Dive the Isle of May
By Clare Peddie
I have visited the Isle of May on a regular basis for many years, and, in the past five years, explored it under the water as well as above. In many ways I was reluctant to write this article; having a very selfish attitude to one of the best dive sites on the East coast of Scotland. However, the Editor has twisted my arm and here is almost everything you need to know about diving at the May Island.
The May Island lies to the south-east of Anstruther in the Firth of Forth and is not easily confused with the Bass rock which lies directly to the south of Anstruther, nearer the coast of North Berwick The May Island is a collection of rocky islands formed from a teschenite sill. It is 1 mile long and l/3 mile wide, with the south western side bordered by steep cliffs and the north eastern side by rocky slopes. Near the harbour lies a ruined priory built on the grave of St. Adrian who was murdered by the Danes in 870. I’m told that barren ladies from the fishing villages in the East Neuk used to visit the monks of the priory for fertility treatment! Large populations of sea birds including Puffins,Guillemots, Kittiwakes and Shags use the island for breeding and still more species of birds use the island as a migratory resting point. There is also a large colony of Grey Seals which returns to the island each November to haul out and give birth to their pups. As a result of the all the wildlife that inhabits the May, the island has been made a nature reserve and is wardened by the Scottish Natural Heritage throughout the summer months. It is an island that warrants a visit from any wildlife enthusiast, diver or non-diver.
R.H.I.B’s and inflatables are normally easily launched for 3 hours: either side of HW from the lifeboat slip in Anstruther and a launching fee of 4.50 pounds sterling can be paid to the harbourmaster. Before your trip check the board in the lifeboat shed window for exercises planned by the lifeboat crew. For obvious reasons, keep the slip free of gear and trailers at all times, launch quickly and moor any boats away from the slip as soon as possible. Should the lifeboat be called out, or be on exercise, the slip may be inaccessible to the public for long periods, in which case alternative launching can be found at Cellardyke harbour.
Two pleasure boats (Serenity and Sapphire) take bird watchers and other visitors to the island for a very reasonable fee. Air can be obtained at East Coast Divers (0333 310768) on the Anstruther to St. Andrews road. The fills are 2.00 pounds sterling each and are not wonderful, 180 bar being the norm. Also check that your tanks have been filled at least 1 hour before your planned launching because they can, sometimes, be a little slow and unreliable.
Tides race around the south and north tips of the May especially during springs and slack water comes at around 2 hours after HW Anstruther. This makes planning for a single dive at HW slack water and the easy retrieval of your boat quite tricky. An alternative is to chose a day with LW at around midday and plan for a two dive day. Now, you can launch the boats on the ebbing tide, dive a non-tidal area for the first dive, sit out the low tide on the May Island, the second dive being at LW slack ( 2 hrs after LW Anstruther), and then returning to Anstruther when the water allows easy retrieval of the boat. The coastguard at Fife Ness (0333 50666) (Ch 16 & 67) are always happy to give weather information and even more delighted if you let them know what you are up to and your expected time of return.
Summer haze can often obscure the May, however, if you go out on a compass bearing of about 120 degrees Magnetic from Anstruther it should come into view. Beware in the hot summer months of the sea haar (mist) which may lurk in banks lying just offshore, often moving landward rapidly with the flood tide and retreating on the ebb. On your journey out, don’t doze off in the bottom of the boat leaving all the work to the boat handler. Keep your eyes peeled as we often see Porpoises and Dolphins and occasionally Minke Whales. Last summer a pod of Sperm Whales were spotted just off the May. Equally impressive are the dive bombing activities of the Gannets from the Bass Rock colony that often feed on shoals of fish in these waters. On approach to the island, slow down, taking care to avoid the rafts of sea birds that surround the island and panicking the birds on the cliff ledges.
The island is occupied during the summer by wardens who will approach you when you land at either Kirkhaven or the West Landing and ask you to keep to the paths and avoid disturbing the birds. With their advice in mind, surface interval time can be filled pleasantly by walking the well marked paths on the May. In late October, November and early December the wardens can, quite rightly, get a bit upset if you disturb any of the Seals and their pups, so at this crucial time it is best not to walk on the May, just keep to the Kirkhaven harbour area. In addition try not to make deliberate attempts to dive with the seals or take the dive boat so close to the haul out sites that all the mothers pile in the water and risk crushing their pups. Even if you keep to these guidelines I don’t guarantee that you won’t be approached by a red-faced rude researcher annoyed because you have mucked up his spray painting activities! The pups often stay at the May for the following summer and under the water are extremely inquisitive towards divers sometimes accepting a scratch under the chin. In fact you would be unfortunate to dive in the shallows at the May Island and not encounter seals. Out of the pupping season boats can also be moored at the West landing and from here cliff jumping into the deep gullies below can be great fun.
Best underwater visibility (10 - 15m) at the May Island is during the end of May and the month of June and occasionally exceptional visibility can be experienced after a long period of calm weather during the winter months. At other times, especially during the spring and autumn plankton blooms, the visibility can be poor which concentrates the mind on the smaller forms of sea life!
Some wonderful diving can be found all along the shore from Altar-stones to Pilgrims Haven. The bouldery slopes along Green Face at 10-20m provide homes for Lobster, Crab, Octopus, Conger Eels and Wolf Fish. In June, the thousands of Guillemots which come to the island every year begin to display their prowess underwater along this shore, circling downwards with grace and agility around your ascending air bubbles to within inches of your mask and moving through the water with unbelievable speed after shoals of small fish. The shore is indented with caves, archways (Mill Door) and cuts through the rock which can be explored in calm weather. Seals sometimes sleep at the tops of these caves so approach with care. The two stacks, The Angel and The Pilgrim have many Anemones, Nudibranchs and Sponges growing on them and can provide a very pretty end to your dive along the Green Face.
Just off Altarstones lies a wreck of a British steamer, the Anlaby (Position 56” 11. 19’N 02’ 33.42’W). She was wrecked in 1873 and her stem, including her prop and rudder, lies in 18m whilst her bows point to shore in 8 m. She is very broken up and flattened onto the sea bed but can still make an enjoyable dive as she provides a home for many large Wrasse, Saithe and other marine life.
On a spring tide in 25-35m of water west of the Mill Door the l-2 knot tide, which swirls around the island in the 2 hours before HW, can carry you on a relaxed drift dive in a south-easterly direction over carpets of Brittle Stars interspersed with huge colourful Anemones ( pinks, reds, and violets) and the occasional large boulder covered in soft corals. An attentive diver may spot the depression in the sand that indicates the one large edible crab needed for tea lurking just below. Some large Scallops are often found here but we leave them be in the hope that they may reseed the huge scallop beds that once lay in the Forth! Reliable boat cover and SMBs are essential.
Between Pilgrims Haven and Maiden Hair at around 15m there are many life encrusted gullies some of which are dead ends and others which lead to more gullies. The walls are coated with soft corals, Plumose Anemones, colourful sponges and colonial Ascidians. In the summer, the keen biologist can find many different species of Nudibranch feeding in amongst the huge laminar-ians which grow on the top of the gullies. Resist the temptation to drop straight into 20+m any-where on the south to south-east coast of the island otherwise you may end up doing the aforementioned drift dive, unprepared! The South Ness of the May also is very scenic, making for a super dive to 25m and, contrary to Gordon Ridley’s book, is often dived. Again be careful of the tide, with SMBs a necessity unless you are sure you have slack water. The Cleaver, sheltered by Maiden Hair, is an option when the wind is coming out of the north-east but is not an exciting dive.
Diving at the North Ness of the Isle of May should be conducted with extreme care because of the strong tides which prevail. Wreckage from the T.L Delvin ( including some winch metal and the remains of a boiler) and the SS Mars lie scattered all around this area and a Seal colony often hauls out on Norman rock.
The diving on the east side of the May is generally sheltered from the strong tidal flows and also from the prevailing winds and swells. Consequently we seem to dive there a lot! The sea life is certainly not as colourful or diverse on this side of the May but there is loads of wreckage. The Kirkhaven harbour area is very tempting to use as a novice training area, as the visibility is often better in there and the water is very sheltered. It is important to remember, however quiet it may seem, fishing boats, pleasure boats and supply boats do use it on a regular basis.
From the Middens round Tarbet Hole to East Tarbet is a steep stepping rock slope down to a gently sloping sandy bottom at 27m. The rock slope makes for a dramatic dive in good visibility with Cup Corals, large Chitons and Dead Man’s Fingers. On the sandy bottom lie dense carpets of Brittle Stars all holding their arms up into the sea, filtering food. On first sight this looks amazing but after 20 minutes of continuous Brittle Stars it can become a bit boring.
The SS Island which ran aground in thick fog lies l/4 M SE from the Lighthouse between Colm’s Hole and Island Rocks. Half of her is visible high up on the shore and the rest lies in 15-20m of water. Her boilers remain intact and can be found by moving in on a transit that places the wreckage on the shore directly beneath the small box building by the lighthouse. The boilers show as a really clear trace on the echo-sounder at 20m ( HW springs). Lying around the boilers are large pieces of sheet metal with gaping holes that once harboured shiny portholes. Further South East from here around Kettle Ness a quick exploration with the echo sounder will reveal the presence of one more boiler from a steam trawler or drifter. Dive here and you will find lots of wreckage that clearly originates from different vessels including one large winch still set in part of a wooden deck, a few sets of bogey wheels and an enormous anchor. Many ships must have come to grief on the May throughout the years and not all wrecks have been recorded, so as to the origin of this wreckage, I can only guess.
As for wrecks, there are some real wrecks to be found in the Forth by dedicated hunters. By wrecks I mean ship-shaped wrecks with gang-ways, cabins etc.; not tangled bits of metal scattered over the sea bed which only those with the most vivid of imaginations can visualise as a ship, but they are another story . . . . . . . . .
EDITORS NOTE The Isle of May is the subject of a second article. This article gives a complementary insight into the Isle of May and its inhabitants - mainly above water.
This article was originally published in Scottish Diving Magazine - September 1993 - Thanks Claire - Ed.