Barholm budget Self-Catering Accommodation - Portaferry, Co Down, N. Ireland - Strangford Lough, Northern Ireland, Visitors Guide

Barholm is popular with divers.

A compressor is on site for air fills

Diving in Strangford Lough
Strangford is the largest sea inlet in the British Isles with a meandering shoreline of 15O miles. This gigantic inland sea, has about 120 small islands and is surrounded almost entirely by land. This means there is an enormous diversity of easily accessible diving sites. Quite simply, Strangford Lough is unique, a marine biologist's paradise. Strangford boasts some 15 divable wrecks.

The Lough is connected to the sea by a long narrows where the sea is usually flat and calm. This belies the fierce currents of up to 8 knots and depths of 80 metres which can make this as adventurous a dive as anyone could wish for. Sheer cliffs are covered by luxurious growths of dead men’s fingers and big sponges which, even at slack water, makes the dive exciting.

The appeal of the Lough to marine biologists is its very wide range of seabed conditions, influenced by water movements and the enormous diversity of species which are found.

The life on the seabed and around the many wrecks is varied and prolific with urchins, anemones, sea squirts, scallops, crabs, prawns and even octopus. The scampi prawn is common in the Lough and can often be seen on the mud or outside its burrows.

There is one species of large sponge which was described to science from specimens collected in Strangford. Undoubtedly though, one of the richest marine life communities is based around the big horse mussels. Its colonies provide a stable attachment for many other species including scallops. Many people believe these beds to have been in place undamaged for hundreds of years.

The variety of marine life and good visibility, 4-l0 m plus, make Strangford Lough an excellent site for underwater photography.

DV Diving is a PADI Five Star Dive Centre, TDI Facility, RYA Training Centre and HSE recognised scuba assessment centre based at Strangford Lough, County Down, Northern Ireland.

DV Diving offer one of Europe's most comprehensive ranges of scuba, technical and commercial diving and powerboat training courses - for the complete beginner through to instructor development for the most experienced professionals.

Many visiting divers return each year attracted by the clear waters around County Down and the great diversity of dive sites. There are intact wrecks to explore, spectacular drop offs and exhilarating drift dives. All abilities can be catered for in the shelter of Strangford Lough with its wealth of marine life species in an unspoilt environment.

Contact Dave or Tony Vincent
DV Diving
138 Mountstewart Road,
Newtownards,
County Down,
Northern Ireland
BT22 2ES
Telephone & Fax +44 (0)28 91 464671
Email: info@dvdiving.co.uk