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THE POINT: 18-22mts.
Ireland · reef · intermediate
18–22 mintermediateAOWboat entry
THE POINT: 18-22mts.
Boulders, overhangs and anemone-covered canyon walls at 18 to 22 m, in the middle of the Magharee Islands where the dive centre's named sites cluster.
Max depth18–22 m
Required levelintermediate
Entry typeboat
Visibility20 m
The dive
The Point is one of six names Waterworld publishes within about 750 m of each other in the middle of the Magharee Islands, alongside Pollack Alley, the Ridge Holes, the Gully, Square Rock and the Necklace. The centre gives each its own depth band and its own paragraph, which is how it sells them: as separate dives on a shared piece of reef rather than as separate reefs. The Point's paragraph is about structure and photography. Massive boulders, overhangs, canyons and walls covered in anemones, and, in the centre's own words, a place where you can meet anything from dolphins on the surface to a resident conger it calls Sam. The published band is 18 to 22 m.
The older Dive Ireland guide to these islands describes very similar ground at Inishtooskert, about ten minutes out from the pier: following the island contour north to 20 m brings you to large overhanging rocks worn away by the currents, with yellow, brown and green breadcrumb sponge, fields of sea anemones, and crayfish, lobster, pollack and wrasse in numbers. Whether that is this exact pin is not established, and the guide attaches a tidal warning to it that the club sources do not attach to the group as a whole, so it is worth knowing about either way.
What the pin does have on its own account is animals. The occurrence records within 1.5 km of it run to sixty taxa and are unusually heavy on the large stuff for an Irish reef: grey seal is the single most recorded species here, bottlenose dolphin is regular, and basking shark is on the list. Below that it is the standard cold-water reef cast, with edible crab, spiny spider crab, European lobster, velvet swimming crab, ballan wrasse, pollack, lesser-spotted dogfish, common sunstar and the boring sponge Cliona celata.
Access is by boat, ten to fifteen minutes out from Scraggane Pier at Fahamore. The Ridge Holes pin sits 200 m due north of this one and is sold as its own dive, so ask which of the cluster the boat is actually putting you on before you plan a route.
- Massive boulders, overhangs and canyon walls at 18 to 22 m
- Anemone cover on the walls, which is what the centre sells the site on
- A resident conger the dive centre has named
- Grey seal is the most frequently recorded animal at this pin
- Bottlenose dolphin and basking shark both on record within 1.5 km
Please note before you go
- Tidal streams run in this part of the island group; one guide advises diving slack water only
- Overhangs and canyons are an overhead environment in places
- 8 to 17-18 °C water: drysuit or a thick wetsuit, and the training to use it
- Boat-only access with no shore exit anywhere on the island group
Access & rules
Mandatory requirementsGetting there
Boat only, ten to fifteen minutes out from Scraggane Pier at Fahamore, north of Castlegregory. Waterworld's centre is about 30 m from the water at the pier and runs two boats, departing at 9am and 11am. A visiting club can launch its own RIB from the two slips at Scraggane, which has a wide gradually sloped slipway, toilets and ample parking. Because six of the centre's named sites sit within about 750 m of each other here, confirm on the boat which one you are being dropped on.
Operator
Access to the site runs through a local operator.
Rules and permits
The reefs lie within Magharee Islands SAC (site code 002261), designated by the National Parks and Wildlife Service for the habitat Reefs [1170]. No diving permit or fee is published. The early monastic settlement on Illauntannig, the largest island in the group, is a National Monument with restricted access if you were thinking of landing.
Season
Roughly May to September. Waterworld's figures put the water at 8 °C at the start of the season and 17 to 18 °C in July, August and September, and the older Irish dive guide notes that these islands take the full force of the Atlantic gales in winter. The BioMar survey worked the islands in May and DUSAC ran a club trip in June, so late spring is dived, just cold.
Conditions
Visibility20 m
Currentmoderate
Surgenot sourced
WaterSalt water
Depth range18–22 m
Environmentreef
Coralnot sourced
Crowdsquiet
Waterworld gives visibility across its Maharees sites as about 40 m on very good days, around 20 m on average and about 7 m on bad ones; the Castlegregory village guide reproduces the same figures but caps the best days at 30 m, so plan on 20 m. Water is about 8 °C at the start of the season and 17 to 18 °C in July, August and September. Boats leave Scraggane Pier at 9am and 11am. The Magharees face north into open Atlantic water and swell is what cancels the day; in the middle of the group, tide is what sets the hour.
On current: The sources disagree and the conservative reading wins here. Dublin University Sub-Aqua Club, which dived the Maharees in June 2009, records the sites as fairly non-tidal with only a small drift even at mid tide. But the older Dive Ireland guide reports a good current on the third and fourth hours of the tide at Inishtooskert, in this part of the group, and advises diving only at slack water; and the 1996 BioMar survey describes the nearby channels as tide-swept, with moderately strong tidal streams in Magharee Sound. Treat this middle section of the islands as tidal and take the boat's slack-water timing rather than the club's general reassurance.
Best months: May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep
Questions & answers
How deep is The Point at the Maharees?
Waterworld publishes it as 18 to 22 metres, and the depth is built into the site name on the centre's own listing. That is a narrow band, so gas planning is easy, but 22 m is past the 18 m limit that Open Water certification assumes and the site sits on an exposed offshore island group.
How do you get to The Point?
By boat only, ten to fifteen minutes out from Scraggane Pier at Fahamore, north of Castlegregory in County Kerry. Waterworld runs two boats from the pier with departures at 9am and 11am. Six of the centre's named sites sit within about 750 m of each other here, so confirm on the boat which one you are being dropped on.
What is there to see at The Point?
Waterworld describes massive boulders, overhangs, canyons and walls covered in anemones, and a resident conger eel it has named. Occurrence records within 1.5 km of the pin are led by grey seal, with bottlenose dolphin regular and basking shark on the list, plus edible crab, spiny spider crab, European lobster, velvet swimming crab, ballan wrasse, pollack, lesser-spotted dogfish and the boring sponge Cliona celata.
Is there current at The Point?
Probably, and the sources disagree. Dublin University Sub-Aqua Club calls the Maharees fairly non-tidal with only a small drift even at mid tide, but the older Dive Ireland guide reports a good current on the third and fourth hours of the tide in this part of the group and advises diving slack water only. The 1996 BioMar survey also records moderately strong tidal streams in the channels between these islands. Take the conservative reading and dive it on the boat's timing.
Is The Point separate from The Ridge Holes?
Waterworld lists them as two dives with two descriptions and two depth bands, but the pins are only 200 m apart, with the Ridge Holes almost due north of The Point. They are best understood as named sections of the same reef that the centre works as separate dives, which is also true of Pollack Alley, the Gully and Square Rock nearby.
Can you snorkel or freedive The Point?
No on both counts. The shallowest part of the dive is 18 m, the site is reachable only by boat, and tidal streams run through this part of the island group. Snorkellers are far better served by the sheltered shallow ground inside Scraggane Bay, which the dive centre uses for try-dives.
When is the best time of year to dive it?
Roughly May to September. Water is about 8 °C at the start of the season and 17 to 18 °C in July, August and September by the operator's own figures, and these islands take the full force of the Atlantic gales in winter. The BioMar survey team worked the group in May and DUSAC ran a trip in June, so late spring is dived, just colder.
Do you need a permit to dive here?
No diving permit or fee is published. The reefs sit inside Magharee Islands SAC (site code 002261), designated by the National Parks and Wildlife Service for the habitat Reefs [1170], which sets conservation objectives rather than a permit scheme for divers. Landing on Illauntannig is a separate matter, as its early monastic settlement is a National Monument with restricted access.
Life recorded at THE POINT: 18-22mts.
60 species within 1.5 km · OBISTursiops truncatusoccasional · 6 recordsMola molarare · 2 records
Halichoerus grypusoccasional · 17 records
Cliona celataoccasional · 10 records
Marthasterias glacialisoccasional · 9 records
Calliostoma zizyphinumoccasional · 9 records
All 60 species recorded in this area
| Species | How often | Records |
|---|---|---|
| Halichoerus grypus | occasional | 17 |
| Cliona celata | occasional | 10 |
| Marthasterias glacialis | occasional | 9 |
| Calliostoma zizyphinum | occasional | 9 |
| Echinus esculentus | occasional | 7 |
| Pachymatisma johnstonia | occasional | 7 |
| Ophiactis balli | occasional | 6 |
| Thymosia guernei | occasional | 6 |
| Tursiops truncatus | occasional | 6 |
| Homarus gammarus | occasional | 5 |
| Cancer pagurus | occasional | 5 |
| Maja squinado | occasional | 5 |
| Sertularia argentea | occasional | 5 |
| Aslia lefevrei | occasional | 5 |
| Holothuria forskali | occasional | 5 |
| Asterias rubens | rare | 4 |
| Dysidea fragilis | rare | 4 |
| Steromphala cineraria | rare | 4 |
| Clavelina lepadiformis | rare | 3 |
| Aplidium nordmanni | rare | 3 |
| Aplidium punctum | rare | 3 |
| Polyclinum aurantium | rare | 3 |
| Botryllus schlosseri | rare | 3 |
| Polycarpa scuba | rare | 3 |
| Scyliorhinus canicula | rare | 3 |
| Necora puber | rare | 3 |
| Henricia oculata | rare | 3 |
| Pollachius pollachius | rare | 3 |
| Labrus bergylta | rare | 3 |
| Taurulus bubalis | rare | 3 |
| Haliclona (Haliclona) simulans | rare | 3 |
| Raspailia (Raspailia) ramosa | rare | 3 |
| Hemimycale columella | rare | 3 |
| Aplysia punctata | rare | 3 |
| Haliclona (Haliclona) urceolus | rare | 3 |
| Dercitus (Dercitus) bucklandi | rare | 3 |
| Ascidiella aspersa | rare | 2 |
| Diazona violacea | rare | 2 |
| Dendrodoa grossularia | rare | 2 |
| Cetorhinus maximus | rare | 2 |
| Inachus phalangium | rare | 2 |
| Obelia geniculata | rare | 2 |
| Nemertesia antennina | rare | 2 |
| Luidia ciliaris | rare | 2 |
| Ophiothrix fragilis | rare | 2 |
| Parablennius gattorugine | rare | 2 |
| Thorogobius ephippiatus | rare | 2 |
| Centrolabrus exoletus | rare | 2 |
| Ctenolabrus rupestris | rare | 2 |
| Mola mola | rare | 2 |
| Tethya citrina | rare | 2 |
| Jorunna tomentosa | rare | 2 |
| Patella pellucida | rare | 2 |
| Amphilectus fucorum | rare | 2 |
| Antiopella cristata | rare | 2 |
| Myxilla (Myxilla) incrustans | rare | 2 |
| Protosuberites incrustans | rare | 2 |
| Halecium halecinum | rare | 2 |
| Haliclona (Rhizoniera) viscosa | rare | 2 |
| Botrylloides leachii | rare | 2 |
Nearby sites in Magharee Islands, Castlegregory
Explore all sitesPOLLACK ALLEY: 12-16mts0.2 km
Magharee Islands, CastlegregoryA 300-metre kelp wall dropping to sand at Inishtooskert, where big pollack hang over the sprat runs.
THE RIDGE HOLES: 10-22mts.0.2 km
Magharee Islands, CastlegregoryA ridge crest pocked with very large round holes, often with crawfish or spiny spider crab sitting in them, worked between 10 and 22 m.
Square Rock 12-22 mts0.4 km
Magharee Islands, CastlegregorySquared-off rock forming gullies and swim-throughs at 12 to 22 m in the channel between Inishtooskert and Illaunimmil; the only published description is one sentence long.
THE GULLY: 8-20mts0.4 km
Magharee Islands, CastlegregoryA gully swum between two cliff faces on Inishtooskert, 8 to 20 m, with cave mouths off it the operator tells you to leave alone because of the swell.
The Necklace 8-16 mts0.7 km
Magharee Islands, CastlegregoryA kelp gully you work uphill to 5 m before dropping into a rock bowl at 12 m, at the sheltered eastern end of the Magharee Islands.
THE INNER REEF: 18-33mts0.9 km
Magharee Islands, CastlegregoryKelp on the top, then a clean rock wall running roughly half a mile down to sand at 33 m, on the landward side of Gurrig Island.
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