For years I remembered this site as the one that really opened my eyes to the abundance of life there is in UK waters down at the micro (or macro in photographic terms) level. I dived it as an 'everywhere else is blown out' dive and the visibility wasn't great, which is perhaps why I was concentrating on the little things right in front of my eyes. But what I saw (as much as I remember of that dive anyway) truly was awesome.

Now though, with many more diving years behind me I know that there are sites within Torbay that have a far higher density of life but I still think of Durl Rock (on Durl Head) with much fondness. In the intervening years I have only had the opportunity to re-visit the Rock on a couple of occasions but for this guide I made a concerted effort to get back there and see if me memory was playing tricks on me!

Durl Rock is situated at the southern most extent of Torbay Harbour as defined on the Admiralty charts. South of the impressive Berry Head, it is a sharp dragon's tooth shaped rock formation that is cut off the mainland at half-tide upwards. Getting there with any ease (and with scuba kit) requires a boat, but if you're like me and happy to freedive or kayak-dive then you can either walk or paddle to the spot.

The walk is really the daftest way to get there as you have to stomp the coastal footpath from the Berry Head Car Park for 500m, then scramble down a very steep fisherman's path to an old quarry which then leaves you with a 200m swim to the best bit. That said, as you'll be freediving you can always cover the, fairly interesting, ground in-between with ease - though in the interests of public safety I recommend that you don't use this approach!

Attacking Durl Rock by kayak is fairly simple and means an easy launch from Brixham Breakwater Beach, or a slightly rockier (but 600m shorter paddle) launch from Shoalstone. Where-ever you choose to launch from, head out to Berry Head, turn south (right), past Cod Rock and you will be nearly there. As you round Berry Head you will see towering cliffs and some large sea-caves to the right – please give these a wide berth as they are important nesting sights for many birds and the Berry Head ranger won’t be too pleased with you for disturbing them. And he will see you because they’ve got webcams up there; you have been warned! At high tide you can land on the rock but as the tide drops your re-entry will become more difficult.

A word of warning to anyone wanting to kayak to Durl Rock; rounding Berry Head can at times be quite a hair-raising experience as the tidal race here can lead to huge standing waves if the wind is going against the tidal flow. I would only recommend experienced kayakers make this journey unless the weather is very calm and you are on neap tides.

Before you get wet, it is well worth just checking out the tidal situation as well as looking for any pots that may be a hazard underwater. If you intend to dive further inshore then the tides won’t present much pf a problem, but further out, or near the end of the rock you will want to be there on neaps or on slack water; 3 – 4 hours after High Tide.

The ground surrounding the Rock to the north is the usual array of rocks and sand we’ve come to expect from Torbay. Though happily there is a bit less silt and mud here because of the currents that whip past twice a day. If you fancy a dip out there you can really just take your pick and follow your nose. Depth will be between 12m and 8m and you’ll see Spiny Spider crabs all year round, as well as Cuttlefish and dozens of Nudibranchs in the early part of the year. It was out here that I saw my first Football Jersey Worm, at about 1m long and only 4mm thick! Amongst the rocks you’ll find Dogfish, Wrasse, Sea Scorpion, Fan worms, a smattering of anemones and Dead Mens Fingers. Over the sand there is the distinct possibility of flatfish (I guess that’s why there’s a fisherman’s path on the shore) and Scallops. In closer to the shore you will be shallower, 5 – 7m, and hence you will encounter more in the way of weed, Nudibranchs and Daisy Anemones.

The real highlight of this site for me is a gully that runs NW – SE right on the tip of the rock. It isn’t very long or particularly deep (9m) but the life living on the walls of the gully is simply amazing, and also the reason I remember this spot with such fondness. Let me give you an example of what you can expect to see in this one small gully (these are the ones with common names, if you’re into your Latin you’ll see even more!):

Common Boring Sponge
Elephant’s Ear Sponge
Purple Encrusting Sponges
Orange Encrusting Sponges
Breadcrumb Sponge
Light-Bulb Ascidians
Star Sea Squirt
Gooseberry Sea Squirt
Devonshire Cup Coral
Fan Worm
Dahlia Anemone
Jewel Anemone
Daisy Anemone
Sandaled Anemine
Nudibranchs
Sea Cucumber
Edible Crab
Leech’s Spider Crab
Velvet Swimmer Crab
Pollack
Ballan Wrasse
Goldsinny Wrasse
Two Spot Goby
Tompot Blenny

To find the gully, make your descent at the North Eastern tip of the rock and follow the kelp down. The rock levels out at about 6m and there is a small gully directly below you, or you can swim over that one to the main attraction. You won’t miss it because it is a vertical wall of rock that goes from 6m to 15m on a high tide. At the head of the gully there is only room for 1 diver at a time, but at the far end it opens out nicely with plenty of room on a sandy bottom.

If you keep right heading out of the gully you’ll round the rock and start heading back in towards St.Mary’s Bay. This side of the rock is quite dramatically different from the North; it’s a little deeper (14m+), more silty and resembles a bolder field. For some reason there appears to be less life here too but I will put it on my list of things to do to properly check it out and complete this guide. Turning left as you leave the gully should take you over more sand/rocks, but again I haven’t investigated that direction yet.

A little further round the sea-bed rises up to about 8m and there are plenty of interesting bolders, with one or two caves and swim-through for the brave. If you really feel energetic, it is possible, at high tide, to swim round the entire rock, though this will take some doing!

And that is Durl Rock; a little off the beaten track but well worth a visit. A friend of mine recently landed his kayak on it for a day’s fishing and had a magic day with plenty of Mackerel and Garfish. So if the visibility isn’t too good you could always try some float-fishing instead.

How ever you decide to get there, please watch your buoyancy and your fins in the gully. These marine creatures are delicate and won’t take too kindly to being bettered around!

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