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Here is a map of the most popular dive sites on Cape Ann. We offer Free Guided Dives to the shore diving locations (Sites 1 through 18), and offer Dive Boat Charters to the offshore locations. Click on a dive site that interests you for more information!
PARKING
If you want more parking available, bring a bike along with you on your day of diving. Drop your gear off with your buddy at the dive site, park the car and pedal back to the site in a minute. This will open up a bunch of new dive sites to you. Don’t want to bring you best bike to the beach? Go to your local dump and pick one up in the scrap metal pile or swap area for free.
1) Folly Cove
Directions: Starting from the store, take a right at top of parking lot onto Rt. 127. Stay on 127 approx. 6.1 miles, eventually you'll see 2 restaurants one on the water one on the road. Folly is the next cove on the right.
Parking: Resident only. Halibut Pt. is only a short walk away.
Description: Rocky entry, sheer wall on left, lots of overhangs. Excellent dive.
Depth: 15' - 60'
Exposure: North East
Feature: Everything you could want in a New England dive. Dive @ high tide & calm sea. 2) Halibut Point
Directions: Same as Cathedral Rocks (#4), but stay on Rt. 127 till you see signs for state park. Approx. 5.5 miles from store.
Parking: For a fee, season passes available at a discount.
Description: Rocky entry. Giant sloping granite slabs descend down to 60'. Good vis. due to granite shoreline.
Depth: 15' - 60'
Exposure: All but West
Feature: Very long walk from lot = fewer divers. The park is a beautiful place for picnics. Scenes from The Next Karate Kid filmed here. 3) Hoop Pole Cove
Directions: Starting from the store, take a right at top of lot onto Rt. 127 N, follow 127 for approx. 5.0 miles, take a right onto Haven Ave. follow to the end. Take a left, there are 3 access points to the cove along public ways to the Atlantic path.
Parking: 1 block up on Haven or Ocean.
Description: Rocky entry, Great cove with huge rounded boulders, stripers in summer.
Depth: 15' - 35'
Feature: Long walk from parking, = less people. Good lobstering due to plenty of cracks and crevices. 4) Cathedral Rocks
Directions: Starting from the store, take a right at top of lot, onto Rt. 127, stay on 127, go approx. 4.8 miles, take a right onto Philips Ave. (sign for R.W. Emerson Inn) go to end.
Parking: Room for a few cars on the right.
Description: Rocky steep climb to water. Dramatic drop off w/boulders.
Depth: 15' - 70'
Exposure: East
Feature: Deepest shore dive on Cape Ann. Best conditions: high tide calm seas, exit @low tide is difficult due to slippery rocks. 5) Back Beach Directions: Starting from the store, take a right at top of parking lot, onto Rt. 127 N. Approx. 3.5 miles from store, you'll see Beach St. on right, this is Back Beach.
Parking: Metered spaces
Description: Facing water, left side of has great jetty, middle is sandy, Far right is rocky. Lots of baby flounder in summer.
Depth: 10' - 35'
Feature: Bathrooms, plenty of parking, restaurants nearby. Popular training area. Due to proximity of houses to parking please keep noise to whisper. 6) Front Beach
Directions: Follow same directions to Back Beach (#5), go straight on Beach St. water on left, over hill next beach on left is Front Beach.
Parking: Metered spaces avail.
Description: Easy sandy entry Rocky on left, sandy out straight and in the middle.
Depth: 10' - 30
Exposure: East & North East
Feature: Bathrooms, kids love this beach, snack bar right across the street. Shopping around the corner. A dive from from left of side of Front to right side of Back, is great. 7) Old Garden Beach
Directions: Starting from the store, take right at top of lot on Rt. 127 N. at intersection go straight onto Broadway to end. Take right & 2nd left on Norwood Ave. Go until you see beach on left.
Parking: Lot is resident only, unload on street and park a few blocks up.
Description: Sandy entry, rocky on right & left sandy in middle. Really pretty dive, Lots of kelp & boulders.
Depth: 15' - 35'
Exposure: North East
Feature: Very, very nice dive. 8) Whale Cove
Directions: Starting from the store, take right out of lot near Market, take 1st left onto 127A. Go approx. 3.6 miles you'll see Whale Cove Lane, not Rd. take right to end.
Parking: None, unload here and park at High school on Jerden’s Lane
Description: Rocky entry, loose boulders steep climb, good vis. & lobstering.
Depth: 15' - 35'
Exposure: East
Feature: Nobody bothers to dive here due to parking effort, but it's a great dive. Get someone to drop you off. 9) Loblolly Cove
Directions: Follow directions to Pebble beach (#10), drive past beach on right go straight till road dead ends in dirt lot.
Parking: Resident only, unload here park @ Pebble 1/2 mile.
Description: Sandy entry inside cove, point is rocky entry. Cove is shallow w/ lots of life, point is breathtaking with crevices & drop offs.
Depth: 10' - 40'
Exposure: East
Feature: Cove warms in summer, point is worth the swim. 10) Pebble Beach
Directions: Starting from the store, take right out of lot near Market, take 1st left onto 127A. Go approx. 2.8 miles till you see Cape Hedge Inn, right on South St., take last left onto Penzance.
Parking: Lots of it! Free!
Description: Sandy entry, facing water pretty rock reef on right end. Lots of flounder & skate in sand. Good lobstering on reef.
Depth: 10' - 35'
Exposure: South East
Feature: Parking is free, great place to spend to day.
(As of June 2004 the road is washed out due to winter storm) 11) Cape Hedge
Directions: Same as Pebble (#10), but go to end of South St. , it over looks the beach. Parking: Resident only, park at Pebble.
Description: Similar to Pebble, @ south end of beach headland is good place to see stripers in the summer.
Depth: 10' - 35'
Exposure: South East
Feature: Nice rock reef on left, headland on right has interesting rock formations.
12) Salt Island
Directions: Starting from the store, take right out of lot near Market, take 1st left onto 127A. Go 1/4 mile enter Good Harbor Beach Lot.
Parking: Fee Mem. Day - Labor Day., off season Free.
Description: Salt Island is just off shore of Good Harbor. Low tide you can walk to it, swim to ocean side. Long walk from lot.
Depth: 10' - 40'
Feature: Dramatic drop offs on ocean side of island. Great lobster, Best Beach on the North Shore. Bathrooms. 13) Bass Rocks
Directions: Starting from the store, take right out of lot near market, take 1st right onto 127A. At intersection go straight onto Atlantic Rd. Go until you pass Atlantis Inn on right. Park after that on right.
Parking: Not much anymore, due to the McMansions.
Description: Rocky entry, large boulders, sandy out straight. Easiest at high tide.
Depth: 10' - 35'
Exposure: East, Southeast
Feature: Good lobstering, very pretty dive.
14) Niles Beach
Directions: Starting from the store, take a left at top of lot onto Rt. 127 S, at lights take left, at next light go straight onto East Main St. go approx. 1.6 miles, Niles on right.
Parking: Resident only in season, off season parking okay.
Description: Sandy beach entry, sandy bottom, rocks on right.
Depth: 10' - 25'
Exposure: West
Feature: Very protected area, almost always calm. 15) Stage Fort Park
Directions: Starting from the store, take a left onto Rt. 127 S, straight through lights, stay on 127 through Gloucester, over drawbridge, take 1st left into park.
Parking: For a fee in season, free off season.
Description: Sandy beach entry, boulders out straight.
Depth: 10' - 20'
Exposure: South
Feature: Bathrooms, snack bar, volley ball, playground. Harbor seals on rocks Oct. - May. 16) Norman's Woe
Directions: Starting from the store, take a left onto Rt. 127 S, through Gloucester, approx. 3.7 miles, take left onto Hesperus Ave. go 1.3 miles, pass Hammond Castle, and see a parking area on left w/ fence, just after #134.
Parking: Space for a few cars.
Description: Rocky entry, boulders, kelp beds, pretty dive.
Depth: 10' - 35'
Exposure: Southeast
Feature: Long walk from lot = not many people bother = good lobstering. Difficult entry/exit
17) Magnolia Rocks
Directions: Starting from the store, take a left onto Rt. 127 S, through Gloucester, approx. 3.7miles, left onto Hesperus Ave. go 2.3 miles to intersection w/ Lexington Ave., left on Lexington.Go to end, this is Mag. Rocks.
Parking: Resident only , park a few blocks up.
Description: Rocky entry, very similar to Bass Rocks.
Depth: 10' - 35'
Exposure: Southeast
Feature: Good lobstering.
18) Plum Cove
Directions: Starting from the store, take a right at top of parking lot onto Rt. 127N. Stay on 127 approx. 6.1 miles, pass Folly Cove, at fork bear left, go 1.4 miles Plum is across from baseball field.
Parking: Resident only. Closest side street with parking 15 min. walk.
Description: Sandy easy entry, shallow cove, reef outside cove on right.
Depth: 10' - 20'
Exposure: Northwest
Feature: Nice dive, entry is very easy. Kids love the tide pools. Rockport Breakwater
Boat Dive: Awesome dive, giant granite blocks from 0' - 60' Off shore from Rockport. Get a chart, as much of it is submerged.
Wreck of the Chelsea
Boat Dive: Bow of tanker, in 60' - 70' of water, broken up. Sunk in 1957. Just Northeast of Thacher Island off Rockport.
Wreck of the Chester Poling
Boat Dive: Oil tanker split in half and sank in 1977, sits in 90+ ft. outside Gloucester Harbor. Upright, intact, and really awesome dive.
Wreck of the Nina T
Boat Dive: 70' long wooden trawler, sunk in Sept. 1997. CIose to the Poling. Starting to fall a part a bit.
Wreck of the Charles Haight
Boat Dive: Liberty ship sunk 1946, depth about 45'. Great dive, lots of sea life on it. Bow portion intact laying on side. Very pretty dive. Off Rockport.
Non-Diver Activities
Cape Ann really has something for everyone. If you've got some non-divers in your group they might be interested in the following list of non-diving activities:
Shopping!
Rockport and Gloucester have many great gift shops and more. In Rockport the Bearskin neck area has lots of great shops to browse and buy everything from T-shirts, candles and books to fine art, fudge & strudel.
Kayaking
Plan a guided Kayak tour with ERBA (978) 768-ERBA, along the many quiet marshes and rivers in Cape Ann.
Mansion Tours
Have you ever wondered what it's like to live in a mansion? Then tour the beautiful "Sleeper McCann House" mansion. This guided 1 hour tour of an ocean front mansion is well worth the trip. Call 978-283-0800. Tours are given Mon. - Fri.
Whale Watches
While your friend/family is diving why don't you go see the whales? Yankee Fleet offers whale watches at (800) WHALING.
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