All Dives Dive

Picton’s Reef

Rathlin Island

Average score: 0

Weather Forecast Tide times Sea Temperature
Site name: Picton’s Reef
Location: Descriptive location referring to nearest landfall i.e. town, village, harbour or island
Rathlin Island
Type: Describes whether this dive site can be dived from the shore, from a boat, or both
Boat
Wreck: Dive sites which include a shipwreck (or part of a shipwreck) are labelled with a ‘Yes’
No
Min. dive depth (m): The approximate minimum depth of the dive given in metres
18
Max. dive depth (m): The approximate maximum depth of the dive given in metres
36

Max. seabed depth (m): The maximum depth of the seabed at the site taken from the intersect between the dive site point and the depth contour on an Admiralty Standard Nautical Chart
36

Diving experience (min level): The recommended minimum level of diving experience for a specific site, described as Novice (<50 dives in temperate/cold waters and minimum certification of PADI Open/Advanced Open Water, BSAC Ocean Diver or CMAS 1 star), Intermediate (50-100 dives in temperate/cold waters and minimum certification of PADI Rescue Dive, BSAC Sports Dive or CMAS 2 star) or Advanced (>250 dives in temperate/cold waters and minimum certification of PADI Divemaster, BSAC Dive Leader or CMAS 3 star
Advanced

Optimal wind direction: The general wind direction which causes minimal exposure at the site, corresponding to 8 points of the compass: North (N), North East (NE), East (E, South East (SE), South (S), South West (SW), West, North West (NW)
NW/W/SW

Exposure: The approximate level of exposure to wind and wave action at the site on any given day, described as Sheltered (inshore sites surrounded by a form of shelter on all sides), Moderate (sites which are partially sheltered) or Exposed (sites with little to no shelter)
Exposed

Tidal strength: Anecdotal description of tidal strength at the site
Strong

Marine Protected Area: A Yes or No highlighting whether or not the site occurs within a Marine Protected Area
Yes

Visibility: Anecdotal description of the typical underwater visibility at the site
Visibilty can range from 5 metres to around 10 metres on a good day.
Best time to dive: Anecdotal recommendation for the best time to dive the site for optimal underwater conditions. This typically relates to the stage of the tide
Slack
Getting There: Directions for getting to the site

By boat from Rathlin, or Ballycastle, Harbour. The site is approx. 200metres off the shore in the middle of Arkill Bay.

Facilities: Details of nearest facilities to dive site i.e. public car parking and toilets, slipways etc

Rathlin Harbour has pontoons for around 40 boats. Water and electricity are available on the pontoon but there is no reliable source of fuel. Public toilets are available in Church Bay between the harbour and the pub, near the playground.

Ballycastle Harbour has a gated slipway (open during office hours) and pontoon berthing. Free car parking is available above the harbour and marina. Free public toilets are available in the visitor information office above the harbour.

Berthing fees apply for both Rathlin and Ballycastle Harbour Office; for use of either, contact the Ballycastle Harbour Office: 02820768525 / 07803505984.

Nearest tank filling is Aquaholics in Ballycastle or Portstewart (ring ahead: 028 7083 2584)

Hazards: Anecdotal information on possible hazards at the site for divers and snorkellers

  • Strong tidal currents, eddies and overfalls occur all around Rathlin Island
Description: A general description of the physical features of the dive site

Picton’s reef is part of a submerged ridge protruding from the east coast north of Doon Point and into Arkill Bay . Whilst the west side of the reef slopes up fairly gently towards the coast, the south, north and east sides drop off steeply. The top of the reef is at approximately 18m with the base at around 36m. A vertical bedrock wall surrounds the reef with patches of large boulders.

Biodiversity: A description of the species composition at the site. Species of interest are highlighted. Follow the links for more information about the species on the NBN Atlas Northern Ireland website

The top of the reef is covered in foliose red algae whereas the sides are dominated by a bryozoan, sponge and hydroid community, including the hydroid species Polyplumaria flabellata, Diphasia alata (both Northern Ireland Priority Species) and the white cluster anemone Parazoanthus anguicomus.

View all species records from this site

A link to the dive site location on the NBN Atlas Northern Ireland website, showing all species records from within a 1km boundary of the site centroid. Any new species records from the site submitted to Seasearch, iRecord, CEDaR Online Recording or iNaturalist will appear here
Local Charters: A link to the website for the nearest Dive Centre to the site. A map of all dive centres is provided under ‘Go Diving’

Aquaholics

Environmental and Historical Designations: A list of any environmental or historical designations attributed to the site, or overlapping it. Follow the link for more information

Rathlin SAC
Rathlin MCZ
Rathlin Island SPA

More Information: Links to additional information found online for the dive site

Sponge Diversity of Rathlin Island

Rathlin Sublittoral Survey Report 2009-2011

Rathlin Info

Northern Ireland Marine MapViewer

Safety: Safety tips

  • In an emergency call 999 or 112 and ask for the coastguard.
  • Follow VHF radio Channel 16 (156.8 MHz), the international distress frequency. Send a distress alert followed by ‘MAYDAY, MAYDAY, MAYDAY’ and ‘This is [boat name]’.
  • Find nearest defibrillator (AED) here.
  • Ballycastle/Rathlin Harbour Office No. 028 207 68525 Mobile Number 07803 505084
  • When navigating within Ballycastle or Rathlin Harbour, use VHF Channel 80.
Latitude, Longitude: The approximate XY coordinates for the dive site in Decimel Degrees (DD). These can be converted to DMS or DDM by following the link below
55.276468, -6.175771
Open in Google Maps Convert coordinates to DDM/DMS
Picton’s Reef Picton’s Reef Picton’s Reef Picton’s Reef Picton’s Reef Picton’s Reef Picton’s Reef Picton’s Reef Picton’s Reef Picton’s Reef Picton’s Reef Picton’s Reef

Incorrect info

Please flag any incorrect or inaccurate information on this page

Submit info

Do you have any additional information for this dive site you would like to contribute?

Submit photos

Do you have any photos of this dive site you would like to contribute?

Leave a Comment

Dived here recently? Then let other divers know about this site from your experience!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Join our Mailing List