Is Plymouth & South Cornwall good for beginner divers?

Yes, partly: 4 of the 12 dive sites we document are suited to Open Water divers, including Glen Strathallan, Porthkerris Cove and Hera. The others need more experience or a higher certification.

What is the water temperature in Plymouth & South Cornwall?

The water is usually between 7 °C and 16 °C over the year.

What marine life can you see in Plymouth & South Cornwall?

Divers regularly see basking sharks (Jun–Aug), dolphins (Jun–Aug), cuttlefish (Mar–Aug), octopus and conger eel.

Plymouth & South Cornwall

Diving in United Kingdom

12 documented dive sites, 4 of them for Open Water divers. Known for basking sharks, dolphins and cuttlefish.

Best months: Jul–Oct
Water: 7–16 °C
Levels: Open Water, Advanced, Experienced
Nearest airport: EXT

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

Plymouth & South Cornwall in October

Best season

Sea: 15 °C; at the surface
Air: 16 °C; 11 °C at night
Rain: 190 mm; one of the wettest months
Wind: 18 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.

PADI: high season May–September, best July–October. No source says diving stops in winter, so Nov–Apr is shown as possible.

Source: blog.padi.com

Dive sites in Plymouth & South Cornwall

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 m4 sites

Wreck

down to 18 m

Glen Strathallan

A ship deliberately sunk for divers, now a 15 m debris field around an upright boiler with cuttlefish, tompot blennies and octopus.

Open Water
Cuttlefish

Kelp forest

down to 20 m

Porthkerris Cove

A beach dive on the Lizard where gullies and kelp shelter anemones, urchins, cuttlefish and occasionally John Dory.

Open Water
Basking sharks

Wreck

down to 18 m

Hera

An 18 m beginner's wreck in Falmouth Bay, split in two halves encrusted with sponges, fans and dead man's fingers.

Open Water
Nudibranchs

Wreck

down to 12 m

Rock Island Bridge

A 1920 wreck in 12 m on sand off the Lizard, with conger in the box sections and cuttlefish and rays on the surrounding sand.

Open Water
Rays

For Advanced divers

usual dive down to 30 m7 sites

Wreck

down to 30 m

HMT Elk

A small 1902 trawler sunk in 30 m, compact enough to swim around twice, with congers and lobsters in the wreckage.

Advanced
Conger eel

Wall

down to 40 m

Eddystone Reef

Offshore reef 19 km south of Plymouth where white shell gravel, jewel anemones and pink sea fans often meet excellent visibility.

Advanced

Wreck

down to 24 m

HMS Scylla

A 113 m Leander-class frigate placed on the seabed in 2004 as an artificial reef, now well colonised and home to sea fans.

Advanced

Wreck

down to 29 m

SS Mohegan (The Manacles)

The best-known and most dived wreck on the Manacles, broken among rocks covered in gorgonian fans, dead man's fingers and jewel anemones.

Advanced

Wreck

down to 30 m

SS Persier

A 122 m wartime steamer, diveable at any state of tide, home to schools of bib and pollack and pink sea fans.

Advanced

Wreck

down to 21 m

SS Volnay

A First World War cargo wreck in 21 m off Porthkerris, non-tidal, where shell cases, lead balls or cordite still turn up.

Advanced

Wreck

down to 24 m

James Eagan Layne

A Second World War Liberty ship torpedoed in 1945, now a reef of pink sea fans, dead men's fingers and anemones.

Advanced
Conger eel

For experienced divers

usual dive down to 40 m1 site

Wreck

down to 50 m

City of Westminster (Runnel Stone)

A 1923 wreck on the Runnel Stone off Land's End, plastered with miniature plumose anemones and home to huge ballan wrasse.

Experienced
Conger eel

Marine life

When the big encounters happen, month by month.

Species	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Basking sharksSource: blog.padi.com
DolphinsSource: blog.padi.com
CuttlefishSource: porthkerris.com
OrcasSource: blog.padi.com

Peak season
Seen

Also reported here, season not documented yet:

Octopus
Conger eel
Seals
John dory

Where is Plymouth & South Cornwall?

View on OpenStreetMapLocation: Plymouth Breakwater (Wikipedia)Map: Natural Earth

Nearest airport: EXT

Plymouth & South Cornwall: frequently asked questions

When is the best time to dive Plymouth & South Cornwall?: The best months to dive Plymouth & South Cornwall are Jul–Oct. PADI: high season May–September, best July–October. No source says diving stops in winter, so Nov–Apr is shown as possible.
Is Plymouth & South Cornwall good for beginner divers?: Yes, partly: 4 of the 12 dive sites we document are suited to Open Water divers, including Glen Strathallan, Porthkerris Cove and Hera. The others need more experience or a higher certification.
What is the water temperature in Plymouth & South Cornwall?: The water is usually between 7 °C and 16 °C over the year.
What marine life can you see in Plymouth & South Cornwall?: Divers regularly see basking sharks (Jun–Aug), dolphins (Jun–Aug), cuttlefish (Mar–Aug), octopus and conger eel.
How do you dive Plymouth & South Cornwall?: The nearest airport is EXT.

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.

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Photo: Sarah Lee on Unsplash

Photo credits

Sunlight and bubbles in deep blue water, Sarah Lee, Unsplash License, on Unsplash