Swanage Pier

[eddy]

Hi all,

After loads of consideration and advice from YD people the girlfriend and I have decided to have a potter down to Swanage Pier on Saturday (28/05/05) for a fumble around with the fishes.

I have a few questions for our knowledgeable Dorset divers; please forgive my ignorance, as I have not dived in Dorset before.

First off - do I need to take into account tides when diving the pier or is its accessible 24/7.

If I do where is the best place to get tide info?

Can anyone recommend a good site guide for the area or has anyone written a good report of the pier. Points of entrance, site of interest, stuff to steer clear off?

I hear I can get fills near the pier is this still so?

Are there any other costs of diving this site – and can I park close?

Can anyone recommend a good B&B or camp site in the areas?

Any advice would be very much appreciated.

Eddy

[Janos]

Originally Posted by eddy

Hi all,

After loads of consideration and advice from YD people the girlfriend and I have decided to have a potter down to Swanage Pier on Saturday (28/05/05) for a fumble around with the fishes.

I have a few questions for our knowledgeable Dorset divers; please forgive my ignorance, as I have not dived in Dorset before.

First off - do I need to take into account tides when diving the pier or is its accessible 24/7.


If I do where is the best place to get tide info?

Can anyone recommend a good site guide for the area or has anyone written a good report of the pier. Points of entrance, site of interest, stuff to steer clear off?

I hear I can get fills near the pier is this still so?

Are there any other costs of diving this site – and can I park close?

Can anyone recommend a good B&B or camp site in the areas?

Any advice would be very much appreciated.

Eddy

Hi Eddy,

You can dive the pier at any state of the tide. It is well set out and pretty obvious what to do. You can enter easily down some stone steps and wade out, under the pier and do your dive. One side of the pier is subject to boat traffic so be careful and avoid that side (it's obvious when you are there).

Divers down on the end of the pier do fills, but at peak weekends it can get a bit busy. You can park on the pier itself if you get up early enough (costs around £6) but there is a carpark just up the hill if you can't. Dump your stuff outside the gates and take it down the pier on the trollies provided then move your car to the carpark before the traffic wardens see it!

All the decent B&B's tend to get booked up months in advance - but they do have cancellations. You need to do a lot of phoning I'm afraid!

Janos

[dry suit diver]

Originally Posted by eddy

Hi all,

After loads of consideration and advice from YD people the girlfriend and I have decided to have a potter down to Swanage Pier on Saturday (28/05/05) for a fumble around with the fishes.

I have a few questions for our knowledgeable Dorset divers; please forgive my ignorance, as I have not dived in Dorset before.

First off - do I need to take into account tides when diving the pier or is its accessible 24/7.

If I do where is the best place to get tide info?

Can anyone recommend a good site guide for the area or has anyone written a good report of the pier. Points of entrance, site of interest, stuff to steer clear off?

I hear I can get fills near the pier is this still so?

Are there any other costs of diving this site – and can I park close?

Can anyone recommend a good B&B or camp site in the areas?

Any advice would be very much appreciated.

Eddy

Low tide access can be a bit tricky over the rocks , watched a few funny walks last time was there but it can be done I have no idea about tide tables for swanage resting rifleman will be your best bet for this info.

Fills are available on the pier itself , have no idea of cost/pressures etc , I think you have to buy a token from the shop and attatch it to the cylinder,am sure the guys innthe filling shed will advise you.

If you are there early enough then you can park on the pier I would advise trying to arive fro about 6am , if you cannot park on the pier then the overflow carpark is nearby and they have barrows to unload kit into at the pier gates , this is much easier when you have a buddy in the car with you.

Triplefin camped last time we went, PM her and I am sure she will give you the address/phone number of the site she used.

Dive Dorset by John Hinchcliffe is a good book ISBN 0-946020-26-4, Waterstones may stock it but if not they can usually order in about 1-2 days.

Hope all this helps.

[edward]

Was there yesterday to try out a new undersuit - had a cracking bimble under the pier - max depth 4.5m! There was a fair bit of surge, but still good fun

There appears to be a plague of spider crabs at the moment - one we saw at the end of the pier was very large. We have also seen large cuttlefish, pipefish, john dory and loads of other interesting stuff in previous visits.

Take a torch to look in the nooks and crannies, and a camera if you have one.

If you fancy a boat trip, swanage diver/killerprawn may have shuttle spaces, as will Martin on Mary Jo/sidewinder. They are all good boats.

As a recomendation, my wife (who is not that interested in wrecks except that they attract fish!) recons Swanage pier is here favorite dive site as there is loads to see and photo, and you can have an ice-cream in between dives:-)

[eddy]

Cheers for all the great advice guys!!!!

Is anyone for YD likely to be there on Saturday?

Eddy

[jlwarlow]

Originally Posted by eddy

Can anyone recommend a good B&B or camp site in the areas?

I camped at WoodyHyde http://www.woodyhyde.co.uk/ 3 weeks ago when I was diving in Swanage. £4 per person per night. Shower block is very basic but there's hot water and toilets. Big field to pitch tent next to car was good. Phoned to check if I needed to book but he said just to turn up, which I did, paid at shop then pitched tent. May be best to phone in advance just to check if the fields are full.

Parking on the pier was £6 for the day but fills up very early. I ended up unloading my kit then parking in a car park a minute away then driving back down to load up at the end of the day, it wasn't much hasstle.

[Janos]

Originally Posted by eddy

Cheers for all the great advice guys!!!!

Is anyone for YD likely to be there on Saturday?

Yes. I'm on a club triup there all weekend. Look for about half a dozen divers on a blue rib who clearly haven't got a clue what they're doing.

Look for the really stressed and hassled person with a clipboard who's trying to keep a grip on the situation and get everyone back on board with full tanks so that we desperately trying to get all the tanks filled before we have to leave before slack and that will probably me.

Laters,
Janos

[triplefin]

Originally Posted by jlwarlow

I camped at WoodyHyde http://www.woodyhyde.co.uk/ 3 weeks ago when I was diving in Swanage. £4 per person per night. Shower block is very basic but there's hot water and toilets. Big field to pitch tent next to car was good. Phoned to check if I needed to book but he said just to turn up, which I did, paid at shop then pitched tent. May be best to phone in advance just to check if the fields are full.

Parking on the pier was £6 for the day but fills up very early. I ended up unloading my kit then parking in a car park a minute away then driving back down to load up at the end of the day, it wasn't much hasstle.

Yep I used this site as well a few weeks ago. Its on the right (as you drive towards swanage)between corfe castle and swanage on the main A road. You cant get much cheaper for camping than this (even up in Scotland!) As said facilities leave a lot to be desired but who cares I'm going for the diving not for a holiday on the site!

£6 to park on the pier all day and 1.50 for divers I'd be there by about 7.15 if you want a space.

A great day out and the pier is a super dive for photography, I'd join you if I wasnt going to mull!!!!!!!!! YIPPEE

Have a good day

[dry suit diver]

Collins & Chambers(Nautilus) have a copy of the Dive dorset book for sale in their shop on Mare Street Hackney (not far from London Fields station) didnt see the price and was very tempted but SWMBO had just bent the plastic on a new wetsuit.

[PW1664]

A little bit of video and some pic's from a weekend we had there in March. Unfortunatly the vis was less than 2m (I heard they were getting close to 10m a few weeks ago) so only a little underwater stuff.

I hope you have a good weekend


http://www.cadsac.co.uk/Swanagethemoov0305.htm

http://www.cadsac.co.uk/Swanage%20March%202005%20p1.htm