Penzance

The historic fishing town of Penzance. Did you know the mean high water mark used by industries around the world was first set here?

Penzance, not just famous for its fishing heritage but also for it’s warm water lido, the final destination for the longest train journey across the United Kingdom and of course the very touristy destination of St Michael’s Mount that is still lived in by its owners to this day!

But thats all Penzance has to offer, for Penzance is home to some of the nicest beaches in Cornwall with some amazing dive and snorkel spots all with in 30 - 40 minutes drive from us!

Please be aware that the information below can be used to assist you for diving or snorkel sites, but we cannot be held liable for any accidents/incidents should you choose not to use us as your guide.

We will also be continuing to add more dive/snorkel sites around Penzance in the near future, but we will not advertise them until we are satisfied that they have met our criteria regarding safety and passing our risk assessments.

This might take some time as getting in to survey the sites for their suitableness is weather dependent. If you are interested with assisting us with this however, we would be more than happy to collaborate with you - just send us an email and we’ll go from there.

Our Guided Dive Sites

Marazion Beach

Marazion beach is one of our lobster release sites. If you’re interested in becoming a certified Lobster Release Diver, head on over to the SDI Lobster Release Diver in our ‘Specialties’ list to find out more.

More of a snorkel than a dive but if you do intend to dive here, it is best done on a high tide. There are two dive/snorkel sites here: The right hand side of St Michael’s Mount is a bit devoid of life to begin with but has some great geology that becomes exposed during a low tide. Head on over to the rocks and you maybe able to get close enough to the Cormorants basking in the sun. This is one of our Lobster Release Sites, as lobsters are the main food source for so much marine life, by releasing them here we can try to increase the amount of other marine life in the long term. To find out more about releasing lobsters with us, head on over to the SDI Lobster Release Diver course under ‘Specialties’ on this website.

Past the rocks is when the kelp forest begins and you can finally start getting a bit more depth and a bit more life.

Be aware that there is a longshore current on this stretch of coastline that will eventually pull you out to sea. It’s easy enough to swim against but in full scuba gear, the swim will feel much longer than in just snorkel kit. Also be aware of boat traffic leaving St Michael’s Mount and make sure you take a surface marker buoy with you.

On the left hand side there are a few more rocks and reefs closer to the shore, home to a bit more marine life. Both of these dives are quite shallow between 4 - 6 metres at best, unless you were to swim much further out.

There are two carparks. You have a long stay carpark with very friendly onsite attendants. The walk from the carpark is quite long to the left hand side of St Michaels Mount, but you can swim straight to the rocks on the right hand side. Then you have a short stay carpark where you can stay for a maximum of 3 hours no return. This is the better option if you wanted to dive the left hand side of St Michaels mount, as the walk is much shorter.

More of a snorkel than a dive, there is some great geology to admire here and if you’re lucky, you maybe able to get quite close to cormorants basking on the rocks.

Porthgwarra

The slipway is short but incredibly steep! we recommend carrying your kit down separately rather than falling whilst wearing it all.

The United Kingdom’s most Southwesterly shore dive!

This is a very out of the way dive site with some very narrow lanes and hairpin turns to drive through but it is definitely worth it! I should point out though this dive site is better for the more experienced divers. There is a cheap carpark and a local cafe on site. The slipway down to the water’s edge is short but very steep, it would be better to carry your kit down separately than risk falling whilst wearing it all.

Dive on the left hand side and you will be diving through some enormous boulders hiding large crustaceans. Dive on the right hand side and you will be diving through more boulders but there is more kelp here providing a home for fish species such as Ballan Wrasse, Cuckoo Wrasse, Seabass, Sandeels and other shoaling fish. There is also a very good chance you will be investigated by the Grey Seals that live and hunt here. Please make note, the seals here are less used to human interaction compared to other parts of Cornwall due to the isolation around these parts. Please consider this and do not approach a wild seal - we don’t want scare stories in the tabloids because of human stupidity!

Due to the larger boulders and geography of this site, you may experience a bit of swell even on calm days. Average depth is anything between 8 to 12 metres because the sand gets trapped between boulders creating pits of differing depths, which can be quite disorientating. Make sure you are comfortable and competent at using a compass before diving this site. We offer Navigation Courses if you want to brush up your skills first or you can book us for a guided dive here instead.

If you are to dive here without a guide, then definitely dive it during a slack tide!

Porthgwarra, you will find some very large crustaceans living here!