Notes about things regarding scuba diving that I have come to know

Pete's Southern Maine Regional Dive Site Guide
Crescent Beach, Wells
On Webhanet Drive North of Eldredge Rd., Wells
(Northern most site of 2 from this parking location)

Located on Webhanet drive just north of Eldredge Road is this site. It can also be reached by taking Webhanet drive south from the intersection with Mile Road. On Webhanet drive you will be looking for a crescent shaped parking lot on the sea side of the street. In season a porta-potie will be there for your convenience. The lot is gravel (bring a tarp) and free. It can fill up but turnover is usually moderate. We have always found a spot. The dive site is about two house lots north where a ramp & steps take you up over the seawall to the beach entry. This is one of those uncommon sites though I'll stop just short of giving it hidden jewel status.

At the end of a recent dive a lifeguard advised us that dive flags are required when scuba diving on Wells beach. I stopped short of asking to see the ordinance. Our 65 minute dive had them worried. At first we were told of a 1 hour per tank limit. After speaking to him after changing he said they were good with us giving them some idea how long we expected to be down. Off-season and evenings there are no lifeguards so just be advised. No scuba rules are posted.

This site is also a fantastic skin diving site especially from about one hour after low tide to 1 hour before high tide. From the entry area at less than high tide you can see that to the right of the entry there is a huge field of ledges. As they fill in on the rising tide in particular the water can be delightfully warm and clear and juvenile lobster as well as assorted small fish and crabs can abound. The nicest skin-dive is to follow the ledge straight out and work your way around it clockwise to enter the semi sheltered rocky shallow area we call the nursery.

The entry as mentioned is a sand beach entry and the shelter of the ledge usually manages to keep the surf manageable. As of this writing (April 2009) and subject to mother nature the sand at the base of the steps has returned making for an east walk down on to the hard packed beach.

If you enter near high tide you will be in the water immediately or very soon. Plan to walk out a little at all but full high tide. You can enter the water and think you are deep enough when you find a sandbar that takes you shallow again for a bit. It's hard to fully describe in text but you'll know it when you find it. At a lower tide it's is all there to see.

Abutting the ledge is the sandy bottom of Wells beach. When diving this site we head straight out then tack right to find the base of the ledge. We then usually work our way up onto the ledge either keeping the sandy bottom in sight or knitting up and down to avoid being too far up into the ledge. Depths can approach 30 feet but expect to spend most of your time in the 16-20 foot range with lots of critters and nice light.

If you decide to wander up into the ledges watch out for the falling tide. As the water drops the waves can begin breaking on the ledges making a shallow dive challenging. Been there done that.

There can be a slight long shore current. We are generally following natural features and it's a non-issue. If you find yourself swimming in an expanse of sandy bottom just keep this in mind. I have observed this the most while skin-diving.

You can expect to find the usual critters. Under some boulders nice frilled anemones can be found. Some of these boulders will be away from the ledge so wandering out onto the sandy bottom can bring you some pleasant surprises. Some of the plant cover is very colorful. It was at this site that we saw a lavender Sea Raven blending perfectly into lavender bottom cover.

Entry view at near low tide. The good stuff is not as far away as it looks.

This Dive Site at a Glance:

  • SCUBA: Yes
  • SKIN-DIVE: Yes
  • PARKING: Free
  • TOILETS: In season
  • TIDE: Variable
  • SEASONS: All
  • EXPOSURE: E/NE
  • ENTRY/EXIT: Easy
  • FOOD: None
  • GPS: 43.294653,-70.568066
  • Google Maps accepts GPS points.

Here is a view of the parking lot and walk to the entry.

This shows the dive we like to make up along the ledges.

If you have time, are good with air and want a little adventure it is possible to make a site to site dive from the companion site that is just south of the parking lot you are using. When we made this dive it was from south to north and it was an easy dive though it did clock in at 102 minutes with a max depth of 18 feet. That being said this is not a novice dive. Only make this dive with nice sea conditions. As you round the point between sites you will be meandering between ledges and may find yourself in relatively shallow water. That's no place to be with the surf rolling. Other than that just bear left and watch for the beach!

Marine Life of the North Atlanticl
Marine Life of the North Atlantic

 Diver Down
Diver Down

 Maine Atlas & Gazetteer
Maine Atlas & Gazetteer

 The Certified Divers Handbook
The Certified Divers Handbook

 Neutral Buoyancy
Neutral Buoyancy

 Scuba Diving
Scuba Diving

Dive Shops and air fills in Maine

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This page created January 2008 *** Revised April 2009