Neil Daley's Dive Log

This is a fantastic park made for scuba divers! The concrete stairs into the water make for an extremely easy entry! I dove this site on 6/4/10 and loved the diversity of marine life. The plumose anemone almost completely cover on wreck. Also saw sea cucumbers, ling cod, sunstar and multiple other varieties of star fish. The current and wind were really strong so the surface swim was tough so be sure to time this one right. The zooplankton were also at the peak so the vis is not great in the summer - about 15 feet until you reach a depth of 30 feet and then the vis is better - about 25-30. The depth within the park is mostly 35-55 feet. The wooden hulled mine sweeper is no longer shown on the map but it is the furthest buoy out and starts in about 90 feet deep and goes to about 110. There is little left of it. There is a ton of life on the remains but the swim out a huge endeavor.

Dove this site over two days and loved it. The first day was from 'The Cut' which is accessed from the very highest point of the parking area. After a huge climb down the mountain, the giant splint in the granite opens up into a tiny cove for entry over a mix of small to medium loose rocks so hold on. Follow the wall to the right and you will see a huge area of plumose anemone between 45-60 fsw. The wall has an amazing amount of diversity and it is completely covered with life. The only negative was my timing, summer vis is low, and the climb back up the hill - about 100 ft vertical climb with gear. Dove the cove on the second day and it was a nice area - can easily see why they train here. The left wall of the cove stays around 60 fsw until you go around the point and then it drops to more than 400 feet. Be sure to check out the life on the ropes - lots of tube anemones and sponge. Not as much life on the cove walls but still a nice dive.

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.

Nice state park with a dedicated dive beach. The diving is great at high tide. Swim around the rocks to the left side - tops can be seen even at high tide. There is a fee of $10 to enter park. Restrooms on site, pack in, pack out.