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Dalkey Island and the Muglins

At the southern end of Dublin Bay lie two islands about 1 km from the shore. These islands are probably two of the most dived on places in Ireland. The largest is Dalkey Island and the smaller is The Muglins. When conditions are good diving here can rival many of the best sites in the west of Ireland.

There is a wealth of marine life supported by it's nutrient rich waters. Anenomes, starfish, sponges, mussels and seaweeds adorn the rocks, while Pollack, Wrasse, conger, ling, etc. swim in the immediate vacinity. Crabs, lobsters and octopus hide in their rocky crevices.

Diving these islands is not as easy as it appears. Even on a calm day there is considerable turbulence from the strong currents that flow around them, but providing one knows these currents they are a pleasure to dive. A Surface Marker Buoy, Compass and a Torch are almost items of equipment for safe diving. Needless to say, it is an area for experienced divers only.

Dalkey Island
Apart from the South Eastern end of the Island the diving is shallow, 8-10m, with rocks covered with thick kelp on a sandy bottom. This is ideal for the novice diver.

The South Eastern end, under the old fort, starts in a similar manner, but slopes away to 30m. The bottom consists of large boulders, rock ledges and patches of sand. Below 20m it becomes very dark and a good torch is an absolute necessity. At 30m it is dark! The sea life is not as good as on the Muglins but it may be dived in strong N/NW winds and it is also suitable for the less experienced.

The strong currents of the area do not adversely affect diving providing one keeps away from Dalkey Sound, where current speeds of up to 2.5kns can occur at mid tide. The best dive plan is to submerge near, or to the East of the fort, swim out south-easterly underwater to your required depth and return on a reciprocal bearing to your starting point.

Do not continue into the current should you stumble across it. On ebb tides a strong rip current sweeps out of Dalkey Sound around the Fort point.

The island, which has a long history dating back to the Stone Age, gets it's name from the Irish "Delginis", meaning Thorn Island. It was fortified by the Danes and later by the English in Napoleonic times. There is also a small medieval oratory. The island is unusual in having a herd of wild goats. A new landing stage facilitates exploration.

Maiden Rock
Entry from the North tip of the rock shelters you from the strong currents that race past on either side. Proceeding due North for 30m, and down to a depth of 12m you may well see the remains of a wreck encrusted with orange coloured anenomes. However, because of it's deteriorated state this wreck is sometimes missed.

The Muglins
The island is oval in shape and about 100m long, 17m wide at it's Northern end tapering off Southwards. The rock is granite and has a cigar shaped, red and white navigation beacon on top. There is a small quay on the Western side facing Dalkey Island.

The Muglins are populated by seagulls, shags, cormorants and other sea birds above water, with a great variety of fish and seals in the water. They are well used to human activity and the seals may even give your fins a playful nip.

The backbone of the island runs in a Southerly direction, the flood tide sweeps out of Killiney Bay and around the Muglins to the North West, on the ebb tide the current flows North/South resulting in slack areas on the rock no matter how strong the tide is flowing. On the flood tide the East and North sides are diveable and on the ebb tide the South Western side is diveable.

There is a tidal rip visible at each end of the island, on the flood- the South end, and on the ebb- the North end, which should be avoided. It is inside these rip tides that diving is possible if you are able to dive at slack water.

The best diving is on the Eastern, sea side, of the rock. The slope of the rock visible above the water continues underwater to about 30m, tumbling down in a series of cliffs, ledges and boulders. The slope is steepest at the Northern end but is more gradual at the Southern end. At the Southern there is evidence of at least one wreck.

At depth it is possible to "see" where slack water ends and the current starts by observing the tumbling shells and weed while remaining in calm water. Do not enter the current unless planned.

The nearest place where one can launch a boat is from the slip in Bulloch Harbour, about 4km from the Muglins. Unfortunately this slip is tidal, and is only usable within 3 hours of high tide. Dun Laoghaire Harbour, about 6km from the Muglins, has a public slip in the inner harbour but this too is tidal.

Boats may be hired in Bulloch Harbour. These boats are mostly used by fishermen and are wooden clinker built or fibreglass hulled with low powered engines.

Dublin Bay Wrecks
There are many wrecks in the Dublin Bay area. Two of the more interesting are the R.M.S.. Leinster and the H.M.S. Guide Me II. The first is a passenger boat sunk in October 1918, one month before Armistice, the second a small gunboat sunk in August 1918. Other wrecks include the Bolivar, the Marlay and the Queen Victoria. Expeditions are arranged periodically by Oceantec, a dive centre.