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Fanore, Co. Clare

This dive site is not as easy to find, but is well worth the effort if the weather conditions are right. From Ballyvaughan on the N67 Galway Lisdoonvarna road take the R477 for Black Head. The site is 9.5km past Black Head after the helicopter landing pad where the road touches the coast.

Being open to the Atlantic it is not always possible to dive this area unless there has been settled weather for several days as the site is exposed to the South. West and North. The area is strongly affected by Atlantic swells which can have their source far out in the ocean. The best prevailing weather is easterly winds or calm conditions. The main difficulty encountered is in exiting the water and it is not a dive recommended for the inexperienced. It is best to dive from 1 hour before, to 1 hour after, high or low water.

Before kitting up survey the entrance/exit. Access to the water is through the gully to the left of the blow hole. At high tide the gully fills and access to the water is easier than at low tide. Do not jump from the cliff face except at high spring tide, after surveying the entrance  point from below. Observe the swell, as this causes the most difficulty when leaving the water.

The Dive
Enter the water through the gully and continue out to sea for about 50m. You are now in about 10-15m of water and you begin your descent. You should see the northern end of the reef to your left. Follow along to the corner and turn South. You will notice at this stage the numerous fish that are in close proximity to you. They are quite used to divers and being fed by divers breaking White Urchins. Follow along the reef face at either the 15m or 18m level. There are numerous nooks and crannies along the length of the reef, which overhangs at several spots. A torch is quite useful for picking out the numerous fish which shelter in the overhangs. The bottom consists of a mixture of sand, shale and rock.

About 100m along the reef face there is a large opening which leads to The Cathedral, a semi-circular cavern open at the top. Avoid swimming over the reef as it gets quite shallow and you can get caught easily in the swell. If you do find yourself on top of the reef, head NW back out to sea and down the reef face.

The preferred way to plan this dive is to dive the bottom of the reef on the outward leg, turn back when half your air is left along the middle section surfacing in the gully at 10-6m.
Avoid surfacing on the outside of the reef if possible and do not attempt to dive between the reef and the shore. When ready to leave the water, observe the wave pattern when approaching the gully and time your exit between waves. Do not linger in the water when you have gained a foothold, as the surge has claimed countless masks, fins and is responsible for several torn suits.

Moving out to sea, away from the reef, there are large clusters of rocks. The sealife is quite sparse and the shale bottom just stretches out for several hundred metres, at a depth of 18-20m. A variation on this dive is to dive to the right of the gully along the cliff face. It is not as interesting and beware of the shore anglers overhead.