Petit Tor Point 

Anyone who has ventured too far north on a dive off the beach at Babbacombe will have discovered the vast expanse of sand that lies out there beyond the mud and boulders of the sheltered bay at Babbacombe. This sand is there thanks to the towering sandstone cliffs that make for such a dramatic view when you look along the coast to Teignmouth.

Over the years I haven't taken many trips into the sea along this part of the coastline, and for the purposes of Dive Torbay, it really is at the northern tip of my catchments area - however there is one little gem remaining that really is worth making note of: Petit Tor Point (pronounced 'Petitor')

Just north of Babbacombe is the beach at Oddicombe, which has good facilities for families and a fabulous sandy beach. There is no parking here during May - September, but there is a Victorian Cliff Railway that will take you to the beach from the top of the hill on Babbacombe Downs. The northern end of Oddicombe is currently out of bounds due to a rather unstable portion of the huge cliff that dominates this bay, but that is where our guide starts at the obvious limestone prominentary called Petit Tor Point.

To cover all the ground I will describe in this guide you really need a couple of hours in snorkelling gear, or two or three dives off a boat/kayak. To be honest diving here is a bit of overkill, and a competent snorkeler/freediver will have just as much fun. Access to Petit Tor is problematical in the summer months and you have three choices; boat dive, launch kayak from Babbacombe, or walk half a mile from Petitor Road which is where you'll find the club-house for the local golf course. Out of season you can park down at Oddicombe, which makes launching easier, and this also becomes a shore dive for those willing to walk/swim the 300m to the entry point.

If you elect to walk from Petitor Road, follow the coastal footpath sign straight down the wooded hill - ignoring the 'footpath closed' signs! Some way down the path splits left and right, so you should take the right fork which will take you down some steep steps to the very northern end of Oddicombe beach. The start of our trip is in the corner of the beach where the limestone dramatically cuts out of the surrounding sandstone, there is an old 'Gentleman’s Bathing Place' here left over from grander times.

As with all shore dives, high tide will give you the best experience, and more so at this site any others; you want to avoid being there in any sort of swell as the surge of water will actually be dangerous in some of the swim-throughs, and you may end up kicking some of the wildlife we're here to see!

In essence this is a left-shoulder dive where you keep the sand to your right and the cliffs/interesting stuff to your left. Start off by swimming east and taking time to snoop around the small caves and under cuts in the rock. The overhangs play host to numerous sponges and sea squirts, and the odd large Oyster can be seen here too. Before long you will come across Dove Cave, which is a large cut into the limestone that goes in about 15m or so. Here any surge will mage itself known as you will be thrown into and wipped out from the cave mouth before you know it! Head into the shallowing cave, and on your way back out go slowly and look up toward the overhanging rock and you'll be treated to a rare and spectacular sight: a colony of Pink Fingers anemones. These small delicate anemones are not at all common so please LOOK BUT DO NOT TOUCH, if you're lucky they will have their feeding parts extruded and if you watch carefully you can see them 'fishing' in the current.

Moving on and you will soon come across a gap in the rock that will allow you to head north, this you can do by either swimming over the boulders, or if you're very, very brave (and have a buddy with you) there is a tight swim through you may want to attempt. You could swim right around the large rock to your right if you wanted to, which has an interesting overhang at it's seaward extent. If you don't want to do the swim through and instead go over the boulders, do take the time to look in the deep cracks with your torch for Leopard Spot blennies, Devonshire Cup coral and Queen Scallops. This is also a great hunting ground for Dogfish so expect to see plenty of them around the place.

From this sheltered little bay you now find yourself in, head north along the outer face of Petitor Point. Initially you will swim over a field of large boulders that plenty of Pollack and Bib like to hide in during the day - and don't ignore the kelp as this is the spot where I've seen the most abundant Blue Rayed Limpet numbers anywhere. There are numerous little caves to look into and if you head east to the rock/sand interface, sit quietly and you may see some Bass cruising the waters.

Heading further north you get to the tip of Petit Tor point and a large gully that often has a mass of Common Starfish covering the walls. Here turn left will take you on a short swim in toward Petitor Beach; a small rocky beach that is a 'traditionally tolerated naturist beach' which the Friends Of Petitor' group are trying to get designated as an official naturist area. This group currently do an excellent job of maintaining the beach and trying to lessen the erosion caused by the winter storms we get. From here there is a footpath that will join up with the original 'fork' where you turned down to Oddicombe beach at the start of this guide.

And that's it! The highlight is definitely the Pink Fingers, but there is plenty more life out there if you can spare the time to look for it. Again can I ask you to PLEASE be careful with cameras/fins/hands around these delicate anemones! Thank you!

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