recommend a dive site?

d4v1d

my favourite types of dives are where there are loads of gulleys/caves/swim throughs to have a nose around in.

for that reason i like brandon point, and hook head, and the maharees. can anyone else recommend anywhere that has this type of topology. looking forward to travelling around ireland a bit more this year and trying some new dive sites.

Benny-c

d4v1d wrote: »

the maharees

The Maharees-14m & kelp-mind numbingly boring IMO:D
Brandon Point not bad.(Never dived the Hook-Sorry)

Suggest the Scelligs-great if you can get there but very difficult to plan as very weather dependent.

My 2c

Benny

seadeuce

Hmmm ... That type of topography is quite common throughout Ireland.

Whereabouts do you live? West/East/Swest/Seast????

Some of the best sites are usually on your doorstep, only you have yet to find them.

For instance. Maharees is short on the swimthrus, (except for the "Letterbox") but has the "roads" a la gulleys N/E of Gurrig. Innistuaiscirt has that 14m green canyon on its eastern point.
Brandon Point has swimthrus just beyond Deelick, and nowhere else.
The Hook, as I remember it, is a nice dive but lacking in the abovementioned.

Slea Head, opposite the Blaskets, is nothing but gulleys.
Kerry Head has an arch to swim thru.
Pol na Peist in the Aran Islands has a swimthru.
East of Ballydavid Head is one of the best canyons you could find to swim thru.
Washerwoman Rock has a 38m deep canyon on its eastern side.

There is an absolute HOST of good divesites with varied topography on the west/southwest side of Ireland, plus the viz to see them.

Again, if you do travel around, you will probably end up diving the same if not better, site just down the road from where you live.

Do research. Look at OS maps/UKHO Charts/Aerial Photos of the topside features. These are the best indicators of what is nearby down below. Not always accurate, but an indicator nonetheless.

Lotsa pleasure to be had in finding new divesites on your kitchen table!

Cheers


Seadeuce

Fratton Fred

Sounds like a trip to Gozo would suit you.

fozz10

seadeuce wrote: »

Hmmm ... That type of topography is quite common throughout Ireland.

Whereabouts do you live? West/East/Swest/Seast????

Some of the best sites are usually on your doorstep, only you have yet to find them.

For instance. Maharees is short on the swimthrus, (except for the "Letterbox") but has the "roads" a la gulleys N/E of Gurrig. Innistuaiscirt has that 14m green canyon on its eastern point.
Brandon Point has swimthrus just beyond Deelick, and nowhere else.
The Hook, as I remember it, is a nice dive but lacking in the abovementioned.


Seadeuce

the hook head has amazing shore diving with alot of caves & swim throughs 2 different dives under the light house.ive dived it over 30 times,1.get in pool go in by the seals cave and out to the left lots of life good dive.2get in at the blowhole and loop back around by the cave and get out there both dives about 45min max 14m. and if you go across 2 fields at churchtown side of the point you can do a long dive over an hour with 2 wrecks one in 7-10m nice with a huge prop and out a gullie maybe 100mish you arrive on another wreck nice sized trawler big lump of wreck and a lot of wreckage too lots to see here when ya go back too the other wreck air depending you can go into huge caves these are very big and you can exit up thru an arch and into another gullie with small swim thru a great dive. this is probably best done as 2 dives 1 on each wreck with caves at the end of both.also if you go to slade there is a smashing dive called solomons hole loads of life and you swim in under to a cave again.endless gullies all around the hook every dive! a good weekends diving to be had when the weathers right. ive a few videos of the caves and that at the hook so ya can see. vis wasnt great this day! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eDT17V5AiqY

seadeuce

Nice vid. Nothing like virtual scuba when the weather's crap!

I see that site's a bit away from where I dived at the lighthouse. Must get back there again sometime.

Murragha in Kilkee has a nice chimney.
Small one in Cuas Diarmada on Valentia too.

Of course you could try to dive the inside out cut on the Great Skellig, nice diving there.

Fungie's Cove in Dingle has a lovely large swimthru/cave.

Shore diving cave in Ardgroom, Co. Cork another one.

Glasillaun on the north side of Inisbofin.

Then again, there's the wrecks for swimthrus. I won't begin to list them...

Spoilt for choice!!


Seadeuce

d4v1d

thanks for the info. i'm based in carlow but do most of my diving in either galway, kerry or wexford. not that it's been much so far. not diving too long in irish waters.

i reckon i'll try get to the blaskets or skelligs next, whichever i get the chance at first. slea head also sounds very interesting.

can't wait to try some of these sites. cheers again.

seadeuce

d4v1d, PM sent

yannick1

Yea i love swimm thorughs too. I did tonnes of small tunnel caverns and swimthroughs on koh tao in Thailand! A lot warmer and better viz! Would recommend if you have the time and money to go out there!

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loctite

Donegal point, Kilkee, Co.Clare......
Best Dive site I have ever dived.......

Depending on time of day it gives you the illusion that you are entering into a big cave, The "cave" passes through the cliff and comes out other side of cliff where you hit a 30m wall which you can follow back to entry point. Lots of different gullies, and channels once you hit that wall......

It is very rare that you get to dive this site though, probably what makes it so special!:)