Days Out NI
Diving & snorkelling Ballintoy

Ballintoy Harbour snorkel site

Free shore-snorkel site with clear water, kelp forest and rocky gullies

6 photos
Free accessSelf-access, no booking
FreeSite is free to enter
BallintoyDiving & snorkelling
Get directionsOfficial website
Free shore siteType
FreeCost
Qualified diversExperience
Kelp & red algaeYou may see
Car parkParking

Ballintoy Harbour snorkel site — Free shore-snorkel site with clear water, kelp forest and rocky gullies.

  • What you can do: Shore snorkel or shore-dive over kelp, gullies and a blowhole; three entry points.
  • Experience needed: Confident snorkellers and qualified shore-divers; beginners should go with a club or guided operator.
  • Conditions: Cold water year-round; bays sheltered but open coast rough; swell- and wind-dependent; no lifeguard.
  • Kit: Bring your own; wetsuit or drysuit essential.
  • Booking & access: Free self-access, no booking.
  • Cost: Free; check current parking charges at the harbour.
Plan your visit

Clear water, kelp and three ways in

You can enter from the beach, from the rocky outcrops west of the harbour wall, or from the secret beach reached down a rough track east of the car park. The rocks are colonised by dense kelp fronds and red algae, with gullies and caverns to follow and a blowhole off the eastern beach. Visibility is typically 10-15m, with depths of roughly 1-6m near the entries and the seabed reaching about 11m further out. On the sand you may spot juvenile flatfish and bobtail squid, but wildlife is never a given. It suits confident snorkellers and qualified shore-divers comfortable in cold, open water.

Free site No lifeguard Cold water Kelp and gullies 10-15m visibility Snorkel and shore-dive
Good to know before you go:

Conditions here change with the weather and the tide, and visibility changes with them — clear and calm one day, murky and rough the next. Check a forecast and a tide table before you set off. This is a self-access site with no lifeguard, so match it to the experience you actually have, go with a buddy, and never dive alone.

Before you set off

What to bring

  • 🗺️A proper planA buddy, a tide check and a weather check. Wild sites have no lifeguard and nobody expecting you.
  • ☕Warm layers and a hot drinkThe water is cold all year. Dry clothes and something hot afterwards make the whole day.
  • 🏖️A towelAnd somewhere to put wet kit for the drive home.
  • 🤿An honest look at your experienceMatch the site to the training you actually have. Plenty of people start with a try-dive instead.
Good to know

Everything before you go

Type
Free wild snorkel and shore-dive site
What you can do
Shore snorkel or shore-dive over kelp, gullies and a blowhole; three entry points
Experience needed
Confident snorkellers and qualified shore-divers; beginners should go with a club or guided operator
Conditions
Cold water year-round; bays sheltered but open coast rough; swell- and wind-dependent; no lifeguard
Booking / access
Free self-access, no booking
Kit
Bring your own; wetsuit or drysuit essential
Cost
Free; check current parking charges at the harbour
What you may see
Kelp, red algae, juvenile flatfish, possibly bobtail squid and seals (never guaranteed)
Parking
Car park and picnic area beside the harbour cafe
Address / location
Ballintoy Harbour, Ballintoy, County Antrim
Questions

Before you go

Do I need experience?
Confident snorkellers and qualified shore-divers; beginners should go with a club or guided operator
How much does it cost?
Free; check current parking charges at the harbour
Do I need to book?
Free self-access, no booking
What are the conditions like?
Cold water year-round; bays sheltered but open coast rough; swell- and wind-dependent; no lifeguard
What kit do I need?
Bring your own; wetsuit or drysuit essential
Getting there

Ballintoy Harbour snorkel site is at Ballintoy Harbour, Ballintoy, County Antrim. Car park and picnic area beside the harbour cafe. Tap below for directions.

Directions on Google MapsOfficial website See it on our map
Nearby

Make more of the day

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The story

About it

Ballintoy Harbour sits below the cliffs on the Causeway Coast and is listed by DiveNI as a free shore site, valued for its clear limestone-bedrock water, dense kelp and the gullies, caverns and blowhole around its rocky outcrops. The same harbour is a well-known wild-swimming spot, its two bays kept calm by surrounding basalt islands while the open sea outside stays rough.