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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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