Artificial reef
down to 30 m
29 Steps
Easy beach entry to a training platform at about 9 m and a sunken rowing boat, with fireworks anemones and langoustines deeper down the slope.
- Open Water
- Anemones
Argyll Sea Lochs (Loch Fyne & Loch Long)
Diving in United Kingdom
8 documented dive sites, 1 of them for Open Water divers. Known for lesser spotted dogfish and crustaceans.
- Good months
- All year
- Water
- 10–15 °C
- Levels
- Open Water, Advanced
- Nearest airport
- GLA
When to go
Pick a month: the diving season, from published sources, and the typical weather.
Pick a month
- Best
- Good
- Possible
- Closed
- Not documented yet
Argyll Sea Lochs (Loch Fyne & Loch Long) in October
Good season- Sea
- 14 °C
- at the surface
- Air
- 13 °C
- 8 °C at night
- Rain
- 250 mm
- one of the wettest months
- Wind
- 16 km/h
- on average
Typical weather, not a forecast: averages for 2021–2025 (air, rain, wind) and 2023–2025 (sea), data from Open-Meteo (ERA5 / Copernicus, Météo-France). Covers an area of roughly 10 to 25 km around the destination.
No source gives a month-by-month season. PADI says the sheltered lochs can be dived 'most of the year'; Scottish clubs dive them year-round (e.g. Tyneside BSAC trips in April and June). Every month is shown as good, with no peak.
Dive sites in Argyll Sea Lochs (Loch Fyne & Loch Long)
From the easiest to the most demanding. Levels with a dashed outline are estimates we are still verifying.
Open Water friendly
usual dive down to 18 m1 siteFor Advanced divers
usual dive down to 30 m7 sitesReef
down to 30 m
Conger Alley
Two reefs on the north end of Loch Long with conger eels, dogfish, the occasional lobster and sometimes a friendly seal.
- Advanced
- Lesser spotted dogfish
Reef
down to 40 m
Seal Reef (St Catherine's)
One of Scotland's most popular shore dives on Loch Fyne, with an easy entry, dogfish on the slope and fireworks anemones deeper.
- Advanced
- Lesser spotted dogfish
Marine life
When the big encounters happen, month by month.
Reported here, season not documented yet:
- Lesser spotted dogfish
- Crustaceans
- Conger eel
- Anemones
- Sea pens
- Seals
- Flame shells
- Nudibranchs
- Octopus
Where is Argyll Sea Lochs (Loch Fyne & Loch Long)?
- Nearest airport
- GLA
Argyll Sea Lochs (Loch Fyne & Loch Long): frequently asked questions
- When is the best time to dive Argyll Sea Lochs (Loch Fyne & Loch Long)?
- Argyll Sea Lochs (Loch Fyne & Loch Long) can be dived all year round. No source gives a month-by-month season. PADI says the sheltered lochs can be dived 'most of the year'; Scottish clubs dive them year-round (e.g. Tyneside BSAC trips in April and June). Every month is shown as good, with no peak.
- Is Argyll Sea Lochs (Loch Fyne & Loch Long) good for beginner divers?
- Yes, partly: 1 of the 8 dive sites we document are suited to Open Water divers, including 29 Steps. The others need more experience or a higher certification.
- What is the water temperature in Argyll Sea Lochs (Loch Fyne & Loch Long)?
- The water is usually between 10 °C and 15 °C over the year.
- What marine life can you see in Argyll Sea Lochs (Loch Fyne & Loch Long)?
- Divers regularly see lesser spotted dogfish, crustaceans, conger eel, anemones and sea pens.
- How do you dive Argyll Sea Lochs (Loch Fyne & Loch Long)?
- The nearest airport is GLA.
About this page
Seasons and marine life come from the sources below. Site levels and depths marked as estimated come from our original catalogue and are being checked one by one. Conditions change: always confirm with a local dive centre.
Your next dive is somewhere out there.
Find my next dive tripPhoto credits
- Sunlight and bubbles in deep blue water, Sarah Lee, Unsplash License, on Unsplash