Calm clear waters, lots to see
Anyone walking the cliffs and beaches around South Hams will not be surprised to learn that Dartmouth is a great place for diving, with its clear waters and relatively sheltered coastline. We have seen divers on boats and doing a shore-entry at Castle Cove (see above), just 10 mins walk from the apartment. Further afield, there are many interesting wrecks at Start Point to the south and Berry Head to the north of Dartmouth.
It is less well known that Dartmouth has a special association with recreational Scuba diving since Captain Trevor Hampton realised that Warfleet Creek’s sheltered, shallow, sandy bottom, was the perfect place to set up the UK’s first diving school there after WWII – 100m from the Pottery! He went on to become a co-founder of British Sub Aqua Club (BSAC).
If you want to take the plunge, the best resource for local information and advice about diving resources, locaitons etc is the Totnes BSAC. We would recommend visiting Monty Halls’ Great Escapes in Dartmouth town centre, who can arrange a variety of trips above and below the water.
There are several other professional dive boats operating out of Dartmouth, including:
– Falcon II
– Gemini
If you don’t want to do the full submersion, just try snorkelling from the quiet coves along the coast path to the south. Remember to check the tides.
