Stingray Scheduled Boat Dives T&Cs
This page is the terms and conditions page for our Facebook group – Falmouth RHIB Diving on Stingray.
The only Rule of this group is: If you put your name down on a trip, you pay, unless YOU can find someone to take your place.
If you click going or ring us to say you are going, whatever the reason you have for not turning up, IT IS NOT UNDER OUR CONTROL. So the space you have reserved is still payable for. Just removing yourself from the event does not remove your liability, you must find a replacement or pay.
We keep our prices as reasonable as possible, if we get too many ‘no shows’, we shall have to increase our prices to cover them.
If you do not agree with these simple T&Cs, please remove yourself from the group. Repeat offenders will be removed, basically 3 strikes and you are out. You can still dive with us but payment will be required IN ADVANCE when you book your space, like nearly every dive boat in the U.K.
Scheduled Dives
Scheduled Dives are usually listed on a Monday evening on our Facebook group – Falmouth RHIB Diving on Stingray – Expected maximum depth, price and ropes off times are also listed.
The close in dive sites are only £15, which includes:
- St Just Pool
- Stanwood
- East Narrows
- Fraggle Rock
- Shore’s Rock
- Andromeda
- Killigerran
- NG Petersen
- Caroni Rivers
- Epsilon
- Old Wall
The next range band is £20 and includes:
- Volnay
- Hera
- Outer Bizzie
- Gull Rock
- Helford
- Mohegan (Manacles)
- Raglans Reef (Manacles)
- Vase Rock (Manacles)
Beyond that, to our normal scheduled limits we charge £25, sites include:
- City of Ghent
- Lath Rock
- Dodman Point
- Lizard Point
- Carmarthen
- Citrine
- Veritas
For boat charter, see RHIB boat charter page for Stingray.
Dive Boats
Atlantic Scuba owns and operates two Rigid Hulled Inflatable Boats (RHIBs).
Stingray
Stingray is moored in the Fal River at Mylor, ideally situated for access to Falmouth Bay, the Manacles, the Lizard, Gerrans Bay and Veryan Bay. It also makes it ideal for small groups and individuals, for our scheduled dives.
Stingray at Scubafest
Starfish
Starfish is kept on a trailer, to be launched anywhere it is required. This may be Plymouth, Penzance, Hayle, Newquay or Rock. It can be booked as a complete boat charter only, we do not offer individual spaces unless it is being used in conjunction with Stingray, when Stingray is fully booked.
Starfish on trailer
Snorkelling Trips by Boat around Falmouth
Our commercially coded dive RHIB, Stingray, is used regularly for scuba diving and free diving trips, it is also used for snorkelling trips.
A typical 5 hour day at sea, for up to 10 people, would see us leave Mylor Yacht Harbour at around 10am. Returning at around 3pm.
We have two usual routes, although we can go almost anywhere you like, within reason. Routes are usually chosen based around the wind direction. Below are the two usual routes:
Eastern Route: Fraggle Rock (St Anthony’s Lighthouse), Seal Caves, Shore’s Rock, Andromeda Wreck, Killigerran Head (or Seal Beach if it is low water).
Southern Route: Hole in the wall, UB86, UC92, ss Ponus, Ben Asdale.
The Southern route sites are all easily accessed from shore, it is a lot easier from a boat though.
A 5 hour trip costs £350 without kit, or £400 including Mask, Snorkel, Fins and a Wetsuit.
An 8 hour trip is £550 including any required kit.
If we see any interesting wildlife on the way, we will stop to watch if requested.
Mylor Yacht Harbour Information
Stingray is kept at Mylor Yacht Harbour, here is some information on both Mylor and Stingray.
Mylor Yacht Harbour is situated just outside Falmouth, TR11 5UF, within the Carrick Roads (the Fal river estuary). It has many facilities that makes it a great place for a base for a dive boat.
There is plenty of parking available, within two small car parks close to the marina and at either side of the half mile long valley (boat lay-up area).
There are public toilets as well as the rather smart, harbour customer’s toilet and shower block. Outside the harbour toilet block, there is a warm water kit wash.
Cafe Mylor has some excellent food, they are used to people in wetsuits going in to order food, we usually sit outside though, with a view over the harbour. Castaways is a very good, quality restaurant.
Below is an aerial photo of Mylor Yacht Harbour (courtesy of the Channel Coastal Observatory), various features are coloured, see the legend below.
Mylor Yacht Harbour
Green – Car Park (pay & display, £5 all day. Take the tear off strip to the cafe to get £2 off)
Yellow – 30 minute stop, kit drop off area
Purple – Harbour toilet/shower block
Red – Trolley parks
Cyan – Cafe Mylor
Blue – Boat (loading/pick up location)
RHIB diving is a very effective and efficient way of scuba diving from a boat. RHIBs are usually much faster than hard boats, they are also more economical. Here are some of the questions we get frequently asked:
Where will the boat be?
The boat will be situated at the blue marked area on the aerial photograph above. It will arrive between 60-30 minutes before R.O. time.
What does R.O. mean?
R.O. stands for Ropes Off, the time the boat plans to leave the quayside. So get there beforehand, an hour before works well, to get your kit ready and on the boat before that time.
How do you get back on the boat?
When stationary, RHIBs usually sit very low in the water, the closer to the stern, the lower they sit. You have to haul yourself in using the ropes and grab handles provided. If you make yourself very buoyant first, it is quite easy, we will always help you if you need it.
Where’s the toilet?
Unfortunately, this is one area RHIBs lose against hard boats. We don’t have one.
How long will we be out?
We rarely do two dives per trip, unless asked. So most trips are just one dive. We normally state 2.5-3 hours for a recreational dive trip. So not too long to wait for the toilet.
If we are doing two dives, what do we do with our kit?
Leave your kit on the boat, just switch cylinders.
Where do we put stuff we want to keep dry?
To be honest, your car will be best. The is very little dry storage on a RHIB. We have a dry box to place your car keys but that’s about it.
If you have any other questions about diving from our boat, please contact us.
We are a very social group, if we are at Mylor around lunchtime, we have lunch at the cafe. On a two dive day, we stop at the cafe between dives. After mid afternoon dives, we usually stop for a drink and a piece of cake.
We call this ‘civilised diving’ 🙂
Film & Media Boat Charter
Stingray is a stable vessel and is useful as a base for film & media work. Although it may not have the space and comfort of large hard boats, it does have speed as well as accessibility to shallow sites in it’s favour.
It has been used in:
- Two different Rosamunde Pilcher films made by FFP New Media for German TV
- BBC Radio Cornwall live broadcast platform
- BBC One Show for filming a Freediving feature with Ian Donald and Andy Torbet
- BBC One Show as a featured boat, as well as for filming a piece with Miranda Krestovnikoff
- Numerous features for Scubaverse.com as a base for some featured dives with Jeff Goodman
- Jocks and Nerds magazine, Tudor watches freediving Photoshoot with Ian Donald
- Scuba Magazine Photoshoots and article features with Mark Milburn and Nick Lyon
- ITV Countrywise with Ben Fogle, Freediving at Longships reef, Lands End
- BBC Spotlight South West, multiple programs
- BBC Inside Out, featured boat, surface camera boat
- Poldark safety/guard boat, photographer’s boat, mounted mobile reflective screen
- Farer Aqua Compressor freediving shoot, camera boat, location scout and location advisor
Dive Boats and Boat Services
Stingray Dive Charter RHIB – Licensed and insured vessel available for:
- Dive Charter
- Basking Shark trips
- Blue Shark trips
- Wildlife Watching
- Magnetometer surveys
- Side-Scan surveys
- Scheduled dives
- Film and Media services
- Freediver training
- Freediving day trips
- Snorkelling Trips
- Commercial Diving
- Safety Boat
- Fast Response vessel
- Standby and Security boat
- Sports Coverage
Mylor Yacht Harbour Information
It is also a good Scuba diving school dive boat, for Cornwall anyway.
RHIB Boat Charter, Starfish
Starfish is currently being completely rebuilt, replacement engine, new tubes, new electronics, in fact the only original part left will be the hull. It should be ready for the 2019 season. This page will be active again once Starfish has undergone it’s rebuild.
Atlantic Scuba owns and operates two RHIBs (Ridged Hulled Inflatable Boats) as dive charter boats. ‘Starfish’ is a Category 4 MCA coded RHIB, licensed to carry 12 people including the boat skipper. It is fitted with a single Mercury 200HP Optimax 2 engine, it is very fast, reliable, quiet and comfortable.
Basking Shark & Wildlife Watching
Our charter RHIB ‘Stingray’ is legally coded to take 11 people out for viewing wildlife as well as taking scuba divers. The waters around Cornwall have a rich wildlife heritage including Basking Sharks to Atlantic Grey Seals. As a WiSe (Wildlife Safe) Master accredited operator we have received instruction in species identification, life history and behaviour of a range of species that we might encounter, and will record our sightings for use in basic scientific research. read more →
Magnetometer & Side Scan Surveys
Atlantic Scuba owns two proton precession Magnetometers for detecting ferrous objects underwater. Our Planet Electronics MX500 Proton Magnetometer is a high quality Nuclear Magnetic Resonance scanner. When towed behind our rhibs it can be used to find wrecks/wreckage or even cannons at various depths depending on the size and shape of the object. Our Aquascan AX100 is a more compact unit with similar capabilities to the MX500. By simultaneously using both our boats with both magnetometers, we can cover large areas very quickly. read more →
