Shag Stone

Heybrook Bay is a shore about 3 miles by road from Bovisand. There is a coastal path down a river to the water’s edge where there is a small rocky beach. At high tide, the depth is around 9m and at low tide, the depth is around 3m.

This site is the third of three beaches at Bovisand. Parking available and the beach is accessed by steps leading down. The conditions are perfect for beginner dives, yet there is still plenty to see for even the most experienced diver or keen photographer.

Bovisand has a series of three bays, and Bovisand Bay is the first. There is plenty of parking (paid), and the beach is easily accessible via a path and steps down. These bays are perfect for beginners and usually sheltered, yet there’s enough to keep even the most experienced diver occupied.

Fort Bovisand is a shore dive that offers good all-round cover from the weather and is used primarily for beginners due to the protection the harbour walls provide.

What makes this location interesting, apart from the marine life, is that Panther Shoal lies directly between the firing line and fall of shot from both Fort Picklecombe and Breakwater Fort. As such, the observant diver can find cannonballs and so on, which litter this area.

10 minutes from Plymouth Breakwater by RIB, lies the Mewstone - a distinct mountain-shaped rock that shelves down to the seabed. This means the area has hardly any silt compared with the rest of the local area, leading to excellent visibility. During spring tides you can often get a strong drift in this area.

This old steam trawler which had been converted into a minesweeper now sits at 13m on a sandy bottom, with her bow facing out to sea. The wreck is quite broken up but not widely scattered. With care, you can penetrate the boiler that stands about 5m high for about 1m but is quite confined. Fascinating marine life.

The Breakwater Fort is located just inside the Breakwater and is surrounded by a variety of both ancient and modern debris of all shapes and sizes to explore. A number of structures that form a circuit can be followed via an orange cable along the seabed.

Jenny Cliff Bay is on the main road to Bovisand and is a good shore dive to get into the water, as there is a car park nearby and the beach is sandy and protected.

On 27th April 1970, the Glen Strathallen was towed out of Plymouth and sunk just off the Shag Stone in approximately 15m of water. Today you can still find the wreck on the sandy bottom.