If you’re hunting for some new dive sites to visit, it’s easy to immediately think of the exotic. While going on a scuba diving holiday abroad is undoubtedly one of the best things you’ll ever do, there’s no requirement to get on a plane and travel halfway across the world to have an incredible experience under the surface.
In fact, the range of UK dive sites is vast and much closer shores are home to some fascinating marine life and maritime history. From spectacular wreck dives to more technical cave dives, these locations offer a seriously accessible way to dive in new places and are perfect if you’re diving on a budget or simply don’t fancy a scuba diving holiday this year.
To give you some inspiration and highlight why diving in the UK is an experience you shouldn’t avoid, we have outlined some of the best UK dive sites in this article.
Wreck Dives
It’s thought that there are over 37,000 known shipwrecks in English waters alone, with even more not accounted for by these numbers in Scotland, Wales, and Ireland. While not all are safe or suitable for diving, many of these wrecks are some of the very best UK dive sites and offer a fascinating insight into maritime history.
There are simply too many amazing wreck dive sites to include all on this list, but those we would recommend most highly include:
HMS Scylla
Located off the shore of Whitsand Bay, South East Cornwall, HMS Scylla is an impressive former Royal Navy ship that was purposely sunk to create Europe’s first artificial reef. It’s now home to over 250 species of marine life, making it a must-visit for anybody looking to experience one of the most diverse dive sites in the UK.
James Eagan Layne
Not far from HMS Scylla is James Eagan Layne, a fascinating wreck holding all kinds of military history. Some of the ship’s World War II cargo is still visible to divers, along with a brilliant array of marine life, including soft coral across most of the bow.
Scapa Flow
At the other end of the UK in the Orkney Islands, Scotland, is arguably the most famous wreck diving site of all. Scapa Flow is home to the World War I German High Seas Fleet, with four battle cruisers and three battleships lying on the seabed for divers to witness.
Wreck Diving Tips
If you’re planning a visit to any of these best UK dive sites, it’s important to be aware of some important safety considerations. With reduced visibility and the hazards of a confined environment, wreck diving is challenging and we would always recommend that you have the relevant PADI speciality certification before taking part. Pay attention to any safety advice specific to individual wrecks if you are considering penetrating the wreck (for example, penetration of HMS Scylla is not allowed) and always take a suitable dive torch and knife with you.
Quarry Dives
Quarry diving is an excellent choice if you are looking for dive sites with reliable conditions or wish to dive in an environment suited to training and further practice. There are lots of these inland locations across the UK, with the best boasting a range of underwater attractions and helpful and well-maintained on-site facilities. They include:
Stoney Cove
Stoney Cove in Leicestershire is undoubtedly one of the best UK dive sites and holds a very good reputation amongst the nationwide diving community. This inland diving centre caters to all experience levels and abilities with depths ranging from 7 to 36 metres. There is also a great range of things to see here, including a sunken tugboat and an aircraft cockpit.
Capernwray
Up in Lancashire is Capernwray, a clear freshwater quarry perfect for beginner divers in particular. The quarry itself is packed with a range of marine life to observe, along with sunken planes, boats, and even a plastic horse! Capernwray has always been exceptionally well-maintained, and the ample facilities for food and changing make it an all-round fantastic UK diving experience.
Vobster Quay
Vobster Quay in Somerset is a former quarry that has since been transformed into a great diving facility. Depths of up to 36 metres give the dive site a good level of challenge if that’s what you are looking for, while the wide range of submerged structures is ideal for training dives and technical practice.
Quarry Diving Tips
Though quarry dive sites are typically deemed safe environments and good for diver development, it’s still important to prepare properly for the environment you might be facing. Water temperatures in these kinds of environments can be surprisingly cold, so make sure you choose an appropriate wetsuit or drysuit for the conditions you will be facing and don’t be complacent.
Reef Dives
Reef diving is arguably the stereotypical scuba diving experience, characterised by images of vibrant marine life and plenty of colour. You’d be forgiven for thinking that experiences like this are hard to come by in the UK, but the truth is that some of the best UK dive sites are actually natural reefs.
Some of our top recommendations include:
Lundy Island
Located just off the Devon coast is Lundy Island, a Marine Protected Area famous for its grey seal population. The number and diversity of dive sites here is huge, with many great wrecks to visit including the Gull Rock. It’s the reef dives that are the major draw at Lundy Island, though, rich with soft corals, wrasse and crustaceans. Of course, you can expect to catch a glimpse of the seals too. They’re friendly and we’ve heard of them swimming right up to divers from time to time!
Farne Islands
The Farne Islands are another great spot to dive with seals. Situated off the coast of Northumberland, these rocky reefs are also home to a variety of cold water species, as well as breeding seabirds. The huge mixture of marine life and creatures you can see at the Farne Islands makes it undoubtedly one of the best UK dive sites.
Skomer Marine Reserve
Skomer Marine Reserve is a picture-perfect example of a reef environment. This dive site, located in Wales, has been incredibly well-preserved and is teeming with life. Just some of the things you can expect to see here include dogfish, nudibranchs, and sea sponges. Plus, visibility is usually good and the site is pretty shallow, making it accessible to most abilities.
Reef Diving Tips
Reef diving in the UK is seasonal so you’re likely to want to visit these best UK dive sites in the height of dive season in late spring/summer. Make sure you take an underwater camera to capture your experience and always check the tidal information before diving, as currents can be strong at this type of site.
Cave Dives
Not for the faint-hearted, cave diving is one of the most technical ways to dive. While the cave diving community in the UK is small, we’d be doing it an injustice not to include it on our best UK dive sites list. Caves like Wookey Hole, Ogof Ffynnon Ddu and Keld Head all offer unforgettable experiences, with submerged tunnels and intricate cave systems to navigate.
However, it’s very important to be aware that only divers with appropriate qualifications and experience should attempt these sites. Cave diving is highly technical and requires absolute control over buoyancy and air management. If you do meet that criteria or want to chat about what you might need to do to get cave certified, we’re always happy to have a chat.
Happy Diving!
We’ve no doubt that this list of the best UK dive sites will have given you plenty of inspiration for your next dive. Of course, there are loads of other amazing dive sites that we haven’t been able to include on this list, so feel free to get in touch with us if you’d like some more information or further recommendations. We’re also happy to talk to you about the kit you might need to take with you.