Directions to Porthkerris by car

Travelling south you head through Cornwall either along the A30 over Bodmin, (normally the quickest way) or via Plymouth and over the bridge.

Simply head towards Helston coming either route.

You travel towards Helston on the by-pass heading towards the Lizard. You will the pass the Helicopter base 'Culdrose' on both sides of the road .

After passing the base you will come to an island turn left here following the road to St Keverne, at the next Island turn right again towards St Keverne you will now travel for 5-10 minutes (speed depending) over ''Goonhilly'' passed the telecommunications centre.

You then arrive at St Keverne, turn left into the square keeping the White Hart pub on your left then turn left out of St Keverne passed the fire station on your left.

Follow the road towards Porthallow, you will pass some gates on your right with stone eagles at their entrance shortly after this take the next right, (signposted) then next left to Porthkerris dive centre.

Please remember the nearest petrol station is Zoar garage which you will pass on your way to St Keverne, it may be an idea to fuel up here.

For information on bus services, click here

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Here are our current special offers. Please contact us if you have any questions or would like further information:

Discover Scuba Diving / Open Water Course

If you do a Discover Scuba Diving Experience with us and go on to complete the full PADI Open Water Course with us we will deduct the cost of the Discover Scuba Diving experience, from the Open Water course cost, thereby saving you £60 on the price of the Open Water Course..

Beyond Open Water Experience
Brand new last year was our Beyond Open Water Experience. If you are a recently qualifed Open Water Diver,have a look at this programme. It is aimed at new Open Water Divers who have recently qualified and want to gain a little more experience, or to learn about UK diving before going on to undergo the Advanced Open Water Course.

Training Offers
IDC & EFRI taken in 2009 at Porthkerris, pay only £800

Take your PADI Open Water Course and Advanced Open Water and pay only £540, saving £60!

Combine Rescue Diver, EFR and DAN Oxygen provider and pay only £375

We launched this NEW website on November 1st 2010.  And as we are forever looking to improve Porthkerris, we value your comments, so please do let us know what you think:

Many Thanks!

Contact Us

Telephone: 01326 280620

Email: info@porthkerris.com

Post:
Porthkerris Divers
Porthkerris Cove
St Keverne
Cornwall
TR12 6QJ

For details on how to find Porthkerris, please  click here

You can also make an enquiry by using the form below and then clicking on "submit"

Now you’ve completed your Open Water Diver course, what’s next? The next logical step is Advanced Open Water Diver, but you may feel you want to gain a little more experience before you do it. Or you may have qualified abroad, in clear, warm water, and want to get experience of UK diving before doing the Advanced Open Water Course.

We have just the thing for you. Aimed at new Open Water divers, or those who have not yet experienced diving in the UK, is our brand new Beyond Open Water experience, which can also show how wonderful UK diving can be.

Under the guidance of an experienced Instructor you will learn the skills necessary to help you to dive safely in UK waters. You will be taught SMB deployment, given an introduction to how UK Tides work, how to dive in the varying UK visibility and temperature and an introduction to boat diving, if you take the optional extra of a boat dive.

The experience consists of 2 dives from the shore, air included, on one of the UKs best shore dives, Drawna Rock. A boat dive can be added on as an optional extra .

If you need kit it can be hired at a discounted rate of half price.

Prices are £65 for the two shore dives, including air, and to add on a boat dive with an instructor, the price is an additional £63, to include air.

For more information or to book, call 01326 280620 or email info@porthkerris.com.

An article written by Andy Murns, a Canadian Shark Reporter, about his encounter with Basking Sharks.

Cornwall is a land steeped in legend and myth. Tales of King Arthur, giants, and Pixies abound. Fishermen tell stories of glimpsing the rooftops of the fabled land of Lyonesse which is said to have sunk beneath the waves. But amongst these tales of magic and chivalry one mythical beast still roams the Cornish coastline. Each year for about a month in early summer the striking black fins of Basking sharks can be seen from the cliff tops. When the sun begins to warm the ocean during April and May, planktonic life rises to the surface and following it comes the largest fish of northern seas. In the hope of photographing this event I drove down to Porthkerris on the southern coast of Cornwall and signed up with Porthkerris Divers who have been running Basking Shark trips for the last nine years.

Getting to the tiny bay of Porthkerris is an adventure in itself as the roads are barely wide enough for one vehicle. Arriving at the dive shop I boarded Porthkerris' catamaran the Celtic Cat and the search began. We motored up the coast in search of the telltale black sails of Basking sharks and within half an hour we had spotted our first basker.

Captain and owner Mike Anselmi explained the drill. "We'll drop you in upstream from the sharks as they cruise along feeding on the plankton and once in the water we'll shout out to you which way to swim"
sounded simple enough. So, camera at the ready I stood on the swim step and waited for the signal to jump. As I entered the water a rush of bubbles momentarily blinded me and I instinctively dropped below them scanning the depths for the dark shape of a shark. Immediately I gagged from the water pouring in through my regulator and then my mind cleared, Oh yeah, its strictly snorkel only as the bubbles of scuba scare the sharks away. Surfacing, I hunted for fins and turning towards the boat I watched the wild gesticulations of the crew as they urged me to swim full tilt on a path intersecting with the approaching shark. It’s at this point that I realised that Mike had neglected to mention the olympic athletic requirement in order to actually reach the sharks whilst wearing a full drysuit, thirty pounds of lead, and dragging a large unwieldy camera housing with strobe arms set for maximum drag.

Spying the fin in the distance I changed up a gear and thrashed madly towards it. Apparently they dont like madly thrashing creatures heading towards them and the basker made a leisurely turn and with a flick of its tail nonchalantly slipped away. I looked on filled with resentment. Relaxing in the water to regain my breath I again heard wild shouts from the boat and turning around spotted a dorsal fin snaking past me. Submerging I clicked away on the shutter feverishly until the Basker was just a gray smudge at the edge of visibility. Reviewing my images it was obvious that this was going to be harder than it looked.

Returning to the boat we searched on, criss-crossing slicks of plankton in our path. Again the cry went up and the Celtic Cat pulled into position in the path of another giant. This time I pushed my way through the waves saying to myself "Thrash quietly" and estimating the sharks direction I snuck below the surface and tried to meet it head on. My lungs screamed as the basker crept forward. "Keep swimming" I told myself "you can breathe all you want to later". Lunging forward into the sharks personal space it began to curve away and I snapped away first taking in its gaping white maw, then its monstrous dorsal fin and flank, and finally its broad and powerful tail. Desperately I kicked upwards and filled up with cool fresh air. "Hey, that wasn’t so hard" I lied to myself.

The sharks then dropped off the radar and estimating that they had moved deeper with the changing tide we dropped anchor in a sandy bay and drank tea whilst we waited for the sharks to relocate.

Heading vaguely back to port we spotted a group of three or four baskers feeding in the shallows close to shore. Back in the water I headed for a lobster bouy that the sharks seemed to occasionally pass as though using it as a reference point. I waited watching the fins turn this way and that until finally one enormous shark headed in my direction. Feeling calm and collected I was able to breathe out and slip silently down to its level composing its portrait as I decended. It performed beautifully for the camera and gave me a series of great shots before sidling off in search of richer pickings. Turning around to watch it go I was greeted by the second basker swimming towards me from the other direction. Again I submerged and this time I was suprised to see that the third basker was on its tail feeding in the concentrated stream of plankton created by its wake. I think I froze in indecision as to which shark to train my camera on and trying hard to remain composed I snapped away in both directions as the giants slipped by. Fighting the urge to kick heavily upwards I floated slowly to the surface and stocked up on valuable 02. Then scanning the surrounding water I was amazed to see that the sharks were now using me as their refernce point and all three were turning and heading back towards me. From the bridge of the Celtic Cat I could see that Mike was as surprised as myself and pulling the boat up as close as he dared he stood aloft grinning down at the amazing scene unfolding in the water below. Repeatedly I submerged trying to catch one of the baskers head on but they instinctively turned away before I could get close enough for the quintissential mouth agape image and finally after inumerable passes they failed to return. At that point I would have been happy if the boat had left me there overnight just incase they came back but I was beckoned aboard and sat in a heap on the deck reliving the moment. Mike told me it was the best opportunity he had ever witnessed in the whole time he had been running Basking Shark charters. I felt honoured.

On the way back to Porthkerris the last and largest of our nine baskers briefly showed up and jumping into the cloudy waters one last time I was dismayed to realize that this shark was so big that from my vantage point it was impossible to fit in my framer. So, lowering my camera I watched it slowly sweep by me on its never ending quest for plankton.

The next day the weather blew and although we found a few basking sharks they quickly dropped out of sight and I began to realise the extent of the gift I had recieved the previous day. Returning to shore I contented myself by diving with slender catsharks less than two feet long but as I focused on their tiny bodies my mind was filled with Cornish giants.

Basking Sharks

Basking Sharks arrive off the Cornish Coast between late April through to August. We can arrange boat trips for divers to see or snorkel with these incredible animals, but this is subject to pre-booking. Call us to talk or e-mail us your interests so we can keep you posted on Basking Shark activity

Basking sharks can often be found in the same area as good dive sites (like the Manacles), and an increasing number of divers have seen these gentle giants at close quarters underwater.

Basking sharks are, of course, plankton feeders, and as such do not have teeth, which erases one obvious reason to avoid them! However, their sheer size (up to 10 m. in length, and up to 7 Tonnes in weight) should make anyone aware that they posses incredible physical power.

Information on the latest sightings

Cornwall Wildlife Trust Basking Shark Sightings

Pictures taken by Porthkerris Customers, Staff and Photographers

Porthkerris Image Gallery

Want to know more about Basking Sharks

Cornwall Wildlife Trust

Basking Shark Project

The Wildlife Trust Basking Shark Project

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PORTHKERRIS DIVERS MID SEASON NEWS 2011

Greetings from Porthkerris!  Well, we are now well on our way into the season down here at Porthkerris, and it’s going well……….

NEWS
This year ‘The Galley’ was replaced by a bigger, better, newer catering wagon which is the ‘Porthkerris Galley Beach Café’.  Jules is doing a fantastic job, as the feedback suggests!  ‘Belly Buster’ breakfasts are a sure winner with the local produce that Jules uses in her menu.  And she has other specialties such as ‘Dezzies Chip Special’ that are unique but wonderful!   Remember too that you can always book an evening function with Jules such as fish and chips or curries….mmmm!                                                                    
Other news as you may have seen is that ‘The Five Pilchards’ (the pub in the next bay, Porthallow) is now doing B&B, so have a look at their website, and while you’re on the internet check out ‘The Three Tunns’, there are new owners running the pub (divers!) and they have refurbished the place too.

BOATS                                                                                                                                                                                                
The Kitten’s lift is proving to be a very popular addition, once again she is a great, easy boat to use.  And remember we can run her with just 2 people, so if you fancy a last minute getaway give us a call and we can book you on.

SEA LIFE                                                                                                                                                                                              
We have been running a few Basking Shark Trips, with ‘Shark Dances’ and all and quite a few have been successful, there have been a few juveniles around and one group even got in the water and snorkeled with one!  Usually you wouldn’t be able to do this with a juvenile as they can be skittish and scared off easily, so it was a special day for that group!  Not all the trips have been as successful as the sharks do not appear to have been here in their ‘large’ numbers as they were last year, so fingers crossed they’re just late!  On Drawna rock we have had reports of 8 metre viz, seen cuttlefish, angler fish and the rarer black faced blenny and tadpole fish…..And they have been spotted on more than one occasion, so hopefully they’ve found a nice new home for a while!                                                                               

COURSES
Courses we running in the near future are:
Open Water – August 23/24/25^th
Advanced – August 6/7^th
Rescue – August 12/13/14^th
Peak Performance Buoyancy – August 9^th
There are spaces on all of these so please contact us if you are interested.

FACEBOOK
Keep an eye on our Facebook page for news as it happens, courses and boat spaces.  We will have some photos of the new galley very soon!

BOOKINGS                                                                                                                                                                                         
We are always on the end of the phone or an email for bookings for the coming season. Either 01326 280620 or info@porthkerris.com and we’ll get straight back to you. We are taking bookings for 2012 already (!) so if you have any dates in mind please do get in touch…….. Contact us if you are interested in boat dives, shore dives, courses, camping and we’ll book you in!

JOB VACANIES
We are also looking for keen, enthusiastic divers wishing to further their knowledge in the dive Industry and complete their Divemaster course this year.  At Porthkerris we prefer to train our Divemasters using the Internship method. This gives you genuine day-to-day experience of assisting in training real students and guiding real divers. As a Divemaster Intern you will be part of the team at Porthkerris working alongside an instructor to gain experience in assisting with training at entry level and advanced level, running the Scuba Review and Local Orientation courses, acting as a Divemaster on our boats, and escorting nervous, rusty or simply lonely divers! The course lasts about 6 weeks, and we can also help find cheap accommodation. 

We gladly welcome feedback from everyone who has visited us here at Porthkerris, and if there is anything which we could improve on here to make your experience better then please let us know. 

Bestest wishes from all of us at Porthkerris……

Mike, Jo, Dave, Sarah, Darren, Jeremy and Jules.

The Padi Open Water course is designed as entry level course resulting in a certification enabling you to dive to a depth of 18m with any other qualified diver. The PADI Open Water Diver certification is the most recognised dive qualification worldwide.

The course is run over 4/5 days and consists of self study at home before the course (your book will be sent to you), five theory review sessions (quite short and painless if you’ve done your homework)!, four pool dives followed by four open water dives in the sea around Porthkerris.

Entry requirements: 12 years of age or above, in reasonable health and able to swim.

Cost: £350 per person (£450 per person for one-to-one instruction).

Price includes full use of dive kit whilst in training, air and tuition.

Duration: 3 days

Special Offer: If you complete the full Open Water Course after having with completed a Discover Scuba Diving Experience with us we will deduct the cost of the Discover Scuba Diving experience from the Open Water course cost, thereby saving you £60 on the price of the Open Water Course..

Course dates in 2011 to be advised

For a booking form email info@porthkerris.com

Groups of four or more can be catered for individually, contact us for information

Many of our students then choose to stay the extra two days to complete the Advanced Open Water course, or undergo an escorted dive on the boat.

Take your PADI Open Water course and Advanced Open Water and pay only £540, saving £60!

Discover SCUBA diving in Cornwall

The PADI Discover Scuba Diving programme introduces you to SCUBA diving in a highly supervised and relaxed manner. It dispels common misconceptions about scuba diving by letting you try it for yourself.

Under the guidance of an experienced Instructor, you will learn basic safety concepts, put on equipment and swim around underwater in a closely supervised environment.

At Porthkerris you will carry out the theory side of the course in our on-site classroom and dive in our protected shore dive area. All equipment required is included.

A Discover Scuba Diving experience will give you a positive introduction to SCUBA diving, after this we’re sure you’ll be hooked!

Providing certain requirements are met you can earn credit towards the PADI Open Water qualification.

Price: £60 per person per dive (includes full tuition and kit hire)

Special Offer: If you go on to complete the full PADI Open Water Course with us we will deduct the cost of the Discover Scuba Diving experience from the Open Water course cost.

To book your try dive now, call 01326 280620