Cold Water · Ireland
Kinsale & Old Head
Old Head reefs and the City of Chicago wreck, a short boat spin from Kinsale
Kinsale sits at the mouth of the River Bandon on the south Cork coast, and its dive boats reach the Sovereign Islands and the cliffs of the Old Head of Kinsale within a short spin of the harbour. The diving is rocky reef, boulder field and sandy gully between 5 and 25 m, with the broken-up liner City of Chicago, the Dutch trawler Nellie off the Big Sovereign and the nudibranch reef at Bream Rock. Basking sharks and sunfish pass along this coast in spring and summer.
About diving in Kinsale & Old Head
Boat diving runs from Kinsale harbour, and the sites are a short spin out, around the Sovereign Islands and under the cliffs of the Old Head of Kinsale. The boats carry emergency medical oxygen and a marine first aid kit. Bream Rock is dived at slack water because of its strong current, and the Ling Rocks lie 9 km south-southeast of Kinsale in open water. Shore dives are run at Oysterhaven, Roberts Cove and Dooneen Pier, where confined and open water training is also run.
Underwater the ground is rocky reef cut by sandy gullies, with boulder fields, walls and a kelp forest over the shallows at East Tractor, where ballan wrasse, pollack and rock cooks are abundant. Jewel anemones line the entrance walls of a swim-through grotto on the Small Sovereign, and the cracks across the coast hold lobsters, crabs and conger eels. The strong current at Bream Rock keeps its reef a wash of plumose, elegant, dahlia and jewel anemones. Black Head is a macro site with something different to be seen on every dive.
The Sovereigns, the Nellie and the City of Chicago suit all grades, and sheltered bays such as Cuasín na Daoine Boite give new divers an easy start. Dutch Gold works at two levels: a drop to 25 m onto gravel, or a shallow entry in 8 m close to the rocks. The Ling Rocks are the opposite of the easy sites: depths around them go down to 70 m, there is a possibility of current, and the dive is for experienced divers.
Best time to dive Kinsale & Old Head
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fair | Fair | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Fair | Fair | Fair | Fair |
Spring and summer bring the migrants, the egg-guarding lumpsuckers and the hydroid bloom; the sea is coldest in January.
Dive types & marine life
Basking sharks, giant barrel jellyfish and sunfish migrate along the Cork coast in spring and summer. Lumpsuckers guard their eggs at Black Head and Bream Rock in spring, and the gullies at Black Head are covered with oaten pipes hydroids, home to many nudibranchs, in spring and early summer. Seals often come to check divers at Gun Hole Cove.
- Reef
- Wreck
- Kelp forest
- Muck & macro
- Seals & sea lions
- Mola mola
- Nudibranchs
- Macro critters
Best dive sites in Kinsale & Old Head
- 1
City of Chicago
Liner that ran aground in heavy fog in 1892, now well broken up close to shore at 5 to 20 m.
- 2
The Nellie
Dutch trawler wreck at about 15 m on the south side of the Big Sovereign.
- 3
Bream Rock
Reef from 8 to 25 m with many nudibranch species, conger eels and crayfish.
- 4
Black Head
Rocky reef and sandy gullies inside the Old Head, best at about 13 m, with anglerfish.
- 5
Dutch Gold
Gravel at 25 m that gives way to massive boulders as the dive climbs shallower.
- 6
Cuas Gorm
Massive boulders under the Old Head lighthouse, from about 8 m dropping quickly to 16 m, with crayfish.
- 7
Gun Hole Cove
Reef followed out to about 15 m, where seals often come to inspect divers.
- 8
Ling Rocks
Submerged offshore rocks topping out at 22 m, with plenty of ling.
Site guides
Reef
Anglerfish and egg-guarding lumpsuckers on reef inside the Old Head
Broken-up 1892 liner with swim-throughs under the Old Head cliffs
Pinnacle
Offshore rocks topping out at 22 m, named for their plentiful ling
Calm sheltered bay used for first scuba dives
Sheltered cove that deepens to about 12 m at high tide
Sand slope
Sheltered sandy training bay with sand eels, shelving away from the slip
Wreck
Dutch trawler wreck to potter around under the Big Sovereign
Reef
Two big rocks near shore with a swim-through grotto lined in jewel anemones
How to get to Kinsale & Old Head
Cork Airport (ORK) lies 8 km south of Cork city, and Bus Éireann route 226 runs hourly from the airport and the city to Kinsale, taking an hour. By road, Kinsale is 25 km south of Cork via the N27 and R600. The boat centre works from Kinsale; Oysterhaven is about 10 km from town.
Photos from Kinsale & Old Head
James Emmans · CC BY-SA 2.0
Ludovic_P · CC BY 2.0
Dive videos
Diving with a seal Ireland, Kinsale, Old Head · Jan Blanken on YouTube
Questions divers ask
What certification is needed for boat diving at Kinsale?+
Boat dives need a dive certification plus experience of diving in Ireland or similar conditions. The Sovereigns, the Nellie and the City of Chicago suit all grades once on the boat; the offshore Ling Rocks are for experienced divers.
When are basking sharks and sunfish seen off Kinsale?+
Basking sharks, giant barrel jellyfish and sunfish migrate along the Cork coast in spring and summer. The barrel jellyfish feed on plankton and are harmless to divers.
How do I get to Kinsale for diving?+
Fly into Cork Airport (ORK), then take Bus Éireann route 226, which runs hourly from the airport to Kinsale and takes an hour. By road it is 25 km south of Cork via the N27 and R600.
Is Kinsale diving shore or boat?+
Both. The reefs and wrecks around the Sovereign Islands and the Old Head of Kinsale are reached by day boat from Kinsale harbour, while Oysterhaven, Roberts Cove and Dooneen Pier are dived from shore.
Sources
- Scuba Diving Sites Kinsale — OceanAddicts
- OceanAddicts home — OceanAddicts
- Daily Boat Dives — OceanAddicts
- Discovering Scuba — Discovering Scuba
- Oysterhaven — Discovering Scuba
- Kinsale — Wikivoyage
- Cork — Wikivoyage
- Cork Average Sea Temperatures — SeaTemperature.org
Photo credits
- Grassy cliffs drop to rocky ledges and white surf along a blue sea, with a long coastline stretching into the distance. by James Emmans, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- A black-and-white striped lighthouse stands on a dark green headland above a grey sea under an overcast sky. by Ludovic_P, CC BY 2.0, via Openverse
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