Cathedral Rock
St. Abbs Head · United Kingdom
Cathedral Rock earns its name from a series of spectacular arch formations that create a natural underwater nave at around 18 m depth — the rock walls coated in jewel anemones that glow gold and orange in torch light, with brittlestars carpeting every horizontal surface. Swimming through the archways while cuckoo wrasse hover in the blue water beyond is one of the defining experiences of cold-water British diving.
Conditions
Depth
6 to 28 m
Open water and up
Current
Usually gentle
Can pick up on the edge
Visibility
12 to 20 m
Clearest in the calm season
Water
5 to 17°C
7mm wetsuit
Month by month
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Water (°C) | 6 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 9 | 11 | 13 | 14 | 13 | 10 | 8 | 6 |
| Vis (m) | 8 | 8 | 8 | 10 | 10 | 12 | 12 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 8 |
| Current | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Gentle | Gentle | Gentle | Gentle | Gentle | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate |
Your chances of seeing each animal
European Green Crab
Last confirmed Jul 2, 2026 · 33 records
Very likely
Most dives
Atlantic Beadlet Anemone
Last confirmed Apr 24, 2026 · 32 records
Very likely
Most dives
Common Brittlestar
Last confirmed Mar 7, 2026 · 5 records
Very likely
Most dives
Common Murre
Last confirmed Jun 5, 2026 · 22 records
Likely
About 6 in 10 dives
Garden Snail
Last confirmed Jun 28, 2026 · 18 records
Likely
About 6 in 10 dives
Jewel Anemone
Last confirmed Sep 1, 2025 · 1 records
Likely
About 6 in 10 dives
Sea Lemon
Last confirmed Mar 22, 2026 · 5 records
Likely
About 6 in 10 dives
Nudibranch
Expected
Known here, not yet in recent logs
Gear