BRIXHAM (SWIMMING POOL)

For those of you that don't know this dive, here’s a few details that should allow you to know what to expect.

ACCESS BY ROAD

This is easy in the ‘off’ holiday season, but certainly not recommended when the holiday makers are on the roads. The way I take is straight into Brixham, head for the breakwater, but don't drive into this car park, go past & you'll find another car park about 400m along the same road, just before you enter what looks like an entrance arch. This car park nearly always has plenty of space. Park as close to the steps as possible. Getting there probably takes about 2hrs 15 mins, but beware in the holiday season as the last 20 miles is congested & can take a long time.

ACCESS TO WATER

Good @ high tide, a more difficult @ low water as there are some slippery rocks to contend with, @ high tide you've probably only got 20m to walk.

NAVIGATION

To do this right you've either got to be good with a compass, go with someone who is good, or be extremely lucky & I suggest very strongly that you do not rely on the latter

brixham swiming pool

This is where it gets tricky, the best thing to do is to enter the water next to the swimming pool, see point A on diag (open air & filled by the tide), take a bearing due North (& I know that as you're on the South coast, swimming North doesn't really make sense). I tend to snorkel out for a few minutes before going down [point B], after about 5-7mins you'll drop off from maybe 7m to 9-10m [point C]. Follow this reef right (NE). This reef turns slightly so that you're facing due east. Follow this wall, depending on how fast the tide is running (I am only aware of the tide running East towards Berry Head, but I guess it can't always be like that!), will allow you to decide how long to follow the wall for, if it is running quite strong, then 5-7minutes is long enough (it'll take you twice as long to get back), also going in the same direction as the tide, you'll be swimming in your own silt.

After going East for your allotted time [point D or D1], you're probably in 13 or 14 m, now swim up to the top of the reef & go a few meters back towards land (Due South) [point E or E1), you'll come across gullies, 2 or 3 meters deep that run parallel wit the wall. Getting in these galleys gets you out of the worst of the current & allows you to look for supper!. I try to head back (due West) for twice the amount of time I took with the tide running & just a couple of minutes longer if the tide wasn't running so much.

Some of the gullies run out after a few meters, others are quite long, but keep going west for your allocated time. If you've got your timings right, you'll come to the end of the reef (point C where you turned right along the wall), although I’ve never tested this by surfacing.

Keep going west for 5 mins [approximately point F](depending on where you are you may wish to compromise at this point). If you're slightly towards land, there are quite a few small ledges that guide you back to land, if you're on them, stick with them, but be prepared to alter your return co ordinate to compensate for being closer to the shore. If you're further out, the bottom will be cleaner shingle.

After 5 mins, depending on your air, you can either pick a co ordinate which is probably S.SE & follow it back to where you came in, or go due East back to the reef [hopefully point C] & then South, but do bear in mind here that taking the S.SE co ordinate is safer, as the current will assist you, go back to the reef & you'll have to swim across the current & you'll be at the end of you're air, not the beginning.

DEPTH

10-15 meters, quite easy to get 70 mins on a 10 litre.

WHAT'S THERE TO SEE

Dead mans fingers, cold water sponges, Scallops, some crabs & lobsters, Wrasse, plenty of kelp on top of the reef, sometimes starfish. Torbay is not renowned for it’s good vis, so if you get 5m think yourself lucky.

GENERAL

There’s air at the breakwater cafe

Usually you're the only divers there & the breakwater beach is full.

Toilets are in this car park, but they do close them in the winter

Best Dived @ high water, still OK at low, but it would be good to avoid this @ low water springs

Beware of the strong current that takes you towards Berry Head

Nice walk from this car park back into town

Scallops taste nice

Paul Cooper