[Dan]

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Can anyone out there shed some light on some shore diving in Kent(stop laughing). I am Looking for any info on St Margaret's at cliffe, Sandgate(near folkstone) and Deal. I have a bit info on Sandgate and St Margarets already but none on Deal(I take it the best place is around the pier). The main info I seem to be lacking for all 3 is slack times. I am not expecting anything great from these dives but its something to do if I have a spare 1/2 hr or 2 or to need try out kit. I rather do a dark crappy no vis sea dive than do an inland site. I am quite happy just to jump in and have a look for myself as long as its slack so really need to know slack times if anyone can help me out.

 

[ANDY 64]

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<font color='#0000FF'>Dan ,

Didn't you get the LONG  PM I sent you after you asked me last week or so ?

SANDGATE

2 places to do good shore dives.

Site 1. Park in the car park next to the LITTLE CHEF, SLACK is at HIGH WATER ( Dover ). 60 mts offshore is a reef made from a lot of the rock armour for the new pipe leading inshore for the sewage system. ( Don't worry , ya won't get covered in sh**. Lots of crabs and little lobby's and swarming with fish. Seabed is sand up to the reef.

Site 2.  Park in car park next to the rowing club. about 6 steps and ya on the beach. Same as SITE 1. but slightly deeper 15 mts MAX .

OLD FOLKESTONE PIER

Go on to the sea front, park in the furthest car park , where they hold the Sunday market ( next to the FUNFAIR ). SLACK HERE is HIGH WATER ( Dover ). Deepest i ever had was 9 mts , but if you find the old remains of the peir, you can find OLD token for the slot machines dating from 1915

 parts of all the old seats etc etc .

WESTERN WALL ( Dover harbour )

Here is good diving along the wall (  DO NOT GO PAST THE FIRST SET OF STEPS ) as the current starts here and will have you in the entrance in a matter of minutes, and it's a 7 knotter . crabs / lobbies in the cracks of the wall. Also a little bit of a reef with the remains of a fishing boat.

You REALLY NEED  shore cover here, as you must inform PORT CONTROL on VHF channel 74 0r ring them 01304 *******   I'll port thier direct line number to you .

I have dived here most states of the tide , BUT high water is better as it's a long slooping pebble beach & the waterline is about 250 mts from where you park ya car  

You can always ring me if you want a dive here, and if i'm free , I WILL always come round and act as shore cover for you , even i don't mind sat on the beach  or i'll use the boat .

St MARGARETS BAY

High water ( Dover ) is the best time i have found. Dive by the sign saying " telegraph cable ". follow this for about 50 mts , then go S/W by 5 mts , and you be on a wreck site , you will see the iron keel and ribs .
VIZ here can be very good , if no rain in the past week, as the water gets very milky from the chalk.

DEAL

High water Dover or 5 hours after .

A good place is right in front of the castle , 50 mts swim to a reef , which is visable by the wavelets created by it.  Her is the wreck off a WW II liberty ship the ' James Harrod ' . Sit in one of the 7 jeeps

You will here noise of engines , by these are the lol small fishing boats returning to the beach , and they give the reef a wide berth, ALWAYS use a SMB  here.

Andy

 

[tom]

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Nice one Andy - that lot's getting printed out for future reference!

 

[Ian B]

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<font color='#0000FF'>Hi Dan

The site at St.Margarets in Andy's list is the Earl Eldrington. Its no.214 in Dive Kent, which also gives two transit lines if you want to surface swim to it. The site is getting popular with windsurfers so go with an alternative plan in mind.

Ian

 

[Mark Chase]

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The Western wall at Dover is a quite good laugh as a dive as long as you have at least 2m viz.

Dont know about the others my only attempt at St Margrets bay was a total zero viz aboarted dive.

ATB

Mark Chase

 

[ANDY 64]

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<font color='#0000FF'>I can't imagine Chasey doing a shore dive ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, i think he is talking bollocks  

 

[Dan]

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Andy m8 thats fanastic just the sort of info I am after, thanks alot.

Didn't get your PM for some reason, dont know why, must be the dodgy forum software as I don't seem to be getting any. Was beginning to wonder why you hadn't got back to me, thought maybe being a skipper you didnt want to share your top serect dive info in case everyone gave up boat divng and went shore diving instead

Once again thanks alot  

 

[Pave]

St Margaret's Bay

Hi Guys,

We dived St Margaret's Bay 2 times - yesterday and 2 weeks ago. Didn't find the wreck (my mate saw the anchor apparently) the vis is like Chasey said - but the further out you go and when the slack water properly starts it's 2-3 so not bad. The transit in Kendell Mc Donald's book is crap - can't really find it.
Just to update the cables were cut of last year and there is no "telegraphic cable" sign anymore. It's easy to find the cables (both telegraphic and the other cables supposedly leading to the wreck but with 2 m vis we couldn't find it.

There is lots of starfish though!!! Hundreds of them!

Hi Guys,

We dived St Margaret's Bay 2 times - yesterday and 2 weeks ago. Didn't find the wreck (my mate saw the anchor apparently) the vis is like Chasey said - but the further out you go and when the slack water properly starts it's 2-3 so not bad. The transit in Kendell Mc Donald's book is crap - can't really find it.
Just to update the cables were cut of last year and there is no "telegraphic cable" sign anymore. It's easy to find the cables (both telegraphic and the other cables supposedly leading to the wreck but with 2 m vis we couldn't find it.

There is lots of starfish though!!! Hundreds of them!

 

[Janos]

Pave,

Check the date on the post, it's a few years old. However, thanks for the update. The out-laws live on the cliff, and I have to shore dive it one day...

Janos

 

[Colin Marriott]

I like the style of 'double post' though . . . quite novel :thumbsup:



ColinM