SeaLog
Certification required
OW
Trá na Reilige
Ireland · reef · beginner
3–15 mbeginnerOWshore entry
Trá na Reilige
A quiet beach entry on the Casla Bay side of Carraroe, dived at high water over rock, sand and a seagrass meadow.
Max depth3–15 m
Required levelbeginner
Entry typeshore
Visibilitynot sourced
The dive
Trá na Reilige — the graveyard strand — is on the eastern shore of the Carraroe peninsula, facing Casla Bay (Cuan Chasla), the opposite side of the peninsula from the better-known Coral Strand. It is a small beach with a free gravel parking area about thirty metres from the water and a rocky path down to the sand, and it is dived and snorkelled straight off that sand. Swim Finder, which catalogues the spot for open-water swimmers, records high tide as the state to use it at, which matches how divers work it: the beach dries back and the shallow ground is only worth swimming when the water is in.
Atlantic Scuba Adventures, the dive centre in Carraroe that guides this coastline, lists Trá na Reilige as a 3 to 15 metre site suitable for all levels, and describes it as the slightly deeper of its beach dives: rocky underwater terrain, a sandy bottom, and a seagrass meadow to work along. Its named draw is crabs — the centre singles out the variety of crab species — and records from this pin bear that out with edible crab, velvet swimming crab, spider crab, hermit crab and squat lobster all logged. Alongside them are ballan and corkwing wrasse, goldsinny, pollack, tompot blenny, the leopard-spotted goby, common and spiny starfish, edible sea urchins and light-bulb sea squirts.
Very little is published about this site beyond the dive centre that guides it. There is no club write-up, no dated dive log and no second independent depth figure, so the numbers here rest on one operator listing rather than on measurements. Treat 15 metres as the outer end of what the centre works and expect most of the dive to be much shallower. There are no facilities at the beach itself; everything else comes from Carraroe village or from the dive centre.
- Seagrass meadow to work along
- Rock and sand mosaic with an unusual number of crab species
- Free parking thirty metres from the water
- Quiet alternative when the Coral Strand is busy
- Doubles as a snorkel site at high water
Please note before you go
- Rocky path down to the sand — awkward with a cylinder, worse when wet
- Shallow ground dries back: at low water there is very little to dive
- Cold water year-round; Irish inshore temperatures here run roughly 10-16 °C through the diving season
- No facilities and no lifeguard at the beach
Access & rules
Getting there
On the eastern side of the Carraroe peninsula, roughly 3 km east of Trá an Dóilín. There is a small free parking area beside the beach, about thirty metres from the water, and a rocky path down onto the sand. Swim Finder gives the parking position as 53.2498, -9.5795. Atlantic Scuba Adventures at An Crompán, Carraroe Industrial Estate (H91 X4WH) guides the site and rents equipment.
Operator
You can reach the site independently.
Season
May to September is the window when Connemara inshore water is warmest and the weather most settled, and when the Carraroe dive centre is guiding this coast. The site is sheltered enough to be dived outside those months by anyone properly suited; it is the water temperature and the daylight, not the exposure, that close the season down.
Conditions
Visibilitynot sourced
Currentnot sourced
Surgelight
WaterSalt water
Depth range3–15 m
Environmentreef
Coralnot sourced
Crowdsquiet
A sheltered small-beach dive on the Casla Bay side of the peninsula: shallow rock and sand giving way to seagrass, best with the tide in. Nobody publishes a visibility figure for it.
On current: No source gives a current figure for this beach. It sits on Casla Bay rather than on the tide-swept channels west of Carraroe, and the only tidal advice published for the spot is that it is best used at high water — which is about water depth over the shallow ground and over the rocky path down to the sand, not about a stream. Assume a sheltered beach dive and check the state of the tide before you carry gear down.
Best months: May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep
Questions & answers
How deep is Trá na Reilige?
Atlantic Scuba Adventures, the dive centre that guides this coastline, lists it as a 3 to 15 metre site. That is the only published depth figure for the beach — there is no club write-up or dated dive log to check it against — so treat fifteen metres as the outer edge of the dive and expect most of it to be considerably shallower.
When is the best tide to dive Trá na Reilige?
High water. Swim Finder lists high tide as the state to use the spot at, and the shallow ground and rocky path down to the sand both make more sense with the water in. A rising tide into high water gives you the most depth and the easiest entry and exit.
Where is Trá na Reilige and how do I get in?
It is on the eastern side of the Carraroe peninsula facing Casla Bay, about three kilometres east of the Coral Strand. There is a small free gravel parking area beside the beach, roughly thirty metres from the water, and a rocky path down onto the sand. You kit up at the car and walk in.
Can beginners dive here?
Yes. The dive centre rates the site for all levels, it is a beach entry with no boat involved, and the ground is shallow rock and sand. The awkward part is the rocky path down to the sand with a cylinder on, not anything in the water.
Can you snorkel Trá na Reilige?
Yes, and at high water it is a good snorkel. The rock, sand and seagrass sit within a few metres of the surface straight off the beach, the parking is thirty metres away, and the site is sheltered. At low water there is not enough depth to be worth it.
What will I see at Trá na Reilige?
Crabs are the site's named draw: edible crab, velvet swimming crab, spider crab, hermit crab and squat lobster are all recorded here. With them come ballan and corkwing wrasse, goldsinny, pollack, tompot blenny and the leopard-spotted goby over the rock, and starfish, edible sea urchins and light-bulb sea squirts on the harder ground. The seagrass meadow is worth swimming along slowly.
Are there facilities at the beach?
No. Swim Finder records no facilities at Trá na Reilige — just the free parking area and the path down. There is no lifeguard, no toilets and no air fills at the beach. Carraroe village is a few minutes away, and Atlantic Scuba Adventures at Carraroe Industrial Estate has changing rooms, showers and rental gear.
Life recorded at Trá na Reilige
60 species within 1.67 km · OBISAsterias rubensoccasional · 7 records
Echinus esculentusoccasional · 7 records
Marthasterias glacialisoccasional · 7 records
Symphodus melopsoccasional · 6 records
Pollachius pollachiusoccasional · 5 records
Labrus bergyltarare · 4 records
All 60 species recorded in this area
| Species | How often | Records |
|---|---|---|
| Asterias rubens | occasional | 7 |
| Echinus esculentus | occasional | 7 |
| Marthasterias glacialis | occasional | 7 |
| Symphodus melops | occasional | 6 |
| Pollachius pollachius | occasional | 5 |
| Labrus bergylta | rare | 4 |
| Cancer pagurus | rare | 4 |
| Calliostoma zizyphinum | rare | 4 |
| Cliona celata | rare | 4 |
| Clavelina lepadiformis | rare | 3 |
| Holothuria forskali | rare | 3 |
| Steromphala cineraria | rare | 3 |
| Pomatoschistus flavescens | rare | 3 |
| Palaemon serratus | rare | 3 |
| Necora puber | rare | 3 |
| Maja brachydactyla | rare | 3 |
| Pagurus bernhardus | rare | 3 |
| Botryllus schlosseri | rare | 3 |
| Ctenolabrus rupestris | rare | 2 |
| Galathea strigosa | rare | 2 |
| Homarus gammarus | rare | 2 |
| Carcinus maenas | rare | 2 |
| Obelia geniculata | rare | 2 |
| Echinocyamus pusillus | rare | 2 |
| Parablennius gattorugine | rare | 2 |
| Thorogobius ephippiatus | rare | 2 |
| Cerastoderma glaucum | rare | 2 |
| Cadlina laevis | rare | 2 |
| Littorina littorea | rare | 2 |
| Melarhaphe neritoides | rare | 2 |
| Nucella lapillus | rare | 2 |
| Patella vulgata | rare | 2 |
| Rissoa parva | rare | 2 |
| Labrus mixtus | rare | 2 |
| Phorcus lineatus | rare | 2 |
| Turritellinella tricarinata | rare | 2 |
| Pilumnus hirtellus | rare | 1 |
| Porcellana platycheles | rare | 1 |
| Lissoclinum perforatum | rare | 1 |
| Aplidium punctum | rare | 1 |
| Galathea squamifera | rare | 1 |
| Ascidia mentula | rare | 1 |
| Dendrodoa grossularia | rare | 1 |
| Taurulus bubalis | rare | 1 |
| Myoxocephalus scorpius | rare | 1 |
| Zeugopterus punctatus | rare | 1 |
| Pleuronectes platessa | rare | 1 |
| Gobius niger | rare | 1 |
| Callionymus lyra | rare | 1 |
| Ophiocomina nigra | rare | 1 |
| Neopentadactyla mixta | rare | 1 |
| Pawsonia saxicola | rare | 1 |
| Aslia lefevrei | rare | 1 |
| Echinocardium cordatum | rare | 1 |
| Psammechinus miliaris | rare | 1 |
| Paracentrotus lividus | rare | 1 |
| Asterina gibbosa | rare | 1 |
| Astropecten jonstoni | rare | 1 |
| Astropecten irregularis | rare | 1 |
| Pinnotheres pisum | rare | 1 |
Nearby sites in Ireland
Explore all sitesTrá an Dóilín3.3 km
The Coral Strand: a seven-metre shore dive over maërl gravel and eelgrass, the standard training and photography dive of the Carraroe peninsula.
Céibh an Dóilín3.4 km
Three reefs running north-south off a small Greatman's Bay quay, worked from the shore on the tide — the deep end of the Coral Strand shoreline.
Alain Dominique Wreck3.6 km
Trabaan Pier5.4 km
Gurraig Sound9.3 km
A tidal channel drift over stony bottom at 15-20 m, with a north wall to hide behind when the stream is running.
East of Grey Rock9.6 km
A hundred metres of vertical shore wall east of Grey Rock, dropping to 27-28 m in the Annaghvaan channels.
Been here? Log it.
SeaLog imports your dives from your dive computer or Apple Watch, tracks every animal you see, and keeps your logbook safe forever.
Download SeaLog