Kennebunk's major beach is a long rambling seaside affair and is actually 3 beaches. To the south is Mothers Beach and it features a playground and parking lot. At the north end starting at the Kennebunk River is Gooch's Beach. This is a huge flat sandy expanse. Nestled in between is Middle beach the water entry's are big banks of sea stones and cobbles. As a dive site the unique feature is the clay reefs.They will appear as barren banks of gray solid clay. If you wipe one with a gloved finger you will get a material much like common modeling clay. The clay will be pot marked with critter burrows. As you dive on the site you will encounter intermittent clouds of "clay dust" that cloud the water for a period. some of this detail was leveled in the 2007 Patriots Day storm and we will have to wait to see what happens. The entry point is where there is a drive through break in the sea wall near 195 Beach Avenue. The seawall has a broad flat concrete top that is great to set-up on. We usually go down the left side and work that cove. We have entered on the right and circled around as well. The bottom will range from minor ledges of clay and granite to small stone cover with plant growth. I don't recall seeing any sandy bottoms here except near the seawall. Don't expect this to be a deep dive but it remains a basin through all tides. At high tide you can break 20 feet in the areas we have visited. With the street side entry and with roadway and neighborhood lighting it makes a very nice night dive location. At this site we have seen sea ravens, sculpin, lobster, crabs, squid, rock gunnell and winter flounder to name a few. This site is also a great skin-dive. I like to head out to the ledge off shore and explore the shallows around it. On a clam day you can get to the ocean side and see some good sized star-fish. Big schools of striped bass right near the seawall are not unheard of. A local ordinance reserves this beach for residents or those willing to pay at town hall for a parking pass. Parking at Kennebunk beaches during the period from June 15th through September 15th of each year shall be by permit only. Parking is allowed from 6:00 AM to 11:00 PM. 1 Day Permit $10.00, 1 Week Permit $20.00, Full Season Permit $50.00. Needless to say this site is best reserved for the off season. Local ordinance link

This Dive Site at a Glance: SCUBA: Yes SKIN-DIVE: Yes PARKING: Restricted, see description TOILETS: Gooches and Mothers beaches in season TIDE: Any SEASONS: Any EXPOSURE: S ENTRY/EXIT: Easy, moderate cobble slope FOOD: None GPS: 43.345475,-70.491505 Google Maps accepts GPS points. We generally do something like the yellow route but may venture out farther.

Marine Life of the North Atlantic Diver Down Maine Atlas & Gazetteer The Certified Divers Handbook Neutral Buoyancy Scuba Diving