The 10 best places for snorkelling near London

Eastbourne

Originally built in the late nineteenth century, and restored after a fire in 2014, in calm weather Eastbourne Pier is a lovely spot for a snorkel. Shingle beaches along this stretch of coastline can be inhospitable: the churning action of the waves gives marine life little chance to establish itself on the pebbles. However, the pier pilings provide a more stable footing and are covered with barnacle-encrusted common mussels and patches of sea lettuce. In turn, the mussels attract predators like starfish, crabs and dog whelks. This site also draws in its fair share of fish (and you’ll notice plenty of fisherman along its shores); you may catch fleeting glimpses of sand eels, which pull in larger fish like bass. We recommend a sunset swim for an atmospheric end to the day. 

Dorset

The Minx was a steam-powered coal barge that broke free from its moorings in Portland Harbour during a storm in 1927, hitting the rocks just west of Osmington Mills. Today, it provides a wonderful opportunity for swimmers and more experienced snorkellers to experience a thriving artificial reef in shallow waters just metres from the shore. Finding the wreck is relatively easy, as the barnacle-encrusted metalwork breaks the water even at the highest tides; it’s often further signposted by a cormorant perched on top, patiently drying its wings. Floating at the surface when the water visibility is good, you can see the kelp-covered wreckage with its rib structures and other features easily identifiable. Duck-diving down, you’ll find plenty of smaller marine life that has colonised the wreckage: look out for the cheeky tompot blenny sitting on the wreck, or lobsters and conger eels hiding in the dark holes.

Brighton

The stunning chalk cliffs between Brighton and Eastbourne provide a dramatic backdrop to a sea swim at Saltdean. It’s also home to the magnificent Grade II-listed art deco Saltdean Lido, which reopened in 1998 after years of decay. The visibility along this coastline is generally poor, as the soft chalky seabed erodes into very fine particles that are stirred up in even the slightest wave action. Despite this, there are windows of exceptional visibility through the summer months, when it’s fantastic to explore a habitat that’s very different from the rugged, rocky shorelines of the South West. The seabed is generally shingle, but the chalk bedrock breaks through in places to provide a home for seaweeds, anemones, and mussels, with the odd fish making an appearance. Jellyfish are also a common sight here. On a good day you can often find catsharks in the shallows.

Margate

In the late eighteenth century the Royal Sea Bathing Hospital opened in Margate, promoting the health benefits of a dip in the sea. Today, this tradition is still enthusiastically embraced by the locals, and there are two tidal pools built along the seafront to provide sheltered swimming in all but the most inclement weather. Walpole Tidal Pool is the largest artificial tidal pool in the UK, built in 1937 within what is now the Thanet Marine Conservation Zone. Be warned: the chalky bedrock combined with sand and mud sediment does limit the visibility here during all but the most prolonged settled spells. But tidal pools allow the water to clear between tides by protecting the enclosed area from currents and swells. This offers a small window into life beneath the waves, where chalk reefs decorated by green seaweeds peek through the otherwise sandy seabed, small crabs and gobies scuttle and scurry between hiding places, anemones and seaweeds cling to the pool walls, and jellyfish are often spotted gently bobbing along.

Dorset

Chesil Cove is found at the southernmost end of the iconic Chesil Beach, a 29-kilometre-long shingle tombolo formed over a staggering 7,000 years. The straight stretch of coastline is left significantly exposed to stormy weather from the south and west, resulting in highly variable conditions and visibility. However, pick the right day and there really is no more perfect place to snorkel than Chesil Cove. The best area to explore is at the far southern end of the cove, where the uniform small pebbles make way for larger rocks and boulders covered in kelp and other seaweeds. Here, you’ll find sand eels, wrasse, bass, and on occasion there have been sightings of the wonderfully prehistoric-looking John Dory. Cephalopods like cuttlefish, and their less commonly seen cousins, squid and octopus, are occasional visitors to the area, so keep your eyes open for one of these masters of disguise.

Norfolk

The wreck of the Vera forms an imposing artificial reef that has attracted a diverse range of marine life since it sank in November 1914 after a collision at sea. Depending on the tide she lies four to eight metres deep, standing upright on the sand and gravel seabed. But the Vera is easy to find as parts of her wreckage are visible at lower tides. The shipwreck is intact enough that you can see a vaguely ship-like outline from above in good visibility, and has plenty of different spots to explore during an extended snorkelling expedition. The metalwork is matted with green and brown seaweeds, and you’re bound to see crabs, prawns, shannies, and gobies. Exploring with a torch, you may spot a conger eel or lobster, both found hiding away in the darkest recesses. This is one for the more experienced snorkeller, as duck-diving will help you make the most of this site, but the combination of the wreck and plenty of marine life along an immaculate coastline makes it an unmissable experience for those with the skills.

Dorset

The tidal pool at Dancing Ledge provides a sheltered snorkelling location that’s ideal for beginners. At low tide, the pool is isolated from the sea, and at quiet times can feel like entering your own personal aquarium. Once under water, simply focus on a section of the pool wall and you’ll discover a wonderful microcosm of life: barnacles, limpets, snakelocks anemones, beadlet anemones, perhaps some shrimps and small fish. Once you've finished looking around at the life on the pool walls, it’s worth inspecting the floor, where you might spy some crabs and bottom-dwelling fish hiding between the rocks. After a dip, the ledge is a fascinating experience in itself for its many ammonite impressions embedded in the Portland Stone. In spring you may be lucky enough to spot a ‘Purbeck Puffin’, as the cliffs to the west are home to the south coast’s most easterly colony.

Isle of Wight

Freshwater Bay is an iconic Isle of Wight landmark and a must-see for tourists thanks to its stunning white cliffs and sea stacks. Fortunately for us snorkellers, this chalk landscape prevails beneath the surface in the form of a rocky reef. It’s also one of only a handful of chalk reefs around Britain that are easily accessible to swimmers and shore divers. The reef, topped with short, colourful seaweeds and teeming with life, can be found to the right of Stag Rock, the prominent chalk sea stack on the left side of the bay. The contrast between the bright white of the rock, and the reds, pinks and greens of the seaweeds is breathtaking. To get the best out of this snorkel it’s worth diving down to explore; keep an eye out for wrasse, sand eels, and even lobsters hiding away in dark recesses beneath the rocks. In the deeper sections of the bay, if visibility is good, you might spot a cuttlefish, small-spotted catshark, or undulate ray.

Dorset

With its scuba divers lugging cylinders back and forth, excitable children with crabbing buckets, weekend anglers, and tourists with ice creams in hand, Swanage Pier is an energetic hub of activity. Yet an aura of calm abounds on the adjacent small strip of sand known as Monkey Beach. From here, snorkellers have multiple options: a thriving rocky reef at the eastern end of the beach; the pier pilings with its sessile inhabitants; or, our favourite and the real highlight of snorkelling here, the seagrass meadow. Swim straight out from the beach into the bay to find extensive seagrass beds of the brightest green. These act as a nursery for marine life, attracting many fish and crab species: in particular, look out for snakelocks anemones rooted on the blades of the grass and tiny but beautiful nudibranchs (sea slugs). 

Sussex 

The East Beach has a wonderful feel to it, gently humming with activity but also a tranquil place to spend a few hours. On a calm summer’s day it’s easy to imagine why Eric Coates was inspired to compose ‘By the Sleepy Lagoon‘ here, now best known as the theme tune to Desert Island Discs. As for the aquatic world, the underwater groynes are covered in a colourful patchwork of seaweeds, getting richer below the low-water mark and providing a habitat for smaller marine life, which shelter among the woodwork and flora. Between the groynes is a rock-strewn, sandy seabed, which on first impression appears devoid of life, but duck-diving down, you’ll find plenty to see. Bottom-dwelling fish like blennies and shannys hiding in plain sight, crabs scuttling around the seaweed tufts, and often wrasse and mackerel can be seen swimming above.