Chimney Bay

Ireland · reef · beginner

5–30 mbeginnerOWboat entry

MEDIA5 items

Chimney Bay

A gently sloping kelp-and-boulder bay on the far side of George's Head, and the Kilkee site that stays divable when the others do not.

reefboat

Max depth5–30 m

Required levelbeginner

Entry typeboat

Visibilitynot sourced

The dive

Chimney Bay sits on the far side of George's Head, the headland on the north side of Kilkee Bay, and is dived from a boat out of the East End pier. Kilkee Dive Centre, which runs it, describes a kelp-covered site running from 5 m down to 30 m: a gently sloping bay with life in and around kelp-covered boulders, and — because of its sheltered aspect — one that can be dived in most seas. That last point is the whole argument for the site. This is a coast Dublin University Sub-Aqua Club describes as taking the full force of the Atlantic, where the usual question is not which site is best but which site is on.

Because the profile is a slope rather than a wall or a pinnacle, the depth is chosen rather than imposed: a newly qualified diver can work the boulders in the shallows while the same dive continues to 30 m for anyone with the training for it. The dive centre calls it suitable for divers of all abilities on exactly that basis.

The life is the standard cold-water Atlantic mix of the Kilkee cliffs. The operator lists anemones, nudibranchs, crabs and lobsters among the invertebrates, with wrasse, pollack, dogfish and flatfish over the rock — and, in a detail nobody would invent, the occasional stray golf ball on the bottom. Occurrence records around the pin are among the richest of the Kilkee sites and back most of that up: lesser-spotted dogfish, ballan and cuckoo wrasse, pollack, brown crab, European lobster, velvet swimming crab and spiny spider crab, edible sea urchins, cotton-spinner sea cucumbers, several nudibranchs including the orange-clubbed sea slug and sea lemon, and leopard-spotted gobies and tompot blennies in the boulder gaps.

What is missing here is a second published account. The only description of Chimney Bay we could find is the dive centre's own, and no club guide or trip report we read covers it, so the depths and topography rest on one source. The confidence figure on this page reflects that rather than any doubt about the site existing.

Gently sloping kelp and boulder ground from 5 m to 30 m
The most reliable of the Kilkee boat sites in unsettled weather
Wrasse, pollack, dogfish and flatfish over the boulders
Depth chosen by the diver rather than dictated by the site

Please note before you go

Boat only, on the seaward side of George's Head with no shore exit
The slope runs to 30 m, so depth is a matter of discipline rather than terrain — it is easy to keep following boulders down
Sheltered by local standards, not absolutely: Kilkee is a fully exposed Atlantic coast and the operator's claim is that it works in most seas, not all
Kelp cover over boulders makes for poor sightlines and awkward footing on the bottom

Access & rules

Mandatory requirements

Certification required

Getting there

Boat only, from the East End pier in Kilkee where Oceanlife runs the dive centre, shop and café; the site is on the far side of George's Head, the headland on the north side of Kilkee Bay. DUSAC put the local boat sites at five to ten minutes from the slip. For anyone bringing their own boat, their guide records that the slip is tidal and best used within about three hours of low water on springs, there are no public moorings, local by-laws forbid compressing cylinders at the pier, and the public car park has a 2.1 m height barrier.

Operator

Access to the site runs through a local operator.

Season

Oceanlife, the SSI dive centre on Kilkee's East Pier, opens May to September, seven days a week, and Kilkee Sub Aqua Club is most active March to October. Chimney Bay is the site most likely to be available at the edges of that window, because the reason it is on the list at all is that it tolerates weather the other sites do not.

Conditions

Visibilitynot sourced

Currentlight

Surgelight

WaterSalt water

Depth range5–30 m

Environmentreef

Coralnot sourced

Crowdsquiet

Cold Atlantic water over kelp-covered boulders on a slope. The dive centre's stated reason for the site is shelter — they say it can be dived in most seas — which places it at the calm end of the Kilkee range. DUSAC describe the water here as usually extremely clear when the coast lets you out, though their 2023 trip found visibility only alright. No source publishes a visibility figure or water temperature for Chimney Bay, so both are left blank.

On current: The dive centre's own note is that Chimney Bay's sheltered aspect lets it be dived in most seas, which on this coast is the single most useful thing anyone can say about a site. DUSAC record the Kilkee dive sites as non-tidal, with the boats running in and out all day, so there is no slack window to time and no drift to plan. The 5 to 30 m range comes from the operator alone; no second source publishes depths here, so treat the deep end as their figure rather than a measured one.

Best months: May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep

Dives & underwater footage

Turks & Caicos - Scuba Diving Eel Garden, Chimney and Amphitheatre - 4K · Phillip

Divers hit Canoes at the Devils Chimney, Ullswater · Adventures & Lifestyle

Scuba Diving The British Virgin Islands, The Chimney · Stanley Scuba, Sailing & Adventures

Diving The Chimney at Sail Rock · Halie Suzy

Chimneys at Namena Marine Reserve, Fiji · genericitis

Diving at Reqqa Point, Gozo(2012), chimney ascent Part 1 · DUNCAN SCOBIE

Questions & answers

How deep is Chimney Bay?

Kilkee Dive Centre publishes it as running from 5 m to 30 m. Because it is a gently sloping bay rather than a wall, the depth is largely your choice: you can stay in the shallow kelp and boulders or follow the slope down. No second source publishes depths for this site, so the 30 m figure is the operator's own.

Where is Chimney Bay in Kilkee?

On the far side of George's Head, the headland forming the north side of Kilkee Bay. It is dived from a boat out of the East End pier, where Oceanlife runs the dive centre. DUSAC put the local boat runs from the Kilkee slip at five to ten minutes, and there is no shore access on the seaward side of the head.

Is Chimney Bay good for beginners?

Yes, and the operator says so explicitly. It is a gentle boulder-and-kelp slope starting at 5 m, so a newly qualified diver can work the shallow ground while a more experienced buddy pair follows the same slope deeper. The only caution is that the site continues to 30 m, so depth needs to be a planned decision rather than a drift downhill.

Can Chimney Bay be dived in bad weather?

It is the most tolerant of the Kilkee sites. The dive centre's stated reason for keeping it on the list is that its sheltered nature means it can be dived in most seas. That is a relative claim on a coast Dublin University Sub-Aqua Club describes as taking the full force of the Atlantic, so it means more often than the walls and pinnacles, not always.

What will I see at Chimney Bay?

The dive centre lists anemones, nudibranchs, crabs and lobsters among the invertebrates, with wrasse, pollack, dogfish and flatfish over the boulders, and mentions the odd stray golf ball on the bottom. Occurrence records around the pin add lesser-spotted dogfish, brown crab, velvet swimming crab, spiny spider crab, European lobster, edible sea urchins, cotton-spinner sea cucumbers, leopard-spotted gobies and tompot blennies.

Can you snorkel Chimney Bay?

Only from a boat, and you would see the top 5 m of a site that runs to 30 m. There is no shore access on the seaward side of George's Head, so a snorkeller has to be dropped and collected. Kilkee's usual snorkelling spot is the Pollock Holes on the Duggerna Rocks in town, which need calm water and low tide.

When is the best time to dive Chimney Bay?

May to September, when Oceanlife on the East Pier is open seven days a week; the local club runs from March to October. Because Chimney Bay tolerates more weather than the other Kilkee sites, it is also the one most likely to be available in the shoulder months when a settled day is harder to come by.

Life recorded at Chimney Bay

60 species within 1.5 km · OBIS

Asterias rubensoccasional · 18 records

Marthasterias glacialisoccasional · 12 records

Echinus esculentusoccasional · 10 records

Mytilus edulisoccasional · 10 records

Steromphala cinerariaoccasional · 9 records

Cliona celataoccasional · 9 records

All 60 species recorded in this area

Species	How often	Records
Asterias rubens	occasional	18
Marthasterias glacialis	occasional	12
Echinus esculentus	occasional	10
Mytilus edulis	occasional	10
Steromphala cineraria	occasional	9
Cliona celata	occasional	9
Luidia ciliaris	occasional	9
Obelia geniculata	occasional	9
Patella pellucida	occasional	9
Patella vulgata	occasional	8
Calliostoma zizyphinum	occasional	8
Holothuria forskali	occasional	8
Pachymatisma johnstonia	occasional	8
Cancer pagurus	occasional	7
Steromphala umbilicalis	occasional	7
Taurulus bubalis	occasional	6
Limacia clavigera	occasional	6
Pomatoschistus flavescens	occasional	6
Pollachius pollachius	occasional	6
Dysidea fragilis	occasional	6
Polymastia boletiformis	occasional	5
Clavelina lepadiformis	occasional	5
Carcinus maenas	occasional	5
Elysia viridis	occasional	5
Facelina auriculata	occasional	5
Labrus bergylta	rare	4
Axinella dissimilis	rare	4
Hemimycale columella	rare	4
Stelligera stuposa	rare	4
Trivia arctica	rare	4
Amphilectus fucorum	rare	4
Labrus mixtus	rare	4
Halichondria (Halichondria) panicea	rare	4
Scyliorhinus canicula	rare	4
Galathea strigosa	rare	4
Homarus gammarus	rare	4
Maja squinado	rare	4
Necora puber	rare	4
Gymnangium montagui	rare	4
Diplosoma listerianum	rare	3
Aslia lefevrei	rare	3
Parablennius gattorugine	rare	3
Thorogobius ephippiatus	rare	3
Archidoris pseudoargus	rare	3
Littorina saxatilis	rare	3
Haliclona (Rhizoniera) viscosa	rare	3
Patella ulyssiponensis	rare	3
Aplidium punctum	rare	3
Porcellana platycheles	rare	2
Conger conger	rare	2
Parablennius ruber	rare	2
Hymeniacidon perlevis	rare	2
Suberites carnosus	rare	2
Henricia oculata	rare	2
Asterina gibbosa	rare	2
Paracentrotus lividus	rare	2
Idotea granulosa	rare	2
Dynamena pumila	rare	2
Palaemon serratus	rare	2
Cetorhinus maximus	rare	2

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