Alternative Names: Bovisands beach
Type of Dive: An easy and shallow shore dive, but packed full of life! You will see something different here each time you dive it.
Suggested Experience: Open water or equivalent. Site is often used by trainee divers, so good for learning skills or refresher dives.
Travel directions: Drive towards Exeter on the M5. Stay on the M5 untilit becomes the A38. Follow signs to Plymouth. Turn off towards the city centre. Take the Kingsbridge turning before you get to the city centre, then follow signs to Plymstock. From there, follow signs for Bovisand. Take the right into Down Thomas, and follow the road down the hill. You will come into the first car park and see the first beach on your right. Drive all the way to the end until you cannot go any further, and park on the grass (only permitted during the summer).
Parking directions: Parking is available on the grass during summer months. There is a small car park if it is not the summer. There is a parking meter there, but RingGo via an app on your phone is also available.
Lat & Long: 50.328527, -4.119984 Google map
Tides: Tide tables / This site is best dived at high tide. Low tide is tricky as there is a lot more seaweed on the beach, which makes entry splippery and dangerous.
Depth: <10m, you will typically get max 7m here on a high tide.
Site entry/exit: There are a steep set of stairs located at the car park. Once kitted up at the car park, walk down these steps, these take you right onto the beach, from there, use the rocks to do any final preps, and then enter the water by walking from the shoreline.
Underwater directions: Use your compass to take a bearing for both the direction of swimming out, and the direction for coming back in. Swimming out right will take you to a more open sandy bottom, and more depth, there is the chance of seeing rays, cuttlefish, octopus etc. Swimming out left will take you to the kelp beds, and a more rocky bottom where you will find conger, wrasse, crabs and lobster etc.
Air & Nitrox: Best place for air is Aquanauts in plymouth. Failing this, perhaps Sound diving, also in plymouth.
Site Hazards: The steps down to the dive site are to be carefully managed. It is not too tricky on the way down, but people may struggle with heavy kit coming back up. Take your time, and always remember you can do more than one trip! Also be careful of how far out of the bay you swim, you could easily find yourself underneath passing boats - if you plan to swim out far, please remember your SMB.
Nearest Public phone:
Mobile Network service: Most services work very well here.
Accommodation: 'Becalmed at bovisand' and 'Cedar Park, bovisand' are both available nearby.
Other comments: Don't forget to pay the parking! This incurs a heavy fine... I learnt this the hard way!
Pub:
Cafe: Bovisand Cafe is available at the first car park on your way in.
Version: 1
Thanks To: Benjamin Whyte
Links: None
Created by: Benjamin Whyte
Date: 29/05/23
Surface Photos:
Underwater Photos: Contact me
Underwater video:
Dive sitemap: