On the B8000 12.5 miles south of Strachur.
Local map and
How to get there.
Google Street View of the parking spot.
There is space for four or five cars to be parked at the side of the passing place on Gortein point. Access to the site is down a steep footpath onto a rock slope, care should be taken, as the wet rock is extremely slippy above the barnacle line.
This site is characterised by a large armoured cable/hawser that runs through the site linking the main reefs.
This site consists of four distinct reefs:
Entry Reef - a small reef that runs from 5 metres down to 14 m near the entrance to the site. The bay to the south of this consists of a steep boulder slope down to 10-12 metres, which is good for finishing off a dive.
Old Reef - This reef is a fairly barren outcrop of rock that drops from 15 metres down to 30. The hawser runs over the top of this to the south of the Big reef.
Big Reef - This is the main reef and it extends from about 18 metres at the top down to 50+ metres.
Wee Reef - This reef is similar to the Big Reef but starts at 8-10 metres and bottoms out at 22 metres. The hawser also runs over the top of this reef to the north of the Big reef.
Finding the Big Reef
The dive starts on a rock slope that drops down onto a mixed bottom at about 10m. Head out on a bearing of 330 degrees, slightly across the slope at first, until you meet the hawser/cable lying on the bottom at around 15-17 metres. Follow the hawser north until it disappears into the mud, the anemones on the main face should be visible several metres to your left. The reef starts off small (less than a metre) and then gradually increases in size as it goes deeper.
Finding the Wee Reef
Follow the instructions to find the Big reef, when the hawser disappears into the mud, keep heading in the direction of the hawser and it will reappear, continue to follow it and it will start to rise off the bottom as it approaches the reef.
The site is exposed when the wind is from the southwest and the subsequent waves can make entry/exit difficult. Some tidal movement can be experienced on the site especially at spring tides.
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