Donegal Coast · Ireland · Wall · Cave & cavern
Melmore Head
A chimney cave at the tip of the headland makes a swim-through
Photo: Heikki.vesanto · CC BY-SA 4.0
A headland wall at the opening of Mulroy Bay on the north Donegal coast. Stepped walls and boulders run down to 25 m, and a chimney cave at the tip of the headland makes a swim-through. Pollock, wrasse, lobsters and brown crab live on the rock, with the odd anglerfish.
Also known as Melmore.
Where it is and how deep
55.2476° N, 7.7971° WApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.
The dive
Melmore Head sits at the opening of Mulroy Bay, where the rock falls away in a series of step walls with boulders down to 25 m. At the tip of the headland a chimney cave cuts through the rock and makes a swim-through. Pollock, wrasse, lobsters, brown crab and ling live along the rock, and very occasionally an anglerfish.
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 | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Fair |
Season follows Donegal Coast: Diving runs all year with no marked peak; winter seas can stop the Tory Island ferry on some days.
Dive videos
Diving in Donegal: Melmore Head 28 June 2015 · Liam Gallagher on YouTube
Sources
- Dive Sites - Mevagh Diving, Donegal — Mevagh Diving
- Scuba Diving in Ireland - Mevagh Diving — Mevagh Diving
- OpenStreetMap geocoding — OpenStreetMap
Photo credits
- Dune grass leading down to a small sandy cove with a rocky islet and green headlands under a pale sky by Heikki.vesanto, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
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