Explore the Deep
You can expect to meet cheeky seals who’ll be playing hide and seek in the gently swaying kelp forests. Dolphins, migrating basking sharks, porpoises, whales, sharks and even leatherback turtles also frequent our Gulf Stream-fed waters. And there’s a good chance you’ll catch a glimpse of velvet swimming crabs, dahlia anemones and a wealth of other species such as conger eels, ling, wrasse, pollack, bib, butter fish, pipefish, lobsters and crabs, as well as sponges, fans and corals.
Take your pick from a menu of dives like Keem Bay on Achill, Skuddagh Rock off Sligo’s Mullaghmore, Washerwoman’s Rock in Kerry’s St Finian’s Bay, Benaderren Head not too far from Westport, Sunfish Rock on Inishbofin in Connemara or the Kowloon Bridge wreck off West Cork (this is the biggest diveable wreck that experienced recreational divers can explore in the world).
Numerous dive schools provide access to the myriad of sites and many offer inexpensive introductory ‘try dives’ to get you started.