Log This Dive

St Abbs Head

St Abbs Head, for us, is Scottish diving distilled. Forget about any preconceived notions of cold, dark water – we’ve had dives here with 15m visibility, sunlight streaming through the kelp, and a surreal green glow to everything. It's a voluntary marine reserve, and you can tell. Drop into Cathedral Rock and you’re immediately enveloped by dense kelp forests, swaying gently with the surge. Look closer amongst the fronds for those lumpsuckers, clinging to the stalks, and keep an eye out for a grumpy wolf fish peering from a crevice. The rocks themselves are plastered with plumose anemones and dead man’s fingers, providing bursts of orange and white against the greens and browns. It’s a site that rewards slow diving, poking around the nooks and crannies. We often find ourselves just hovering, watching the smaller stuff, the nudibranchs crawling along, or a curious butterfish darting past. If you’re comfortable with shore entries and a bit of swell, it’s an absolute belter for temperate water enthusiasts. Just remember to time your dive for slack water, especially if you plan to venture further out.