Snorkel Trip to Norfolk : 13th - 14th July 2024
We plan to drive to Norfolk on Friday 12th July and then snorkel on the Norfolk chalk reef over the weekend, leaving on Monday to travel home.
Accommodation is available at Sandcliff Guest House, Cromer (https://www.sandcliffcromer.co.uk/contact/) or at other hotels, cabins, camp sites in the Sheringham / Cromer area. Please book your own accommodation.
This trip is planned for the snorkelers in the club plus partners / families. We will not be organising shore diving, although this is also possible.
Dubbed ‘Britain’s Great Barrier Reef’, the Cromer Shoals Chalk Bed, created when dinosaurs ruled the earth, is thought to be the longest in the world. There are many sites where it is possible to SCUBA dive or snorkel the Norfolk chalk reef from the shore. The importance of the reef was acknowledged in 2016 when the reef was designated a Marine Conservation Zone (MCZ).
Lowestoft SAC say “The chalk is generally quite shallow with an average depth of 4-6 meters. Depths of over 8 meters can be found with a long swim out. From the shore the chalk can be seen in depths as shallow as 1 meter, this also makes the chalk reef a great place to snorkel! The chalk reef is best explored on a dead slack tide in the summer months when the water is the clearest. The visibility is at its best from July to October when the wind has been from the South round to the West for a period of time. The visibility can exceed 10 meters and the water temperature can reach 20°C.”
We plan to base our snorkel dives from Sheringham, which is located in the centre of the reef with plenty of parking available as well as lifeguards present on the beach, from where we can access the Sheringham snorkel trail. This is an old Victorian sewer pipe on the seabed, starting close to shore and running out to sea which is now covered in marine life. We also plan to snorkel on the chalk reef from Cromer beach.
Contact Alison or Loz or refer to the sign-up sheet at the Club for additional information