1. Rollins Scuba Associates
City: South Portland, ME
Category: Parks & Recreation
Telephone: (207) 799-7990
Address: 68 Washington Avenue
Description: Rollins Scuba is a small scuba-diving company owned by instructor Paul Rollins. Rollins has owned the business since 1988 and is certified in YMCA, NAUI, PADI, and CMAS diving. He leads individual and group dives year-round and provides scuba instruction and consultations. Rollins books dives for up to four people at a time as far in advance as possible, and most trips are booked a week or two in advance.A typical summer dive would start at Kettle Cove in Cape Elizabeth with a beach entry to an eventual dive depth of 30 feet below the surface. Dives include one hour in the water plus around an hour and a half for pre-briefing and a safety check. Rollins leads dives for beginners as well as more experienced divers with proof of open-water certification. Equipment rental is also available.
2. Maine Fishing And Diving Charters
City: South Portland, ME
Category: Parks & Recreation
Telephone: (207) 799-9826, (866) 799-9826
Address: 177 Harriet Street
Description: Maine Fishing and Diving Charters specializes in half-day and full-day deep-sea fishing and diving tours. Captain Rob Odlin has led these trips since 1997, and if the photos on his Web site are any testament, he and his guest crew frequently catch some real-life whoppers. Inshore fishing charters cost $550 for a half day or $800 for a full day. Offshore fishing for cod, tuna, or shark costs $900 per day. All trips are priced for parties of up to six people and include bait, tackle, filleting, and freezer bags. These trips around the outskirts of Casco Bay are for beginners and experienced anglers alike. Diving tours require some experience and open-water certification.
3. Willard Beach
City: South Portland, ME
Category: Parks & Recreation
Telephone: (207) 767-7651
Address: Willow St.
Description: In one of the city of South Portland’s residential neighborhoods, Willard is maintained by the local parks and recreation department. It’s a nice sand beach with a good look at Spring Point Lighthouse, a few Casco Bay forts, several islands, and scads of pleasure and working boats—including massive oil tankers on their way to the tanks on the Fore River. A concession area, outdoor showers, and a playground make it popular with kids; lifeguards please the parents. Because it’s a city beach, you may wonder about the cleanliness of the water, but it’s tested twice weekly.
4. Spring Point Shoreway
City: South Portland, ME
Category: Parks & Recreation
Address: Broadway
Description: Some of the best looks you’ll get at Portland Harbor and Casco Bay can be found along this 3-mile seaside path on the campus of Southern Maine Community College. The trail connects some of the finest things South Portland has to offer. It begins at the Spring Point Ledge Light on one end and ends at Willard Beach on the other, going through the Spring Point Arboretum and connecting to the South Portland Greenway, from which point you can go just about anywhere. You’ll get a self-guided tour of what’s left of Fort Preble, see more forts and islands in the bay, and have a great prospect on the Portland skyline. Tourists don’t generally find the walkway, but they probably should.
5. Spring Point Arboretum
City: South Portland, ME
Category: Parks & Recreation
Telephone: (207) 767-7670
Address: Southern Maine Community College
Description: It’s hard to concentrate on the trees at this one-acre arboretum thanks to the magnificent views of Casco Bay that sit just beyond them. Planted by the city of South Portland in 1981, the tree garden features 70 species of trees, shrubs, vines, and groundcovers, and little interpretive signs tell you what you’re looking at. The Spring Point Walkway connects, making for a surprisingly fine afternoon.