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Salmon Rock Beach

Portballintare

Average score: 0

Weather Forecast Tide times Sea Temperature
Site name: Salmon Rock Beach
Location: Descriptive location referring to nearest landfall i.e. town, village, harbour or island
Portballintare
Type: Describes whether this dive site can be dived from the shore, from a boat, or both
Shore
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
1
Max. dive depth (m): The approximate maximum depth of the dive given in metres
4

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
5

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
Novice

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)
E/SE/S/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)
Sheltered

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

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
Visibility is excellent in good weather, up to 10 metres.
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
1 hour before HW Portrush.
Getting There: Directions for getting to the site

Follow the Beach Road into Portballintrae and park in the Beach Road car park. The entry point is from the beach area beneath the car park. The site is approx. 5 metres off the shore.

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

Parking on Beach Road or the Beach Road car park at 55.219679, -6.540833. Public toilets (including disabled) are located in the car park.

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

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

  • Tidal surge can be strong in inclement weather.
  • The beach is crowded in summer months with rock diving a popular activity.
  • Avoid Runkerry beach just adjacent as it is subject to longshore currents with strong riptides.
Description: A general description of the physical features of the dive site

A beautiful sheltered small bay, that can offer a great diving or snorkelling experience in good weather over the summer months.

For snorkellers: This bay is full of rocky areas, with many crevices and fissures.

For divers: A great wee dive (even though it is shallow!). Easy entry and exit from the beach. Suggest venturing out into the bay at HW. There is a small wall at approximately 55.220387, -06.543534. This vertical wall has ledges and crevices. An easy, scenic, dive.

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

Abundant juvenile fish (including wrasse), anemones and crustaceans amongst diverse mixed seaweed. At the small wall at approximately 55.220507, -06.543572 there are velvet swimming crabs, common prawns, and leopard spotted gobies. Dives may also see the odd shanny or tompot blenny hiding in the rocky crevices.

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

Skerries and Causeway SAC

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

Northern Ireland Marine MapViewer

Safety: Safety tips

  • In an emergency call 999 or 112 and ask for the coastguard.
  • Find nearest defibrillator (AED) here
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
55.219955, -6.542793
Open in Google Maps Convert coordinates to DDM/DMS
Salmon Rock Beach Salmon Rock Beach Salmon Rock Beach Salmon Rock Beach Salmon Rock Beach Salmon Rock Beach Salmon Rock Beach Salmon Rock Beach Salmon Rock Beach Salmon Rock Beach

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