Dublin diving

Evil Phil

In an effort to get my dives in I'm going to start diving in Dublin bay. Weekends away aren't really workable for a number of months. I'll probably do a couple of dives every couple of weeks until I bored/fed up with dublin bay. Kind of a Saturday thing maybe Sunday depending on weather*.

Anybody else interested?

*Dry weather means no diving, rain means no climbing. You get the idea.

bigfeller

Dublin bay ain't so bad. Well, tis fairly crap at the moment but give it a month and the water should be fairly clear. There are some okay sites around (Guide Me, Leinster) but then again I can't wait to head to Valentia this weekend!!

Evil Phil

I pretty much just want to get wet and getting to the Atalantic is too much commitment at the mo'.

Scania

Diving on the east coast requires a few weeks with westerly wind. At the moment it looks like chocolate.
When it clears there are plenty of great divesites from Dalkey to Greystones.

annR

Hello there

I'd be on for some practice diving . .. .. am new to the boards and haven't dived in a while.

Quick view of situation:

Experienced diver
BUT not dived so far this year due to various factors

Am planning 1 or 2 weeks off during which I am going to dive myself silly up the west coast (am by myself as boyfriend is going to China this year and I can't go)

Practice dives in Dublin required

Diving buddies for west would be good too (have already booked on Scuba DW's) island safari for August - anyone been on one of those before?

love, Ann

bigfeller

Hi Ann,

You might have a look at joining a club. The initial costs are a bit high but they even out over the year. Most clubs head away for a weeks holiday down the west which is great craic.

A couple of people I know did the Island Safari a few years ago. Said it was great.

annR

Bigfeller

I looked into all that club stuff and even joined one a couple of years ago . . . didn't really enjoy it. Last year I joined CFT but no specific club if you know what I mean and spent a weekend diving with Cork SAC in West Cork which was fantastic. There is a Dublin club I was considering joining last year but they have a very high fee which includes everything . . . .great but you would have to do a lot of diving to justify it . . . .

Next year will be my year to dive more regularly, but this year I'm resigned to going with dive centres.

A

bigfeller

annR wrote:

There is a Dublin club I was considering joining last year but they have a very high fee which includes everything . . . .great but you would have to do a lot of diving to justify it . . . .

Sounds like mine! Big fee but the local diving is included and weekends away work out to about €8 a dive.

Let us know how you get on. Also, got this in a mail a while ago....which I now can't find. It's a new dive center down the west. I'll have a root about.

annR

My tentative plan so far is

1. Kilkee for a few days
2. Up to Scuba Dive West for day or two + Island safari
3. Stop off in Mayo somewhere for a few (suggestions?)
4. End up at home and do a few dives at Mullaghmore and St. John's Point

bigfeller

1. Kilkee for a few days
Nice place - but don't go on a bank holiday weekend. The place gets mobbed!

2. Up to Scuba Dive West for day or two + Island safari
Nice...and a few pints in Hamiltons always goes down well!

3. Stop off in Mayo somewhere for a few (suggestions?)
Malinbeg? We were there on a weekend, brought our own boats. It was great. Not too sure if there is a dive center there though.

4. End up at home and do a few dives at Mullaghmore and St. John's Point
Excellent. All in all not a bad plan. Will you be doing this on your own?

annR

Hi

yes I'll be travelling along . . .all of the diving will be with previously unknown buddies . . . .story of my diving life so far I'm afraid. All my diving buddies live either abroad or in Cork . . .my only diving friend in Dublin has stopped diving (he feels he should move on to paragliding). I would like to have a regular buddy but seems impossible if you're not in a club and I guess I haven't been diving enough anyway in the last couple of years.

I have some friends/family in Ennis and Connemara I will be staying with and then will end up in the home sod. Mayo will be the only unfamiliar territory but you have to have a bit of that.

So yes I'm a solo operator for now . . .no problem for me except the unpredictable buddy situation . . .and that's nothing to do with beginners . . . I've come across all types and am a bit sick of it :-(

donny

bigfeller wrote:

1. Kilkee for a few days
Nice place - but don't go on a bank holiday weekend. The place gets mobbed!

2. Up to Scuba Dive West for day or two + Island safari
Nice...and a few pints in Hamiltons always goes down well!

3. Stop off in Mayo somewhere for a few (suggestions?)
Malinbeg? We were there on a weekend, brought our own boats. It was great. Not too sure if there is a dive center there though.

4. End up at home and do a few dives at Mullaghmore and St. John's Point
Excellent. All in all not a bad plan. Will you be doing this on your own?

Malinbeg is in Donegal The diving can be excellent around there tho assuming the vis is good. I've heard rumours of diving around Belmullet which is meant to be nice..

Peace

donny wrote:

Malinbeg is in Donegal The diving can be excellent around there tho assuming the vis is good. I've heard rumours of diving around Belmullet which is meant to be nice..

Did my OW dives from some pier near Bellmullet. The fishermen used to gut their fish right there on the pier. It was manky.

Dives were ok.

gjim

There's a dive centre on Achill island off Mayo. It's a bit haphazard as it's only a part time operation and the island itself is very exposed to the elements so you can be lucky/unlucky regarding viz and whatnot. On-shore facilities are very basic/under construction but the rib is good.

annR

I emailed the guy in Belmullet - it sounds like the boat only goes out for groups, but he'll see what he can do.

Does anyone know of any other dive operations in Mayo?

NordicDiver

This club have over 40% female divers :eek:
http://www.castlebar.ie/clubs/grainneuaileSAC/aboutourclub.htm

Edit: xxxx://www.castlebar.ie/clubs/grainneuaileSAC/aboutourclub.htm

annR

Hi

Can you post the full URL please. I'll have to dive with a centre though, no club diving for me this year.

A

dublinbay

annR wrote:

Hi

Can you post the full URL please. I'll have to dive with a centre though, no club diving for me this year.

A

Dive centre in Poulathomas.... Cuan Na Farraige should be in phone book. Guys name is Niall . Good guy/diver.

annR

Thanks, just rang the number, boat only available for group bookings.

kgallake

There are a good amount of padi Dvie centres in dublin and Louth you can use for local diving with no large joining fee as in clubs the shore and boat diving cost more than clubs but if you are not diving to much and just keeping your skills up and some fun dives this is the way to go.

Have been down to dive in the Hook Head region in wexford around the lighthouse there is fantastic diving loads to see vis can be very good and there is a Dive centre in Fethard on Sea, run by Seamus Hassey, of Scubasoutheast Dive centre you can see him on youtube and what the diving is like down there from vidoes taken by divers that have been there and he is not to expinsive to dive with and he is only two and a half hours drive from dublin great for a weekend trip .

YourName

kgallake wrote: »

There are a good amount of padi Dvie centres in dublin and Louth you can use for local diving with no large joining fee as in clubs the shore and boat diving cost more than clubs but if you are not diving to much and just keeping your skills up and some fun dives this is the way to go.

Have been down to dive in the Hook Head region in wexford around the lighthouse there is fantastic diving loads to see vis can be very good and there is a Dive centre in Fethard on Sea, run by Seamus Hassey, of Scubasoutheast Dive centre you can see him on youtube and what the diving is like down there from vidoes taken by divers that have been there and he is not to expinsive to dive with and he is only two and a half hours drive from dublin great for a weekend trip .

Hi there Seamus Hassey,

Welcome to Boards, next time start a new thread as this one is over 5 years old.

Andy

fozz10

yep good diving to be had at the hook its got 2 wrecks by the shore too. on a nice day its hard to beat from the shore,and the lads in scubasoutheast are as sound as ya can get.have dived with seamus many times some nice diving from the boat 15-35m range to be had.

fozz10

i hope ya dont mind me postin here andy keep your knickers on..

YourName

fozz10 wrote: »

i hope ya dont mind me postin here andy keep your knickers on..

Hey, I thought I said no posting here, only messing, must have been in a bad mood or something yesterday, who knows, its ok lads I've reopened this thread for discussion. (Mods: I'm only messing, not trying to back seat Mod or anything)

However, where are these two wrecks accessible form the shore, didn't know they existed, where can I find some info on them??? What kind of depth and are they any use???

fozz10

heres a couple of videos there in churchtown just a few hundred meters before the lighthouse http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eDT17V5AiqY

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nGXtxJn6slA


Doonage Point

Having turned right at the T-junction, continue through Churchtown to a point where the sea nearly bisects the road. Park wherever possible. The dive site, to the right of the inlet, is accessed through a gate and a rough track across the fields.

The area has several gullies, some of which terminate in caves or blow holes. these make an interesting night dive. The gullies, in one of which there are the remains of a wreck of a German lugger, The "Slazine", continue for about 50m before opening out. The bottom again consists of kelp, rock and some sand patches near the shore, but further out the bottom is affected by river silt. To the left of the inlet, about100m out, there is another trawler wreck. tides in this area are stronger than in the Slade area.