Plum Cove

The rocks are large enough and random enough that you should help your buddy in and out of the surf zone. If there are any swells at all, we would recommend bypassing this beach, as you could easily be smashed into a beach boulder. The cove has rocky borders, and the bottom is scattered with large rocks, as well. You can easily stay within the cove and explore the critters there, or do a surface kick out the deeper water, and then descend. The cove will be easy to spot as there are very few sheltered beaches along this stretch. Parking is very difficult here. It would be best to drop your equipment and buddy off here, and then find parking further way from the cove.

Perfect cove for an easy dive or to practice skills: not too deep, no current, and great visibility. You will see lots of lobster, crab, skate, and small striper and interesting bottom topography covered with colorful plant life. My wife and I have visited this site twice this year because you can park here before 11:00 AM right at the beach - rare for Cape Ann. After 11:00, they will give you a $60 ticket and tow your car, so get in early (found out the hard way and mine was the next to be towed!). Because this is a public beach, the lifeguard will ask divers to stay to the right side which is where you want to enter anyway. The best area to dive is the wall on the right side of the cove and to about the middle of the cove. There is also a great reef that runs parallel to shore about 100 yards past the entrance to the cove straight out from point on right - definitely worth the swim. Once there, you can do a drift dive of the reef because long shore currents are pretty quick here. Watch your distance though because they will sweep you past the cove entrance if you are not careful.

It was good and fun!

This lovely little beach within a small and well protected cove offers an easy shore dive for the new diver or for creature watching. Entry is made on the right side of the cove, over sand without a lot of rocks to trip you up. As others have said, very shallow, we had 12 feet out at the right point at low tide. Would have been easier to get closer to the cove wall and rocks during high tide. 65 degrees in July. Nice and warm! Navigation is easy. Just follow the rocky wall out on right and then back. Tons of lobster, skate, stripers, crabs galore. Life guard was on duty, portable toilets, parking for residence only. Park down the street, but you can drop your gear off first. A lovely little beach for the kids and non-divers to enjoy.

Very easy dive. Short walk down beach into water. Not very deep at all, we got only about 15'. Went out along the right side of the cove, saw some flounder, skates, striped bass, plant life alright. Would go back to try as a night dive.

Plum Cove is a site for the beginner and for those times other local sites are blown out. Depths are shallow, no more than 20' or so at high tide. Animal life is only okay with most found on the outer edges or around the large boulders in the center area. Watch out for long currents if you venture outside the cove.