User Rating: 2 / 5

Star ActiveStar ActiveStar InactiveStar InactiveStar Inactive
 

Camas Torsa

Alternative Names: Thor's Bay

Type of Dive: Shore dive on a boulder slope and wall in Loch Sunart, Boats can also be launched at Salen Pier Boat launch

Suggested experience: Sport Diver.

Travel directions: From Glasgow / Edinburgh: Approx 3 hours drive. Follow local directions below to Crianlarich. From Edinburgh head North (M9/A84/A85) via Stirling and Callander to Crianlarich. From Glasgow head for Loch Lomond along A82 (turning right at Tarbet) to Crianlarich.From Crianlarich, follow A82 through Glencoe and Ballachulish following signs for Onich / Fort William. Continue through the village of Onich and just a short distance out of Onich; turn left at the signpost for the Corran Ferry. Take the short regular ferry crossing to Ardgour and turn immediately left off the ferry ramp onto the A861 marked for Strontian. Continue through Strontian on the A861 for approx a further 10 miles and take a left hand turn onto the B8007, which immediately takes you into the village of Salen. 

Parking directions: In the car park shown below just past Salen on the road to Ardnamurchan.

Camas Torsa car parking

 Lat & Long: N56 42.640 W5 46.392 (Salen) Google map 

Tides: Tide tables

Site entry/exit: The entry is easy, over the cobbles into about 1-2m 

Camas Torsa entry/exit

Underwater directions: Head over the cobbles into about 1-2m, then it drops down to 5m and further out drops down to 20m over a solid rock reef. Heading further out will take you past 30m but at this particular site there's not much more to see but the occasional Langoustine. Crystal clear water, only the gentlest of currents at ebb or flow. Great for training as there are lots to see and some big mooring blocks to look under for the wee brown squatties Featherstars of all colours can be found on the site. Plenty more scope for deeper dives as the chart shows (and we had a look-see) 50m within easy reach of the shore at some of the nearby rocky outcrops that jut out into the loch.  

Air & Nitrox: Puffin divers

Site Hazards: 

Nearest Public phone: In Salen

Mobile Network service:  O2 signal is only 2-3 bars but it's there.

Accommodation: Ariundle bunkhouse   Self-catering

Pub: The Nearest pub is in Salen itself, and it does very nice (tho' mid-range price) food  Hotel         

Cafe: In Salen  

Created by: Darryl Mayer 

Date: 22/11/13

Revision: 2

Links: None I can find.

Surface Photos: Utube

Underwater Photos: By Darryl Mayer.

camas torsa3camas torsa4Feather star

Dive Map: Could somebody do a sketch for here?

Dive Report: Artist 9/1/11 I have dived Camas Torsa a couple of times before and to be honest did not think much of the site. I realise now, however, that this was because I had missed the whole point of this dive that is a boulder wall that bottoms out to around 45m. For my sins, last year as a Sports Diver I must have navigated along the top of the wall, missing it and leading my buddy over a low-lying reef that lies beyond it at 25m. This time however with a little more confidence and armed with a borrowed compass, we headed SW from the shore past some large concrete mooring blocks down to around 12m, then turned WNW. Here is where you have to have faith as this takes you deeper down to around 23m over a sloping coarse sandy bed which is quite dessert-like; however if you carry on, it leads you to the wall which provides a home to all the usual larger critters that you would expect of such a structure. Being more concerned about this dive with twin 12’s, my compass and my buddies? I did not take my camera in with me to get lost in critter-world or atmospheric bliss, so maybe others can fill in here some detail as to marine life. To return, we ascended slowly over the top of the wall and headed NE which takes you back over a rocky coarse sand bed to the mooring blocks and entry point. We did, however, see a wee dogfish which I did stop to say hello to.

Dive Report: Malky 12/6/11  followed the rock fingers that extend down from just out past the headland slightly left of the car park. found what I believe to be a tall thin sea pen...loads of life lots of soft corals anemones and the like. viz was good 10m plus at times.

Dive Report:  Comment in the box below.