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

Pete's Southern Maine Regional Dive Site Guide
St. Ann's Beach, Kennebunkport

After passing Colony Beach on Ocean Avenue and then following the road around a left-hand bend you will pass St. Ann's Church. Immediately after the church you will see a small seaside driveway that leads to a cobble beachhead. The driveway is 2 cars wide and can hold 2,4,6 or even more cars depending what mother nature has been doing with the stones. During the warmer months you will share the site with a small air monitoring station structure. Backing in also works well here. Watch for lobster trap mesh fragments that can be waiting to ambush your tires.

The beach has no sand but is a somewhat steep cobble slope down to the shoreline. You can gear up at your vehicle and walk down or stage gear to don below, whatever suits you the best. The entry area is fairly sheltered for being on an open ocean exposure.

The site offers 2 excellent and distinctly different dives. The right hand side features an array of ledges running down from in front of the church. You will want to make the effort to surface swim most of the way out of the cove. On a higher tide you can traverse some of the minor ledges to get to the good stuff. I like to find the ravines and then knit my way from the sandy bottom up to a depth where I am still safe from surface effects. You can find your way out onto some outer ledges as well. With a high tide you can approach 40 feet. Finding components of boat wrecks is not uncommon. There are some big items to examine.

The left side is more of a big boulder-scape sort of site with some small pockets that can have large numbers of starfish. From the entry point you can see a home at the left extreme of the cove. We usually get over that far on a single cylinder dive. This dive will probably not take you much more than 30 feet down.

I consider this site to be a hidden jewel. In addition to the usual suspects dogfish have been sighted here on numerous occasions. You can dive this site at any tide. The entry, exit and overall site will benefit from a higher tide. There are no toilet facilities at this site. Following the shoreline on the left side can be a nice skin- dive. The right is nice as well with the right wind and waves. Diving may be prohibited at this site if there is a presidential visit at the Bush compound on Walker point.

This Dive Site at a Glance:

  • SCUBA: Yes
  • SKIN-DIVE: Yes
  • PARKING: Free
  • TOILETS: None
  • TIDE: Best near high
  • SEASONS: Any
  • EXPOSURE: SE
  • ENTRY/EXIT: Moderate
  • FOOD: None
  • GPS: 43.343045,-70.471117
  • Google Maps accepts GPS points.

Dive 1 (yellow) takes you in front of St. Ann's Church and lets you weave up and down the ledges. If you venture from shore a bit across a little sand you will find secondary ledges as well. Dive 2 (magenta) has you heading for the point as you will see it at the entry. It's a nice dive with lots of rocky structure to explore. Occasional sandy spans on either dive can hold surprises. There are plenty of additional ledges that offer endless opportunities.

This page created January 2008