Halifax & St Margaret's Bay · Canada · Reef
Paddy's Head
A training block on a 330-degree bearing from the beach
Photo: Dennis G. Jarvis · CC BY-SA 2.0
Paddy's Head is a beach dive in Indian Harbour, off Paddy's Head Road on St. Margaret's Bay, with one of the easiest entries and exits on this coast. Most of the dive sits around 6 m (20 ft), with the bottom running to 18 m (60 ft), and the site serves divers of every certification level as well as Open Water courses.
Also known as Paddys Head.
Where it is and how deep
44.5258° N, 63.9481° WApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.
The dive
From the beach entry, a bearing of 330 degrees leads to the training block, roughly 30 m (100 ft) from shore, which lies between 5.5 m (18 ft) and 6.7 m (22 ft) depending on the tide. It is a good spot to attach a diver float before exploring the bottom around it.
The bottom holds lobsters and a run of fish that includes sculpins, flounders and sea ravens, and torpedo rays turn up as well. The deepest water reaches 18 m (60 ft).
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Prime | Prime | Good | Good | Good |
Season follows Halifax & St Margaret's Bay: Late August and September bring the warmest water and the odd seahorse; winter, free of rain runoff, brings clear water.
Know before you go
- Winds from the west raise large waves and surge at the entry.
Dive videos
Scuba Diving Paddy's Head Nova Scotia · Stephen Sockett on YouTube
Paddy's Head Night Dive · Cliff Andrews on YouTube
Questions divers ask
Is Paddy's Head suitable for Open Water courses?+
Yes. The entry and exit are among the easiest on the bay, the training block sits near 6 m (20 ft) a short swim from the beach, and the deepest water is 18 m (60 ft).
Sources
- Paddy's Head Dive Site — East Coast Scuba
Photo credits
- A white lighthouse with a red lantern on a rocky point, a white fishing boat moored at a wooden wharf and shed, spruce trees behind by Dennis G. Jarvis, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
More dive sites in Halifax & St Margaret's Bay
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An Atlantic wolffish living under a concrete slab at 18 m (60 ft)
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Three routes from one beach, including a ledge at 27 m (90 ft)
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A sheltered cove where Open Water students train
Muck & macro
Nudibranchs and hermit crabs between a pier and a breakwater
Wall
Large lobsters and old bottles along the Black Rock Beach wall
Sand slope
Old bottles on the bottom of the Northwest Arm
Similar dives elsewhere
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