Porthkerris Camping & Diving 2022

Porthkerris Camping and Diving Trip 2022

11th – 15th August 2022

Famous for its exclusive and secluded beach front location and convenient on-site facilities, Porthkerris offers a wealth of experiences for UK divers, and is well recognised as one of the best shore diving locations in the UK. Last week, we ventured down to this secret cove in Cornwall with a small group, for some awesome beach diving and snorkelling adventures. We were incredibly lucky with the weather – it was glorious sunshine and hardly a breath of wind during our time there!

View the Highlights of our Porthkerris Trip

Journey to Porthkerris

Our Leicester based dive club travelled down to Porthkerris in the early hours, after stopping at our favourite Gloucester Services and making sure we arrived in good time to enjoy the afternoon sunshine at the beach. Other members travelled from other areas of the country, including Sussex and Surrey, as well as Newquay, which isn’t’ too far away, comparatively.

As we approached Porthkerris through the narrow Cornish back lanes, we were greeted with the most epic views – from the top of the hill, across rolling green hills, looking out to sea and down to Porthkerris beach. The pictures can’t do this justice – you have to see it for yourself!

Scuba Diving

We completed 3 days diving, with the longest dive being 65 minutes. Visibility could have been a little better but there was still a whole host of marine life to see and the water temperature was between 18 – 19 degrees – tropical by UK standards! Strangely though, we didn’t see any spider crabs or octopus – was hoping to see both, since there’s been a reported boom in Cornwall this year. Not sure where they were hiding!

A massive well done to Nazia and Keyaan for completing their Open Water Diver certification too! Thanks to all those who made the effort to come along… Tafa, Magi, Nazia and Keyaan for joining the diving and to Lisa and James for all their help on the surface.

Snorkelling

As well a diving, Porthkerris makes an excellent choice for snorkelling, due to its fairly sheltered location and easy access to the water. Our group spent a good hour or so each day between or after dives exploring the rocks and kelp beds. Snorkelling was also popular with the non-divers too. Much of the same marine life seen while diving can be easily spotted while snorkelling, especially at low water, when the depth of the water is much shallower.

Camping

Once you’re at Porthkerris, you don’t really need to leave! We camped on the hill just behind the shore. Facing east, this is the perfect location for waking up to beautiful sunrises and watching the ocean in the moonlight around a camp fire, after the sun goes down.

Home of Dive Project Cornwall

It was great to meet up with Andy – the man behind Dive Project Cornwall, while we were at Porthkerris. Andy showed us behind the scenes of the amazing new camp (drone footage here), where the kids from winning schools will spend their time. It’s remarkable to see how this area has been transformed from overgrown scrub to a beautiful and well-planned out camp. There’s a central mess tent and kitchen area, BBQ and camp fire, surrounded by gravel walkways and areas for the
tents to be pitched.

As you can see, the views are truly epic – easily some of the best views in the UK! It’s heart-warming to know that many of the kids attending the camps have never seen the ocean in their lives. There’s surely no better place for them to have this first magical experience.

This prime land has been donated by Mike and Jo at Porthkerris for the project to use.

Places near Porthkerris

Porthkerris is located on the East side of the Lizard Peninsula. This is a truly beautiful area and there’s a host of secret coves and places to visit. The nearest town is Helston, which has all the amenities you may need, including Tesco and Sainsbury supermarkets for all your supplies.

We didn’t have much time to visit other places, with all the diving and snorkelling we did. However, once we’d packed up camp on the Monday, we spent the afternoon in Porthleven – a picturesque and vibrant harbour town on the west side of the Lizard. There’s lots to do here to keep you occupied for the afternoon – shops, restaurants, pubs and plenty of delicious Cornish ice cream! You can even go paddle boarding in the harbour, or join one of the boat trips.

Join us Next Time!

Want to join one of our future trips to Porthkerris? Check out all our event dates. We can organise impromptu trips too where there’s demand and interest, so get in touch if you can’t find any dates.

More Videos of Porthkerris from Youtube