Portsmouth is the traditional home of the Royal Navy, and a huge Base is located here. Also there is a lot of pleasure and competitive sailing, as there is the HQ of the RYA in Southampton and the Royal Yacht Club in Cowes. Diving out of Portsmouth (known locally as 'Pompey')is very good, with many wrecks in the area. Vis is generally good, as the sea floor tends to be heavy sand, rather than silt. Tides however, can be tricky, with tidal flow splitting around the Isle of Wight causing Races, and Rips, which can test the best diver and skipper! There is plenty of life in the Sea, with basking sharks being seen in the summer, and Sunfish observed in August this year. Fish are typical for the south UK, Tope, Lesser Spotted Dogfish, Common Smooth Hound, Cod, Pouting, Crabs, Lobsters, Nudibranchs, Jellyfish, Anenomes, Sponges, and Sea Squirts. Portsmouth is incredibly easy to get to. Either Via the A3 from London, M27 from the West Country, or by Ferry from Europe. There is plenty to do in the city, with a excellent resteraunt and bar area by the 'Spinnekar' building on the seafront. Near to here is HMS Victory, the oldest commisioned Naval Vessel in the world, and Nelson's flagship in the battle of Waterloo. Also, there are many watersports activities to try when you're not blowing bubbles, such as sailing, jet skiing, kitesurfing. Portsmouth has a vibrant modern centre with many facilities fo keep you amused and lots of interesting local Ales to help you relax after a hard day's diving. Best to go Late Spring onwards. There are many Charter companies to try, and they'll all know where the best wrecks are. An excellent second dive of the day is Nab's tower, which drops down in 5m sections to 20m. Each is very different, and gives the impression of 5 dives in 1!
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