west wales

West Wales - Wrecks	Go to Shore Dives

The Behar	Location 51 42`48"N 05 07`03"W

Description: 6100 ton, 436ft long by 57ft. Merchant steamer. Built in 1928 by Harland and Wolff in Greenock.

Cargo: 4770 tons of government stores

Voyage: The Clyde to Milford Haven	Depth: 16m to rock and gravel seabed.

Sunk: Hit a mine. One of the first sinkings during the second world war in Milford Haven. None of her crew were injured.

Diving: Parts of the wreck can be swum through , some as shallow as 6m. Lots of life generally here, congers maybe octopus, pollack etc are found. The main part of the wreck is flattened to the seabed, collapsed to port. most of the interesting wreckage is close to the south side.

Launch:	Slack:
Dale	Dive at the top or bottom of tide table.
Gelliswick	Visibility is significantly better on an incoming tide. The best visibility is in the three-hour period before high tide.


Dive Charters:	Further Information:
Dive Pembrokeshire. 01437 781117	Admiralty Chart 2878, Approaches to
	Milford Haven. O.S. Map 157

	Website:

Pros: Easy to find, lots to explore, can be dived in all but the very worst weather.	Cons: Vis' can be bad, especially towards the end of an outgoing tide.



	Qualifications:
	Trainee to experienced diver.

Getting There: Follow the M4, A40 and A477 to Tenby, or continue on the A40 to Haverfordwest, then the B4327 to Dale.



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The Dakotian	Location 51 42`12"N 05 08`19"W

Description: 6,426 tons, 400 feet long and 52 feet wide. Merchant ship.

Cargo: Tin plate, bicycles & general cargo.

Voyage: Swansea to New Brunswick, Canada.	Depth: 18 - 20m. 6m to stern.

Sunk: Night of 21 Nov' 1940. A magnetic mine blew out part of her port side, and broke her back at the same time, she sank within three minutes. All 48 crew members were saved.

Diving: Wreck usually dived when the weather is rough. She lies in the Haven just out of Dale. The wreck is marked with a Cardinal buoy which lies 100m NW of it. The bow was blown off to remove the hazard from shipping. This makes entry into the locker room easy with an exit through a big hatch in the deck. If you are at the stern you can explore the cabins here. This wreck has an awfull lot to see, and deserves to be dived in good conditions when the vis' is at its best.

Launch:	Slack:
Dale	Best dived in three hour period
Gelliswick	before high tide


Dive Charters:	Further Information:
Dive Pembrokeshire. 01437 781117	Admiralty Chart 2878, Approaches to
	Milford Haven. O.S. Map 157
	Website:


Pros:	Cons:
Lots to explore, easy to find and is accessible	Vis can be bad, especially towards
in all but the worst weather.	the end of an outgoing tide.

	Qualifications:
	Trainee to experienced diver. Something for everyone.

Getting There:
Follow the M4 and A40 to Haverfordwest, then B4327 to Dale.



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E39 Submarine	Location 51 41'4"N 05 09' 3"W

Description: Submarine

Cargo: N/a

Voyage:	Depth: 6m

Sunk: Not known

Diving:
Laying in 6 metres of water on Watwick Reef, south side of bay, off and below steps very well broken after the brass chasers decided to blow her up! About the largest piece left is an engine block. Rummage around in the kelp you never know what might turn up.
Launch:	Slack:

Dive Charters:	Further Information:
Dive Pembrokeshire. 01437 781117	Admiralty Chart 2878, Approaches to
	Milford Haven. O.S. Map 157
	Website:

Pros: Best dived in three hour period before high tide.	Cons: Vis can be bad, especially towards the end of an outgoing tide.

	Qualifications: All levels

Getting There:
Follow the M4 and A40 to Haverfordwest, then B4327 to Dale.



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Loch Sheil	Location 51 41' 47"N 05 07' 07"W

Description: Fully rigged 3 masted ship. 1277 to 1218 tons. Wood & Iron. 225' x 36'x 21ft

Cargo: 7000 cases spirit and general cargo. Including bottles (still being found).

Voyage: Glasgow to Adelaide (Australia).	Depth: 10-12m

Sunk: 1894 January 30th.

Diving: Parts stand proud approx. 2 metres, very broken. On rock sea bed with kelp.

Launch:	Slack:
Dale	Best dived in three hour period
Gelliswick	before high tide


Dive Charters:	Further Information:
Dive Pembrokeshire. 01437 781117	Admiralty Chart 2878, Approaches to
	Milford Haven. O.S. Map 157
	Website:

Pros:	Cons:
Easy dive and you might find treasure	Vis can be bad, especially towards
	the end of an outgoing tide.

	Qualifications:
	Trainee to experienced diver.

Getting There:
Follow the M4 and A40 to Haverfordwest, then B4327 to Dale.



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The Lucy	Location 51 44' 27"N 05 16' 33"W

Description: Built 1964. 168ft x 28ft. 450-ton two-hold Dutch coaster. 360hp oil fired engines.

Cargo: Calcium carbide (used in making acetylene gas).

Voyage: Norway to Barry, South Glamorgan	Depth: 40m to seabed.

Sunk: Sank in 1967, after colliding with Cable Rock on Valentine's Day. Seven man crew and ships dog were rescued after abandoning ship.

Diving: The bow is at 32m, from there you can swim to the stern over the filled holds (only rubble in holds), the super structure is large, containing the crews quarters, bridge, and engine room. It is possible to swim down through the deck levels via a staircase inside the main superstructure, though it goes without saying that such penetration requires reconnaissance dives, as well as fairly substantial decompression requirements. Generally there is a shot line down to the wreck, but recently this cannot be depended upon.

Launch:	Slack:
Little Haven	Two hours after High Water or any
Broad Haven	time when tidal range is under 6m
Dale

Dive Charters:	Further Information:
Dive Pembrokeshire. 01437 781117	Admiralty Chart 2878, Approaches to Milford Haven

	Website:


Pros:	Cons:
Intact wreck in the beautiful Skomer Marine Reserve	Current can be a problem. Can also be very black.

	Qualifications:
	An advanced dive for club Diver up. Should have some experience of deco' stop diving.

Getting There:
Follow the M4 and A40 to Haverfordwest, then B4327 to Dale and Martin's Haven or B4341 to Broad Haven.



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West Wales - Shore Diving

Stackpole Quay Change in the car park, then a short walk to the Quay. There are WC's here and also tea rooms.
A nice shore dive, easy to get in from beach. Try to dive at high tide as it is shallow here (8m). Well sheltered from north and westerly winds. Go out past the harbour wall which forms a channel as you go out. Follow the rocks around to your left, there is plenty to see, such as spider crabs.



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Martins Haven A secluded rocky little cove, sheltered from the southerly winds. A very good shore dive, with depths going down to 20m. The beach can be reached via a concrete track down from the car park. The rocks are very slippery, and care must be taken at low water (recommend diving here at high tide only). Cars must be parked at the top of the hill in the National Trust car park, but you are allowed to drive down to the beach to load/unload kit. This is also the launching site for the Dale Princess which takes passengers over to Skomer Island, and it gets quite busy in the summer. When shore diving stay over to the right hand side of the bay. Toilets are near, and the home of the Skomer reserve is situated in a building on the way down to the cove. A shop selling National Trust goods, and details of Skomer are sold at the top near the car park.




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St. Brides Bay Shore dive, very pretty around to the right. Lots of little gullies and holes to poke your head in. The rocks here are a lovely terracotta colour. Lots of fish life among the kelp. Depths reach up to 10m, around to the right, but further out drop down to 20m. An excellent dive for the Novice. Best time to dive is at high tide, but you can dive here at any time. A sandy bottom stretches out of the bay. Surge can be heavy especially with a westerly blowing. A nice area for the children to play, and for a picnic lunch or BBQ after a dive.
	If you look at the small rock face below the old kiln you will see tombs sticking out where the face has been eroded. There are public toilets here and a small parking area outside the church. There is also a small exhibition in the old pump house.



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The Blue Lagoon - Abereiddy The Blue Lagoon makes a good shore dive and is well-used particularly when rough weather makes more exposed venues untenable. Launching of dive boats is almost impossible - use Porthgain or Porthclais. The marine ecosystems found in the Blue Lagoon are unique in south west Britain. The lagoon is dominated by species which are rare on the open coast, with an abundance of suspension feeders (due the siltation of the lagoon) such as sea squirt and bristle worm. There are a variety of sponges, some of which are rare.
The Lagoon itself is a man-made structure, formed after the quarrying of slate from the area ceased. The now derelict quarryman’s cottages and other quarry buildings can also be seen. Getting there From the A487 follow the lanes from Croesgoch to Abereiddy
picture courtesy of Pembrokeshire County Council

Cons: The walk/climb to actually get to the pool is very difficult for divers with all their kit, try and get friends with you to help carry some of it.

Facilities Car Park (free). There is also a car park above Traethllyfn Beach, Accessed via Barry Island Farm (charge made). Public toilets. Wheelchair Access to Blue Lagoon. Emergency Telephone. (In beach car park). Ice cream van in the summer.



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