West Coast Shore Diving - The Sea Lochs
The Old Pier , Finnart ,
GPS 56.07.047N - 004.49.831W
An easily accessible Shore Dive on the South
From Arrochar at the top of Loch Long Turn left along the South side of Loch Long towards Faslane
Approx 6 miles you come to a large tank farm, car park is on the right at the Phone Box .
Alternately from
Depths:- 1m ? 45m+.
Seabed:- Soft Silt, easily disturbed.
Features:- Broken Beams and Concrete from Old Pier, at 6m, 10m, 18m, 25m
?Bottle Bank ?at 28m.
Sea Life:- Anemones, Truncates, Sponges, Squat Lobsters, Blennies, Scorpion fish, Congers
Crabs, Etc
Diving :- Head due North (looking at the Light house and beacon on the
from entry, slopes at 3m to wreckage at 6 ? 10m, down slope to beams at 18m
and over beams to ?X frames? and large Beams at 25m, at 28m
Pros :- Easy Access site Suitable for all levels, unaffected by weather/tide.
Cons:- Can be very dark, visibility can be terrible, can be 6m fresh water on top, cold.
CONGER ALLEY, ARDGARTEN,
3-30m
Situated on the North side of Loch Long, on the A83 two miles west of Arrochar and famous for the large Congers that can be found here, it is also a good training site and can be dived at any state of the tide, and is not normally affected by weather.
Parking is best in the lay by a few hundred yards East of the entry point which is opposite the
White Cottage. This is a very busy road and care must be taken when crossing the road and when kitting up at the cars.
Kit up and cross the road onto the pavement above the water and head West two hundred yards
to an access opposite the Cottage, step over the fence, there is a clear path (some parts are now concreted) which leads down to the beach. Enter here - Ardgartan side of the large rock,
go straight out to around 12-15m, turn left and keeping at 12-15m go along for 50m or so
and you will come across the reef, it goes down to about 30m, and peters out at 8m.
The Reef as such is a collection of large boulders and the Congers can be found under and around
the nooks and crannies, normally lots of Fish around as well.
If you go to deep you can easily miss the site, If you return at about 6 -7m to the entry point you can find lots of bottles and jars, left by ships moored at the large stone bollards which can be seen on the beach. There is a plateau at about 3- 4 m at the entry point which can be used for training.
Any deeper than 20m and it is a muddy slope with the odd soft Coral and Sea Squirt
NOTE:- When returning, don't be tempted to 'cut the corner' too much (or exit from the reef) as there is a large area of kelp to navigate if you do, we have had people tangled here before!
THE CAVES ,
Situated on the South side of Loch Long on the A814 two miles South of Arrochar.
Parking is normally for 2 to 3 cars on, and beside a small bridge. Popular with Fishermen it can be busy so to be sure of a space arrive early!.
A Shore Dive for the more experienced Sports Diver and above as depths of 30 - 35m are easily obtained, Not actually caves but spaces around large boulders, visibility is normally quite good but usually very dark.
Access is by going under the Bridge and down the very slippery rock face to the waters edge, entry is very easy as the rock wall drops away steeply to around 30 ? 35m, head South down the Loch and lots of boulders and cliffs to explore, normally lots of fish and life about.
Exit is only back at the entry point or slightly South where you have to climb back up to the road.
Hazards:- Depth, Low Light, Fishing Line (and Fishermen), Slippery Entry and Exit, Busy Road
ST CATHERINE'S PIER,
Outside The St Catherine's Hotel, and Ferry Inn, St Catherine's Village on the A815, South side of Loch Fyne. An easy access site, with good parking and is excellent for Training purposes.
This site is divided into two parts by the Jetty, looking out to the
To the left (west) is a stony slope with depths in excess of 50+ m, lots of life, old bottles and jars.
To the right (east) is a stony/sandy flat area with a depth of 3 ? 6m , excellent for Training, with a slope again to similar depths, although not as steep.
It can be dived at any state of tide and is sheltered from anything but a northerly wind.
The jetty can be used in a number of Training exercises and protects the site from the wind and swells, the end of the Jetty is beginning to collapse so be careful around this area. Apart from that there are no real hazards, and when last visited it looked like the Hotel and Jetty were being renovated.
St Catherines Reef,
Located about 1 mile West of St Catherines Village on the A815, South shore of Loch Fyne, as you come past the Old Ferry Inn, St Catherines Hotel about a mile and you will see a sign for a opening on the right, turn off and parking is best down the track to the right.
Access is down a slope onto a rocky beach with a large line of stones separating the shore
There are no currents and very little silt to stir up. The drop off can be quite steep but levels out at about 10 ? 15m. To find the Reef enter the water at the line of stones and turn right ( looking towards Inverary on the North shore) at about 2m there is a steep rocky slope and at about 6-7m you are on the Reef where the slope levels out. It drops to about 20m then is difficult to follow but reappears at about 35m and again at 50m.
More West Coast Shore Dive Sites