Isle of Shoals

[MSilvia]

Pretty shallow there... I imagine it's a high-tide-only situation, right?

Other beaches in the area to consider:
Gun Rock Beach in Hull, Black Rock Beach in Cohasset, and Sandy Beach in Cohasset. Parking can be tricky at the last two, but if you ever want to try them, give me a shout... I have a sticker.

Also, you might consider the Boston Harbor Islands... it's a quick ferry ride from Quincy.

[turnpikemike]

Originally Posted by MSilvia

Gun Rock Beach in Hull, Black Rock Beach in Cohasset, and Sandy Beach in Cohasset. Parking can be tricky at the last two, but if you ever want to try them, give me a shout... I have a sticker.

Also, you might consider the Boston Harbor Islands... it's a quick ferry ride from Quincy.

Definitely pretty shallow, but it can be done even at low tide, if you don't mind a max depth of 16-17 feet. That's where I did most of my earlier dives just to get comfortable with my gear and things. Close to home, easy entry, shallow, easy parking (especially in the off-season). I have been meaning to check out Gun Rock for a long time, but whenever I want a slightly less-convenient dive, I talk myself into going down to Rhode Island or up to New Hampshire or something. I might have to take you up on the Cohasset offer sometime. I used to swim at Sandy Beach before I drove in through the right entrance and saw the $250 fine sign. That's a nice beach. Where do you dive in the Harbor Islands? My girlfriend and I just went out to Georges last weekend, and the water looked great on the seaward side.

[MSilvia]

Originally Posted by turnpikemike

Where do you dive in the Harbor Islands? My girlfriend and I just went out to Georges last weekend, and the water looked great on the seaward side.

I usually go with Boston Harbor Diving Company out of East Boston, but there are a lot of sites out there to see. There are fantastic scallop beds off Gallops island, cool canyons off the Brewsters, seal dives off Graves' ledge, several (broken up) wrecks around Lovell's and Grape Islands, and of course a ton of great wrecks and cool sites that are out of swimming range but great if you have a boat to dive from... hence BHDC. I haven't done a lot of shore diving out there, but there are definately a lot of beaches you could dive from, and most of the islands have seen a shipwreck or two (or more) over the years.