Wreck and Reef Diving on Anglesey

by Kevin Philips

A trip to Menai, North Wales
09/06/2010

After an early start and a very pleasant drive along the North Wales coast we arrived in Caernarfon’s Victoria Dock for our planned 9am start. We had been diverted from Menai Bridge as our dive boat skipper, Scott had advised that viz on the North East side of Anglesey was very bad due to a plankton bloom so we moved round to the South West side of the island for better viz. To reduce our transit time on the boat we got aboard at Caernarfon instead of Menai Bridge. Even at 9am it was already a bright day; things looked great for the diving as the Menai Straits and the sea beyond were flat calm. Scott the skipper and Kathryn from New Horizons gave us our safety briefing (and our teacups) and took a pole among the divers as to our preferences for the dives we wanted to do, we opted for a reef dive and a wreck dive.

With ten divers and all the kit aboard, and sun tan lotion splashed all over we set off from the slipway round to Caernarfon Bay. With Scott advising that viz on the Liverpool Bay side of the Island was about 20cm we were worried things may not be so great but were delighted to find 8-10 metres viz and with the sun shining the lighting underwater was perfect for some great photographs and video (see the link below for a view of the video).

Scott steamed round to a potential wreck dive but on looking over the side we found the viz was not that great so we continued north up the coast to find some better viz. We arrived at Carag Y Try, a 12-15m deep reef with good viz and lots of life. The viz was up to 7m so we took the plunge.

Almost immediately we encountered an Octopus creeping along the reef and the wildlife just kept on coming, lots of Spider Crab, Wrasse, Nudibranchs, Dogfish and Starfish. As we headed out to sea along the reef it got gradually deeper and you then came across an old wreck site, the wooden boat had long since gone but its cargo of bricks remained which marked the spot where you let the slight current draw you over the top off the reef and out over the sand bottom for a short drift before surfacing.

The water was 12 degrees so we had an hour long dive with no major problems with the cold. Once back on the boat, which has a great diver lift that brings you very comfortably up to deck level so you can just stride onto the boat in full kit, we headed further up the coast and on the way tucked heartily into our packed lunches having worked up an good appetite.

The afternoon sun was by now very hot, dive computers reading over 30 degrees out of the shade on the boat. We had dropped lucky with the hottest day of the year so far and the sea was still flat calm. Our second dive was on the Kyle Prince, a 47 meter long cargo carrying steamship that ran aground in a storm in 1935. We spotted the main boiler from the surface, lying in 10 meters of water. Scott dropped us divers right on top of the boiler and we explored the boiler and then heading back into the shore we were able to see the remains of the main hull with chains, deck plates and structural ribs visible on the bottom. Again the visibility was very good and we managed another hour long dive returning to the surface on SMBs once we had explored the gullies running away from the shore.

Scott proved a great skipper, his local knowledge ensured we got two great dives and he put us right on top of the action. If we had stayed on the north east side of Anglesey we would have been diving in pea soup with the plankton but we ended up with great viz and lots to see. As ever New Horizons organisation ensured we had a smooth trouble free day and we’re left looking forward to our next trip with them.

The video of the dives taken on this trip is on YouTube – take a look...
 

A number of the photographs taken on this trip have been lodged with the Cheshire Wildlife Trust (CWT) who are looking to create a marine photographic library. They are interested in royalty free photographs showing the undersea wildlife in the Irish Sea. If you have any wildlife photo’s taken in the Irish Sea around the North West of the UK and would be prepared to share them with our local wildlife charity then please send them on to Kevin Phillips – mailto:kevinjp@btinternet.com and he will pass them on to the Marine Conservation Officer at CWT. You will be credited with taking the photo should they use it.