Chesil Cove, Dorset

Dealer Website:  https://underwaterexplorers.co.uk

  Chesil Cove, Dorset

Where are the best dive spots near you?

• Chesil Cove, Britain’s prime shore diving site with plenty to see whether for a single dive or a whole day of diving. Ideal for night dives too. Visited by all levels of divers year-round. Free entry, depths ranging from 3 to 20m starting off from the banks of the country’s longest pebble beach.

What would you see at the dive site(s)?

• Sand banks, reefs, kelp forests and plenty of wreckage from vessels that have been beached during westerly gales. Lots of marine life with colourful wrasse, bass, John Dory, Triggerfish, rays of many kinds, lobsters, crabs, pipefish, sand eels, variety of anemones and nudibranchs, starfish and even the occasional dolphin, seal and Sunfish.

When is the best time to go?

• Non tidal so can be dived at any state of the tide at any time of the day but with best exposure to a variety of marine life during the night. Especially flat when the wind is blowing from the East but can be taxing to enter and exit if the swell is higher than 2 feet or the bank is too steep from any previous storms - and definitely not recommended if any westerly wind over F3 is blowing straight on the beach.

Recommended gear for the dive? 

• Must be dived with a compass – as East is always back to shore. Underwater cutting tool able to handle any fishing lines or monofilament nets. SMB to mark position, though boat traffic is very light in this area. An underwater light to bring out the colours even during the day to get the most out of your dive. No other specialised equipment needed.

How do you get to the dive site?

• It’s a great shore dive with nearby parking and easily accessible by car. Divers normally turn up at the “storm gates” on the promenade steps away from the beach itself and leave their kit there in attendance before parking their cars to return, kit up and go diving.

Who takes the divers out?

• A number of local and visiting dive professionals offer guided dives although the diving itself is fairly easy and there is a free online dive guide inclusive of instructions on getting there, entry and exit conditions, most popular underwater routes and a generis risk assessment available at https://www.underwaterexplorers.co.uk/chesil 

How do divers sign up or learn more?

• If you’ve never dived Chesil before visit the Chesil Cove Diving Guide at https://www.underwaterexplorers.co.uk/chesil for detailed information and join the near 20,000 followers of https://www.facebook.com/diveportland for a daily picture or video of current conditions on the beach to help with your planning. If you want to see what it’s like underwater before your dive check out Underwater Explorers’ YouTube video collection on Chesil Cove at https://tinyurl.com/divingchesilcov.

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