LONDON ARCH
Many divers who, quite rightly, head to the West Country to sample some of our most famous dives tend to raise a quizzical eye-brow at the idea of doing a shore dive. Brilliant! More room for me then! OK so you might have travelled many miles to be in Devon or Cornwall, but there really are some stunning dives to be had in the relative shallows of our beaches and coves.
I'm going to share with you one of South Devon's best-kept secrets; well it is in my book anyway. On any sunny weekend throughout the year you will find many divers congregating at one of Torbay's many coastal car parks. Babacombe, Meadfoot, Brixham Breakwater and Shaolstone Pool to name the most popular shore dive sites. While these are undoubtedly very good dives, they can be very popular indeed and parking can be a real pain.
So, if you are prepared for a 200 yard walk and a similar surface swim then I can give you a wreck dive, a cave dive, lots and lots of marine life, and the chance of a flatfish or two all in one dip!
LONDON ARCH off Torquay's coastline is a natural arch formed from a 60' cliff face by wave action following fissures in the local limestone. The arch itself is not very big as these things go, but a tour around its immediate area is really quite something. However, this is not a dive to attempt from the shore if your fitness is not up to scratch.
Our journey starts at one of my favourite spots in Torbay; the Living Coasts seaside centre which is great for the family while you're taking a dip. They will also be able to follow your progress through binoculars from the end of Haldon Pier.
Park in the car park there and walk up the road until you reach the entrance to the Imperial Hotel. Walk past the hotel and continue along the footpath until you reach Peaked Tor Cove. There is quite a steep walk down to the shore, but the Torbay Coast & Countryside Trust maintain this cove and there is a nice jetty to have a rest on when you get there.
From the concrete jetty, there are steps that allow easy access into the water. From here you are facing a 200 yard surface swim, but it is along the coastline and the only possible hazard are some fishermen, but chat to them on your way past and they'll be happy to reel-in or hold their lines up for you as you swim past.
Leaving the steps behind, start off towards the headland to the East, at high tide you can swim between the headland and the mainland, but at low tide you will have to swim around. Once past the rock you will be able to see your target to the East; the natural rock arch.
Depths on this dive range from 3m under the arch to 11m on the outer, South, side. The area of interest to us is not huge so there is plenty of time to stop and take in what's around you. This is an ideal dive for photographers with plenty of natural light and lots of diver-friendly wildlife.
I will take you on a figure-of-eight tour, and we will start our adventure with a little swim-though. Position yourself directly under the Western edge of the arch, facing North, and you will see a crack in the rock which is the entrance to a small cave only 1 or 2 metres under the surface. The entrance is only big enough for one diver at a time, but it instantly opens to a small area big enough for two to swim around in with some care. In the spring and early summer this is a haven for young fish and a favourite with Edible Crabs, Shrimps and Top Knots who like the shelter it provides. The walls of the cave are covered in Dead Men's Fingers, Elephant's Ear Sponges, Boring Sponges and a host of smaller sponge and plant life.
(Note: There is a small entrance to the North-East but this is very narrow and not recommended for scuba kit!) Exit the cave in single file to the East (the cave is no longer than 15m and you can always see daylight from one of the two entrances) making note of the smaller life that make these walls their home, when clear of the walls do a 90 degree turn to your right to face South. Swim across the sandy bottom, looking out for Plaice, Cuttle Fish and Dahalia Anemones until you meet another wall of rock. This is the inner edge of the outer foot of the arch.
Now head West to keep the wall at your left shoulder as you swim under the arch itself. Here the sea-bed rises to the dive's shallowest point as you swim over the rocks left from previous roof collapses from the arch. The wall on your left is, again, festooned with sponges and quite often Pipefish will be lurking in the weeds you are swimming through.
Here wall starts to turn South (left), deepens to about 7m and turns into a small cave (little more than a large crack) which is home to a colony of Jewel Anemones of every colour and quite often a medium sized Conger Eel who likes to live life vertically in a crack in the wall of the cave. This is a one-diver-at-a-time cave, but it is only 4m long and your buddy will be able to see you at all times. While you are waiting your turn, check out the Tompot Blennies on the floor of the entrance to the cave, highly entertaining!
From the second cave, and keeping the rocks to your left, head South into the deeper water until you meet sand and the rocks now take you East. If you have not seen them already, a short swim will take to a large collection of big steel pipes - the remains of a barge ripped form the Pier decades ago and the reason why many local divers call this dive 'The Pipes' when done from a RIB. These lumps of rust are up to 6m long and provide a great deal of shelter for many species of fish and are a popular feeding ground for most of the UK Nidubranchs at the right time of year. Sea Hare, Sea Mouse and Sea Slugs are all visitors to this site too.
Keep heading East while you explore the pipes and eventually both the steel and the rock will give way to sand. Here you should do a u-turn to your left to head West and back into the arch with its walls, nooks and crannies jammed full of marine life.
Once you surface you are obviously faced with the swim and walk back to the car, but believe me you will have plenty to chat about having seen so much on one dive! If you are familiar with the area, and good at your navigation, you can dive your way back to Peaked Tor Cove, covering sand, rocks, scallops and flatfish on your way. Just be warned that sometimes this stretch of sea-bed is potted by the local Crabbers and you might also hook yourself one of those friendly anglers you passed on your way out!
So there you have it: a microcosm of British marine life in a pretty little dive with something for all types of UK divers; over-head environments, vertical walls, rusting steel and photo opportunities a-plenty!
If you do attempt this as a shore dive, please take a delayed SMB and send it up after the first swim-though as there are some boat owners out there who come too close the arch to have a look at it's top-side beauty.
Just one last thing, having dived or snorkelled this site for many years (I tell my other half I'm going to 'old faithful' and she knows where I mean) promise me you'll treat it with care because if I find it becoming damaged I will not be happy!