Your Guide to Shore Diving in Falmouth, Cornwall
Cornwall is without doubt one of the best places to dive in the UK. We have spent most of the winter exploring some of Falmouth’s lesser visited shore dives. You can dive here year round, 10m or maybe even 15m of visibility is not unheard of when combined with calm weather. Summer and autumn bring the warmest waters, with temperatures up to 18c and great visibility.
Most divers know Falmouth as the location with the U-Boat wreckage. But the area has much more to offer. Beneath the sandy beaches and rugged coastline lies an array of marine life and habitats. Rocky reef, kelp forests, wreckage and seagrass beds can all be found whilst shore diving around Falmouth. Catsharks, rays and cuttlefish are all common here. Along with a variety of smaller fish species and nudibranchs, if you’re lucky you may even spot an elusive seahorse.
Silver Steps, Falmouth - Photo by Shannon Moran
Everyone knows Silvers Steps, the shore dive with U-Boat wreckage, what an epic dive site that is. Over the years I have been lucky enough to see some incredible things here icluding a one of a kind seaslug (Placida cremoniana), found nowhere else in the UK. Along with a Marbled Torpedo Ray, Tuna and Octopus, this site certainly attracts cool marine species. The site itself is a shallow location with little to no current, reaching depths of 11m on a high spring tide, with nearby parking and entry to the site via a set of stairs.
Our closest site is Castle beach, a rocky shore entry which is best dived at high tide. There are also the remains of a U-Boat here, it can be covered by thick seaweed making it tricky to find. This site is dominated by rocky reef and sand flats, with the occasional patch of seagrass. Here you can usually find catsharks and lots of smaller fish species, the topography is similar to Silver Steps, but with the added depth and ease of diving on any tide we prefer the steps.
If you’re hoping for something a little more adventurous then Pendennis Point is a great place to explore, although it is suited to a more experienced diver. At this site there is a combination of rocky reef, thick kelp forests, sand flats and even maerl beds if you know where to find them! The entry here is uneven, over the rocky outcrop of the point. This site should only be dived on slack high tide, a current here can take you away from land. If you’re unsure you can always join our team for a guided dive here before you dive here with your buddy.
Gyllyngvase Beach, Falmouth - Photo by Shannon Moran
Falmouth also has great beach diving, our closest beach Gyllyngvase has a beautiful seagrass meadow a short swim from the entry point. This site also has rocky reef either side of the beach and the well broken wreck of the SS Ponus on the reef between Gylly and Swanpool. This site attracts lots of crustaceans and flatfish, there are lots of shoaling fish here and many critters hiding in the sand. A great macro dive for photographers and can be dived on any tide, although the walk is shorter on high tide!
Just around the corner from Gylly we have Swanpool, a shallow site with rocky reef either side of the sandy bay. This location is great for beginners, it has everything we find at Gylly beach but with a shorter walk to the beach. Similarly we can dive here during any tide, this site is very shallow and usually very bright, during a low tide the maximum depth will be around 5m. Between the reefs you will find sand flats and seagrass, bobtail squid can often be found here along with flatfish and pipefish in the seagrass beds.
Falmouth certainly has a lot to explore beneath the waves. It can get busy in the summer, be sure to use a marker buoy so that other water users can see you. If you would like to visit these sites with one of our guides then get in touch, we offer these sites as shore dives throughout the year.
By Shannon Moran @ShannonMoranPhoto www.shannonmoranphoto.com