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Dorset
on the south coast of England is is known for its wrecks
and nice dive sites like. The area caters for all levels of diving
experience and the marine life is varied and abundant.
Always dive according to your level of training.
Never enter the water without checking with the local dive center
for safety, additional information, level required for each dive
site and without being accompanied by a professional. All the
information provided is purely informative for our readers and
shouldn't be used as is to plan your immersion.
Dorset enjoys warm summers and mild winters.
It seldom snows and it's rare to have frost. It's not affected
by storms usually affecting Cornwall and Devon. There's a lot
of diving going on in Dorset all around it's coast. Swanage,
Portland, Lyme Bay and Christchurch boast some very good
diving although the diving isn't restricted to these areas.
Some dive sites in Dorset are:
Lulworth Cove is a shallow reef, 5 metres (15
feet), but which makes a nice dive for novices. There's a lot
of seaweed and kelp as well as plenty of blennies
and flat fish. The visibility is 5 metres
(15 feet) Swanage Bay is protected from the southerlies
of the English Channel.
The wooden pier is home to a large variety of
marine life. This site has a depth of only 5 metres (15 feet)
making it suitable for beginners. In summer you can see cuttle
fish, john dories bass and grey mullet. Tanville ledges
are located in the middle of Swanage Bay. It's
only minutes away from the pier with rocky outcrops and lots of
marine animals and plants. Good for novices. Maximum depth around
9-10 metres (29-33 feet).
West Tennants reef is locateda few miles to the
SW of Lyme Regis. The depth renges from 25 metres (82 feet) at
the top of the reef to 29 metres (95 feet), seabed. There is breathtaking
underwater scenery with deep gullies, rock faces and boulders.
There's lots of marine life as well as dead mans fingers
and sea fans. This site makes a nice drift dive as it
has gentle currents.
East Tennants, south of Seaton is considered
one of Dorset's best reef dives. The visibility is excellent
and the marine life as well. It's a relatively small reef with
lots of dead mans fingers and sea fans to the west. The east has
lots of nooks and crannies which are home to lots of crabs,
lobsters and conger eels. Dogfish, tompot blennies, cuckoo wrasse
and topknots are also found here.
The southern side of the reef has an abundance of dead
man's fingers and other areas of the reef has sponges, corals
and anemones of all colours. The pink sea fan is also found here.
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