Alternative Name(s): Cable junction
Type of Dive: Gortein point on Loch Fyne is a great shore dive down a boulder slope and finger reefs to fields of plumose anemones.
Travel directions: Leaving Glasgow on the A82 turn left at Tarbet onto the A83, through Arrochar and over the rest and be thankful, turn left onto the A815, from this junction its 8.7 miles to the A886 then for 4 miles to the turnoff for the B8000 then for 9.3 miles to Gortein point. At Gortein point, the telephone pole has a No 49 on it.
Parking directions: Park in the passing place Google map
Distance from Glasgow: 51 miles
Lat & Long: 56.047465 -5.291419 No postcode Google
Tides: Tide tables There can be a current here on springs but it is manageable.
Depth: 52m at the bottom of the point (high tide)
Site entry/exit: Walk through the gap in the trees and down the smooth rocks to enter the water. Entry and exit are easier at High tide.
Underwater directions: Head north-west (310 deg mag on the compass) and you will come to a cable at 18m turn right bearing 45 deg mag on the compass and head along the cable to the top of a cliff face from 16m to 52m at the bottom. There are a few reefs here but this is the main one. (See Map below)
Site Hazards: The currents here can take you 200m up or down the loch on spring tides, but there are plenty of exit points. Difficult entry and exit when it's choppy. The area between the smooth rock and the barnacles can be very slippy.
Suggested experience: Sport diver to 20m
Nearest phone: The Creggans Inn
Mobile Network service: Orange (in places)
Other comments: It’s a good dive and you must get here very early in the morning at the weekend, In Jan - March the sun does not come over the hill till 10 am and it can be cold and damp.
Air & Nitrox: Wreckspeditions Aquatron Splashsports
Revision: 4
Pub: The Creggans Inn
Created by: John Nicolson
Date: 5/8/06
Revision: 2
Thanks To:
Land photos: Webcam
Underwater photos: By John Nicolson Utube Flickr
Underwater map: By John Nicolson
Dive Report: Stew, Jan 07 I dived here today, the weather was sunny for a change. air temp, 7 degrees. caught the first dive on the incoming tide, the 2nd on slack water. the viz was easily 8-10 meters + more in the shallows. water temp. 9 degrees scallop city central, a good day out had by all & a good break from loch long.
Dive Report: Regthing, Sep 07 Worth an update to the dive guide. Swim straight out and down to 20m where you will find a cable running north-south. Follow this North instill it disappears into the sand (it goes over a smaller wall first, go up over this as there is better to come) once the cable dips into the sand turn left (between 270-280 deg) and head a few meters where you will see the top of the wall crowned with Plumose Anemones. Follows this down to your desired depth. The wall has shelves at various different depths and lots of cracks
Dive Report: Nathan Aug 10 I don’t know how about doing this John but have dived Gortein Point a few times now and that particular guide could use a little updating, just the underwater directions. Regthing in a dive report had a go and updated a bit. Going back thru my dive logs there are at least three walls at this dive site. If you swim straight out and down to around 17-20m (tide dependent) you come across the cable that is referred to running north-south. The cable runs over a small wall first which can be followed down to about 30m. This is the most lifeless of the three walls. If you keep following the cable it dips into the sand and does not actually go over the second wall. If you turn left at this point as Regthing mentioned, on a good vis day you will see the top of the second wall. Some helpful diver at some point in the past has tied a piece of rope to the buried cable that can now be followed snaking its way to the top of this wall. I believe this is the wall described in the guide as going to 52m. Have only been to 35m on this wall, but looking over the edge (the wall is stepped) it keeps going down for a bit. But for colour and life, the third wall is the one to go for. Take a compass bearing on the direction of the cable when it starts to go into the sand and keep swimming in that direction. After a couple of minutes, the cable reappears going up and over another wall absolutely covered in plumose anemone. Only a shallow wall 8-20m from what we have seen, but worth the swim over to investigate.
Dive Report: Comment in the box below.