Cornwall · United Kingdom · Reef · Kelp forest
Pendennis Steps
Remains of two First World War U-boats a short swim from the steps
Area photo: Bernard Picton · CC BY 4.0
Pendennis Steps is the shore dive at Pendennis Point in Falmouth, where many people start their diving. Granite steps lead down to rocks that slope into the water, and the shallow reef beyond holds kelp, catsharks with their eggs and the remains of two German U-boats from the First World War.
Also known as Pendennis, Silver Steps, Pendennis Point.
Where it is and how deep
50.1463° N, 5.0504° WApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.
The dive
The site is a sprawling reef with gullies to explore, interspersed with sand patches, and the maximum depth at high tide is about 10 m. The rocks below the steps are fairly easy to cross. To reach the U-boats, UB-86 and UB-112, divers go left, roughly north-east, from the entry; the biggest piece lies in a direct line of sight from the second set of steps, and a little further along a gully ends in a small cave.
There is plenty of kelp to practise navigation in, and catsharks, also called dogfish, are often seen with their eggs in it. Back towards Pendennis Point a couple of arches are worth a look.
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 | Fair | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Good | Good | Fair |
Season follows Cornwall: Wrecks and reefs are dived all year when the weather allows; mid-May to September brings the sharks.
Know before you go
- Boat traffic around the point increases in summer.
Sources
- Six of the best dive sites in Cornwall — Adventure Cornwall
- Dive notes: Small Island part 1 — Scubaverse
- Pendennis point — Finstrokes
- SM UB-86 — Wikipedia
More dive sites in Cornwall
Reef
Two rocks at the mouth of Port Quin, diveable at any tide
A rock just off Porthkerris beach, reached without a boat
Wreck
A wartime wreck at 40 m with boxes of anti-aircraft heads at the bows
A Victorian liner broken up on the rocks that sank her in 1898
Wreck
A coal steamer lost with all hands in a storm off Towan Head
Church stones in Cornish: rocks that have wrecked over a hundred ships
Similar dives elsewhere
Grey seals that come to your mask, in 12 metres of water
Reef
Fogna
Kristiansund & the Atlantic Ocean Road · Norway
Kelp-edged rock gullies where seals share the water
A pink sea fan growing above a lost lobster pot on the reef
Find it by the white letter B painted on the cliff