DiverDean59
Contributor
Since most piers are used for fishing, are you allowed to dive there and is there a big risk for fishing line entanglement?
Hands up. Who likes to dive under a pier?
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In my neck of the woods we have Swanage Pier in Dorset, which is a popular dive site especially for new divers and people organising club dives. Although shallow, there is plenty of sea life and good facilities including loos, food and a dive shop with fills on the pier itself. Several dive charters also moor there and serve many wrecks and ledges within a short ride.
Probably one of the main advantages is it's in a east facing cove, which makes it diveable with our usual South Westerly prevailing winds.
Probably one of the main advantages is it's in a east facing cove, which makes it diveable with our usual South Westerly prevailing winds.
seeker242
Contributor
Every year they have a couple clean up dives at the local piers, they close it to fishing for the time, I always attend mostly just to dive under the piers. The piers are really the best shore dives around.
nolatom
Contributor
Do Highway pilings and support structures count? I'm thinking Phil Foster Park, underneath Blue Heron Blvd/Route A1A. I like it pretty well, though if weather and finances permit, I'd rather spend the day drift-diving offshore. But as a cheapskate dive, or it's too rough outside, it's nice. But limited by the timing of high tide.
Actual pier? Done it once, at South Shore Harbor Marina in New Orleans, the day after I lost my prescription eyeglasses overboard while docking. Pretty much hated it, less-than-zero vis, but a feeling of accomplishment at having found 'em using the braille method, which made the viz even worse, if that's possible..
Actual pier? Done it once, at South Shore Harbor Marina in New Orleans, the day after I lost my prescription eyeglasses overboard while docking. Pretty much hated it, less-than-zero vis, but a feeling of accomplishment at having found 'em using the braille method, which made the viz even worse, if that's possible..
Steelyeyes
Contributor
Salt Pier, Bonaire is cool although visibility is getting crappy with some kind of snot like stuff in the water. I have seen octopus and eagle rays there so I'll keep going. It's just a pain to get my camera case clean. Mala Pier in Lahaina is a good dive, especially at night. Found two frog fish side by side, and saw tons of eels out hunting.
If we're allowed to travel next year Merry and I plan to make some dives at the Rapid Bay jetty south of Adelaide, Australia.
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I've dived under bridges, which is sort of the same idea, minus the possibility of fisherman. I find that rubble, other stuff and at times dead shells tend to be around the pilings. best example may be the bridge at Destin, FL.
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I have dove ever so many piers in California amd the tropics but my all time favorite is the Newport Beach California Pier with a sunken locomotive and even further out the entrance to the Newport submarine canyon
FYI :
NEWPORT BEACH PIER & TRAIN
The idea season to dive the train is approaching- in the fall when the Santa Ana winds are blowing
Be aware of the dangers--ALWAYS Check in with the life guard before diving
1) Dory fleet
2) Pole fishermen
3) Entanglements - fishing line
4) Long shore drift
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Newport pier, therefore "the train" is a seasonable diving area, and the spring and summer months are certainly NOT the season for diving that area, . This is based on the following; the prevailing summer swell is from the south -right into the pier, there is excessive traffic during the summer, the Dory fleet, the surfers and certainly the elbow to elbow fisherman on the pier, with hooks baited for young juicy divers.
During the fall and winter months and especially during the santa anas is an ideal safest season to dive the pier. Please be aware there is generally a alongshore drift so it is advisable to enter the water on the left side of the pier, directly in exit path of the Dorys, swim on the surface until fishermen are encounter, submerge under the pier and swim out under the pier to avoid fishermen.
If the Lifeguard station is manned it is always advisable to check in and advise them of your dive plan. They are all surfers/divers and very knowledgeable of the conditions and may advise to abort the dive.
Swim almost to the end of the pier and the remains should be visible under the pier on the left side directly under the cleaning station. Sadly a portion of the train was removed some years ago by a newly minted PADI instructor teaching salvage and he took the parts home ! (?. ) However there should be enough remaining to recognize it as a train a to create the event as a diving adventure.
If the conditions are ideal the truly adventurous may want to proceed out beyond the end of the pier to depth of about 80 plus feet into the Newport canyon where the remnants of the box car wheels rest..Yes, Newport has a canyon-but mostly mud.
Reverse the procedure on the return to shore.
In the event the dive visibility is less than ideal the pilings and the bottom are a treasure trove. Every inch is covered with debris and or marine life, including the ever present fish hooks and mono fishing line, however the lines are on occasion attached to a discarded fishing pole. On numerous occasions legal lobsters have been taken in the pilings..So there is some thing for every one..the adventure diver, the junk collector, the photographer and the hunter.
Additional information maybe found in "Diving West," 1972, (first California dive guide)OC section, Merker and Miller, "Great piers of California," Jean Femling, 1984, and an article by Dave Haldane (not related to THE Haldanes!) in either the OC Register many many moons ago.
The Newport Pier and the train are indeed one of the best keep secrets of OC diving, however, it is not with out hazards and needs a certain amount of advanced preparation, skill and the ideal time to dive, but it does afford an unique underwater adventure. Where else in the world can you dive on a train?
Be careful when you dive it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
sdm
DD
FYI :
NEWPORT BEACH PIER & TRAIN
The idea season to dive the train is approaching- in the fall when the Santa Ana winds are blowing
Be aware of the dangers--ALWAYS Check in with the life guard before diving
1) Dory fleet
2) Pole fishermen
3) Entanglements - fishing line
4) Long shore drift
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Newport pier, therefore "the train" is a seasonable diving area, and the spring and summer months are certainly NOT the season for diving that area, . This is based on the following; the prevailing summer swell is from the south -right into the pier, there is excessive traffic during the summer, the Dory fleet, the surfers and certainly the elbow to elbow fisherman on the pier, with hooks baited for young juicy divers.
During the fall and winter months and especially during the santa anas is an ideal safest season to dive the pier. Please be aware there is generally a alongshore drift so it is advisable to enter the water on the left side of the pier, directly in exit path of the Dorys, swim on the surface until fishermen are encounter, submerge under the pier and swim out under the pier to avoid fishermen.
If the Lifeguard station is manned it is always advisable to check in and advise them of your dive plan. They are all surfers/divers and very knowledgeable of the conditions and may advise to abort the dive.
Swim almost to the end of the pier and the remains should be visible under the pier on the left side directly under the cleaning station. Sadly a portion of the train was removed some years ago by a newly minted PADI instructor teaching salvage and he took the parts home ! (?. ) However there should be enough remaining to recognize it as a train a to create the event as a diving adventure.
If the conditions are ideal the truly adventurous may want to proceed out beyond the end of the pier to depth of about 80 plus feet into the Newport canyon where the remnants of the box car wheels rest..Yes, Newport has a canyon-but mostly mud.
Reverse the procedure on the return to shore.
In the event the dive visibility is less than ideal the pilings and the bottom are a treasure trove. Every inch is covered with debris and or marine life, including the ever present fish hooks and mono fishing line, however the lines are on occasion attached to a discarded fishing pole. On numerous occasions legal lobsters have been taken in the pilings..So there is some thing for every one..the adventure diver, the junk collector, the photographer and the hunter.
Additional information maybe found in "Diving West," 1972, (first California dive guide)OC section, Merker and Miller, "Great piers of California," Jean Femling, 1984, and an article by Dave Haldane (not related to THE Haldanes!) in either the OC Register many many moons ago.
The Newport Pier and the train are indeed one of the best keep secrets of OC diving, however, it is not with out hazards and needs a certain amount of advanced preparation, skill and the ideal time to dive, but it does afford an unique underwater adventure. Where else in the world can you dive on a train?
Be careful when you dive it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
sdm
DD
Back in the day, we did the original International Pier on Cozumel as a night dive.
We'd go in at La Ceiba, as if to access the plane wreck, but then wander down toward the pier.
One night the current switched directions, and was blowing to the South so strong we couldn't hold our position, and ended up surfacing in a controlled area just South of the pier. The Mexican guards weren't particularly amused, but did, at least, unlock the gate out by the road, as we walked by with all our gear still in place.
Under the pier was amazing. Lots of big boulders had been dumped, apparently during construction, and every crevasse had either a lobster, crab, or eel.
We'd go in at La Ceiba, as if to access the plane wreck, but then wander down toward the pier.
One night the current switched directions, and was blowing to the South so strong we couldn't hold our position, and ended up surfacing in a controlled area just South of the pier. The Mexican guards weren't particularly amused, but did, at least, unlock the gate out by the road, as we walked by with all our gear still in place.
Under the pier was amazing. Lots of big boulders had been dumped, apparently during construction, and every crevasse had either a lobster, crab, or eel.
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