The Rocks of Torbay -

The Rocks of Torbay

Article by David Millin

The South Devon coastal towns of Torquay, Paignton and Brixham, the so called ‘English Riviera’ form the Borough of Torbay named after the bay which has for centuries offered shelter for shipping from the prevailing south westerly gales. Torbay is, however, exposed to the easterlies which will wipe out diving and tends to ‘muddy the waters’ for the following week. But, after the sea has settled there is the chance of some interesting diving from the shores of various beaches and around the rocks of Torbay.

The bay is open to the English Channel to the east and is about four and a half miles wide from the most northerly, limestone promontory of Hopes Nose to its southerly point of Berry head. Around the area of Hopes Nose lie three rocks out to sea. They are Thatcher Rock, The Orestone and Flat Rock (also known as Flat Stone or Lead Stone). Thatcher Rock is the largest, a small island of Mid Devonian Limestone and the home to thousands of sea birds and Flat Rock is the smaller of the three rocks. The sea between Thatcher Rock and the coast is known as Thatcher Gut and can provide some interesting boating as the sea can become almost alarmingly confused during some weather and tidal conditions.

Diving Thatcher Gut is probably not the best use of time as the water can be quite shallow and subject to traffic but the seaward side of the rock which is located just to the south of Hopes Nose offers a wide expanse of opportunities. There is plenty of life in the shallow waters around Thatcher and as you go out the rocks give way to a flat silty bottom which eventually drops off into deeper water. There are the usual marine creatures to be found amongst the rocks including some large conger eels and if it is lobsters or crabs that you seek, then these can be found too. On the silty bottom, plaice (flatfish) can be seen and there are areas of scallop grounds.

The Orestone Rock is smaller than Thatcher but offers an interesting feature to explore. Due to the interesting and diverse geology of the surrounding area, Torbay was classified in 2008 as one of the world’s fifty-three Geoparks. It is a geological feature that makes the Orestone an interesting dive. A reversed thrust fault with a hade (inclination) of about forty-five degrees, folding the limestone rock can be seen on the shoreward side of the rock and the sea has eroded its way through from one side to the other. This tunnel or sea cave provided a nice through-trip at the start of a dive. The cave is not very deep (at low spring tides an air space can just be seen through running the width of the rock) and easily accessed from a boat. Depending upon tidal flow, one can initially be drawn into the mouth of the cave by the movement of the water. This sensation settles down and after a couple of yards you can see ‘the light at the end of the tunnel’ where the cave exits on the seaward side of the rock. Although the rift is not very wide, it is clear of obstruction and is a straightforward dive-through which makes for an unusual start to the dive. Once out to the seaward side of the Orestone, the dive can then progress to deeper waters.

Off Meadfoot Beach lies the slanting strata of Shag Rock. Where its name originated is unknown, but the feature may be so named after the species of sea birds which are to be seen perched upon it or from the old English meaning rough. Shag Rock is best accessed by boat, but for those of an energetic nature, a twenty-minute surface swim from Meadfoot Beach will see you arrive at the foot of the rock from where you can commence the dive. The rock can be circumnavigated and then by heading in a general northerly direction, the diver should find himself back to the beach in about an hour.

Flat Rock is located very close to Hopes Nose and is not a popular dive location as the nearby Thatcher and Orestone offer wider scope. Many years ago, diving anywhere near Flat Rock was a definite ‘no go’ area as half of Torquay’s sewage was pumped into the sea from the outflow at Hopes Nose. Fortunately, that was a long time ago and alternative treatment plants are now in use making the Bay a much cleaner place.

There are two other rocks of Torbay worthy of mention and of diving however, unlike Thatcher, Orestone, Flat Rock and East Shag rocks, the other two are always submerged. These submerged rocks, famed for their beautiful plumose anemones are know as the Morris Rogue and Tucker Rock. The Rogue is a short distance south east of East Shag Rock. At low spring tides it is only a few metres from the surface with a maximum depth of around ten metres making for an easy boat dive. Interestingly, from the cliff tops of Daddyhole Plain, which is close to Meadfoot Beach and overlooking Torbay, one can see the three main rocks. From that vantage point and if the sea is very rough, it is possible to see the location of the Rogue as the waves surge over it. Tucker Rock lies just to the east-northeast of the Orestone and is best dived at slack water during neap tides as the currents in that area can be quite strong.

Talking of submerged rocks, and as an aside, just off one of the promontories near Torquay Harbour are the Magwintons which do in fact dry out at low water but most of the time are hidden beneath the waves and these rocks can come as a nasty surprise to corner cutting boat handlers hurrying towards the harbour!

Finally, if you were wondering if there is a West Shag Rock, there is. It is a small stack close into the shore to the west of Meadfoot Beach.

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