Northumberland Diving centres around St Abbs, a fishing village in the County of Berwick, which is legendary for its clear waters interesting aquatic life and great dives. A little further either North or South along the coast and the silt levels considerably reduce visibility.
At St Abbs there is a general 10 meter visibility which, along with its rich marine activity, has made it a favoured spot for marine biologists. Where marine biologists go, divers are quick to follow, especially in the warmer months from late June to September.
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While many of the local vessels are functioning fishing boats, there are a number of diving boats operating out of the harbour, although the natural geography does allow for shore diving, making it an ideal place for beginners. The intermediate or more experienced diver will probably want to dive one of the many reefs or wrecks.
The Ebb Carrs & Alfred Earlsden Wreck is a beautiful and fairly safe dive which doesn’t go much below 20 meters, but you don’t have to go that far since most of the activity is between 10 and 15 meters.
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This is a great dive which allows you to see both the Ebb Carrs, a group of rocks just breaching the water’s surface, and the wreck. Much of the wreck has been salvaged, but it adds to the primary attraction of the Carrs, themselves covered in dean man’s fingers. The rare wolf fish might also put in an appearance amongst the array of diverse marine life.
For the more experienced diver, the Glanmire Wreck is about 200 meters offshore at St. Abbs Head. This sunken merchant vessel is the most exciting of the wreck dives in the area, and you can expect depths of 30 meters. Strong currents make it exclusively a slack-water dive, but for those who go out it’s certainly worth the effort.
There are some splendid sea-bed views in surprisingly decent light and the wreck, while fractured, retains its original shape as well as being mostly free of debris. Don’t be surprised to encounter large numbers of jellyfish on the way down, though these are usually the harmless variety and a wondrous sight.
Aside from these wrecks, Northumberland Diving around St Abbs offers a number of spectacular reef dives, from the shore dive at Big Green Carr, to the deeper boat dives at The Horn and Anemone Gully, each offering a variety of sights and sea life. It’s little wonder that St Abbs is attracting an increasing number of divers.
Northumberland’s dramatic coast has been steadily becoming one of the country’s favourite diving spots. Being an area of established natural beauty and remaining largely untouched, it offers the chance to dive in waters filled with impressive reefs, abundant and diverse aquatic life as well as the many wrecks claimed by the treacherous coast.
Lindisfarne is particularly well situated for some very exciting dives. These can be dangerous waters and most experienced divers will only chance them under certain conditions. Fortunately the many experienced charter operators and divers who work from the nearby harbour towns of Seahouses and Beadnell Bay know the coast and will be able to ensure you have a safe and rewarding experience.
Lindisfarne offers beginners and experienced divers something unique.Apart from the wealth of cultural history for which the area is famous, it is home to one of Britain’s most treasured bird populations. This lends the area and coast a wonderful sense of nature at its prolific best. Many divers prefer the wonderful sights in and around the Island to anywhere else in the United Kingdom.
Charter operators working out of Beadnell bay and Seahouses know the Island well and will be able to guide your expedition to some of the more exciting reefs and wrecks. Whether you’re after a wreck dive or just want to enjoy a pleasing time with the array of curious aquatic life, then Lindisfarne will not disappoint, although it is imperative to enlist the experience of a local professional since the tidal ranges of the North East Coast do affect the safety of certain areas.
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