Ballycastle – Fair Head

Giant’s Causeway

HMS Drake Wreck (Rathlin)

Larne – The Gobbins

Portballintrae & Portstewart

Portrush – The Skerries

Rathlin Island

SS Lugano Wreck (Rathlin)

Antrim and the north coast are known for superb seafood and oysters, with whiskey from Bushmills. Try oysters, smoked salmon, dalton crabs, lamb and soda bread. Portrush and Ballycastle have great fish restaurants, and the Causeway coast cafés serve chowder after a dive. Local ingredients and simple preparation let the pure Irish flavours shine through in every meal.

Bushmills Inn

The Salthouse

Portrush Atlantic Hotel

Belfast Grand Central

The Antrim Coast and Causeway is Northern Ireland’s diving centrepiece, where basalt cliffs, sea caves and kelp forests meet the Atlantic. Rathlin Island is the standout: steep basalt walls, massive kelp and a dense anemone garden, plus the wreck of HMS Drake and the SS Lugano. The Giant’s Causeway extends its famous hexagonal columns beneath the sea, Ballycastle’s Fair Head drops as tall underwater cliffs, and Portrush and the Skerries offer granite pinnacles and training reefs. The Gobbins near Larne adds sheer walls and caves, while Portballintrae and Portstewart give sheltered bays for beginners and night dives. Dramatic and exposed, this region rewards drysuit divers with superb scenery and accessible wreck history.

Northern Ireland – Antrim Coast & Causeway

Fly into Belfast (BFS) or take the ferry, then drive the Causeway Coastal Route. Rathlin is reached by ferry from Ballycastle; dive boats launch from Portrush, Ballycastle and Portstewart.

Where to Stay in Northern Ireland – Antrim Coast & Causeway

Accommodation Overview

Recommended Areas

Ballycastle

Portrush

Bushmills

Larne

Belfast

Featured Hotels & Resorts

Bushmills Inn

The Salthouse

Portrush Atlantic Hotel

Belfast Grand Central