Day 10 – Porth Eilian, Anglesey

11 November

Overnight the wind had picked up, which immediately caused us some concern. We had arranged to meet up with our friend Mia, who was introducing us to Chloe from the Bangor University Sub Aqua Club. Chloe is an experienced diver with excellent local knowledge, and we are grateful that she had agreed to dive with us today and to share her diving story with us. After a quick chat about the conditions, it was decided that our planned afternoon shore dive would be moved to the more sheltered Porth Eilian Cove, on the north-east tip of Anglesey.

With the morning free, what do two divers do when they’re not in the water? They still find a way to be around it. We headed to the Anglesey Sea Zoo, a brilliant little aquarium showcasing an incredible variety of British marine life. It was fascinating to see so many familiar species up close, a perfect way to spend a few hours and a visit we’d highly recommend.

By the time we reached Porth Eilian Cove later that afternoon, it was clear that Chloe had made an excellent call. The cove is beautifully sheltered on three sides thanks to the surrounding cliffs and hills, making it an ideal spot for diving when the wind is up. The bay itself is mainly shingle, with patches of sand and boulders near the top of the beach.

We drove down to the slipway to unload our gear before parking further up the hill and getting organised. As we were setting up, a group of local swimmers came over to chat. They were full of enthusiasm for their daily open-water swims and spoke passionately about how incredible the ocean is especially for their mental health and general wellbeing. They were curious about what we had planned for our dive. It reminded us once again how the sea brings people together, creating a real sense of community and shared appreciation for the water.

The sea temperature was a relatively warm 13°C, and the cove itself was shallow. Our maximum depth was 8 metres, and we spent around an hour exploring. Despite being shallow, Porth Eilian was absolutely teeming with life. We spotted hermit crabs, velvet swimming crabs, and what must have been the largest collection of snakelocks anemones we’ve ever seen. Then came the star of the show, a massive catshark, easily the biggest any of us had ever encountered. The surrounding kelp was alive with movement, every frond home to some small creature or another.

Sophie had switched to a macro lens for this dive, anticipating that visibility might be limited, and she was right. The visibility wasn’t great, but the abundance of life more than made up for it.

Like our shore dive at Newry Beach, this is a brilliant choice of location when the weather is less than perfect. It’s shallow, easy to navigate, and would be ideal for beginners or training dives. We were incredibly grateful for Chloe’s local knowledge, which made it possible for us to dive safely and enjoyably when many other locations would have been off-limits.

We drove away, pleased to have had such a successful dive and looking out for somewhere serving hot chocolate.