Above 18m - Margate, Kent

There are a number of beach swimming pools, or lidos as they are known, around the UK coastline. They were very popular during the 1920s and 30s with eager holiday makers from all over the country enjoying a relaxing dip in the cool clean seawater pools while wearing a stylish full length swimsuit. There are two of these pools quite close together in Margate, one on the beach just opposite the famous Dreamlands Amusement Park and one at the base of the cliffs at Walpole Bay. Just a little bit of trivia for you; legend has it that Walpole Bay got its name because of a ship named after Britain's first prime minister Sir Robert Walpole. The vessel was wrecked by smugglers that had stolen the valuable cargo after the ship was driven ashore during a gale on 17 December 1808. The coordinates of the wreck are given as 51. 23. 30N 01. 24. 30E.

Arrival at the site

This is one of those sites that has just about everything the diver could possibly want. You can park free of charge right next to the beach entry point which is literally a couple of metres away and for ease of access there is a ramp for those with disabilities. There are a number of cafes and restaurants within walking distance that offer that all important pre-dive cuppa and bacon buttie. And at the top of the cliff you will find the public amenities. The diver-friendly Walpole Bay hotel opens for snacks and refreshments from 7am and offers this service until 10pm.

Pre dive briefing

Once we were all ready Shaun from Kent Scuba took us down to the beach and explained how we were going to do the dive. Our first port of call was to explore the swimming pool. This man-made concrete structure can only really be described as a giant two and a half metre deep rock pool. Inside which you will find an abundance of marine life that remains trapped within its three walls until the next high tide. We would spend time exploring the floor and the nooks and crannies of the walls before hopping over the wall and exploring the wall’s seaward side.

The seabed both in the pool and the sea is made up of sand, rocks and seaweed, so good buoyancy skills are required; it wouldn't take too many fin kicks to reduce the visibility down to near zero. As the area around the dive site is used by other water sports enthusiasts which include jet skis, anglers and windsurfers it is advisable to have surface support and to use an SMB. If there are any serious problems the coastguard station is close by.
Getting in and out of the water couldn't be easier; you just walk straight out of the sea onto the beach.

 The dive

In our buddy pairs we waded out to the section of wall furthest away which runs parallel to the shore. As soon as we were chest deep it was time to make our descent and continue on towards the wall. The floor of the pool surprised me as it is littered with anemones of all descriptions, snakelock and dahlia anemones were just two varieties that I had spotted within seconds of descending. Visibility wasn't great, just a few metres or so but no sooner had we reached the wall and began our exploration Shaun pointed to a juvenile lobster with its head and claws just visible from its lair.

Keeping the wall on our left shoulder and heading east we moved slowly on shining our torches into every crevice that we could find. Squat lobsters and edible crabs looked back at us while the more aggressive velvet swimming crabs stood their ground and raised their claws ready if necessary to defend themselves. While inside the pool do not expect to see any shoals of large fish, you may from time to time catch a glimpse of the odd wrasse or pollack darting by which are forced to wait for the next incoming high tide before making good its escape.

While we were in the pool we concentrated our efforts on the wall but if you spend time exploring the floor and the seaweed there are I am told a number of juvenile fish that can be seen which include small gobies. It wasn't long before we had made our way back to shore and with the high tide now covering the sea pool all we had to do was cross over and head north and once again explore the outer wall.

At high tide the depth of the dive starts at around 3m and as you make your way to the furthest edge the depth gently slopes to between 7 and 8m. As you once again head north on the seaward side of the wall it is possible that you will come across some more crustaceans only these ones will be much larger, however please leave them for others to enjoy and remember the saying ‘take only photos and leave only bubbles’. The incoming high tide brings with it a healthy supply of marine life for the diver to enjoy.

The long slender shape of the garfish and shoals of bib and poor cod can all be found in the deeper sections of the dive. After around ten minutes you should reach the most northerly tip of the wall and it's here that you should turn left and follow the contour of the wall west. The wall from this point on is covered with seaweed, algae and anemones such as the colourful strawberry anemone and the blood red beadlet anemone. Have a good rummage around, you never know what you might find, you may come across the odd pipefish or even a mermaid’s purse or two. To get around the entire wall should take you roughly 45 - 50 minutes and as Kent dives go don't expect to get great visibility, however what you do get and what you see I think you will be pleasantly surprised.

Useful PADI courses

The PADI Specialties that you may find will help you enjoy this dive even more are the drysuit specialty, because you can spend a long time in the water here it can become a little chilly. Underwater Digital photography, the marine life in the pool along with the calm seawater will give you plenty of time to practice your buoyancy and your photography so that you get that perfect shot. And last but not least, the PADI project aware course, the area is very popular with holiday makers and watersports enthusiasts and as such there can be a problem with litter.

The dive centre

Kent Scuba is a PADI five-star dive centre based in the coastal town of Margate and is just a short distance from the dive site. Owned and run by Shaun Connell a PADI staff instructor, the dive centre offers a whole host of courses and just about every specialty that you can think of, with the exception of the altitude and cave diving specialties. This friendly little dive store stocks equipment from all major manufacturers and can provide air up to 230bar. Along with teaching courses to able bodied students Shaun has become the UK, Malta and Gozo coordinator for the IAHD, an organisation that makes diving accessible to disabled divers. Kit hire is also available for those wanting to experience UK diving for the first time, and if you decide to stay for the weekend Karen and Shaun can put you in contact with a number of hotels and B&Bs in the area. If you would like to contact Shaun, Karen or one of their staff telephone 01843 297430 or mobile 07770453545. Or visit the website: www.kentscuba.com

Other activities

Being predominantly a holiday resort there are activities to suit everyone’s needs. Just a short distance from the dive site you will find a sandy beach for those that would like to relax, read a book and sunbathe. And for those seeking a more active past time there are tennis courts, indoor bowls, a jet ski centre, pony trekking and hiking centre. There are also the usual amusement arcades much further along the beach

Sport Diver verdict

This is defiantly a dive that I can recommend for the whole family, both diver and non-diver will have a great day out.