Located just three hours from Dublin, Hook Head is a fantastic place for both shore diving and boat diving. The coastline is lovely, marked with a lighthouse, and peppered with intriguing rock formations and striking gullies that extend from shore to below the waterline. Offering year-round diving when the weather is right, the area is easily accessed and offers some sites that are suitable even for less experienced divers. Here are four of the best and most popular Hook Head dive sites you can access by boat.
Three Mile Rock - Ireland Dive Sites
Situated to the southeast of Hook Head, four miles from Slade Harbor and seven miles from Fethard Harbor, Three Mile Rock is also known as The Big Rock. Not marked by a buoy, the pinnacle-shaped rock does not break the surface, even at the lowest tides. Its top is situated at a depth of about fifteen meters, and its bottom is at a depth of 35 meters; you’ll either need to go with a seasoned local guide, or bring a depth sounder with you to find it. Local fishermen are well aware of its position, as it is one of the only geological features for some distance, and as such, attracts marine life in abundance.
Here, you’ll find schooling cod and coalfish, shoals of Pollock, mackerel, and sometimes whiting. At the bottom of the rock, which has steep walls and is washed by a light current most of the time, you’ll find huge boulders where wrasse, dogfish, and congers, plus the occasional John Dory can be found. Suitable for intermediate divers and better, the site’s currents are strongest during half tides. Be sure to dive with a flag, ascend with SMB’s, and be careful of lost fishing tackle. Stay alert for fishing boats and never leave your dive boat unattended at this site.
Western Rock - Ireland Dive Sites
Another completely submerged rock, and somewhat deeper than Three Mile Rock, Western Rock is also situated southeast of Hook Head, and is located just about half a mile to the west of its larger neighbor. Sitting with its top at a depth of about 22 meters, it rises up from the seabed which is at a depth of forty meters here. More of a plateau shape than a pinnacle; this rock features huge gullies that slope outward and away from its top. At the bottom, large boulders shelter lobsters and wrasse, as well as a few curious congers. There are less fish here than at the neighboring site, and also less fishermen – this is a good second site if you arrive to find fishing boats already occupying the area.
This site is not marked with a buoy, and you’ll need a depth sounder to locate it. Safety equipment is a must, and there is a slight current which does abate inside the gullies.
Girl Arleen - Ireland Dive Sites
Resting 27 meters beneath the surface, the wreck of the fishing trawler Girl Arleen has only been here since 1995, when the boat was involved in a collision with another vessel on a foggy day. Fairly broken up, but with her wheelhouse intact, the boat is strewn across the seabed, and partially upside down; even so, some sections can be penetrated with care. You’ll find lots of lobsters living in the wreck, along with congers and quite a few wrasse, bream, and other fish. During the summer months, this popular wreck is often marked with floats which can become submerged during the highest tides. There is a bit of silt in the area, but not much current, making this a fun site for intermediate divers and better.
George Milburn - Ireland Dive Sites
The wreck of the George Milburn is the largest in the area. This steel steam powered trawler was used as a minesweeper during WWI, and was just over 37 meters long with a beam of just under 7 meters. In 1907, the ship was escorting the oiler SS Wylie to Milford from Queenstown, when she struck a mine amidships, causing a massive explosion that cost eleven of her crew members their lives. Only one man survived the tragedy.
The ship was first dived in 2006, and lies beneath just 23 meters of water to the east of Hook Head, with her bow pointed toward the lighthouse. Fairly broken up and flattened, with its boiler lying a short distance to the left of the hull, the wreck is now home to loads of lobsters and some large congers, along with Pollock, wrasse, mackerel, the occasional whiting, and even a few John Dory from time to time. The wreck has a low profile, with her highest point situated just two meters above the seabed, but thanks to overall shallow depth, a good amount of bottom time can be spent exploring what remains of a once sturdy, hardworking vessel.
While visibility at these sites can sometimes be terribly compromised by silting, it is sometimes very good; up to twenty meters on the best days. The Hook Sub Aqua Club is located a short distance from Slade Harbor; there, you can get airfills and pair up with a local guide who can help you locate and dive these sites with ease. Boats can be launched from Slade Harbor, which is closest to the dive sites, where the sub aqua club maintains a tractor for making retrieval easier. You can also launch out of Duncannon, which is located on the Waterford Harbor side of Hook Peninsula, or from Fethard harbor, which can only be accessed with the help of a four wheel drive vehicle, and then only during high spring tides. Be sure to check local tide times well in advance, as some of the slips dry out completely during low tides and launching is impossible. As for nearby amenities, there are bed and breakfast type accommodations in Fethard, as well as some self-catering cottages. There are also accommodations in Slade Harbor and Grange Beach, and there is a little store with an ATM in Fethard where you can buy snacks, plus there are a couple of pubs in Fethard where you can relax after a day of diving. Remember your safety equipment, and you’re certain to have a fantastic stay.