This week we get the lowdown from Pete Forbes on diving in Pembrokeshire, and some of the dive sites to look out for if you’ve never been there (this also counts as our Dive of the Week this week as there are some fantastic dive sites!).
After spending many years visiting various diving hotspots, it didn’t take me long to realise that wherever you dive, you’re going to be welcomed by an array of splendour - jewel anenomes, multicoloured sea urchins, plumose anenomes, different species of fish life, multicoloured sea slugs, sea cucumbers and many different varieties of sponge.
Skokholm Island an uninhabited island off the coast of Pembrokeshire, is quite a way off shore (2.5 nautical miles) and virtually undived, but well worth the visit just to view the different fauna. Skokholm is also a Site of Special Scientific Interest, as is the neighbouring island of Skomer.
The more popular sites include Grassholm, Green Scar, Black Scar and of course the north wall of Skomer Island, a beautiful nature reserve which nothing can be removed from.
If you plan to visit Skomer Island, you’ll need to do your homework, and strict dive planning and practices need to be adhered to - the tidal movement can be ferocious and will take no prisoners.
Diving on the north wall is open to all grades because it can be entered close in, which is shallow and shelves down in stages to 30 meters.
Fatalities have occured in Jack Sound and nearby, so diving in this area should be avoided, but Martin’s Haven is very pleasant, especially under high point were there are lots of boulders for the fish and crustaceans to hide.
Down the coast from Jack Sound, the diving is also varied, but it’s not as nice as Stack Rock were you can usually expect to find a colony of seals lurking around. Stack Rock can be dived at most times because it is not really in the tidal flow.
Another nice area to visit is Solva, where you can expect to find fields of dead man’s fingers on Black Scar and lots of jewel and plumose anenomes around Green Scar, as well as many varieties of fish life.
Launching permission is needed from the harbour master at Solva and the boat needs to be launched at high water and recovered at high water. Lunch can be had at the quaint Harbour pub – just the place after a morning’s diving!
More dive sites from Pembroke to follow!
Peter Forbes
There are so many weird and wonderful places in the world to dive that it’s hard to keep track, from diving between continental plates in Iceland to pristine South American lagoons.
