Below Puffin Island

It was just John and me today, the last dive of an unforgettable Portmagee weekend. With the ocean calm and flat, we decided to head across to Puffin Island.

On the western side of Puffin Island lies a dramatic fissure, almost splitting the island in two. Here, 50-meter cliffs of 350-million-year-old red sandstone plunge vertically into the sea. Beneath these towering walls was our destination, Cuas Gorm, or in English, Cove Blue.

Us we dropped below the surface we were treated to 20m visibility views of sheer rock faces dropping to 40 meters, blanketed in anemones and sea stars. As we descended deeper into the fissure, we found house-sized boulders scattered like building rubble, forming a spectacular three-dimensional maze of caves and swim-through tunnels where lobsters and shrimp hid in the gloom while wrasse playfully darted around us.

It was such a delight exploring Cuas Gorm in such great conditions and visibility. I’m already looking forward to next time.


#puffinisland #scuba #diving #kerry #underwater #sidemount #CuasGorm