Diving

Historic Jurassic Waters

Enjoy and discover the underwater wonders and delights that lie beneath the waves of the Jurassic Coast which surrounds Portland, Weymouth and beyond.......

The Jurassic Coast is a World Heritage site and offers a wide opportunity for diving, with fantastic underwater scenery and colourful reefs which include rare Pink Fan Coral, there is estimated to have been 1000 or more shipwrecks dating back to the Elizabethan period to the more recent, which lie beneath the waves, with the advancement in technology you are able to record and photograph your every movement.

We offer varied levels of dives suited to your qualification from novice to the more experienced diver, along the south coast of Dorset & Devon.

We offer diving from our Rib ‘Jurassic Diver’, which is ideal for small groups up to 4 persons, or our big boat ‘Waverider’ a Blyth 33 catamaran, which is MCA coded Cat 2 for 12 people plus crew...

Historic Wreck Sites

There are currently 57 Protected Wreck Sites off England (details of which may be found in the National Heritage List for England).

These protected sites our not accessible to divers unless you have permission or dive with a licensee for the site.

We are the licensees for four of these sites:-

• West Bay cannon site 12 m

WEST BAY - 1000083 | Historic England

• Chesil Beach site 8 -15 m

Chesil beach Cannon Site - interactive tour

• HMS A3 Submarine 39 m

HM submarine A3 - 1422537 | Historic England

• HMT Arfon 40 m

CloudTour - Arfon Web Tour

West Bay Cannon Site

Members from Jurassic Divers BSAC surveyed the protected cannon site located off West Bay.

During their club evening dive on the 13th September 2023 aboard Waverider, they located three cannons and two large admiralty anchors, photos courtesy of Jon Bunker.

One of three anchors found on the site on our last visit.

As a protected wreck site only licensees can arrange dive trips to visit the site.

Wooden timbers clearly exposed on the sea floor.

Divers carry out a visual survey of the wreck site.

A Diver gives scale to the size of one of the anchors on site.

Bronze cannon partly exposed on the site.

Another cannon found on the nearby reef.

COVID UPDATE

We are constantly reviewing government guidelines and how to dive safely after having Covid…

For more information visit https://www.bsac.com/safety/covid-19-safe-diving-guidance

Our Boats

Waverider is a Blyth 33 catamaran and is fully equipped with an array of the latest Simrad electronics inc. Bathymetric Imagery & 3D Sonar, with a hydraulic dive lift and a large covered area to shelter from the elements.

Waverider is MCA Cat 2 coded up to 60 miles for 12 persons plus crew and fully equipped including First Aid, AED & we carry a 15 ltr. Oxygen, along with Hot Chocolate, Tea & Coffee, along with our legendary hot Pasties (meat & vegetarian subject to availability)...

Our other boat is ‘Jurassic Diver' a Ribcraft 585 powered by a Suzuki 140 outboard engine, which is MCA Coded Cat 4 and licensed to carry up to 8 persons. The boat is fitted with four seats, which make you extremely secure and comfortable, ideal for training.

Our Rhib is ideally suited for small groups of divers, as the rear two seats are removed, allowing for our bespoke Spider cylinder rack to be easily installed which holds six cylinders making it ideal for small groups up to six divers.

Diving with us…

You must be dive fit and qualified and experienced to the depth of the dive you have booked. ’Dive Fit’ means you are safe to dive to UKDMC or RSTC industry standard. https://www.ddrc.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/UKDMC-Recreational-Diver-Medical-Declaration-Form-LATEST-5.pdf
Any diver under 18 years must be accompanied by an adult.
All divers must be on board and ready to go 25 minutes before ropes off for dive safety briefing.
All Divers must carry a Surface Marker Buoy (DSMB/SMB) when diving.
Put your mask on and place your regulator in mouth, before moving to the lift for your dive and returning back on aboard.
If you do not have a buddy then you need an alternate air source twinset/pony/bail out, and are competent.
If you need a Buddy, check out FACEBOOK “I need a Dive Buddy UK”.
A final decision whether the dive is on or not will be made at 5pm on the evening before the scheduled dive.
Due to load limits for vessel, excessive equipment/bags will not be permitted aboard, please speak with skipper BEFORE loading.
Due to weight and space limitations of the vessel, if you book on a recreational dive, up to 40m deep, please only bring a maximum of 1 bailout or deco cylinder and plan your dive accordingly.
With technical diving deeper than 40m we reduce the amount to 8 divers on board to allow for more kit. In this case the cost of will therefore be higher to cover costs.

Waverider Dive Charter

Our Dive Calendars for Midweek, FRiDiVES & Weekend Diving …

Our new 2024 weekend calendar is out now simply follow link https://jurassicaquasports.co.uk/dive-calendars-spaces

We are also planning to run midweek dives, FRiDiVES and Friday Evening dives from the late Spring throughout the Summer, simply contact us for further details at WaveriderDiveCharter@gmail.com

Due to online bookings, our calendars may not be up to date especially at busy times, please contact us to avoid disappointment.

Download our Weekend Dive Calendar PDF

Diving Trips

Portland Harbour Wrecks

Scenic Reef Dives

Portland Harbour Wrecks

Wreck Dives

Portland Harbour Wrecks

Wreck Dives

PARKING AT PORTLAND MARINA

Please be aware of the following:

All vehicles must park in the “visitor car park” (in front of the dry stack). A penalty notice will automatically be issued if they are parked in the “annual berth holder car park.” However, there is a 15 minute window to move the vehicle to the visitor car park before the fine is processed.
Customers are entitled to a 50% discount voucher to be used at the ticket machines prior to their departure.
Vehicles must pay each time they leave the site. Please ensure the customer is aware of this. A second 50% discount voucher can be given to the customer if necessary.
Vouchers must be scanned at the pay machine prior to registration numbers being entered to obtain the discount
The vouchers cannot be used in conjunction with the “justpark” app

As all vehicles to site are entitled to a 15 minute window prior to charges applying your customers do have the opportunity to arrive, unload and then remove their vehicle from site.

Waverider Dive Charter