Donegal Coast · Ireland · Cave & cavern
Paradise Cavern
A cavern off the north corner of Arranmore, near Tor rock
Photo: Camcool11 · CC BY-SA 4.0
A cavern near Tor rock on the north corner of Arranmore Island, a short ferry ride from Burtonport Harbour. The dive sits between 15 and 25 m and is known well beyond Donegal as one of the best dives in Ireland. It is a site for underwater photographers.
Where it is and how deep
54.9959° N, 8.5294° WApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.
The dive
This cavern lies on the north corner of Arranmore near Tor rock, and the dive stays between 15 and 25 m. The cavern itself is the dive, and its standing reaches well beyond Donegal as one of the best dives in Ireland.
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 Paradise Cavern, Arranmore, County Donegal · Highland Divers on YouTube
Sources
- Diving - Arranmore Charters — Arranmore Charters
- Getting to Arranmore Charters — Arranmore Charters
- OpenStreetMap geocoding — OpenStreetMap
Photo credits
- Steep grassy sea cliff dropping into dark grey water, with rocks and white surf at its foot under an overcast sky by Camcool11, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
More dive sites in Donegal Coast
Two cannons from an 1884 Royal Navy gunboat still lie on the seabed
Pinnacle
A pinnacle cut by large gullies, from 4 m below the surface down to 40 m
A chimney cave at the tip of the headland makes a swim-through
A huge boulder at the cavern mouth opens into a room of swim-throughs
Similar dives elsewhere
A double archway 50 metres out from the shore
A rectangular rock pool joined to the Atlantic by hidden passages
A marine cave to 19 m opening onto a reef that drops past 30 m
Sheer rock stacks, crevices and caves on a far island of the bay