Scuba Diving near to Newcastle

Not all dive sites have to involve a massive trek into the countryside. Just a ten minute drive from Newcastle city centre lies St. Mary's island, the UK’s first marine ecological reserve.

• St Mary's Island. You can dive at St. Mary's the entire year round and visibility ranges from a reasonable winter 5 to an excellent 15 metres in the summer months. Good news for beginner scuba divers is that there are few undersea currents. Despite its proximity to a major city, the are is visited by porpoises and seals. Octopus, scorpionfish, sea anemones, starfish and crabs can be seen by scuba divers. There are a few wrecks that fell foul of the rocky shore to be found. Perhaps the most interesting wreck dive is the Janet Clark, which ran aground on the night before Christmas, 1894.