The Ballacash Bank is a

sand bank In oceanography, geomorphology, and geoscience, a shoal is a natural submerged ridge, bank, or bar that consists of, or is covered by, sand or other unconsolidated material and rises from the bed of a body of water to near the surface. It o ...

Northeast The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, radially arrayed compass directions (or azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A compass rose is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, east, south, and west—each se ...

of the

Point of Ayre The Point of Ayre ( gv, Kione ny Hayrey)''Place Names of The Isle of Man – Da Ny Manninee Dooie Volume Three. Sheading of Ayre: (Kirk Andreas, Kirk Bride and Kirk Christ Lezayre)'' page 258 ''Kirk Bride'' by George Broderick – Turbingen ...

Isle of Man ) , anthem = "O Land of Our Birth" , image = Isle of Man by Sentinel-2.jpg , image_map = Europe-Isle_of_Man.svg , mapsize = , map_alt = Location of the Isle of Man in Europe , map_caption = Location of the Isle of Man (green) in Europe ...

. The currents around the

have, over the millennia formed a series banks stretching out to the east which, it is advised, should be avoided especially in heavy weather when the seas break over them. The Ballacash Bank extends for approximately east-south-east from a position northeast of the

. It is steep on both sides and has a least depth of . The bank is denoted on maritime charts and marked with the West Cardinal Buoy at position . The

buoy A buoy () is a floating device that can have many purposes. It can be anchored (stationary) or allowed to drift with ocean currents. Types Navigational buoys * Race course marker buoys are used for buoy racing, the most prevalent form of yac ...

is yellow in colour with a black horizontal band. It is fitted with a light which operates a quick group flash of nine every 10 seconds. Other notable sandbars and banks in the area are the

Bahama Bank The Bahama Bank is a sand bank across Ramsey Bay, about off the east coast of the Isle of Man northeast of Maughold Head. Description The bank extends from Northwest to Southeast, is 10 miles long and 1 mile broad. In the late 1840s the Baha ...

, the

King William Banks The King William Banks are a series of sand banks Northeast of Ramsey, Isle of Man. The King William Banks take their name from the stranding, in 1690, of King William III whilst he was en route from the River Dee to Carrickfergus. A story rela ...

, the

Strunakill Bank The Stunakill Bank is a shoal approximately west of The Point of Ayre, Isle of Man. The bank is denoted on maritime chart AC 2094 (at position ) Kirkcudbright to the Mull of Galloway & Isle of Man; AC 1826 Irish Sea Eastern Part; AC 2696 Ramsey ...

, and the

Whitestone Bank The Whitestone Bank is a sand bank approximately east of The Point of Ayre, Isle of Man. The Whitestone Channel separates the island from the bank. Description The bank is denoted on maritime chart AC 2094 Kirkcudbright to the Mull of Gallow ...

References

Shoals of the Isle of Man Landforms of the Irish Sea Fishing areas of the Atlantic Ocean {{IsleofMan-geo-stub