The Cottage welcomes scuba divers exploring the marine reserves around the Farne Islands and Eyemouth/St Abbs. It is a one minute drive to Seahouses harbour and an easy 45 minute drive to Eyemouth/St. Abbs. The Cottage has two padlocked sheds for storing gear overnight as well as an ample garden area with clothes lines for drying gear.
Air and Nitrox fills are available from the Sovereign Diving shop, just around the corner from the cottage.
Air and Nitrox fills are available from the Sovereign Diving shop, just around the corner from the cottage.
Diving the Farne Islands
Diving in and around the Farne Islands is a real feast for the senses. Numerous wrecks litter the seabed, and inquisitive grey seals come and say hello. Whether you prefer a shallow dive or are prepared to delve that little bit deeper, there's something to suit everyone out at the Farnes. The Farnes consist of almost 30 small islands and rock outcrops lying between 2 and 4 miles off the Northumberland coast. They are split into two main groups separated by a stretch of water known as Staple Sound. The islands are comprised primarily of a rock called whinstone, which is very prone to vertical weathering and faulting. This has produced a strange topography of steps and sheer faces above water that gives just a hint of the delights below.
When diving the Farnes you need to become acquainted with the locals, the locals being a colony of 4-5 thousand grey seals out at the Farnes all year. An encounter with a mature bull seal is enough to get any heart racing. Weighing in at 300kg and clumsy on land, they demonstrate balletic movements under the water. The younger seals are even more inquisitive than the divers and often come in to take a closer look, even nibbling on fins! Other visual delights include a vast array of anemone, dead men's fingers and many different crustaceans. There are also several relatively unusual species that favour this cooler water - you may come across lumpsucker, Norwegian topknot, yarrel's blenny and the spectacular wolf fish. Another speciality is the huge, deep-water anemone, bolocera.
The Farne Islands are one of the most dangerous shipping areas in the British Isles and have claimed many victims over the years. As a result, there are many wreck dives, which include the 'Somali', 'Chris Christianson', 'Abyssinia', 'San Andreas', Britannia' and 'Acclivity'. The best dive is reputed to be the 6810 ton Somali, a passenger-cargo steamer built in 1930 which was bound for Hong Kong via the Firth of Forth for convoy assembly, she was sunk in March 1941 after being bombed by a German Heinkel 111. The Somali sits upright in 30m of water near Beadnell. Much of the 450ft hull is intact and makes an impressive slack-water dive.
St. Abbs & Eyemouth Marine Reserve
Relatively deep water close inshore and strong tidal movement combine to provide some of the best shore diving in Britain in and around the Marine Reserve. In fact, the most famous dive site at St Abbs is actually a shore dive off the harbour wall. Cathedral Rock, with its unique double archway, is a mere 50m swim from the shore and a must see for any first time visiting diver. However, if you decide to dive off the harbour wall you may well not get as far as Cathedral as you may be distracted by the maze of superb, kelp-topped gullies and vertical walls encrusted with marine life. Just about every species found on this area of coast can be seen here at some time including the wolf fish.
St Abbs Harbour is not the only place where you can shore dive in the area; Greenends Gully and Weasel Loch at the Eyemouth end of the Reserve are well worth checking out. There is even a shore dive that is also a wreck dive, even if the remains of the Odense are fairly well spread out. In fact, wherever you can access the shore in or around the Marine Reserve will be worth a look.
Although the shore diving is some of the best in the UK, there are many other excellent sites that can only be reached by boat. Probably the most popular dive site in the Marine Reserve is Anemone Gullies, just NW of the lighthouse, where a series of rocky ridges run out from the cliffs. They range in depth from about 12m to 25m and are festooned with plumose anemones from which the site gets its name. Just minutes across the bay from St. Abbs harbour is Black Carrs, which is basically a tumble of huge boulders running from about 8m down. This is the best site in the Reserve for seeing wolf fish, with often several being found on one dive. The Hurkers, with its steep sided and undercut gullies, is probably the best dive site at the Eyemouth end of the Reserve. Also, remember that the Marine Reserve may have boundaries, but marine life doesn’t necessarily take any notice of these. Don't overlook the excellent dives that can be found off Fast Castle Head to the north west and Burnmouth to the south, all of which are easily accessed from St. Abbs or Eyemouth. Surprisingly, for such an unforgiving stretch of coast, the Marine Reserve does not have a huge numbers of diveable wrecks, but with advances in technical diving more are being discovered and explored in the vicinity all the time. The two most dived wrecks within the Reserve are the Alfred Erlandsen, at Ebb Carrs just SE of St Abbs harbour and the Glanmire just off the lighthouse.
St Abbs Harbour is not the only place where you can shore dive in the area; Greenends Gully and Weasel Loch at the Eyemouth end of the Reserve are well worth checking out. There is even a shore dive that is also a wreck dive, even if the remains of the Odense are fairly well spread out. In fact, wherever you can access the shore in or around the Marine Reserve will be worth a look.
Although the shore diving is some of the best in the UK, there are many other excellent sites that can only be reached by boat. Probably the most popular dive site in the Marine Reserve is Anemone Gullies, just NW of the lighthouse, where a series of rocky ridges run out from the cliffs. They range in depth from about 12m to 25m and are festooned with plumose anemones from which the site gets its name. Just minutes across the bay from St. Abbs harbour is Black Carrs, which is basically a tumble of huge boulders running from about 8m down. This is the best site in the Reserve for seeing wolf fish, with often several being found on one dive. The Hurkers, with its steep sided and undercut gullies, is probably the best dive site at the Eyemouth end of the Reserve. Also, remember that the Marine Reserve may have boundaries, but marine life doesn’t necessarily take any notice of these. Don't overlook the excellent dives that can be found off Fast Castle Head to the north west and Burnmouth to the south, all of which are easily accessed from St. Abbs or Eyemouth. Surprisingly, for such an unforgiving stretch of coast, the Marine Reserve does not have a huge numbers of diveable wrecks, but with advances in technical diving more are being discovered and explored in the vicinity all the time. The two most dived wrecks within the Reserve are the Alfred Erlandsen, at Ebb Carrs just SE of St Abbs harbour and the Glanmire just off the lighthouse.
Dive Boat Operators & Shops
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Glad Tidings, Seahouses - Hard boat with tail lift
Farne Island Divers - RIB diving
St. Abbs & Eyemouth Voluntary Marine Reserve
Aquastars Diving Centre, Eyemouth
Marine Quest, Eyemouth - Eyemouth hard boat with tail lift
North East Dive Sites