A Bank Holiday Weekend at St. Abbs, May 2004
by Richard Booth

The St Abbs & Eyemouth voluntary marine reserve has long been a popular destination for divers looking for a combination of good diving which can also, if required, meet the needs of a more family orientated holiday. As such the area offers a range of accommodation possibilities, from camping to Bed & Breakfast establishments, as well as quality hotels for the more affluent.

In May 2004, I travelled up to St Abbs with members of the Durham City BSAC branch for a long weekend over the late May Bank holiday period. The main aim of this weekend was to give trainees from this club an introduction to open water conditions, as well as the opportunity to complete dive drills. For some of the group, it was to be their first experience of diving in the sea. As such, the branch Diving Officer was faced with the unenviable task of finding a number of dive sites which catered for a wide range of diving experience.

Accommodation was booked in three static caravans at the Scoutscroft Holiday Centre in the village of Coldringham, just a mile or so in land from the picturesque fishing port of St Abbs. This accommodation proved more than adequate for the long weekend, with each caravan coming complete with a hot shower, toilet, fridge and fully fitted kitchen as standard. The Scoutscoft site also has good drying facilities, which can prove useful in the event of a flooded drysuit. The Scoutscroft Holiday Centre even has a local dive shop on site, which as well as carrying a reasonable stock of dive equipment for sale, is also able to offer an efficient repair service for dry suit repairs, as well as supplying air, nitrox and trimix refills. The site also has a restaurant and bar, with local household shops close by in Coldringham and Eyemouth. Our group chose to go self catering for breakfast, and then took advantage of local pubs and restaurants for the evening meal.

Dive Sites:
During the course of the weekend, the Club dived a number of different sites. The local coastline offers a variety of shore based dive sites, some of which are ideal for the less experienced, whilst still offering interesting diving conditions for more advanced divers. However, all of these sites are exposed and as such are vulnerable to heavy swell caused by easterly winds.

Some recommended shore dives:

St Abbs harbour. This dive entails quite a long hike along the south harbour wall. Access to the water can be gained by scrambling down a rocky slope into the water, towards the end of the harbour wall. The water here is around 6 metres deep and the site has some protection offered by a large rock, known locally as Broad Craig. This natural 'underwater amphitheatre' offers a good site for trainees to practice their drills in relative sheltered but open water conditions. The more experienced divers however can use this access point either to explore around the Broad Craig rock, or alternatively practise their navigation skills by exploring the gulleys to the east, which leads out towards sites such as Cathedral Rock, with its dramatic under water arches.
Please remember however, that all diving within the harbour itself or its approaches is strictly forbidden.

Green Ends Gully:
This site lies to the south of the port of Eyemouth and is accessed via a rough track off the new harbour road. Access to the water is via a choice of two entry points. The easiest entry point into the water however, is along the concreted path that has been constructed over the sewer pipe. This site descends into a steeply sided gully which drops via a series of plateaus to a depth of around 15 metres. More experienced divers can explore the area outside of the gully, but care must be taken, as this area is more exposed to tidal currents outside of the shelter offered by the gully. Marine life is abundant, with schooling fish often to be seen in the current at the seaward end of the gully, with crabs, gobies and small lobsters often to be found in the crevices that line the gully walls.

Other recommended dive sites.
The local area also offers a multitude of other sites for the more experienced diver, most of which require access via boat. Fortunately both St Abbs and Eyemouth are able to offer a number of boats available for local dive charter. Early booking is advised however, especially when planning dive trips over a Bank holiday weekend.

Scenic Dive Sites:
Wuddy Rocks, a site often by passed by many visiting divers as it is situated relatively close to the harbour of St Abbs, (although not within swimming distance.) This site is a dive which offers dramatic underwater cliffs covered with dead mans fingers and marine life in abundance. There are also a number of gulleys, some of which lead to dramatic swim throughs covered in marine life. When the u/w visibility is good, this site can offer spectacular scenic diving. Maximum depth is around 17 metres.

Black Carrs: This site offers a series of underwater gulleys. More shelter can be found from the tide either by dropping down low into the gulleys themselves, or by keeping in closer to the rocks. Lots of beautiful anemones are to be found scattered throughout the gulleys. This site is also a good area for looking out for the elusive wolfish. A nice dive, but often subject to tidal conditions.

Skelly Rock & West Hurker: Situated, north of St Abbs Head, these sites are subject to strong tidal flow. Life however thrives in these strong tidal conditions. The area offers a number of good drift dives, during which one will fly through dramatic gulleys lined with deadmans fingers and plumrose anenomies. Look more closely amongst this marine growth and you will often find unusual nudibranchs, octopus, as well as gorgeously coloured anemones that adorn these gullies.

Wreck Dives:
The area is not rich in wreck sites, however, the nature of its rocky foreshore, combined with its strong tidal flow has claimed a number of maritime victims over the years, some of which make for good dive sites.

S.S. Glanmire: The wreck of this 1100 ton steamship lies some 300 metre out from the St Abbs lighthouse. Wrecked in 1912, the Glanmire lies in 33 metres of water. Time however has inevitably taken its toll, and the wreck is well broken up. Nevertheless, parts of the wreck remain easily recognisable, with the boilers and ship ribs scattered across the sea bed. The site is the subject of strong tidal flow, so this dive should therefore only be attempted at slack water. The strong tides however, usually ensure a clean dive with an abundance of marine life.

S.S. Alfred Ealsden:
The Ebb Carrs is an underwater reef situated several hundred metres south east of St Abbs harbour wall. In 1907, this Danish steam ship struck the Ebb Carrs and became a total wreck. The area is subject to strong tidal flow and is usually dived on slack water. The Ebb Carrs consist of several rocky gulleys covered in kelp. The wreck itself, is well dispersed and scattered amongst a couple of these gulleys, with piles of riveted plates, winches, a boiler and a condenser to be found. The site is also rich in marine life, with schools of Pollock, inquisitive wrasse, as well as lobsters to be found hiding amongst the wreckage.

In summary, this stretch of the Scottish coastline offers some of the finest diving available in the UK. Accommodation is available that caters to a wide group of tastes and prices. Diving facilities are excellent, with two local dive shops and numerous charter boats available, operating out of the harbours at either St Abbs or Eyemouth.

These boats can take parties out to a varied selection of dive sites, dependent upon the experience of the groups concerned. In addition, the coastline offers a number of outstanding shore dives. Whilst the high cliffs that dominate these shores ensure shelter from strong Westerly winds, the coastline is vulnerable to Easterly on shore breezes, when heavy swell can result in conditions that make diving impossible. Unfortunately Bank holiday weekend weather in this area can never be guaranteed and is just as vulnerable to the variables of the UK weather system as other areas.

Car parking spaces in St Abbs itself is also rather limited, so it is advisable to share vehicles and plan to arrive early. Parking is also expensive, with an 'all day' ticket costing £10! Obtaining parking in Eyemouth however is much easier and is also currently 'free', and this is a possible factor to bear in mind when considering whether to charter a boat from either Eyemouth or St Abbs.

The St Abbs and Eyemouth area therefore continue to offer facilities and diving that are ideal for organised club trips. I for one, look forward to further exploring the many other dive sites available that this coastline has to offer over future Bank holiday weekends.

Dive Shops:
Sub Aqua Divers (Scoutscoft) ltd,
Situated at the Scoutscroft Holiday Centre
Coldringham
Tel. 01890 771669
e-mail: info@subaquadivers.co.uk

AquaStars Dive Centre
New Harbour Buildings
Eyemouth
Tel. 018907 50904
Website
Web site also contains a useful on line weather update on local sea conditions with a web cam view of a local beach.

Dive Charter boats
St Abb's based charter boats

Felix Charters
(30' catamaran)
Tel. Pete Crowe
018907 71945

St Abb's Boat Charters
Hard Boat 'Selkie'
Tel. Peter Gibson
01890 771681

Rock House Dive Centre
Hard Boat Feeward 35 'The Lady Gail'
Tel. Billy Aitchison
018907 71288
e-mail w.j.aitchison@btinternet.com
Website
Accommodation can also be booked at the Rock House Dive Centre.

Eyemouth based charter boats.

Contact AquaStars Dive Centre
Tel. 018907 808565
Website

Accommodation

Scoutscroft Holiday Centre
Static caravans for hire, plus camping site.
Tel. 018907 71338
Hotline tel 0800 1693786
e-mail holidays@scoutscroft.co.uk
Website

Castle Rock Guest House
Murrayfield, St Abb's
Tel. 018907 71715

Priory View B&B
Eyemouth Rd. Coldingham
018907 71525
e-mail prioryview@btinternet.com
Website

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