Cape Ann & Stellwagen Bank · United States · Wall · Reef
Lanes Cove
A wall to 20 m (65 ft) with a chance of torpedo rays
Photo: John Phelan · CC BY 4.0
Lanes Cove is a Cape Ann shore dive for intermediate and advanced divers, popular with kayakers and snorkellers as well. Its draw is a wall that passes 18 m (60 ft) at high tide and reaches 20 m (65 ft), where torpedo rays and goosefish are possible sightings.
Where it is and how deep
42.6797° N, 70.6599° WApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.
The dive
Timing matters at Lanes Cove. The entrance crosses rocks that are wet and slippery at low tide, so divers plan the dive around high tide, when the entry is safer and the wall carries its full depth. A south wind gives the best conditions, and a north-west wind is the one to avoid.
When conditions line up, the wall is the dive: rock covered in life, passing 18 m (60 ft) at high tide and reaching a maximum of 20 m (65 ft). Watch the bottom along its base, where a torpedo ray or a goosefish is a possible sighting. Return along the wall and leave the water before the tide drops far enough to expose the slippery rocks at the entrance.
Marine life and season
The sources we used don't single out particular species here.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fair | Fair | Fair | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Fair | Fair |
Season follows Cape Ann & Stellwagen Bank: Cape Ann Diver II generally runs from 1 April to 31 October; winter and off-season diving depends on weather and demand.
Know before you go
- The entrance is dangerous at low tide because of wet, slippery rocks; enter and exit around high tide.
Dive videos
Lanes Cove, Gloucester MA Scuba Diving · iDive New England on YouTube
Questions divers ask
How deep is the Lanes Cove wall?+
The wall passes 18 m (60 ft) at high tide, and the site's maximum depth is 20 m (65 ft).
What is the best time to dive Lanes Cove?+
Dive around high tide, when the entry rocks are safer, and on a south wind; avoid north-west winds.
Sources
- Lanes Cove, iDive New England — iDive New England
- Lanes Cove — Scubago
Photo credits
- A small granite-walled harbour with moored boats, grassy banks and a stone breakwater at the mouth by John Phelan, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
More dive sites in Cape Ann & Stellwagen Bank
Reef
A shallow training site known for its lobsters
Reef
An advanced shore dive to 26 m (85 ft)
Reef
A rock outcrop with a resident seal colony
An anemone-covered wall on the left side of the cove
An upturned red and black trawler at 32 m (105 ft)
Reef
A quiet boulder ledge with lobsters away from the beach
Reef
A ramp entry onto a boulder reef starting at 6 m (20 ft)
Wreck
A 2009 fishing-boat wreck on its side at 30 m (100 ft)
Similar dives elsewhere
Wall
Kinlochbervie
Kinlochbervie & the North-West Highlands · United Kingdom
Cliffs and boulders covered in loch anemones and peacock worms
Wall dives at Ablahamn and odd rock formations at Ransvik
Wall
Mingo Rock
Isles of Shoals · United States
The open-Atlantic face of Duck Island, where the bottom falls away fast
Wolf eels in the rock on the north and south walls