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Clusters of pale orange finger-like sponge lobes among red and brown seaweed on a rocky seabed — Cornwall

Cornwall · United Kingdom · Reef

Cow and Calf

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

Area photo: Bernard Picton · CC BY 4.0

Cow and Calf are two rocks near the entrance to Port Quin on the north Cornish coast, a 10 to 15 minute boat ride from the Padstow side. The site is not deep, around 10 m depending on the tide, and can be dived at any state of tide, which makes it an excellent second dive with plenty to see.

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Where it is and how deep

Depth profile of Cow and Calf: typical dive to 10 m (to 33 ft) 18 m · Open Water30 m · Advanced40 m · Recreational limit10 mtypical dive
Depths on a shared scale to 40 m (130 ft); dashed lines mark common certification limits.

50.5888° N, 4.8672° WApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.

The dive

The dive is around the two rocks, Cow and Calf, in water of about 10 m depending on the tide. The usual array of north Cornish reef life is here in abundance; in one season divers saw lots of dogfish and cuttlefish on the site, and on one occasion orcas.

Marine life and season

  • Octopus & cuttlefish
Month-by-month season rating for Cow and Calf
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
FairFairFairFairPrimePrimePrimePrimePrimeGoodGoodFair

Season follows Cornwall: Wrecks and reefs are dived all year when the weather allows; mid-May to September brings the sharks.

Sources

  1. Dive sites — Harlyn Dive School
  2. Port Quin — OpenStreetMap
  3. Harlyn Dive School — Harlyn Dive School

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Pendennis Steps

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The Manacles

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