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Connemara is a mystical region, which encompasses a significant portion of County Galway and some of County Mayo. Considered by many devotees as the spiritual home of Ireland, Connemara retains a unique sense of Irish heritage that draws visitors in their droves. Mountain ranges; namely the Twelve Bens and the Maumturks; dominate the skyline, while pristine sandy beaches make intimate bedfellows for the indomitable Atlantic Ocean. Offshore, the horizon is dotted with innumerate islands; some inhabited and others eerily deserted.
Connemara is a diving Mecca; characterised by exceptional inwater visibility, unspoilt seascape, dramatic underwater topography and abundant marine life. World-class dives are easily attainable; some within minutes' reach of the mainland and others a little further afield near the islands. Dive boats to the islands are often escorted by pods of playful dolphins.
With an infinite number of dive sites available, for the moment let us choose Inis Turk, Inis Boffin and the Killary Fjord as our protagonists. (Inis means island)
Inis Turk
Translated roughly from Gaeilge (Gaeilge is Ireland's native language), Inis Turk means Island of the Boar. Situated 9 miles off the West Coast, this island has a population of nearly 100 and measures approximately 3 miles x 2 miles.
Exposed sea cliffs are home to internationally acclaimed flora and fauna. These rocky outposts are parodied underwater. Here divers become part of a world characterised by unusual rock formations, sudden drop offs to 40 metres, sheer walls and a series of winding gullies. All these features come together in celebration of their marine occupants. Brightly coloured cuckoo wrasse and shoals of mackerel are commonplace; rose coral and golden sea sponges adorn craggy wall faces, while lobsters and spider crabs observe from their rocky fortresses.
Adventure seekers will have their appetites sated by a number of gullies, and underwater caves and caverns. Unspoilt and untouched, these features form a sub-aqua universe unique to Inis Turk.
Inis Turk is to discerning divers as the Himalayas are to true mountaineers. Need we say anymore?
Inis Boffin
Inis Boffin (Island of the White Cow) sits 7 miles off the coast and measures 5 miles x 3 miles. Approximately 200 islanders call this offshore hamlet home. Inis Boffin is steeped in history, with experts estimating that it was first populated as far back as 8000 - 4000 BC. The entrance to the main harbour is impressively overlooked by Oliver Cromwell's stone fort; used as a prison for Catholic priests throughout the 17th century.
The island hosts a startling variety of flora and fauna. Indeed, its waters are a breeding ground for both the grey and the common seal. For divers, Inis Boffin's unique selling point is the shelter it provides from the prevailing sea swell. Even in relatively adverse conditions, sheltered and comfortable diving can be found. Underwater typical features comprise deep walls and drop offs; some plummeting to 50 metres; and towering pinnacles. One such pinnacle called Buachaill (meaning Boy) reaches upwards to 50 metres from the surface and spirals underwater to a similar depth! A profusion of marine species inhabit the waters off Inis Boffin; the island's heavily indented coastline ensures both shelter and forage for them. Expect to encounter friendly seals, graceful ling and conger eels, cuckoo wrasse so curious that they swim right up to divers' masks and anemones every colour of the rainbow. Those lucky enough may even spot an octopus in the sand.
The Killary Fjord
The Killary Fjord, Ireland's only fjord, winds its way 9 miles inland from its mouth at Inis Barna (island of the gap) to the village of Leenane, a rural hamlet made famous from 'The Quiet Man' film. One side of this watery inlet is entirely shielded by Mweelrea (rising 814 metres above sea level), the region's highest mountain. Sheltered entirely as it is, The Killary Fjord offers diving throughout the year. At its mouth, Inis Barna is a dive site with something for everyone. The north-eastern side of the island homes a number of conger eels, which can be hand-fed tinned sardines or mackerel. Divers looking for some depth can achieve up to 45 metres; making Inis Barna a popular site for technical divers looking to keep their skills sharp during the winter months.
Keith Lunt is the owner of GoDiving.org, which lists many diving centres aroung the world and gives its readers chance to leave feedback on divesites. You can see what our visitors have thought about Diving In Ireland or add your own dive centre to the listings.
Sunset Diving
While anchored inside the Rangiroa atoll aboard our 130 foot sailing yacht, Vaimiti, my dad took me and my brother snorkeling at a nearby island just inside of the Tiputa Pass, through which all the boats went in and out. While we were in the water, Max, one of our crew members, spoke with a dive master aboard a dive boat moored next to us. The dive master suggested calling them at 1:30, by which time he would have returned from his dive. Max told us the news when we boarded the tender after our snorkel. At 1:30, instead of calling we went ashore and visited Paradive, the dive center.
My brother and I spoke with Olivier, who described some dives that we could do. Our mom gave us permission to participate in all three dives that he suggested. We were thrilled to be making our first recreational dive that evening at sunset. Felix and I rushed back to the boat to tell our dad the news. We gathered out equipment and left the boat in time to meet Olivier at 4:00. He gave a brief description of the dive and how it worked before we jumped into grey Paradive zodiac.
He said it was special because of the way the light entered the water and we were likely to see the rare spectacle of surgeon fish reproduction. He fitted us up in BCDs and we made our way out the pass. A New Caledonian man would join us on the dive. He was nice man and who spoke a little English. As we entered the open ocean and rolled over monstrous waves, Olivier placed our BCDs between our legs and we rinsed out our masks.
Then, once we were 50 meters offshore the boat stopped, we strapped the BCDs and tanks on and plummeted into the water. He told us that there was some current and it would be best for us to hold onto him. I grabbed his BCD and we sunk to the bottom. Right away we could see the large Blacktip sharks in the distance and the abundant reef life swimming in and out of the coral. We could feel the surface swell pushing and pulling us along the bottom. We swam very slowly with the current along the drop off. We saw two sea turtles, three white tip sharks that came pretty close and a huge school of Barracuda.
As we got closer and closer to the pass, the current gradually picked up and in ten minutes we were holding onto the coral for dear life! The current was ripping past our faces and we had to let go of our coral holds sometimes.
He told at the beginning of the dive that we would have to be patient in order to see the surgeonfish reproduction. And oh boy, did we have to be patient. We waited for 15 minutes! I know it doesn't sound like much but when the current of the water is pushing against you at 20 knots it feels like a lifetime. Finally, after fifteen long minutes the show started.
It was like fireworks! The surgeonfish made sudden bursts above the rest of the school and let their eggs go into the water. Bigger fish circled overhead to catch the eggs as they released them. It must sound kind of sad but the fish knew it was going to happen so they released hundreds of thousands of eggs, and most of them will live. After they did it numerous times and it seemed like they were going to stop, we let go of the coral and drifted onwards through the pass hugging the coast. We were in It was very shallow now and we started to surface. When we did the boat was right there waiting for us.
We had gone all the way through the pass so we were really close to the dive center. When we got back it was dark and we could see Felipe, (our captain) and Miranda (my 7 year old sister) waiting in the tender for us. We disembarked from the zodiac and jumped onto the tender after an amazing first dive.
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