Aquaventures
From their purpose built dive centre adjacent to the Stone House B&B in the seaside town of Baltimore, Jerry & Rianne Smith operate Aquaventures a highly professional diving centre, outfitting and guiding snorkeling and diving tours in the waters off West Cork.
The West Cork Coastline provides fabulous resource for underwater exploration. Ireland's unpolluted waters are warmed by the Gulf Sream, with abundant underwater flora and fauna: a colourful diver's paradise with spectacular drop-offs and an abundant marine life. During your time on the water its not uncommon to see a wealth of wildlife including: dolphins, porpoises, migrating basking sharks, whales, sunfish and leatherback turtles. Resident seal populations on many of the offshore islands provide an added dimension to any dive. As a seafaring nation Ireland's underwater heritage is vast. In particular the West Cork Coast its coast abounds with ship wrecks.
For aspiring divers and rank novices, Aquaventures offers multi-day certificate training programs and snorkeling tours, a popular excursion that exposes guests to Ireland's vast and magical underwater world. If you're at all curious about Ireland's nautical environment, a snorkeling excursion with Aquaventures is highly recommended. You'll be well looked after and outfitted in warm wet suites.
Accomplished divers will find a plethora of attractions to keep them busy for an extended holiday. Aquaventures leads guided tours to West Cork's best sites, including: Fastnet Lighthouse, Spain Reef, Kedge Gulley, The Arches, Blananarragaun, Cape Clear, Crab Rock, The Stags, Gascanane Sound, Sherkin Island, The Calf Islands, 78-Rock and Whale Rock. Other attractions are "Kowloon Bridge" a supercarrier of 300 metres for instance, sunk in depths of 6 to 36 metres and a "U260" a German U-boat with hatches open, at 36-44 metres. These are two of many many wrecks well worth exploring.
As diving centres go, Aquaventures is well equipped. The Centre has equipment to rent, 2 Hard-boats (Offshore 125 with hydraulic divers lift & Lochin 40') for 10 to 12 divers each, an 8.5 metre Rigid Hull Inflatable boat (RIB) for 5 to 12 divers (single tank), powered by a diesel stern-drive, a 20 cfm compressor with air bank, nitrox and trimix mixing panel. Aquaventures also operates a well stocked dive shop, where guests can pick up any gear they may need for their diving adventures.
