Shore sites in Dorset.

[Martyn Ward]

Does anyone know of any shore dives around these parts where I can get myself back into the groove, as it were?

All I need is somewhere I can park the campervan and a few metres of water, 3 or 4 is plenty. Not bothered about life, wrecks, reefs or what have you, just some water where I can get in and get comfy again.

Swanage pier is not in the running, unfortunately, due to the fact that the good "burghers" of Swanage are not too keen to have campervans on the pier, so I believe. I don't really want to park up the hill and leave the black dog on his own, out of sight. Call me sensitive but since his brother died last year, I've become very protective of him and I don't want to leave him where everybody and their grandmother is walking past making him bark.

Has anyone shore-dived at Kimmeridge and if so, where's the best place?

As I said, anywhere with a few metres will do.

Thanks as ever.

Martyn.

[jamingood]

Sorry to here about your dog as for the pier i have a VW camper van and i have had no probs with parking on there thay seam quite nice about it never had a prob !

[onthetrain]

Martin, We in Dorset suffer from a lack of shore dive opportunities. The only decent ones with reasonable access are Swanage pier, lulworth cove & Chesil cove. There are others for example durdle door and worbarrow bay, but these involve carrying your kit long distances over difficult terrain.

I have dived the waste outflow pipe at Shore road sandbanks (no longer used) but it's pretty crap.

I've seen plenty of camper vans on the pier in my time

[Steve L.]

Martyn

A couple of us dived Chesil Beach at Seatown last week. We managed to park about 50 metres from the sea. Like all Chesil dives it involved a bit of a hike but nowhere near as bad as Chesil Cove. Max depth was 6 metres, although the average was about 4 mtrs.

There is a small reef level with the end of the road. Nothing exciting, just shoals of small fish, edible and spider crabs and a few flatfish where the stream runs into the sea.

Viz was about 5 metres. We had a bimble about for best part of an hour.

However, the weather needs to be clam on the preceeding few days, and it`s difficult to get out if the waves are much over a foot to 18 inches.

Steve