UK Diving Places To Dive

A ten-minute drive from Newcastle city centre lies England’s first marine nature reserve. It was opened by deputy prime minister John Prescott last year. And St Mary’s Island, like its topside counterparts, is soon to have a trail, clearly marked for divers to navigate through wrecks and reefs underwater.

The island’s name is thought to have come from its earliest known inhabitants. Monks from nearby Tynemouth priory built a chapel, with a light burning to warn ships away from the treacherous rocks and the lights became known locally as St. Mary’s Lights. The lighthouse that stands today didn’t begin construction until 1896 and took two years to build at a cost of £8,000. It stayed in commission until 1984 and many ships were glad of its warning.

Dive plan

Get fully kitted-up in the car park then head over the causeway to the island. Go straight up to the lighthouse and follow the pathway that veers left through the two houses, which will bring you to the north-facing side. There is a distinctive gully in the rocks at most tides which you can walk/ giant stride into. Keep the dive simple and relatively close to shore as it is easy to get disorientated by the meandering reef patterns. The area can be covered in three separate dives.

This way to the wreck ...
You don’t have to leave England to find a protected marine environment. Words and pictures by Nick Fenley.

A ten-minute drive from Newcastle city centre lies England’s first marine nature reserve. It was opened by deputy prime minister John Prescott last year. And St Mary’s Island, like its topside counterparts, is soon to have a trail, clearly marked for divers to navigate through wrecks and reefs underwater. St Mary’s Island first became an attraction for local people in 1862, when a salmon fisherman called George Ewan expanded his small croft into an inn named The Square and Compass. Access to the island by the constabulary was restricted due to the tide, and the establishment’s relaxed opening hours soon became very popular. However, all good things must come to an end, and Mr Ewan was evicted in 1895. A family by the name of Crisp took over the tenancy and, although the inn is no longer there today, the family has remained ever since.
The island’s name is thought to have come from its earliest known inhabitants. Monks from nearby Tynemouth priory built a chapel, with a light burning to warn ships away from the treacherous rocks and the lights became known locally as St. Mary’s Lights. The lighthouse that stands today didn’t begin construction until 1896 and took two years to build at a cost of £8,000. It stayed in commission until 1984 and many ships were glad of its warning. Unfortunately a few did not spot the light and are now at rest on the reefs very close to shore. For divers, the best of these wrecks is the Janet Clark which went aground on Christmas Eve in 1894. She lies in shallow water at the north-eastern tip of the island’s rocks and you can easily find her propeller still fixed to the shaft, pointing seaward. Her huge boiler and a second prop can be found lying inside the wreckage closer to shore. There are very rarely any currents around the island, with visibility varying from 0 – 15m in summer. The island is accessible for diving all year round, although most will find snow skiing a better alternative to waiting for a good day in January or February. An estimated 80,000 people visit the island each year to admire the picturesque surroundings and now increasing numbers of divers are taking advantage of the easy access and varied topography below the shoreline. The scheme is a bid to conserve local heritage and has been funded by English Nature, the Worldwide Fund for Nature and North Tyneside Council. How to get there A ten minute drive from Newcastle-upon-Tyne, a good stop-off point if you're making the trek north/south for a long weekend. From the A1(M) at Newcastle city centre head for main road sign posted Whitley Bay or The Coast A1058. Once at Whitley Bay or the coastline you will see St. Mary’s Island. Parking: Ample just before the causeway. Make sure you buy a ticket on the only access road in. Diving facilities: The car park is it for now. There are plans to build amenities for divers on the island in the future. Island facilities Museum, visitor centre, shop, café, toilets – all are open seven days, from 10am to 4pm, tides permitting. The tides cover the causeway for an average of four hours – two either side of high tide.
Dive plan Get fully kitted-up in the car park then head over the causeway to the island. Go straight up to the lighthouse and follow the pathway that veers left through the two houses, which will bring you to the north-facing side. There is a distinctive gully in the rocks at most tides which you can walk/ giant stride into. Keep the dive simple and relatively close to shore as it is easy to get disorientated by the meandering reef patterns. The area can be covered in three separate dives. Wildlife Given that it’s so close to a city, most people are surprised to learn that seals and porpoises are regular visitors. Also kelp beds, rocks and wrecks are lively with anemones, sea squirts, starfish, crabs, lobsters, octopus, urchins, hydroids, butterfish, lumpsuckers and short-spined scorpionfish. © COPYRIGHT Dive International Publishing Ltd, for personal use only