Scuba diving and snorkelling in Devon
Having two coasts means there’s a lot of sea to explore around Devon – and scuba diving or snorkelling is about the best way to do it. Diving the wrecks and reefs around our shores is quite something, and many dive schools run charters and regular trips to the most popular sites – and some less ‘discovered’. And if you’re an absolute beginner – well, you’ve come to the right place! Anyone with a buddy can grab a snorkel and mask and explore our calmer waters, but if you fancy taking things a bit deeper, you can get started with a recognised course from a qualified instructor at one of Devon’s many diving schools.
Good Devon spots for diving & snorkelling
Eddystone
The diving on the reef around the Eddystone Lighthouse, 12 miles south-west of Plymouth, is some of the best diving in the South of England. The reef is full of marine life and is a paradise for underwater photographers.
Hillsea Point
This is an excellent reef dive that starts with a pinnacle at 8m leading to deep gullies and then shelving off steeply down to a maximum of 25m. This site offers excellent photographic opportunities due to the nature of the topography and marine life. There are Sea Fans, Ross Coral and Jewel anemones throughout the area; plenty of dogfish and you can sometimes find lobsters and crab. Dependant upon the tide, the dive usually ends in a drift type dive as the currents can still be felt at depth. Always use an SMB on this site.
Drake’s Island, Plymouth
Drakes Island lies directly at the mouth of the River Tamar - there are a number of shipwrecks here. On the north side of the Island is Asia Shoal (5-18m), where there’s a range of marine life including sponges, hydroids, burrowing anemones, scallops and plaice. On the south east side of the island (3-9m) the seabed consists of primarily sand with rocky outcrops, where there’s a range of marine life including sponges, hydroids, burrowing anemones.
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