Lough Hyne
Ireland · Ireland
Lough Hyne is a landlocked sea lake connected to the Atlantic by a narrow tidal rapids, designated Europe's first marine nature reserve in 1981. The enclosed basin traps warmer, saltine-stratified water and fosters extraordinary species density — sponge gardens, rare sea fans, and populations of species found nowhere else on Ireland's coast. Visibility regularly reaches 10 metres in the calm upper lake and the gentle tidal exchange through the rapids creates a natural drift dive experience that concentrates plankton feeders.
Conditions
Depth
3 to 24 m
Open water and up
Current
Variable
Can pick up on the edge
Visibility
8 to 14 m
Clearest in the calm season
Water
7 to 18°C
7mm wetsuit
Your chances of seeing each animal
Spiny Starfish
Sometimes
About 1 in 3 dives
Purple Sea Urchin
Sometimes
About 1 in 3 dives
Crawfish (Spiny Lobster)Vulnerable
Sometimes
About 1 in 3 dives
Corkwing Wrasse
Sometimes
About 1 in 3 dives
Dived Lough Hyne recently?
Your photos help track reef health.
Up to 10 photos · JPEG or PNG · max 20 MB each
📷
Drag photos here, or tap to select
GPS in your photo will auto-detect the dive site
Gear