Macro
down to 18 m
Petticowick (The Wick)
A sheltered bay beyond St Abbs Head with little or no current, 9-15 m deep, where tiny Atlantic cuttlefish are common.
- Open Water
- Cuttlefish
Dive site in Farne Islands & St Abbs, United Kingdom
St Abbs' sheltered 'training pool' beside the harbour, its floor alive with hundreds of hermit crabs.
A reef and macro dive from the shore. Known for crustaceans.
Recommended minimum: Open Water (PADI Open Water, CMAS/FFESSM N1).
Best months: Aug–Oct.
Source: divessi.comThe point shows the Farne Islands & St Abbs area, not the exact dive site.
Macro
down to 18 m
A sheltered bay beyond St Abbs Head with little or no current, 9-15 m deep, where tiny Atlantic cuttlefish are common.
Wreck
down to 30 m
A WWII cargo ship lying in 30 m off Beadnell, where a large shoal of pollack can often be seen swimming above the engine.
Wall
down to 18 m
A shore dive from St Abbs harbour wall into the Amphitheatre, a bowl of high vertical sides cut by narrow ledges.
Reef
down to 24 m
A relatively sheltered Farnes reef with very little current even on a spring tide, and fleeting encounters with curious seals.
Rock formations
down to 15 m
The most popular shore dive in the St Abbs marine reserve: a huge underwater archway with a smaller arch, the Keyhole, above it.
Wreck
down to 20 m
Wreckage on the Knivestone reef in the Farnes, from a 3-5 m kelpy plateau among the seals down to hull sections at about 20 m.
About this page
Values marked “Estimated” come from our original catalogue and are being checked against published sources one by one. Sourced values link to where they come from. Conditions change with the season, the weather and the tide: confirm with a local dive centre before you dive.