As a coastal county, where fun by the seaside is enjoyed by all who visit, it is no surprise that Cornwall is one of the best destinations in the UK for diving. The extensive Cornish coastline is the final resting place for many an unfortunate ship, and also finds itself home to a diverse range of marine life, making it an incredibly interesting area to go exploring underwater. We take a look at a few of the best dive sites around Cornwall.
With a mix of shore and offshore dives, Falmouth Bay provides some of the best diving experiences, from wrecks to reefs, for divers of all abilities. The sheltered location, close to shore locations and shallow wrecks in Falmouth Bay are ideal for those only just getting started with diving, while boat trips can take the more experienced further out to deeper dives. With one of the deepest harbours in the world found in Falmouth, the area is home to a high number of shipwrecks, with the infamous Manacles dive site nearby. The waters around Falmouth are filled with a diverse range of marine life, including dogfish, pollack, goldsinny wrasse and conger eels.
Found on the Lizard Peninsula, Mullion is a small town with a harbour leading to some great diving adventures. A number of wrecks lie beneath the waves, waiting to be explored, including the cannon from the galleon Santo Christo de Castello, a mid-17th-century merchant ship. A mix of sea life can be found here, such as sea anemones and jellyfish.
One of the most famous diving sites in the whole of the UK, The Manacles is an impressive reef that has seen the end for over 100 ships. Setting off from Porthoustock Cove, there are a number of dives in the area great for beginners through to experienced divers. A deeper dive for the more proficient divers will see you exploring the Mohegan, a liner that met its end in the reef back in 1898, and is said to be haunted; although that might just be the conger eels that live in the wreck! The wreck of the Volnay, a cargo ship that sunk in 1917, can also be found at the Manacles, around 21 metres deep.
Land’s End looks spectacular both above and below water, with a number of dramatic wrecks and scenic dives to explore. While Land’s End marks the stopping point for above sea adventure, it acts as a launch pad for many underwater escapades. There are a number of spots to explore from, including Sennen Cove, where the remains of the s.s. Datetree lie nearby, Runnelstone Reef, which has over 15 wrecked steamships and is perfect for keen photographers, and Lamorna Cove, where the wrecks of s.s. Garonne and s.s. Avebury can be found.
For inexperienced divers, there are a wide variety of diving schools dotted around the coast to teach you the ropes, even if you can only manage to snorkel in the shallows! If you want to explore a coastline that is brimming with sea life and to discover the fates of some historical shipwrecks, then join us for luxury Falmouth holidays, with a great location for reaching all the best spots.
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