plating, girders, mast and hatches are still to be found, scattered flattened and encrusted but intriguing just the same. Partly covered in kelp, with abundant shellfish, this site has all the ingredients for some stunning scenery. Choose a mid summer day, when high tide falls around noon to enjoy the full potential of this site. The lack of depth allows for long leisurely dives. Exit by swimming back towards the shore through some nice kelp fringed sandy depressions full of dragonets, scorpion fish, and topknots. Nudibranchs thrive on the kelp fronds.

Lady Hole - This is a long finger of rock running seaward forming a nice reef face, and a bay to the north. The reef is undercut with long horizontal shelves running deep into the rock, accommodating squat lobsters, cuckoo wrasse, spider crabs, several sponges, sea slugs and octopus. At one point in the reef there is a crack, big enough for a diver to swim through. Turning left and following the reef gives a circular swim back to the crack. Keeping to the right allows further exploration of the main reef. There are often waves breaking on the top of this reef so returning along the original route will lead to a safer exit rather than a long swim back into the bay through these waves.

Nacker Hole - There are two entry points for this dive. One is down the pebble beach, just off the coast road as it turns into the car park. The other is by walking across a grassy path, along the headland to the left of the beach, and choosing a convenient entry point on the north face. There are two superb reefs with impressive rock formations in 12 metres. Overhangs, tunnels and deep canyons under a canopy of kelp make this ideal site for all types of photography. Marine life similar to Beadnell Point North.

Beadnell Haven - This area is located opposite the main road junction, behind a wood built shop, and opposite the campsite. A few hundred yards offshore there are a series of reefs, which run parallel to the shore, interspaced with sand and topped with kelp. This is a pleasant safe spot, in only 8 metres and there are several entry points, all of which are very easy.

Collith Hole - A long, deep gulley forms the best entry point for this site which is to the north of the campsite, and is a similar site to Beadnell haven with more reefs running parallel to the shore. Maximum depth 8 metres.

St Abbs

St Abbs is a small fishing village just North of Eyemouth in Berwickshire. To get to St Abbs from the south, take the A1 trunk road north bound into Scotland, Turn second right onto the A 1107 which goes through Eyemouth and Coldingham. In Coldingham Village Square, turn right, onto the 86438, which is well signposted to St Abbs. As you approach the village take the right fork where the road splits into two to get to St Abbs harbour. There are only limited parking facilities near to the harbour so get there early in the morning to guarantee a place. It is also possible to drop kit off then park at the top of the hill. During the summer parking charges apply. Through the winter the parking is free.

St Abbs Harbour & Cathedral Rock - Cathedral Rock is part of the reef known as Thistly Briggs that runs perpendicular to the corner of St Abbs harbour wall. The 'rock' of Cathedral Rock is sometimes visible, normally at low tide although a reef close by is often mistaken for it. The walls of the reefs are home to plumose anemone, sponges, soft corals, mussels and hydroids. The photographic possibilities of this dive are endless, with panoramic vistas of the archways, diver portraits, diver-interaction shots and the staggering number of macro subjects, such as nudibranchs, crabs and molluscs.

Entry Point - The best access to dive Cathedral Rock is from the southern side of the harbour wall. Follow the stone piers past the RNLI station to the area where the three sections of wall meet. From here the best entry point is the rocks where the sections come together. Low tides occasionally mean that this can be tricky as the rocks are often slippery and can cause a problem. If there is any swell be extra careful as there is no obvious entry step and the water movement can make your entry a bit of a handful, this also applies to exiting the water and it is sometimes useful to have a person to help you and your equipment out.

Recommended Route - Once you have entered the water from the recommended entry point, opposite you will notice the low, flat island that is known as Broad Craig. Fin over to the facing wall keeping Broad Craig on your left and descend. Swim through the kelp and you will soon pick up the gully, which is on an approximate bearing of 120°. The gully is fairly narrow in parts and care should be taken in avoiding the marine life that covers the walls. Continue along the gully at depths ranging from 9-14 meters, apart from 2 or 3 small crevasses there will be a continual gully wall on your left hand side. On your right there will be an intermittent gully wall and occasional large boulders continue along until the wall stops on the left hand side and you reach a boulder-strewn sea floor area. At this point realign you compass for a bearing of 150° until you reach some largish angular rocks swim over or around these rocks until you reach a solid cliff, which is the underwater rampart of Thistly Briggs and Cathedral. If Cathedral Rock is not in front of you swim 10 to 15 meters either side of where you reached the cliff and you will soon see the two holes that make up the site.

Harbour, East - The dives here generally consist of circumnavigating the rocky outcrops, Broad Craig, Big and Little Green Carrs, and Cathedral Rock. They can be dived separately or two or more can be combined which gives several permutations. The most popular dives are at the East side of the harbour, which is reached by walking around the stone jetties. The area around the entry point is gravel bottomed gullies which are easily followed depending on which dive you're making. Once at the entry point, the big rock facing you is Broad Craig, this is an easy dive with no currents so long as you stay close to the rock where the maximum depth is about 10 metres. If circumnavigating this rock counter-clockwise, one of the first features is a very narrow gully near the entry point, which has lots of kelp at the top. Beyond this rock, to the North, is Big Green Carr, this is subject to the main tidal stream on the seaward side, so it's best to stay close to the rock face where the maximum depth is about 15 metres, although beyond the rock itself the seabed falls away to 18+ metres. Big Pollack can be spotted here in groups hovering in the current. This is a colourful dive in sunny summer mornings when the Amphitheatre (on the East side) is illuminated by direct sunlight.

Harbour, West - A nice short dive can be had around Seagull Rock to
the west of the harbour, although it doesn't take long to circle it. With
a maximum depth of just over 9 metres it's a reasonable site. A deep
cleft which narrows at the end, forming a cave can be found on the North
side. Further to the North West of this rock the seabed flattens off with
small rocky outcrops on a shallow sandy bottom, not particularly exciting,
though a reasonable area for navigation exercises.