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Rathlin Island, Co. Antrim

Rathlin Island lies just 10km off the pretty seaside resort of Ballycastle and 22km from the Mull of Kintyre, Scotland.

The island is L-shaped; one side 6.5km long, the other 4.8km, and nowhere more than 1.6km across. It is almost treeless and most of the coastline is cliff, much of it 60m high.
To reach the island, take a boat from Ballycastle across Rathlin Sound to the harbour at church Bay. The boat trip takes about one hour. It's said that Brecain, son of Niall of the Nine Hostages, was lost here with his whole fleet but that was before the invention of the modern motor boat.

As you chug along, you can identify the main features of the north Antrim coast, with Fair Head towering above the sea, marking the topmost corner of Ulster. Slough na Morra, "swallow of the sea", is a whirlpool in the sea, South of Rue Point, the Southern tip of Rathlin, which arises when two tides flowing in opposite directions meet and form pyramid waves.
You don't have to do the round trip in one day: there is a guest house and a restaurant at the harbour, and a pub, and you can pitch a tent in the campsite with permission.

Rathlin is popular with bird watchers, geologists, botanists, divers, sea-anglers and anyone with a love for wild and rugged scenery.

The Diving
The choice and variety for the Rathlin diver is quite phenomenal. With some of the deepest water and underwater cliffs in these islands, and some of the most famous wrecks, it has something to offer everyone. Rathlin has become established as a diving special, and now with increased facilities and accommodation created with diver in mind, it is a diving opportunity not to be missed.

Marine Life
Considered unique by marine biologists, Rathlin contains species at their most Northerly existence. One explanation for this is little temperature fluctuation. This is a result of the gulf stream plus strong tidal mixing around Rathlin. A plankton-rich flood tide has created diversity in marine life with many sponges, some extremely large and along the East side many hydroids.

Underwater cliffs off the North side are limestone and basalt layered to 180m deep.
The underwater scenery is breathtaking with caves and arches illuminated with the clarity and visibility for which Rathlin is famous. Diving with the currents in these areas can be thrilling, making it an area for experienced divers only.

Wrecks
Rathlin has over forty recorded wrecks around her shores. Some are more or less gone but there are several very exciting wrecks which prove extremely popular with divers, some shallow dives some deep.

Here are some details of the more popular ones.

H.M.S. Drake
The flagship of the Royal Navy in World War I, torpedoed and sank in Church Bay. With a length of 40m, a draught of 8m and 1400 tonnes, the wreck lies in 18m of water, but is still contains some live shells. It is an excellent night dive and tides are not a problem.

S.S. Lochgarry
A popular deep dive. A troop carrier in World War II, she sank off Rue Point in dense fog. She has a length of 80m, a draught of 5m and is 1600 tonnes. The Lochgarry sits upright on the seabed at a depth of 30m. Because of it's exposed position it may only be dived during slack water.