Depth and distance from shore (UK)

[halfandy]

Gotta love our history of overfishing. We've done it time and time again, species after species. All for money numbers!

 

[liam98]

I dive Sussex mostly. Vis here is hardly ever above a meter or 2. I get most of my luck about 500m-1km off shore in about 7-8 meters of water on one spot which on high tide is only 10/12 meters deep. Usually find lobsters in that area too. One of the other spots is 18 m with most fish near the bottom over the rocks. That's about 250 m from shore. The final spot I spear is only 5 meter deep for miles out and a few bass have been caught but not a lot else.
I nearly always dive alone, don't have any mates that dive, just one that comes out in his kayak, every time I've met up with another spearo ive never felt safe having them wave a gun above my head in such low vis. Knowing a guy in oz that got shot always puts me on edge!
One thing I have noticed is my diving improves pretty quick in low vis, you get use to it in the end so when you have clear water you're breath hold is great!
I have been wondering where in the uk has the deepest water from the shore? Any ideas? Heading back up to Scotland next week in search of deep water!

 

[Mr. X]

...where in the uk has the deepest water from the shore? Any ideas? Heading back up to Scotland next week in search of deep water!

I have no idea but steep & very steep beaches are not uncommon, several spring to mind, including the vast Chesil Beach in Dorset and the tiny Porth Curno in West Penwith, Cornwall. Usually/often such beaches are notorious, especially because they can present a potentially lethal hazard to paddling bathers & children. For contrast, Portland Harbour, Dorset (very close to Chesil Beach) is quite gently inclined & very sheltered - yet both are popular for spearfishing.

Currently, I prefer waters of moderate depth (3m-12m-ish) that can be reached reasonably quickly from shore. Ideally with some rock & weed: "structure" (adds interest & cover).

 

[steviehype]

I have been wondering where in the uk has the deepest water from the shore?

I've recently been trying out the Navionics app on my iPhone. You can get a 7 day free trial. It's useful if, for example, you're out on your kayak looking for a reef etc.

I did however notice you can use their webapp for free. http://webapp.navionics.com/
Zoom into the area you're interested in and click the little circular icon (like an upside-down wifi icon) to see their 'sonar charts'. They are a little easier to read the depths.

 

[liam98]

I've dived chesil beach quite a bit now and really enjoy it, around my area in East Sussex parts of Seaford beach drop off relatively quickly in comparison to the rest of Sussex. Suppose what I'd really like to find is some deep drop offs, there's nothing nicer than swimming over the edge of a drop off.
I'll check out that app, thanks for the pointer.