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Achill, September 2003

Purteen Harbour, Achill

After looking at several locations, it was decided to go to Achill Island for the September weekend away.  Once again, we were blessed with fine weather. Warm sunshine with little or no wind on Saturday, and just light winds on Sunday. In all, eighteen divers participated in the diving.  After checking into the hostel, we surveyed the island from the top of Minaun Mt., which gives spectacular views of the coast from Inisboffin to Belmullet. As there was a wedding in progress at the Achill Hd. Hotel, we retired to The Minaun View Bar for the evening. We assembled at the Achill Island Dive Centre, at Purteen Harbour at 10.30am on Saturday. Joe Carey runs the operation with a spacious 7M Tornado. The boat is fast and comfortable and Joe knows his sites and puts you in the right spot every time. The first dive was  on the south side of Inishgaloon, close to Purteen. It was very bright and clear at 35M, with nice gulleys and rock formations as you headed shallower and closer to the island. The second dive was on the other (NW) side of the same island. There's an open cave that goes all the way to the far side of the island. There's 30M easily attainable just outside the cave. This was a great dive. Later in the evening, some of us did a shore dive out of Purteen Harbour. There is a little cave just west of the pier, which opens to a spacious cavern. At the ceiling of the tavern, you can poke your head through the blowhole (see pic below). Outside on the sand, there was an abundance of flat fish, mostly plaice. Depth is 10M. On Sunday morning we dived west of Purteen near Gubalenaun Hd. There's 30M here with lot of interesting gulley's to explore.  In the afternoon, with slightly depleted numbers, we went further west to Keem Bay. Here we dived at Moyteoge Head. 40M is easily reached near the head, getting gradually shallower as you head north towards Keem. this was the best dive of the weekend, with beautiful rocks and boulders and an abundance of fish. The were huge pollack, cuckoo wrasse and ling. Shoals of whiting were also seen in shallower water. We stayed at the Rich View Hostel in Keel. A comfortable hostel with plenty of space and facilities.

Keel Beach seen from Minaun..

Keem bay in the distance, seen from Minaun Mt.

The Bills Rocks, seen from Achill.

Inishgaloon, seen from the Achill Hd. Hotel.

Barry looks out from the cavern behind Purteen Pier.