SeaLog
Certification required
AOW
The Pinnacle
Ireland · wall · advanced
5–40 madvancedAOWboat entry
MEDIA5 items
The Pinnacle
A rock rising from 40 m to within 5 m of the surface, dived as a spiral from the bottom up.
Max depth5–40 m
Required leveladvanced
Entry typeboat
Visibilitynot sourced
The dive
The Pinnacle is a submerged rock on the cliff coast west of Kilkee Bay, dived by boat from the East End pier. Kilkee Dive Centre, which runs it, describes a triangular mass of rock rising from 40 m to 5 m, and gives a profile rather than a route: start at your own maximum depth and spiral around the rock until you reach the top, where the safety stop happens. Their walls carry anemones, sea fans and sponges, and they list pollack, wrasse, gurnards, blennies and John Dory among the fish.
That 40 m base is the thing to plan around. It is well beyond the 30 m an Advanced Open Water diver plans to and puts the bottom of the site into deep-speciality territory with the gas and no-stop planning to match. The site itself does not force it: because the rock runs continuously to 5 m, a shallower spiral is a legitimate version of the same dive, and the top is the one part everyone sees.
The catalogue puts this pin about 800 m west of Tony's Crack and about 1.8 km west of the Newfie site inside Kilkee Bay, out along the same cliffs. We could not find a published position, a chart reference or a second description of the site from any club, guide or trip report — the dive centre's own text is the only account of it we read, and it is also one of the least-logged sites in their Kilkee list. The confidence on this page is low for that reason. Everything below about topography and depth rests on one operator's description, and the pin should be treated as approximate rather than surveyed.
Occurrence records around the pin describe the same cold-water community as the rest of this coast: ballan and cuckoo wrasse, goldsinny and rock cook wrasse, pollack, tompot blennies, leopard-spotted gobies, brown crab and European lobster, edible sea urchins, cotton-spinner sea cucumbers, oaten-pipe hydroids and a range of encrusting sponges.
- Rock rising continuously from about 40 m to 5 m
- Spiral profile — pick your depth and work upward around the rock
- Anemones, sea fans and sponges on the faces
- Pollack, wrasse, gurnards, blennies and John Dory reported by the operator
Please note before you go
- The base is at about 40 m, past the 30 m an Advanced Open Water diver plans to — a deep qualification, gas planning and a hard turn depth are the minimum
- A pinnacle with a free descent invites overshooting: there is no bottom contour to stop you before 40 m
- Boat only on an exposed Atlantic cliff coast with no shore exit; the nearest recompression chamber is Galway
- Only one published description of this site exists, so the depth and topography here are unverified by any second source
Access & rules
Mandatory requirementsGetting there
Boat only, from the East End pier in Kilkee where Oceanlife runs the dive centre, shop and café; DUSAC put the local boat runs at five to ten minutes from the slip. No source publishes a position for The Pinnacle; the catalogue pin sits on the cliff coast roughly 800 m west of Tony's Crack and about 1.8 km west of Newfie, and should be read as approximate. For anyone bringing their own boat, DUSAC record that the slip is tidal and best used within about three hours of low water on springs, that there are no public moorings, that local by-laws forbid compressing cylinders at the pier, and that the car park has a 2.1 m height barrier. Nearest recompression chamber is Galway.
Operator
Access to the site runs through a local operator.
Season
Oceanlife on Kilkee's East Pier opens May to September, seven days a week, and Kilkee Sub Aqua Club is most active March to October. A 40 m pinnacle on an exposed coast needs a genuinely settled day rather than a merely dry one, so the summer window is the realistic one.
Conditions
Visibilitynot sourced
Currentlight
Surgenot sourced
WaterSalt water
Depth range5–40 m
Environmentwall
Coralnot sourced
Crowdsquiet
Cold Atlantic water on the exposed cliff coast west of Kilkee. DUSAC describe the area as very weather-dependent but usually extremely clear when the coast lets you out; their 2023 trip rated visibility only alright. No source publishes a visibility figure or water temperature for this site, so both are left blank. With a rock running from 40 m to 5 m, light and colour change substantially over the course of the ascent.
On current: No source publishes a current note for this site. DUSAC record the Kilkee dive sites generally as non-tidal, with the dive centre's boats running in and out all day rather than working slack water, which is the best available guide. The 40 m to 5 m range comes from the dive centre alone and has no second source behind it; the operator's own framing is that you start at your maximum depth and spiral up, which implies the profile is chosen by the diver rather than set by the site.
Best months: May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep
Dives & underwater footage
Questions & answers
How deep is The Pinnacle in Kilkee?
Kilkee Dive Centre describes a rock running from 40 m at its base to about 5 m at the top. That is the only published figure and it has no second source behind it. Because the rock is continuous, the profile is chosen by the diver: the operator's own instruction is to start at your maximum depth and spiral upward.
What certification do I need for The Pinnacle?
Enough for the depth you actually plan. Reaching the base at 40 m is well beyond the 30 m an Advanced Open Water diver plans to and needs a deep qualification with matching gas and no-stop planning. A shallower spiral around the upper part of the rock is a legitimate version of the same dive and is what most divers will be doing.
Where is The Pinnacle?
On the cliff coast west of Kilkee Bay, reached by boat from the East End pier. No source publishes a position, so the catalogue pin is approximate: it sits roughly 800 m west of Tony's Crack and about 1.8 km west of the Newfie site inside Kilkee Bay. Ask the boat where it actually is rather than navigating to the coordinates.
How reliable is the information about The Pinnacle?
Less than for the other Kilkee sites, and the page says so deliberately. The dive centre's own description is the only account of the site we could find; no club guide, published dive guide or trip report we read covers it, and it is among the least-logged sites in the centre's Kilkee list. Treat the depths and topography as one operator's word.
What will I see at The Pinnacle?
The operator reports anemones, sea fans and sponges over the walls, with pollack, wrasse, gurnards, blennies and John Dory among the fish. Occurrence records around the pin describe the same cold-water community as the rest of this coast: ballan, cuckoo, goldsinny and rock cook wrasse, tompot blennies, leopard-spotted gobies, brown crab, European lobster, edible sea urchins and encrusting sponges.
Can you snorkel or freedive The Pinnacle?
Only from a boat, and only the top. The rock comes up to about 5 m, which is within reach of a freediver dropped on it, but there is no shore access on this stretch of cliff and everything that makes it a pinnacle dive is below. Snorkellers in Kilkee are better served by the Pollock Holes in town at low water.
When is the best time to dive The Pinnacle?
May to September, when Oceanlife on Kilkee's East Pier is open seven days a week; the local club runs from March to October. A deep pinnacle on a fully exposed Atlantic coast wants a settled day rather than just a dry one, so the summer window is the realistic one for getting on it at all.
Life recorded at The Pinnacle
60 species within 1.5 km · OBISAsterias rubensoccasional · 15 records
Cancer pagurusoccasional · 10 records
Marthasterias glacialisoccasional · 8 records
Echinus esculentusoccasional · 8 records
Mytilus edulisoccasional · 8 records
Patella vulgataoccasional · 8 records
All 60 species recorded in this area
| Species | How often | Records |
|---|---|---|
| Asterias rubens | occasional | 15 |
| Cancer pagurus | occasional | 10 |
| Marthasterias glacialis | occasional | 8 |
| Echinus esculentus | occasional | 8 |
| Mytilus edulis | occasional | 8 |
| Patella vulgata | occasional | 8 |
| Holothuria forskali | occasional | 8 |
| Obelia geniculata | occasional | 7 |
| Pachymatisma johnstonia | occasional | 7 |
| Cliona celata | occasional | 7 |
| Patella pellucida | occasional | 7 |
| Labrus mixtus | occasional | 7 |
| Steromphala umbilicalis | occasional | 7 |
| Pomatoschistus flavescens | occasional | 7 |
| Luidia ciliaris | occasional | 6 |
| Steromphala cineraria | occasional | 6 |
| Clavelina lepadiformis | occasional | 5 |
| Carcinus maenas | occasional | 5 |
| Labrus bergylta | occasional | 5 |
| Taurulus bubalis | occasional | 5 |
| Elysia viridis | occasional | 5 |
| Limacia clavigera | occasional | 5 |
| Facelina auriculata | occasional | 5 |
| Haliclona (Rhizoniera) viscosa | occasional | 5 |
| Galathea strigosa | rare | 4 |
| Necora puber | rare | 4 |
| Palaemon serratus | rare | 4 |
| Calliostoma zizyphinum | rare | 4 |
| Homarus gammarus | rare | 3 |
| Gymnangium montagui | rare | 3 |
| Tubularia indivisa | rare | 3 |
| Stichastrella rosea | rare | 3 |
| Pollachius pollachius | rare | 3 |
| Parablennius gattorugine | rare | 3 |
| Thorogobius ephippiatus | rare | 3 |
| Centrolabrus exoletus | rare | 3 |
| Ctenolabrus rupestris | rare | 3 |
| Dysidea fragilis | rare | 3 |
| Archidoris pseudoargus | rare | 3 |
| Cadlina laevis | rare | 3 |
| Littorina littorea | rare | 3 |
| Patella ulyssiponensis | rare | 3 |
| Diplosoma listerianum | rare | 2 |
| Ascidia mentula | rare | 2 |
| Botryllus schlosseri | rare | 2 |
| Stolonica socialis | rare | 2 |
| Porcellana platycheles | rare | 2 |
| Maja squinado | rare | 2 |
| Abietinaria abietina | rare | 2 |
| Dynamena pumila | rare | 2 |
| Sertularella gayi | rare | 2 |
| Idotea granulosa | rare | 2 |
| Paracentrotus lividus | rare | 2 |
| Aslia lefevrei | rare | 2 |
| Conger conger | rare | 2 |
| Parablennius ruber | rare | 2 |
| Axinella dissimilis | rare | 2 |
| Hymeniacidon perlevis | rare | 2 |
| Hemimycale columella | rare | 2 |
| Stelligera stuposa | rare | 2 |
Nearby sites in Ireland
Explore all sitesTony's Crack0.8 km
A narrow rock canyon west of Kilkee worked at about 15 m, with kelp on the rim for the safety stop.
Outer Rock1.4 km
The seaward rock of the Kilkee pair, listed by the local club as its own boat dive and summed up in four words: only for the curious.
Middle Rock1.6 km
The Kilkee wall you dive as one long ascent: cracks and overhangs from 35-40 m with something to look at all the way up to 6 m.
Newfie1.8 km
Kilkee's shallow training reef off the Duggerna Rocks — a sand runway from 2 m, kelp on top, and about 10 m at the deepest.
Chimney Bay2.9 km
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.
Illaunabaha3.4 km
A reef that dries out at low water, with a sunlit south face, a torch-only swim-through on the north side, and a long record of swell trouble.
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