Cold Water · United Kingdom
Loch Fyne & Loch Long
Shore diving on old pier wreckage and boulder reefs an hour from Glasgow
Loch Long and Loch Fyne are two Scottish sea lochs dived all year round. Loch Long is dived mostly from the shore, with thirteen sites, among them Finnart (the A-Frames), The Caves, Twin Piers and Conger Alley, all within an hour's drive of Glasgow. Loch Fyne adds boat dives from Tarbert onto pinnacles, wrecks and reefs from about 10 m to beyond 50 m. Divers come for shore diving on gentle slopes, boulder reefs and old pier wreckage, with conger eels, octopus and seals.
About diving in Loch Fyne & Loch Long
Loch Long is dived from the shore. The sites sit beside the roads along its banks, so a day means parking by the water, kitting up and walking in, then driving a couple of minutes to the next entry. The car park at Finnart gets very busy on summer weekends, the A83 beside Twin Piers carries fast cars and bikes, and the steps down to 29 Steps get slippery in the wet. Loch Fyne is the boat side of the area: a custom-built dive boat, owned and skippered by its operator, runs charters out of Tarbert on Kintyre.
Finnart is a gentle slope around the wreckage of an old pier, and the Torpedo Station is dived beneath another old pier where lots of small life lives in the wreckage. The Caves is a steep slope of large boulders, some with spaces underneath just big enough for a diver to swim under, and plumose anemones on the tops of the big rocks. Conger eels and the odd lobster hide under Twin Piers, octopus lurk among the rocks, and fireworks anemones show at depth. Loch Fyne has been a Nature Conservation Marine Protected Area since 2014.
The lochs suit divers who want regular cold-water diving close to a city. Tides are not a problem at The Caves, 29 Steps or the Torpedo Station, and at Finnart only at depth on spring tides. Divers chasing depth can head out from Finnart past 40 m. Those who need clear water should note that silt and long spells of rain bring dark, murky conditions, while settled weather brings better light and visibility.
Best time to dive Loch Fyne & Loch Long
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good |
Diving runs all year with no standout month; long spells of rain leave the water dark and murky, and settled weather clears it.
Best months: January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December
Dive types & marine life
Seals are often found lazing on the rocks of Loch Fyne, and dolphins visit; basking sharks can appear in the summer months. Conger eels and the odd lobster live under Twin Piers, octopus turn up among the rocks of Loch Long, and fireworks anemones show on the deeper slopes.
- Reef
- Night
- Seals & sea lions
- Octopus & cuttlefish
- Dolphins
Best dive sites in Loch Fyne & Loch Long
- 1
The Caves
Loch Long shore dive at its best when the visibility is good, and a favourite for night dives
- 2
Finnart / A-Frames
The loch's most popular site, a training dive with no current, a gentle slope and old pier wreckage
- 3
Conger Alley
West-bank shore site just south of Twin Piers, running to a maximum of 30 m (100 ft)
- 4
Twin Piers
Shore dive suited to trainees upwards, where conger eels and the odd lobster are the draw
- 5
Torpedo Station
Dive under the old pier, with lots of small life living in the wreckage
- 6
29 Steps
Novice-rated beach entry down a flight of steps that turn slippery when wet
- 7
Stallion Rock
Single rock rising from the seabed off Kenmore Point on Loch Fyne
Site guides
Sand slope
Rocky outcrops on a shingle slope below a castle
Wreckage of an old dynamited pier on a gentle reef slope
Reef
Giant boulders on a steep slope, capped with plumose anemones
Small life hiding in the debris under an old pier
How to get to Loch Fyne & Loch Long
Glasgow Airport is the gateway. Finnart on Loch Long is 64 km (40 miles), about 1 hr 5 mins by road from Glasgow. The Loch Fyne charter boat sails from Tarbert on the Kintyre Peninsula, which a vehicle ferry links across the loch.
Dive videos
Diving the Twin Piers at Loch Long 20/09/26 · Johnny Parkinson on YouTube
Questions divers ask
Can Loch Long be dived from the shore?+
Yes. Loch Long has thirteen dive sites within an hour's drive of Glasgow, and about nine of them are dived from the shore. Finnart is the busiest.
Is there diving in Loch Fyne and Loch Long in winter?+
Yes. Loch Fyne's sheltered water usually gives good conditions all year, and Loch Long shore sites are dived in January too, though the water drops to about 7 °C (45 °F) and heavy rain can leave it dark and murky.
Which sites suit newly qualified divers?+
Finnart has easy access, no currents and a gentle slope, and is used for training. 29 Steps is rated for novices, while The Caves is rated for experienced divers.
Sources
- Diving Loch Long — Scubaverse
- Loch Fyne Dive Charters — Loch Fyne Dive Charters
- Wreckspeditions scuba diving — Wreckspeditions
- The Caves — Finstrokes
- Finnart — Finstrokes
- Twin Piers — Finstrokes
- Conger Alley — Finstrokes
- Torpedo Station — Finstrokes
- 29 Steps — Finstrokes
- Loch Fyne — Wikipedia
- Glasgow Airport — Wikipedia
- Tarbert Average Sea Temperatures — seatemperature.org
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