Malin Beg
Malinbeg
It is a beautiful but shallow, 5m shore dive with crystal clear water, lots of life and sheltered in most weather. The stack in the middle is an interesting habitat for a wide variety of North Atlantic life – octopus, eel, shrimp and wrasse. It makes a world class night dive, easy access and control and teeming with life.
Small Bay
Small Bay at the entrance to Malinbeg Harbour is a beautiful 18m dive over white sand with large rocky outcrops. The light here is excellent for photography. There is a shallow cave at the back of the bay in the centre of which is a sandy hollow, a spawning ground for a variety of fish in the spring and early summer.
Shark Rock
Shark Rock is a covering rock at the entrance to the harbour which offers beautiful dives through two rocky gullies. Enter the water just to the north of the rock and drop down into a large bowl, which because it is sheltered is always full of fish, swim SW into the corner which looks dark but opens out to an exciting overhanging swim-through at 20m. Passing through this swim east ascending to the 14m mark and following the rock round, you come into a 2m wide gully heading north. There is always a selection of lobster and cray in the holes in the rock walls (look, don’t touch!). You can finish out the dive by swimming north and entering Small Bay.
Gloster Rocks
Gloster Rocks offer several dives. Enter the water to the east of the rocks and swim through the gap between the rocks and then turn either north or south and follow the rock, or again entering to the east swim south into deeper water (up to 35m).
Candles Rock
Candles Rock is an excellent dive where you can swim right round the rock or head SW into deep water (40m). Inside (NE) the depth is 8–14m and offers lots of broken rock. Leading away to the NW is a ledge at 18–20m.
Bullock Rock
Bullock Rock (Thor Lee Bullig) is a submerged reef which breaks in a heavy swell. The top is about 4m and the bottom is about 27m with shear drops and deep cuts in the rock. The inside (north side) is the most interesting but it is just possible to swim all round it. Excellent life and colours.
Slieve League Cliffs
The cliffs at Slieve League are the tallest sea cliffs in Europe with a height of 600m. They tower above some of the most beautiful dive sites in Ireland. Silver Strand to Carrigan Head is a distance of about 8km. Dives range from drop offs to shallow reefs, small coves and caves big enough to take the boat into. For the non-diver there is a very good viewing point from the car park on Carrigan Head but the drive up there is something else, not for the learner driver or the faint hearted.
