Back Beach has an easterly exposure. It is one of the most easy shore dive entries on Cape Ann, and also a great dive.

After parking at a nearby metered space, you should gear up at your car, and walk down to the beach via one of the two public walkways: a concrete ramp to the water on the northside, or a wooden ramp to the sand farther south, near the public restrooms which are generally open between Memorial Day and Christmas, during daylight hours. Do not leave anything on the beach. At high tide, the water comes all the way up above the lower rocks, and, because this is a high traffic area, personal property has been known to disappear if left unattended. Cars should be locked, and gear should not be left in the back of an unattended pick up truck.

Because of the overall quality of the site (sub and surface) Back Beach is quite crowded during weekend summers - it is not unusual to find upwards of 50 student divers in the water with their instructors, by 7:00 AM on any weekend day. Be sure to park only in a metered - not a resident space - they WILL tow you.

This is a residential area, with cranky summer residents: You would probably be cranky too, if you were awakened at 6 AM each Saturday and Sunday by loud people outside your bedroom. Turn down your radio before you turn onto the street. Turn off your engine when you stop - don't idle. And keep your voices down until the sun is warm and high in the sky!

Stay off the neighbors' lawns - you would be amazed how quickly salty gear and heavy traffic destroys grass, and goodwill. Also, don't block the sidewalk with your gear, or by assembling with your buddies. Beach Street is an active pedestrian/walker/jogger area and these people should be given an unrestricted right of way on the sidewalk!

The scuba diving here seldom reaches 30 feet (it can reach 50 or more, way out and to the south of the island) but the quantity and quality of sea life here keeps even the most experienced divers coming back.

Directly off the concrete ramp is a rock jetty that extends severl hundred feet to the east, where it recedes into a little bay and then rounds a point to a small marina. Off this point is a small island that can be reached (and circumnavigated) by strong swimmers with large tanks. Be careful here for boat traffic - both recreational and commercial lobster craft frequent the outer area of this beach. Moving South at any time during the dive will bring you over a weedy and then sandy area, eventually you come to more submerged rock farther to the south.

During spring and summer you can expect to see stripers, pollock, lumpfish, cunner, rock gunnels, flounders, ocean pout, skates, lobsters, red, green and hermit crabs, moon snails, shrimp, pipefish, squid, sculpins, sea ravens, and a good variety of starfish and anemones. At low tide the swim is fairly long - try to plan your 2 tank dive to start at a mid-incoming tide. Night diving here, for all the reasons above, is a fantastic experience.

Take Route 128 North through Blackburn and then through Grant Circle. At the light, take a left turn onto Route 127 into Rockport. When you come to the 5 Corner intersection, stay on 127 by turning left. Follow this road for approximately 3/4 of a mile, and turn right onto Beach Street. Park at a metered space, and keep the meter well fed. Police will ticket you in a Rockport minute! Also, do not park in the Resident Only Spaces - You will be towed.