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Gallery coming Soon |
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Babbacombe Beach |
Babbacombe
Beach
Beach
Road
Babbacombe
Torquay
Devon
TQ1 3LX |
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Ordinance Survey |
Post Code |
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Directions and Parking Details |
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The Dive site accessed by a road alongside Babbacombe
Theatre (Which is at the end of Babbacombe Downs Road) The road is very steep, narrow in places, and is very twisty. It has a few passing places and it gets quite congested during the holiday season. There is a car park at the bottom of the road and a slipway gives vehicular access right down to the beach (Although the barrier will normally be across if the café is closed) |
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Site Description |
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This site has something for most divers! The Cove is in an
outstandingly lovely setting. At the foot of the steep wooded cliffs, the bay
well is sheltered during most weather and sea conditions and so can normally
be dived even when other sites can’t. The slipway is a short walk from the carpark and so entry is easy when the tide is high. At low tides entry will entail walking a short distance down the beach – this needs some care as there are some large rocks. Submerge as soon as you get out of your depth and head straight out to sea. When you reach the drop-off, the rocks steadily slope down to a sandy seabed at around 8m. Turn to the left and very slowly follow the edge of the rocky slope around for about 20 minutes (ie the slope is on your left). Take your time and poke around in the holes, nooks and crannies – the site is normally teaming with life. After about 20 minutes turn around and head back again with the slope on your right shoulder. Proceed at the same rate as before and again explore the nooks and crannies. (If you start to find more and more fishing tackle you have gone too far and are getting dangerously close to the pier and you are likely to get hooked so back track, or surface). The slipway or the beach should be to the North (Your right) but if you want to stretch out the dive you can potter around on the plateau for a while looking at the sea life. Even if you have misjudged the distance or got lost you should not have too far to swim back to the shore or the slipway. A number of dives are possible now that you know the site layout. There are some very large rocks rising from the sandy bed at the left of the beach. You can check out the shallows before you reach the drop off, or you can explore the caves on the other side of the pier.
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Wheelchair Access |
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By arrangement with the café vehicles can access the
slipway from the road. At high tide the sea can be entered and exited
directly from the slip. If the café is closed a few steps will have to be
negotiated to get between the carpark and the slip. |
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Toilets |
Public toilets on site in the carpark. Closed in the
winter. |
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Café |
Excellent café with tables overlooking the beach
(01803)324532 |
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Fills available on site |
Yes – at the café (01803)324532 |
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Dive Center on Site |
Air fills available at the café. |
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Nearest Full size Dive Center |
Divers Down – Nearby on Babbacombe Road Divers Down, 139 Babbacombe Road, Babbacombe, Torquay, Devon, TQ1 3SR. Telephone 01803-327111 Fax 01803-324532 Email info@diversdown.co.uk |
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Nearest Pub |
On the hill down to the site called the "Cary
Arms" |
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Nearest Restaurant |
Meals available at the pub |
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Wreck / Archaeological feature Details: |
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No wrecks but a cottage at the site was the home of
"The man they couldn’t hang" |
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Marine Life Details |
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Crabs, lobsters, cuttlefish, pipefish, wrasse (Some of
which are huge and quite inquisitive), many shoals of small fish. Seals
occasionally visit – fishermen are always present! |
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Other information |
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This is one of the best dive sites in South Devon. The
facilities are all present and the site has diverse topography above and
below the water. There is plenty of life and the conditions are normally good
due to the sheltered nature of the site. Get there early as this is a popular
site and parking is limited. |
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Nearest Webcam - View
over the beach |
Admiralty
Tide
Table Links |
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