The Magwintons 

Between the superb dive sites of London Arch and West shag Rock in the Torquay side of the Bay lies another equally interesting spot referred to on the charts at The Magwintons. It has taken me a while to get both the weather right and my act together sufficiently to get out to this spot and freedive it enough times to be able to write a decent guide. From my first visit it has taken me 18 months to get to feel like I know this site well.

The Magwintons are two large rocks that are submerged at high water but whose tops dry out by a few metres at low tide. Situated 250m to the east of London arch just beyond the headland they are sadly out of the range for a shore-based scuba dive, but are best approached from Meadfoot if you are on your kayak. The inner rock is the taller one and will be visible about an hour earlier than the outer rock, and it actually only about 15m out from the stunning strata of the cliff-face (This is part of the reason that Torbay is now in internationally recognised Geopark).

A brief warning first: This site is close to the main boat traffic lane that enters/leaves Torquay harbour. Anyone coming very close, or even between the rocks either has no idea they are there, or knows the area very well indeed and likely to be a crab fisherman. I would recommend that you have surface cover at all times while diving here, or at the very least use your kayak as your SMB & display your A-Flag. This far into the Bay there's unlikely to be much of a current, and even on springs it shouldn't be unmanageable.

The Outer Rock
Following correct dive planning procedures we'll do the deepest part of the dive first; this means we have to locate the outer rock which is covered by about 2m of water at high tide. If the visibility is good you will be able to see it from the surface, otherwise an echo sounder will help. Locate the western edge of the outer rock and drop down it's Mussel encrusted face to a sand/mud/shell sea-bed at about 12m on a high tide. On the way down check out the other animals feeding on the Mussels - namely Common Starfish and Edible Crabs. Once on the bottom, if you face the rock and go to your right (south east) the bottom drops away by another few metres and you might find yourself in about 15m of water. There are one or two boulders covered in Dead Men's Fingers and a distinct step in the rock (to your left) which is home to a host of different anemones. Down here the bottom is quite muddy so be careful about stirring it all up but it is well worth looking around (and up!) at the life on the rock-face. This kind of sea-bed is also a potential flatfish territory so watch out for Plaice.

I've not been able to follow the rock out to it's southern most tip so would be interested in any reports! However, if you go up over the step in the rock and continue to the east over the rock's surface you should be taking your time and looking out for Nudibranchs in the short weed growth here. In a few minutes you should come across a ridge in the rock, potentially home to Crabs and Lobsters, along with Sea Cucumbers and Snakelocks Anemones.

If you turn left at this ridge (now heading north west) you will eventually find the inner 'cliff' face of the rock which is festooned in Dead Men's Fingers and another great Nudibranch spot. Also here are Devonshire Cup Corals and more Mussels underneath you. Following your nose will take you to the knife-edge of the rock, where, if you turn left, will bring you back to where you started.

The Inner Rock
If you start your dive on the inner rock at it's western tip but staying between the rock & the main-land, you can follow the weed down to the bolder-strewn sea bed at about 6m. Almost immediately you will start to see the many Dead Men's Fingers and encrusting sponges that litter the vertical faces of this site. Head slowly eastwards and take your time to watch some Sea Cucumbers in the crevices feeding in the tide and all the while look out for Spiny Spider Crabs and Dogfish too. This isn't a very large rock so quite quickly you will come to the eastern end of it which has a lovely rounded shape to it with a pebble 'beach' at it's base. This rounded part of the rock is home to a huge Boring Sponge and a very dense patch of Dead Men's Fingers.

I'm not normally one to recommend that you kneel on the bottom because at many of the sites I visit in doing so you would be squashing something! However the pebble 'beach' affords the photographer a great opportunity to kneel down and really have a good look at the sponges and macro life on the wall just in front of you - rarely is it this easy.

Swimming round the eastern end of the inner rock and heading back along the other side towards the west you will see a flat, almost ribbed, seabed that it distinctly different from that where you started your dive. In a minute or so you will be back where you started, so if you want to swim to the outer rock simply follow a 230 degree bearing for about 50m.

The Gut (the bit between the rocks!)
This is a flat but quite interesting area at about 8m maximum. From flat sand, pebbles and boulders to ribbed bedrock this is a very varied site. All sorts of life can be found here, Snakelocks Anemones, Gooseberry Sea Squirts, Dogfish, Wrasse and all the usual suspects found in Torbay's sites.

If you're fit enough and your navigation is good you could do this entire dive in one attempt, but as always I recommend taking your time to truly get the best out of it. You'll see more and appreciate the beauty of this place to a higher degree. If you find a Nudibranch, stop a while and watch that little fellow... you'd be amazed just how quick they can be! 

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