Alternative Names: Loch long caves
Type of Dive: The caves in Loch Long are a steep slope and large boulders (no caves) in Loch long. Some of the boulders have spaces underneath that made small caves just big enough for a diver to swim under.
Suggested Experience: Experienced divers
Travel directions: From Glasgow on the M8 head over the Erskine bridge and through Dunbarton on the A82 to Arrochar and turn back down the loch till you come to the small bridge and park there.
Parking directions: There is parking for two cars Google map It is possible for a small car on the other side of the bridge.(south)
From Glasgow: 30 miles 45 Mins
Lat & Long: 56.180080, -4.775136 Google 1.9 miles south of the turnoff at Arrochar or 5.0 miles north of Finnart oil terminal.
Tides: Tide tables You don't need to bother about the tides here.
Depth: 31m
Site entry/exit: Carefully step down the side of the bridge and walk under the road (easy for the vertically challenged) there is sometimes a rope here to hold onto when getting down the steep bit to the water. (see pictures below)
Underwater directions: Entry/exit the water on a steep slope and descend to the left and you will come to a small cliff, follow the bottom of the cliff till it reaches 30m and turns left. You are now at the bottom, follow the bottom of the cliff and large boulders till you come to a broken shell slope upwards, (should take 10 mins). Here is where you turn back and ascend diagonally to 15m and follow the tops of the large rocks, which can have large groups of plumose anemones on top of them. Keep heading back to the exit point until the large boulders change to a steep shingle slope, here is where you exit the water. There is a big rock at the water's edge which is good to sit on to remove your fins.
Site Hazards: Fast cars on A814, Depth, Darkness (this can be a spooky dive) the entry/exit can be difficult through the tunnel and down to the water.
Nearest Public phone: Arrochar beside The Pit Stop Diner
Mobile Network service: Orange Vodaphone,
Other comments The tops of the big rocks have multicoloured plumose anemones and shoals of saith and pollock. This is a favourite dive site for a night dive. Don't forget to use the comments at the bottom of the page to let other divers know what its like to dive here.
Air & Nitrox: Aquatron Splashsports
Pub: The village inn
Cafe: Pit Stop Diner Three Villages Cafe, Arrochar Tea Room
Revision: 5
Links: Utube
Created by: John Nicolson
Surface Photos:
Underwater Photos: By John Nicolson
Divesite map:
Dive reports: Stew 28/4/07 dived the caves today. i was sitting at 17m next to a fisherman's crude mooring (rock & rope) & i could see the buoy on the surface. fantastic viz, never dived this site since last November? & never seen it this good for a long time. no sign of Beryl the seal although we did swim through the odd mushroom cluster of low viz (<1m). perhaps she was around! a great day out with really nice weather.
Dive reports: John 22/5/09 there were plenty of sea cucumbers and plumose anemones. Murphy's law kicked in because we saw two big yarrells blennys and no camera. We went a good bit past the small pinnacles at 29m and came back at 17m slowly ascending to 10m to wash off the 13mins deco. There were plenty of goldsinnies but no saith. Normally there are a few saith above the plumose anemonies at the start of the dive but none tonight. I was waiting for the seal that normally buzzes you here to turn up as there were no big fish. A good dive and the apree dive was at the Village Inn.
Dive reports: PhoebeSparke Saturday 27th October 2012 Forecast snow hadn't arrived thus the trek down under the culvert was as good as it gets. Also, a lack of recent rain meant that there was no peat runoff. I've done this dive before but only with trainees and limited depth. This year diving with a newly qualified Sport's Diver allowed me free rein. We ducked under and made our way the gravelly slope to about 25m. Although we'd taken our torches, it was still fairly light at this depth. Fantastic boulders covered in sea loch anemones, yellow fluted sea squirts and peacock worms. Long-legged squatties and leopard-spotted gobies seemed to inhabit every crevice. Water temperature was a pleasant 12 degrees and visibility about 10m. After a recent thread on Finstrokes, I was aware to keep my eyes open for the fishing line but we were lucky this time - none apparent. Making our way back up the slope was also interesting. Lots of dragonets, burrowing anemones and sand gobies. As we off-gassed at 6m, we poked about the sugar kelp unearthing strawberry worms and more yellow fluted sea squirts.
Dive Report: Comment in the box below.