Reefwander
A calm rocky inlet of pale green water between low grassy granite shores under a cloudy sky — Porth Castell, Anglesey

Anglesey · United Kingdom · Reef

Porth Castell

Sheltered high-tide bay that often keeps reasonable visibility

Photo: Jeff Buck · CC BY-SA 2.0

Porth Castell is a shallow shore dive in a very sheltered bay opposite the old Diving Services shop, and it often has reasonable visibility when other sites do not. It is best dived at high tide, when the bay is about 5 m deep, and a gully on the left side leads out into deeper water and the cliffs at Ravenspoint.

Also known as Porth Castell and Diana.

Where it is and how deep

Depth profile of Porth Castell: typical dive to 5 m (to 15 ft) 18 m · Open Water30 m · Advanced40 m · Recreational limit5 mtypical dive
Depths on a shared scale to 40 m (130 ft); dashed lines mark common certification limits.

53.2715° N, 4.6217° WPublished position for this site.

The dive

Porth Castell is the bay on the left with the old Diving Services shop behind, and the dive is timed for high tide, when the water in the bay is about 5 m deep. Kit goes down the steps onto the beach, and the entry is from there. Because the bay is very sheltered, it often has reasonable visibility on days when other shore sites along this coast do not.

A gully on the left side of the bay leads out of the shallows into deeper water and on to the cliffs at Ravenspoint, which makes a longer route for divers who want more than the bay itself. To the right is the neighbouring bay, Porth Diana, which is also used for mooring boats in the summer, and a second gully runs around the back of Porth Diana to the little bay next door.

Marine life and season

The sources we used don't single out particular species here.

Month-by-month season rating for Porth Castell
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
FairFairFairGoodGoodGoodGoodGoodGoodGoodFairFair

Season follows Anglesey: April to October is the main diving season, when water temperature and visibility are best; local clubs keep diving through the winter months.

Photos from Porth Castell

  • David Dixon · CC BY-SA 2.0

  • David Dixon · CC BY-SA 2.0

Dive videos

Evening dive at Porth Castell - Anglesey · Simon Payne on YouTube

Sources

  1. Shore diving sites — Deifwyr Môn Divers

Photo credits

More dive sites in Anglesey

Dahlia anemones in their hundreds, reached on a short slack-water window

to 18 madvanced

Sand slope

Rippled sand where Ocean Divers are introduced to the sea

to 8 mbeginner

Similar dives elsewhere

Reef

Axelsro

Gotland & Fårö · Sweden

The easy-to-reach Visby site of small passages and stone atolls

3–11 mbeginner

Reef

Back Beach

Cape Ann & Stellwagen Bank · United States

A shallow training site known for its lobsters

to 9 mbeginner

Reef

Breakwater Fort

Plymouth Sound & HMS Scylla · United Kingdom

Old diver-training rigs and wreckage scattered around the base of a sea fort

to 12 mbeginner

Reef

Cow and Calf

Cornwall · United Kingdom

Two rocks at the mouth of Port Quin, diveable at any tide

to 10 mbeginner