Eyemouth Bay
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The St. Abbs
and Eyemouth Voluntary Marine Reserve was opened on the 18th of August 1984 by Sir David
Bellamy, who plunged into the sea from St. Abbs harbour wall.
As a voluntary reserve, protection of the marine life relies
on the goodwill of the numerous groups of people who use the
area and adhere to the Code of Practice. The settlements of St.
Abbs and Eyemouth both owe their existence to the fishing industry.
Indeed Eyemouth harbour is now the base of a thriving offshore
fishery. The smaller boats operating out of St. Abbs fish the
productive waters for crabs and lobsters using the traditional
method of laying baited pots or 'cribs'. |
North Star
About the
Boat
The charter boat, the North Star, is a 10.5m Offshore 105, capable
of speeds of 17+ knots. The hull design makes for a very stable
dive platform, with large deck area. Rigid side ladder. Compliant
with the latest MCA regulations, she is fully licensed to carry
12 passengers up to a distance of 60 nautical miles and has a
clean toilet. Oxygen is carried on-board |
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SCENIC
DIVES - ST.ABBS
The rocks of St. Abbs Head are primarily a combination of soft
red sandstone and much harder volcanic upthrusts. Because the
headland juts out significantly into the North Sea, it forms
a major obstruction to the tidal flow. Twice a day in both directions,
the pent up water pours round the headland. This movement, coupled
with the action of the waves and swell when the sea is rough,
has over aeons of time, carved walls, tunnels, gullies and archways
that form some of the finest underwater scenery around the British
coast.
Divernet articles
Back to Nature St.Abbs
Shall
we Pray!
Reach
for the Stars |
Wuddy Rocks |
The waters around the Berwickshire
coast have long been considered as special by marine biologists
and their wildlife has been much studied. The water itself is
unusually clear, in contrast to the more silt-laden coastal waters
further to the north or south. These clear waters and spectacular
underwater scenery have attracted increasing numbers of scuba
divers to the area over the last couple of decades. Typical of
this, just a short swim from the harbour wall at St. Abbs, an
insignificant, seaweed covered rock shows above the water at
about half tide. It gives no hint of what lies below the surface
and before divers came on the scene it was known to the local
fishermen as the Sluts. Nothing could be more inappropriate and
by common consent, it is now universally referred to as Cathedral Rock - a huge arch rising from the sea bed in which
you could park a double deck bus with room to spare! Above it
is a smaller flatter arch which a diver can swim through comfortably.
The walls are covered in an amazing range of encrusting marine
life and when the sunlight pours through it, it makes a marvellous
spectacle. This rock coupled with other excellent dive sites
just off the harbour wall has led to this becoming the most popular
shore diving site in Britain. |
Cathedral
Rock |
Glanmire Wreck
(St Abbs head): ~ 30m
The 1141 tonne steamship Glanmire was built in 1888 by W.B. Thompson
of Dundee. On the 25th July 1912, while en-route from Amsterdam
to Grangemouth, she struck the Black Carrs Rock then drifted
until she finally sank 300m north of St Abbs light house. Her
15 crew and 22 passages all managed to reach safety however,
in small boats. She is spread over a large area; the plates,
which are left, are carpeted in dead men’s fingers and plumose
anemones. Large numbers of cod and smaller bib are also common
around the wreck. The Glanmire must be dived during slack water. |
Glanmire Wreck |
Our general opinion about St.Abbs
is you will be hard pushed to find an intact wreck in the 30m
recreational depths. You will need to travel further north but
the depths will be much deeper such as 50-70m. The boat was fine
but difficult to get back on board with a narrow rigid side ladder.
Eyemouth where we stayed has more resturants to offer and night
life. St.Abbs has nothing apart from a few B&B's and a very
small harbour. Our accomodaton was arranged by the skipper at
their own brand new premises, which was very nice and the dacor
included pine flooring through out with a general lounge TV area
to share.
Highly recommended
but extra care should be taken when Technical diving, with the
logistics of the ladder.
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