Tucked along Cornwall’s wild Lizard Peninsula, Porthkerris diving in Cornwall offers some of the best cold water scuba diving in the UK.
This is all made possible by the family-run Porthkerris Divers Centre, who offer guided shore dives and scuba diving courses in a sheltered cove right off the beach.
You can also arrange to go on a boat trip with Porthkerris Divers and explore:
- 🪨🌿🧡🐟🐙The Manacles Reef — a protected marine reserve of rocky pinnacles crowned by kelp forests and yellow cloaks of dead man’s fingers coral!
- ⚓️⛵️🐟🦀 Historic Shipwrecks — some over 100 years old!!
- 🦈 Snorkeling Trips with Blue Sharks or Basking Sharks!!!
Boarding a Boat & Diving the Manacles— Just Like You’ll Do!(Underwater Video):
A quick look at Porthkerris camping, boarding the dive boat straight off the shore and scuba diving the Manacles — all shot by Diving Squad on my DJI Osmo Action 5 during my Porthkerris Trip in August 2025.
⚠️ The Issue
Planning a dive trip to Porthkerris can get seriously confusing — finding buddies, boats, accommodation and season info just isn’t straightforward for this place!
For example boat trips to the Manacles and Wrecks have to be booked in advance and there are minimum number of divers required!!
Luckily; even if you don’t have a dive buddy to go with, there is a way of getting one there…
🤝 That’s Where I Come In
I spent several days here — camping beside the cove, diving with the family-run Porthkerris Divers Centre, boarding boats straight from the beach and meeting the friendly community that makes this place feel like a quirky little dive village.
Despite travelling alone; I was able to link up with a dive buddy, pre-arrange a dive boat to the Manacles and a nearby wreck – and have a bloody smashing time of it! And you can too!!
Whether it’s your first UK shore dive or your next big mission, you deserve a trip that’s easy to plan and unforgettable underwater.
This guide will help you plan the same adventure:
👉 How to get there — Porthkerris ain’t the easiest to find! 🐚👀
👉 Where divers stay to be close to the action ⛺🏠🍺
👉 How to find a dive buddy and join day-boats 🤿🙌
👉 Which reefs and wrecks to dive — from shore and by boat 🐙🚤
👉 Video footage so you can preview the dives yourself 🎥🐟
You’re the diver.
I’m the guide – here to help you make the adventure happen. 💪🤿
🛣 How to Get to Porthkerris Diving (Cornwall)
Porthkerris sits on Cornwall’s remote Lizard Peninsula — a narrow winding lane that literally ends at the sea. There’s no public transport, so driving is the only realistic option.
📍 By Car (the Only Way)
Closest Towns:
• St Keverne – 7 min
• Helston – 25 min
• Falmouth – 45 min
• Truro – 1 hr
• Plymouth – 2 hrs
• London – 5–6 hrs
Once you reach St Keverne, follow brown signs for Porthkerris Diving.
The last stretch is a single-track road with passing places — take it slow and enjoy the sea view that suddenly appears ahead.
📲 GPS & Navigation
- Google Maps: “Porthkerris Divers”
- Postcode: TR12 6QX
- Coordinates: 50.0062° N, 5.1383° W
💡 Tip: Signal drops out near the coast — download your route offline before you set off!
📍 Open Porthkerris Divers Centre in Google Maps:
🅿️ Parking & Kitting Up
✅ Paid parking right above the beach
✅ Gear trolleys to roll cylinders and bags down the slope
✅ Toilets + café next to the kit area
✅ You can unload heavy gear by the dive centre before parking
Arrive before 9:30 AM on summer weekends — local dive clubs fill spaces fast!
🌊 Ease of Access
Everything is steps away: fill station, shop, RIB launch, shore entry and cafe (did someone say Full English breakfast!?).
It might honestly be the easiest scuba setup in the UK — roll straight from your car into the sea.
😅 My Lost GPS Story
When I drove from Sussex to Porthkerris (some 321 miles away!); my GPS gave up half way so I had to do the remaining 4 hours the old school way. No directions. No music. Just me, the wind, and road signs written in Cornish. I definitely took the wrong turn once or twice!🌿
Moral of the story: Download your map offline!
🏕️ Stay Close to Porthkerris Diving
When it comes to diving Porthkerris, staying close to the cove makes life a hundred times easier.
⛺️ On-Site Accommodation (Best for Divers)
The Porthkerris Divers centre itself offers a surprisingly great range of places to stay — from cozy self-catering cottages overlooking the ocean to beachfront camping and camper-van spots.
You can literally wake up, stroll across the pebble beach and then either wade into the water for the shore dive or hop on a dive boat to the nearby Manacles and shipwrecks!
“I camped here for several nights. Morning Routine: wake up, unzip tent, look at sea, grab coffee… walk 30 seconds to the kit-room and boat. Zero commute, zero faff”!
Staying on-site means you can:
- Kit up and walk straight into the water for shore dives.
- Catch early boat runs to the Manacles and Wrecks without driving anywhere.
- Hang out with other divers in the evening at the Porthkerris Divers Centre Cafe & Bar — swapping stories, rinsing gear, and watching the sunset with a beer over the bay.
If you’re serious about diving here (or just love that surf-camp vibe), this is by far the most convenient option.
👉 Check out Porthkerris Divers’ accommodation options here.
🛏️ 2. Nearby Places to Stay (If On-Site Is Full)
Within 15–20 minutes’ drive of the dive site you’ll find a handful of cottages, farm stays and small B&Bs around Porthallow — a quiet coastal village with a laid-back rural vibe, sea views and easy parking.
✅ Gear-friendly spaces (drying + rinsing area)
✅ Early breakfasts / self-catering setups
✅ Easy road access to Porthkerris (no narrow cliff-hugging roads)
✅ Peaceful evenings for post-dive recovery with a pint and a sunset beach walk
For the calmest, most scenic setting, Porthallow is hard to beat — a tiny fishing village with a sheltered shingle beach, coastal footpaths and almost no traffic.
Affiliate Note: Some accommodation links may earn me a small commission at no extra cost to you. It helps support Diving Squad and keeps my UK dive guides free to read!
🗓️ Diving Season & Best Time to Visit Porthkerris
Porthkerris Divers Centre operates its full services from spring through late October or early November. That’s when the shop is open, boats are running, air fills are available, and guided dives are offered.
✅ Main Dive Season: Spring → Late October / Early November
During this time you can:
- Join boat trips aboard the Celtic Kitten or Celtic Cat to the Manacles and nearby wrecks
- Book guided shore dives from the cove
- Take courses or get air fills and equipment hire on-site
📅 In 2025, the season ran right up to November 3rd.
Boat trips require a minimum of four divers, but you don’t have to already have a buddy — I’ll show you how to link up with other divers in the next section.
❄️ Winter Diving (Nov → March)
You can still dive here in winter, but only if you’re fully self-sufficient — the centre isn’t staffed, boats stop running, and you’ll need your own cylinders and kit.
Access is still open via an honesty box system, but facilities like the café, shop, and air station are closed.
🤿 Solo Diver Tip
Travelling alone? Post in the Porthkerris Diving Facebook Group or call the dive centre ahead of time. They’re happy to help you find a buddy or join a group so you can get on the boat.
🤿🚤 Porthkerris Diving Centre: How to Find a Buddy & Join a Boat Trip
Porthkerris isn’t just a place you dive — it’s a like tiny dive village built around the family-run Porthkerris Diving Centre, set right on the beach.
On any given summer weekend you’ll find campers waking up metres from the sea, divers kitting up on the slipway, local free-divers heading out on breath-holds, and a few fishing rods propped up along the rocks for good measure.
Whether you’re here to get certified, jump on a wreck dive, or chase blue sharks out in open water, this cove is the beating heart of the action.
Here’s what the dive centre offers during the main season (spring → late October):
🦈 What You Can Do Through Porthkerris Divers Centre
✅ Boat dives to the Manacles Reef & nearby wrecks on the Celtic Kitten (6-pack RIB) or Celtic Cat (bigger catamaran)
✅ Guided shore dives – perfect for first-time UK divers or returning holiday divers looking for calm entries
✅ PADI Courses, from Open Water to Rescue + specialties
✅ Air fills, Nitrox, rental kit, and a humble but well-stocked dive shop
✅ Blue shark & basking shark snorkelling trips (peak summer)
✅ Beach-side café, gear rinse tanks, toilets, and sea-view chillout spots
🫱🏻🫲🏽 No Buddy? No Problem!
All Porthkerris boat dives require a minimum of 4 divers and you need to arrive with your own buddy — there’s no guide in the water. So what happens if you turn up alone?
Easy. Do what I did:
✅ Step 1 — Join the Porthkerris Diving Facebook Buddy Group and post a comment with the dates you want to dive
That’s where I found my buddy, Bob. Within minutes we’d agreed on dates, kit, max depth, and post-dive bacon sandwiches. Bob turned out to be an absolute legend by the way. Good trim, solid air consumption, great humour — and a GoPro aimed at every crab within five metres. Instant win.
✅ Step 2 — Message the Dive Centre Once You Have a Buddy
If there are already other divers booked on the boat for your date, they’ll add you to the list. If not, they’ll hold your spot and wait until the minimum 4 divers is met — which usually happens pretty fast in peak season.
✅ Step 3 — Show Up & Join the Madness
On my trip, Bob and I ended up sharing the Celtic Kitten with a group of four Swiss divers celebrating a birthday… by popping underwater champagne at 20 metres. Yes, that’s a real thing.
📞 Booking Boats & Shore Dives
- Book directly with Porthkerris Divers via their email (porthkerris@info.com), phone (01326 280620) or their Facebook page.
- Most boats go out daily in summer — morning and afternoon slots.
- Need a buddy? Ask the dive centre to pair you up or post in the FB group (works 90% of the time).
- Tip: Weekends fill fast. Midweek = space, slack tide, and serenity.
🌊 Dive Sites of Porthkerris
Porthkerris packs an impressive variety of dive sites into a small stretch of Cornish coastline — from easy kelp forest shore dives to steep, exposed reef drops and historic wrecks loaded with life.
Here’s a breakdown of the three main ways to dive here:
🐙 1. Drawna Rocks (Guided Shore Dives & Courses)
You can do a full dive day here even without stepping onto a boat!
The sheltered beach at Porthkerris drops gently into a cove (5–18 m) full of kelp beds, sandy patches and rocky gullies — this dive site, known as Drawna Rocks; is an ideal habitat for:
- Octopus and cuttlefish – to the extent that several octopus documentaries have been filmed here!
- Curious grey seals – it’s not uncommon for them to swim up to divers or follow behind and playfully nip their fins!
- Crabs, lobsters, sea slugs and starfish. Awesome for macro photography in easy conditions.
Drawna Rock is where most PADI courses and guided shore dives take place. It’s relaxed, great for photography, and a solid warm-up dive before heading to deeper sites.
📌 I didn’t personally dive the cove on this trip, but the dive centre staff said it’s one of the most reliable octopus hotspots in Cornwall — especially at dusk and on slack tides! I did see a grey seal chilling on the rock itself above the surface.
🪨 2. The Manacles Reef (Boat Only)
Just offshore are The Manacles — a protected marine reserve made up of giant granite pinnacles, ridges and vertical walls that rise from 40 metres to just below the surface.
There are many dive sites around the Manacles – I dived Raglan Reef, a mid-depth site covered in kelp, sponges, sea fans and dead man’s fingers coral.
Visibility was around 4–5 metres during my dive (it can hit 10–15 m in the right conditions) and the life was constant:
- Medium-sized schools of bib
- Cuckoo wrasse, pollock and ballan wrasse
- Plenty of coral, sponge and kelp growth all over the rocks
- Nudibranchs, sponges, sea fans and thick carpets of soft coral, sea fans and sponges
- This is a good place for spotting lesser spotted catsharks (aka dogfish). When I dived here, I didn’t see any – but the other group of divers saw two!
There are many other reef sites here — walls, ledges, swim-throughs, deep drifts and gullies — far more than I can cover from memory or experience!
👉 See the full list of Manacles dive sites on the Porthkerris Diving Centre official site: Porthkerris Manacles Dive Sites
(https://www.porthkerris.com/the-dive-sites/)
🛥️ Remember! All Manacles dives are boat dives (Celtic Kitten or Celtic Cat) and require at least 4 divers. Solo? The dive centre can help buddy you up!
⚓ 3. Wreck Diving: The Volnay & Beyond
Porthkerris is also a gateway to several wrecks within a short boat ride — most in 18–32 m, suited for Advanced divers or above.
The most famous is the SS Volnay, which I dived on my second day:
📝 Volnay Quick History:
- 96 meter WWI cargo steamer
- Hit a mine in December 1917 while carrying luxury goods + ammunition
- No lives lost — but the cargo (booze, cigars, chocolate) washed ashore and became the best Christmas gift the locals ever received!
Underwater, the wreck is broken but recognisable: boilers, hull plates, collapsed masts and hatch frames now colonised by conger eels and huge shoals of bib!
When diving the SS Volnay, I also saw more cuckoo wrasse and pollock, a lone john dory, a spiny lobster and many huge spider crabs hiding amidst the wreckage!
🎥 Wreck Diving the SS Volnay (Video)
(Embed video here)
📌 Wreck diving the SS Volnay off Porthkerris, Cornwall – filmed by Diving Squad on the DJI Osmo Action 5 (2025)
Other nearby wrecks include:
- Mohegan (31 m – tragic passenger liner)
- Hera (32 m – iron barque under dramatic ledge)
- Spyridion Vagliano (27 m – cargo vessel, partially intact)
👉 Full wreck list here: https://www.porthkerris.com/the-dive-sites/
🛥️ Remember! All wreck dives have to be accessed by boat (Celtic Kitten or Celtic Cat) and require at least 4 divers. Solo? See previous section on Porthkerris Diving centre and how they can hook you up with dive buddies!
🦈 Snorkelling with Blue Sharks & Basking Sharks
From mid-summer onwards, Porthkerris sometimes runs open-water snorkelling trips to see blue sharks — and occasionally basking sharks when conditions line up.
These usually happen July–September, but only when the skipper knows sharks are around and the sea is calm.
These trips don’t run on a fixed calendar — they’re normally created when:
✅ A boat trip already has at least 4 scuba divers booked, and
✅ Shark conditions look too good to ignore
In that case, the group is given the option to switch from a wreck/reef dive to a shark snorkelling trip instead. No scuba cert needed — just fins, mask, and confidence in open ocean.
👉 How to join: Call the dive centre during the main season and ask to be added to the “shark list.” If a trip forms, they’ll message you.
👉 Pro tip: Stay flexible — some divers happily swap tanks for snorkels when the skipper gives the magic words: “Sharks are in.”
🏖️ Other Things to Do Around Porthkerris (Between Dives or With Non-Divers)
📸 Lizard Point (25 mins)
The most southerly point of mainland Britain — coastal walks, photogenic cliffs, lighthouse café. Great if you need a break from tanks and neoprene.
🏘️ Visit Porthallow (5 mins away)
Tiny former fishing village with a scenic shingle beach, sea-view accommodation and a laid-back pub. Great for swims, coffees and quiet coastal vibes — this is the closest place to stay, eat and wander.
🥾 Walk a section of the South West Coast Path
The trail runs right past Porthkerris and delivers epic clifftop views over the Manacles. You can hike north to Porthallow or south toward Nare Point for proper “wild Cornwall” scenery.
🔥 Beach BBQ + Sunset Beers at the Dive Centre
The vibe here is very “bring a grill, cook your sausages, watch the sun disappear into the Atlantic.” Nobody cares what you look like, only whether you have enough ketchup.
⚓ The Shipwreck Museum (Helston, 30 mins)
Perfect pre-dive nerding — loads of artefacts from local wrecks including Manacles casualties. Adds context before you visit sites like the Volnay underwater.
🏁 Final Thoughts: Why Porthkerris Is Worth the Trip
From octopus-filled shore dives to kelp-draped reef walls and century-old shipwrecks, Porthkerris proves that UK diving still has wild magic — you just have to know where to look (and how to plan it right).
Whether you’re rolling in with a full crew or turning up solo like I did, the family-run dive centre, chill beach setup and friendly community make it incredibly easy to slot into the rhythm here: dive, grill, chill, repeat.
If you’ve ever wanted to dive Cornwall but didn’t know where to start, this is it. And if you’ve already dived Porthkerris?
You’ll know there’s always a reason to come back.
👉 Scroll back up for the videos, gear tips, boat booking details, buddy-finding links and my top accommodation picks — everything you need to build your own salty weekend escape.
