Diving on the Isle of Man
There may be a mere 75,000 residents on the Isle of Man but there is a massive amount of diving around the Island. With 100 miles of coastline, unlimited, easily accessible dive locations with the surrounding countryside just a few moments away, the Island offers some truly spectacular diving around this unspoilt sea.
The Isle of Man has a wealth of excellent dive sites with the opportunity of seeing lobsters, wrasse, seals, basking sharks and much much more, as well as many wrecks and other fantastic marine life. The Isle of Man has been quoted to be a massive untapped diving market...
Dive sites around the Isle of Man
Dive operators InformationPTGH wish to thank Visit Isle of Man for their help in providing the above information. 10/03/08
Ramsey
The Iron Pier runs out from Ramsey Beach, on the North of the Island, with the Dolphin (a concrete structure, not the mammal!) detached at the end, with a max depth of about 14m at high tide.
Following along the base of the Iron Pier, in and out of the under-water structure, you'll find all loads of marine life as it all congregates under the relatively safe shelter of the pier. In case you get hungry, Crabs, Lobsters, Scallops and Queenies are a plenty!
At the end of the Pier, you can head out North for a few minutes until you hit the Dolphin - much of the structure has collapsed, which makes it a fantastic dive, with loads of nooks and crannies to poke your head under. Again, loads of marine life makes this home - with at least four resident Conger Eels, loads of Lobsters and incredibly charismatic Tompot Blennies.
The Tompot Blennies, which can be seen poking their heads out of the cracks and crevices, are incredibly inquisitive fish and often pop out to take a closer look at the passing diver. It's been said that they even like the odd stroke, even appearing to become agitated when it stops!
If you're good on your air, and fancy some exercise, you can do the whole of the Iron Pier and the Dolphin in one shore dive - easy access from Ramsey Beach!
You'd have to do this shore dive at low tide, be quite fit (it's a long swim!)and give yourself at least 90 minutes for the round-trip. Alternatively of course, you can dive it from our RIB, where you can drop straight down onto the Dolphin.
The Iron Pier and the Dolphin average around 7m with a max of about 14m at high tide. There can be some boat traffic around the Dolphin, so always use a surface marker and stick close to the structures when ascending. If diving from the shore, always remember it's a long swim back to the beach, so bear this in mind when watching your air, and surface conditions should you have to snorkel back!
Dive operators InformationPeel
Peel Castle provides a fantastic back-drop for this dive, as you circle around the castle grounds, in depths touching on 10 metres. As a loop, there is no need to double back, so you can spend all the dive exploring new areas.
Starting behind the food kiosk out on the Breakwater, you can clamber in over the rocks - it gets very tricky when there is some swell, and a long way to go over the rocks at low tide, so always take this into consideration. Once you are in, it's as simple as keeping the rocks on your left all the way around. On your way around the Castle to Fenella Beach, you'll head past a variety of backdrops, starting with a Kelp Forest, before hitting a few caves, and then around the corner to the rocky sides of the cliff face.
Peel is home to a number of Seals, which can be very playful - we've spent a whole hour with Seals playing hide-and-seek and having them nibble our fins! Just give them time to warm to you, and then they won't want to leave you alone!
You can easily spend an hour to navigate around the route - anything less than 45 minutes is powering it, and won't give you a chance to admire the view.
The dive can always be done in the opposite direction, starting at Fenella and exiting at the back of the Breakwater - bear in mind however, entry here is difficult - exit can be even harder. If the rocks at the breakwater are too dangerous, you can always start & finish at Fenella. Also remember that the Breakwater toilets flush straight into the sea behind the breakwater - just be careful you avoid the outlet!
The South side of Fenella Beach also provides an easy dive, just following the rocks out in a straight line. There's a number of rock channels around here which make exploring good fun.
Dive operators InformationThe Wreck of the Glendun
The Glendun, a Belfast steamer, ran aground back in 1940. She lies just south of Maughold Head on the east coast of the Island and is only accessible by boat (unless you're a keen rock climber!)
Lying right up close to the cliffs, this dive provides some spectacular views for the journey there and for any surface intervals - which can of course be spent sunning yourself on the nearby private beach!
The large majority of the structure has broken up, and scattered around the area, which can easily turn the dive into a fun hunt, scavenge and rummage as divers shoot off in all directions looking for bits and pieces of brass glistening in the sun.
The centrepiece of this dive is the boiler; the top of which can be easily spotted from above the surface. Raising 8 metres into the water, the structure looks pretty immense when swimming right next to it! Divers can swim down into any one of the three boiler casings for some awesome photos, or spend their bottom time rummaging around amongst the shining brass.
With a max depth of around 12 metres, and close up to the cliffs, the wreck of the Glendun is a really good, easy, scenic dive. Just like a Sunday afternoon stroll.
Dive operators InformationDive operators Information
Mann Scuba Divers, based in Port Erin
but operating island-wide are a PADI company offering the opportunity for either complete novices or experienced divers wanting to explore the Island’s coastline. For those interested in courses, they range from PADI Discover Scuba Diving and PADI Open Water all the way up to PADI Divemaster and Assistant Instructor. The Discover Scuba Diving sessions are perfect for anyone wanting to give it a try - and this is free for anyone subsequently enrolling for a full course.
Contact Listing Details
Mann Scuba Divers, Strand Road, Port Erin
Isle of Man
Phone: 01624 835202
Website:www.mannscubadivers.co.uk
Email:manndivers@manx.net
Discover Diving is based in Ballasalla.
They have a fully stocked shop, classroom, and kit servicing workshop with trained service technicians. They pump air to 300 bar, nitrox and trimix, with easy free parking right outside. They are open all weekend and most bank holidays. They run TDI training up to instructor level, including nitrox, trimix and rebreathers. They have highly qualified instructors which offer PADI and IANTD training. They are a BSAC Centre of Excellence, able to train all the way from beginner through to instructor, a BSAC Seamanship Centre and a BSAC Technical Centre, providing the new mixed gas courses and rebreather training, If you are planning a trip over to the Island please contact Discover Diving for friendly helpful advice on where and when to dive. They can provide guided dives for visitors to the Island, and have kit for hire. They have a cylinder collection and delivery service for boat visitors to the island.
Contact listing Details
Discover Diving, Unit 6,Harmat Court,Portside ,Balthane Industrial Estate ,Ballasalla
Isle of Man
Phone: 01624 822442
Website: www.discoverdiving.im
Email: info@discoverdiving.im
PTGH wish to thank Visit Isle of Man for their help in providing the above information. 10/03/08
