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
Open Water≤18 m
Cathedral Rock
Dive site in Farne Islands & St Abbs, United Kingdom
The most popular shore dive in the St Abbs marine reserve: a huge underwater archway with a smaller arch, the Keyhole, above it.
- Usual dive
- 10 m
- Deepest point
- 15 m
- Level
- Open Water
- Best months
- Aug–Oct
- Entry
- From shore
The story
Divers named Cathedral Rock after the arched tunnel through it; there are actually two tunnels, a much smaller one lying above the main arch.
Source: finstrokes.com
The dive
A reef and rock formations dive from the shore.
Who it's for
Open Water≤18 mSource: finstrokes.com
Recommended minimum: Open Water (PADI Open Water, CMAS/FFESSM N1).
Conditions
- Dive type
- Reef, Rock formations
- Environment
- Open water
- Water
- Sea water
Season in Farne Islands & St Abbs
- J
- F
- M
- A
- M
- J
- J
- A
- S
- O
- N
- D
- Best
- Good
- Possible
- Closed
- Not documented yet
Best months: Aug–Oct.
Source: divessi.comWhere is Farne Islands & St Abbs?
The point shows the Farne Islands & St Abbs area, not the exact dive site.
More dives in Farne Islands & St Abbs
Wreck
down to 30 m
SS Somali
A WWII cargo ship lying in 30 m off Beadnell, where a large shoal of pollack can often be seen swimming above the engine.
- Experienced
- Cod
Wall
down to 18 m
Big Green Carr (Amphitheatre)
A shore dive from St Abbs harbour wall into the Amphitheatre, a bowl of high vertical sides cut by narrow ledges.
- Open Water
Reef
down to 24 m
Blue Caps
A relatively sheltered Farnes reef with very little current even on a spring tide, and fleeting encounters with curious seals.
- Advanced
- Seals
Wreck
down to 20 m
Knivestone wrecks
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.
- Advanced
- Seals
Kelp forest
down to 5 m
Knoxes Reef
A sheltered 0-5 m kelp bed off a Farnes seal colony where hundreds of mature grey seals haul out on the nearby rocks.
- Open Water
- Seals
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.