UK DIVING
Beneath British seas
What makes so many people go diving in the UK? From shipwrecks to sharks and great walls of coral, there is much to be discovered. Text and photography by Simon Rogerson
The world of marketing tends to present us with an image of scuba diving as an exclusively tropical activity, with divers in skimpy swimsuits swimming over coral gardens. The truth is, as ever, more complicated. People dive year-round in British waters, and there are amazing things to see: plenty of fish; historic shipwrecks and colourful reefs festooned with soft corals and anemones. There are obviously differences between diving in Britain and in tropical water. Temperate seas such as ours have water that is more oxygenated and supports more life, including plankton, which affects the clarity of the water. So, visibility and light levels are generally lower than in tropical destinations – although not in every case. Also, the richness of our seas is fed by strong tidal currents, which become much less powerful as you approach the equator. Tide-planning plays a key role in British diving, and understanding the nature of tidal seas is all part of becoming a BSAC diver. So you need the right equipment, and you need the right training. But are there enough things to see underwater to keep you eagerly filling out your diver’ s logbook? I hope to convince you with these next few pages, in which I offer a whistle-stop tour of some of the UK’ s beginner-friendly dive sites. This list is by no means comprehensive, but intended to give a glimpse of underwater Britain. And I think you will agree – UK diving is more than worth it.
Swanage, Dorset
The charming seaside town of Swanage has been at the centre of English diving culture since the very earliest days, when the hardy pioneers of BSAC would explore the shallows around the pier with little more than a rugby top by way of insulation. Times have changed( as, thankfully, has the kit), but divers still flock to Swanage for one of the country’ s best shore dives, and more. Swanage Pier offers easy diving in a current-free environment easily accessible from the shore. The wooden struts of the pier provide an ideal environment for fish, crabs, cuttlefish, nudibranchs( colourful sea slugs) and other marine fauna. On the pier, there is a long established dive shop, Divers Down, which has shuttle boats on hand to take you to wrecks such as the Fleur de Lys, the remains of a fishing trawler that sit at 13 metres.
Plymouth, Devon
More divers visit Plymouth than any other coastal town in Britain; its popularity is the result of great facilities and a great choice of club-friendly dive sites. The two most famous sites are both wrecks: The James Eagan Layne and the Scylla. The James sits a bit below the Ocean Diver depth limit at 24m, but HMS Scylla has a depth range of 12m to 24m. The Scylla is more intact because it is a modern wreck, sunk on purpose in 2003 in order to help studies on marine life and to create a new place to dive. It has proven a massive success, and is today the most popular wreck dive anywhere in the UK, bristling with fish life, coral and crustaceans. Elsewhere, Plymouth has a classic shore dive at Fort Bovisand and many offshore reefs, including the famous Eddystone reef, with its imposing lighthouse.
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