the insider's guide to plymouth's greatest dives - Plymouth Sound ...

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74 HAND DEEPS: 50°12.580’N, 04°20.400’W EDDYSTONE REEF: 50°10.750’N, 04°15.950’W Nominated by: Debbie Bauckham, 47, BSAC dive leader Although two separate dives, both are reefs and offer similar diving experiences. Due to the distance from shore and their proximity to one another, they are often combined on the same trip. The Eddystone lighthouse is about 19km south of Plymouth Sound and offers a variety of diving, from the shallow kelp-covered gullies on the north side to the rocky reefs on the south, where drop-offs reach depths of around 40m. Debbie Bauckham enjoys wrecks for the marine life they attract, but prefers the attractions of these overtly scenic dives. ‘The Eddystone is great for both novice and experienced divers with its fantastic life and rock formations,’ she says. ‘There are schools of bass and pollack with plenty of crustaceans, and the pink sea fans seem in far better condition than those on the more-often dived sites.’ Hand Deeps is a kelp-covered pinnacle sitting some 10m below the surface, but its rocky terrain plunges down to more than 50m. ‘There are some fantastic rock formations covered in jewel anemones, and the rock face is quite sheer in some places,’ says Bauckham. ‘There’s also no freshwater run-off from land out there, which can give really good visibility.’ Both sites can be dived at any time during neap tides, but slack water is advised during springs; it falls two and a half hours after high and low Devonport. STOKE POINT: 50°17.24’N, 04°01.35’W Nominated by: Keith Hiscock, 60, advanced diver Located beyond the Mewstone to the east of Plymouth Sound, Stoke Point’s rocky headland offers shelter from the northerly winds that can sometimes curtail diving at other more exposed sites. With a gradual incline onto a sand and rock sea bed, bottoming out at 33m, it provides an excellent habitat for sea squirts, sponges and anemones, with the occasional thornback ray sighting, to the delight of marine biologist Keith Hiscock: ‘The light sandy sea bed allows me, as an underwater photographer, to get that nice mix of natural and artificial light, which is important when recording the many species in the area.’ Slack water occurs midway between high and low water at Devonport. If you prefer, a high-water drift dive will let you explore the site with the minimum of effort. ‘There’s the opportunity to get some good lengthy bottom time at the depths on offer,’ Hiscock adds. ‘I find the visibility here, east of Plymouth, is often better than to the west, which can sometimes be affected by the proximity of the rivers Plym and Tamar.’ www.divemagazine.co.uk TAKE MY HAND: a diver photographs the rock face at Hand Deeps MAINE: 50°12.820’N, 03°51.045’W Nominated by: Lynne Bracegirdle, 54, dive leader After a torpedo strike to its port side, the 3,600-tonne steamship Maine came to rest less than 2km off Bolt Head where it now sits upright on a white sandy sea bed, the deck at 22m with the stern at 34m. Dive leader Lynne Bracegirdle describes the Maine: ‘There’s good water clarity and it’s reasonably intact, apart from amidships where it has collapsed. The fore and aft holds are filled with fish. There seems to be different fish here to elsewhere – a lot of tompot blennies and schools of bib, with lobsters, crabs, scallops and an old conger at the bow.’ First dived in 1961 by Torbay BSAC – who purchased the wreck for £100 – the Maine is a slack-water dive due to the strong current. At springs, it should be dived two hours after high water or two and a half hours after low water.
JAMES EAGAN LAYNE: 50°19.609’N, 04°14.720’W Nominated by: Mark Prior, 53, advanced diver One of the UK’s best-known wrecks, the James Eagan Layne was one of 2,700 Liberty ships constructed during the Second World War. After it was holed by a torpedo off Devon’s West Rutts, an attempt was made to beach the stricken vessel. But just over a kilometre off Rame Head, it became clear nothing could be done to keep her afloat and, on 21 March 1945, it sank to its final resting place. Mark Prior has dived it many times. He says: ‘She’s obviously not the wreck she once was due to her age and gradual collapse, but she is still full of atmosphere.’ Diving is possible at all states of tide, and with the buoyed bow at 6m, it makes an ideal place for initial entry and for safety stops on ascent. The deepest part of the wreck is 24m and safe penetration is possible, although caution is advised as there are loose or sharp girders and plates. Despite the ravages of time, the James Eagan Layne is still a haven for marine life: the bow is covered in plumose anemones, large wrasse are plentiful, and the stern, found southwest of the main wreck, is home to schools of pollack. HILSEA POINT ROCK: 50°17.305’N, 04°02.646’W Nominated by: Jeremy Clark, 46, dive leader Hilsea Point Rock is a popular scenic dive suitable for all grades of diver. While slack water gives optimum conditions, a drift dive is possible after half tide for the more experienced. Located south of the old coastguard lookout hut on the cliff face, east of the point itself, the rock rises just a few metres from the surface and descends over a broken rocky sea bed to 25m. A narrow canyon – wide enough for a diver to swim through – offers sightings of cup corals, jewel anemones and sponges, very much to the liking of Jeremy Clark. ‘The underwater scenery is spectacular and you can see most of the colourful species in the popular identification guides,’ he says. ‘You can see all of the UK wrasse species, John Dory, dogfish and, albeit a rarer sight, monkfish.’ FIRM FAVOURITE: a diver moves among the girders of the James Eagan Layne ON POINT: dead men’s fingers are among the sights at Hilsea Point Rock GB DIVES www.divemagazine.co.uk 75
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the insider's guide to plymouth's greatest dives - Plymouth Sound ...

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