Cape Ann
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Description
Cape Ann Divers offers an extraordinary experience for divers of all levels. Cape Ann offers world class diving just 30 miles north of Boston. The visibility and sea life variety are superb. There are also a number of shipwrecks, wall dives and rocky reefs just off our shore.
Since the beginning of Scuba Diving as a sport, Cape Ann Massachusetts has been one of the most popular dive destinations in the Northern U.S.
This is an effort to help you discover why so many people travel great distances to dive here. There are dozens of good sites, from beach or boat. Here, we are trying to provide a sampler, some ideas on where to begin, and what you can expect to see.
Cape Ann sticks out like a thumb into the Atlantic, about 35 miles northeast of Boston. Most of the land is divided between the towns of Gloucester and Rockport. With fine dive sites facing every point of the compass, unless the weather is severe, there's usually a good place to get in the water.
Gloucester remains the fishing community that it's been for 350 years, with a bustling, working, waterfront. Tourism is around in a gentle sort of way, bringing with it nice restaurants, motels and such attractions as whale watching, kayaking and deep sea fishing.
Rockport was built around its quarries, and as the granite industry died with the advent of concrete... Rockport began to change into the scenic artist's colony, and family resort that it is today. A small fishing fleet works out of the harbor, and a number of people have decided that living here is worth the hassles of commuting to Boston.
Massachusetts law assures divers the same access to public beaches as any other visitor. The relationship between divers and residents has improved steadily in recent years. Local divers have become aware of the positive effects of courtesy, and residents have grown accustomed to their presence (and economic benefit).
There is a Massachusetts law requiring a dive flag at, or near, the surface for each group of divers. If you're going to take Lobster or shellfish, a license is required.
There are several dive shops located on, or near, Cape Ann. In addition to arranging charters, supplying air, rental gear... or forgotten pieces of equipment, they are the best possible source for current information on conditions, visibility, and any unusual sightings of marine life. Some provide scheduled free dive guide service or arrange buddies.
La température actuelle de l'eau à Cape Ann est de:
No water temperature available |
Historique
Trajet
- À partir de Montréal: 554 km (environ 5 heures 45 minutes)
Localisation
Coordonnée GPS:
Plum Cove | N42° 40.435' W70° 39.819' |
Folly Cove | N42° 41.132' W70° 38.484' |
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Voir la carte dans Google Maps
La plongée
Plum Cove
Niveau: Débutant
Stationnement: Resident only. Closest side street with parking 15 min. walk.
Description: Sandy easy entry, shallow cove, reef outside cove on right. Nice dive, entry is very easy. Kids love the tide pools.
Profondeur: 10' - 20'
- EXPOSURE: NW
- ENTRY: Sandy Beach
- DEPTH: 10 to 30 feet
- DIRECTIONS: Route 128 to first rotary, 3/4 way around take 127 north. Plum Cove is about 5 miles, first beach on your left.
- PARKING: "Residents only" on the street, and parking lot on weekends. Try nearby side streets.
A sandy beach favored by local families (with a lifeguard during the season), Plum Cove offers an easy entry, and a nice place for your non-diving companions to watch your bubbles. The family nature of the beach makes normal courtesies even more important than usual.
In the middle of the beach, at low tide, is a rock outcropping covered with kelp. The cove has a sandy bottom, which is usually covered with Sand Dollars. At high tide the rock is covered with water and draws a variety of fish. Most divers swim to the right side, where a rock reef juts out towards Ipswich Bay.
The kelpy rocks of the reef hide all kinds of tiny marine life, flounder and skates patrol the sandy central part of the cove. Local divers have found whale ribs and vertebrae here.
Ease of entry, and street lights for navigation, make this a great summer night dive. We've seen lot's of Squid, and the Lobsters come out to hunt (look but don't touch, you can't take Lobster at night).
Day or night, it's possible to see Tautog, Cunner and Sea Ravens.
There's really nothing worth seeing any deeper than 30 feet, and reaching that depth puts you far enough into the bay to worry about boat traffic.
This is the place to go for your first dive of the season, or to introduce someone to New England diving. Entry is a snap, navigation simple (the cove funnels you right back), and it's a fun beach for those you're leaving behind.
Folly Cove
Niveau: Débutant
Stationnement: Il y a un stationnement public à Halibut Pt. un peu à l'est sur la route 127. Il est recommandé de laisser le stock sur place et qu'une personne aille stationner le véhicule. Une marche de 10-15 min s'impose.
Profondeur: De 15 à 60 pieds
Description: Entrée rocheuse, la plongée s'effectue sur la gauche de la baie. Vie marine intéressante: bar argenté, petites étoiles de mer, petites anguilles, petites raies, homards, plies et autres.
Halibut Point
Niveau: Débutant
Stationnement: 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. Exposure: All but West. Very long walk from lot = fewer divers. The park is a beautiful place for picnics. Scenes from The Next Karate Kid filmed here.
Profondeur: 15' - 60'
Hoop Pole Cove
Niveau: Débutant
Stationnement: 1 block up on Haven or Ocean.
Description: Rocky entry, Great cove with huge rounded boulders, stripers in summer. Long walk from parking, = less people. Good lobstering due to plenty of cracks and crevices.
Profondeur: 15' - 35'
Cathedral Rocks
Niveau: Intermédiaire
Stationnement: Room for a few cars on the right.
Description: Rocky steep climb to water. Dramatic drop off w/boulders. Deepest shore dive on Cape Ann. Best conditions: high tide calm seas, exit @low tide is difficult due to slippery rocks.
Profondeur: 15' - 70'
Back Beach
Niveau: Débutant
Stationnement: Metered spaces
Description: Facing water, left side of has great jetty, middle is sandy, Far right is rocky. Lots of baby flounder in summer. Bathrooms, plenty of parking, restaurants nearby. Popular training area. Due to proximity of houses to parking please keep noise to whisper.
Profondeur: 10' - 35'
Front Beach
Niveau: Débutant
Stationnement: Metered spaces avail.
Description: Easy sandy entry Rocky on left, sandy out straight and in the middle. 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.
Profondeur: 10' - 30'
Old Garden Beach
Niveau: Débutant
Stationnement: 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. Very, very nice dive.
Profondeur: 15' - 35'
Whale Cove
Niveau: Débutant
Stationnement: None, unload here and park at High school on Jerden’s Lane
Description: Rocky entry, loose boulders steep climb, good vis. & lobstering. Nobody bothers to dive here due to parking effort, but it's a great dive. Get someone to drop you off.
Profondeur: 15' - 35'
Loblolly Cove
Niveau: Débutant
Stationnement: Resident only, unload here park at Pebble beach (J).
Description: Sandy entry inside cove, point is rocky entry. Cove is shallow w/ lots of life, point is breathtaking with crevices & drop offs. Cove warms in summer, point is worth the swim.
Profondeur: 10' - 40'
Pebble Beach
Niveau: Débutant
Stationnement: 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. great place to spend to day.
Profondeur: 10' - 35'
Cape Hedge
Niveau: Débutant
Stationnement: Resident only, park at Pebble Beach (J).
Description: Similar to Pebble, @ south end of beach headland is good place to see stripers in the summer. Nice rock reef on left, headland on right has interesting rock formations.
Profondeur: 10' - 35'
Salt Island
Niveau: Débutant
Stationnement: 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. Dramatic drop offs on ocean side of island. Great lobster, Best Beach on the North Shore. Bathrooms.
Profondeur: 10' - 40'
Bass Rocks
Niveau: Débutant
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 Stationnement: Not much anymore, due to the McMansions. Pass Atlantis Inn on right. Park after that on right.
Description: Rocky entry, large boulders, sandy out straight. Easiest at high tide. Good lobstering, very pretty dive.
Profondeur: 10' - 35'
Niles Beach
Niveau: Débutant
Stationnement: Resident only in season, off season parking okay.
Description: Sandy beach entry, sandy bottom, rocks on right. Very protected area, almost always calm.
Profondeur: 10' - 25'
Stage Fort Park
Niveau: Débutant
Stationnement: For a fee in season, free off season.
Description: Sandy beach entry, boulders out straight.
Profondeur: 10' - 20'
Note: Bathrooms, snack bar, volley ball, playground. Harbor seals on rocks Oct. - May.
Norman's Woe
Niveau: Débutant
Stationnement: Space for a few cars.
Description: Rocky entry, boulders, kelp beds, pretty dive.
Profondeur: 10' - 35'
Note: Long walk from lot = not many people bother = good lobstering. Difficult entry/exit
Magnolia Rocks
Niveau: Débutant
Stationnement: Resident only , park a few blocks up.
Description: Rocky entry, very similar to Bass Rocks. Good lobstering.
Profondeur: 10' - 35'
Photos
Avertissements
Idéalement comme beaucoup de plongées à Cape Ann, la plongée est beaucoup plus facile à marée haute et lorsque la mer est calme.
Notes
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.
Numéros utiles
Services de plongée à proximité
Boutique | Adresse | Téléphone | Services |
Cape Ann Divers | 127 Eastern avenue Gloucester MA | (978)281-8082 | Boutique, charter, Air |
Liens externes
Météo prévue sur ce site de plongée
2e site de prévisions météo horaires
L'information contenue sur ce site s'adresse aux plongeurs certifiés et est délivrée à titre indicative. Aucune documentation ne remplace une formation délivrée par un moniteur accrédité. |