Sea Donkeys Dive Club: Dive Sites

Here are just some of the dive sites that club members have been diving on over the last while. We will try to add more and more as time goes on but remember the number one rule in SCUBA diving, "Don't hold your breath!"

St John's Point

Fantastic reef/wall dive. Lots of fish life to see and 30m maximum depth. Several dives are available from the same location. Leaving the jetty by the lighthouse, swim out 80m and you drop down to 23m. From there you can set off east or west. Whichever dive you choose to do, you can follow the wall back to the inlet and do your safety stop while finning over a kelp forest filled with life.
Depth: 30 m
Type: Boat or Shore dive
Qualification: Advanced Open Water

Cassan Sound

Gentle, shallow dive with lots of sea life. Lots of seaweed for fish to hide in! See if you can find the tea cups!
Depth: Maximum 10m.
Type: Shore dive
Qualification: Open Water

Gunn's Island

Superb dive site! Shallow enough for open water divers, this site has plenty of interesting gullies to explore, lots of swim throughs and plenty of fish life to keep even the most jaded of divers interested.
Depth: 15 m
Type: Boat dive
Qualification: Open Water

Ballintoy Harbour

A great place for introducing new divers to local waters. Shallow and sheltered but with lots to see. With the fantastic visibility common to the North Antrim coast, the harbour is also used for training dives. There are some interesting dives to be had from the beach as well.
Depth: 5 m
Type: Shore dive
Qualification: Open Water

Malin Beg Harbour

Nice and shallow. Lots of life around the sea stack, such as conger eels, blennys, pollock and lobster. Good for beginners, interesting scenery and a good test of navigation skills getting to and from the pinnacle! The site also has several dives for more advanced divers.
Easy in and out, but tiring steps to the car!
Depth: 10 m
Type: Shore dive
Qualification: Open Water

M.Y. Alastor

Sheltered wreck with a maximum depth of 23m. Suitable for novice divers. Can have a slight run when the tide is coming in or going out. Be respectful of peoples property at this site; the pier is out of bounds as private property.
Depth: 24 m
Type: Shore dive
Qualification: Advanced Open Water

S.S. State of Louisiana

An old wreck, near Hunter's rock just outside Larne Harbour. Great visibility is usually to be found, though as with all Northern coast dives the tidal currents can be strong, so make sure you hold onto the line. The wreck has lots of life around it.
Depth: 25 m
Type: Boat dive
Qualification: Advanced Open Water

S.S. Empire Tana

(Inner and outer Lee's)

The Empire Tana broke up on her way to being salvaged and now sits in Strangford Lough in two pieces. The bow is close to the shore and the stern is further out in up to 15m of water. The "Outer Lee's" can have quite a run so some experience is necessary and an SMB is advised.
Depth: 15 m (stern)
Type: Boat dive
Qualification: Open water (but with some experience)

S.S. Georgetown Victory

(No photo yet!)
Shallow dive on what remains of the salvaged Victory ship. Large pieces of wreckage and hull can be found and there is lots of life to be seen swimming amongst the metal remains. This site will reward your investigations and it is easy to mistake the top of the hull for the sea bed and think the wreckage is much smaller than it is. Near the mouth of Strangford Lough, so can have a run at certain points of the tide.
Depth: 10 m
Type: Boat dive
Qualification: Open Water