What´s Bubbling

Well we kept saying we must go and have a shakedown weekend away,  and for the weekend of 2 / 3rd March we ran out of excuses.

An intrepid 5 drove down to Plymouth with our boat Belper Eagle for the weekend. We had managed to get some cheap accommodation at the The Legacy Plymouth International Hotel, bit upmarket for us with full English breakfast and evening meals included. Saturday dawned and weather was calm and a little cold (understatement). We launched the boat at Queen Annes and headed out to Whitsands Bay for the day.

Although the air temperature was a nippy 4 or 5 degrees + wind chill the water was at  a balmy (that’s us) 8 degrees. We managed two dives the first being the Rosehill (we were the only boat moored over it) and second on the James Egan Layne. We were all surprised at the amount of marine life for the time of year with lots of juvenile fish.

(Tompot Blenny on the JEL)

However as the Easterly breeze picked up we were happy to then head back and relax in the bar at the hotel before eating.

Sunday saw us again head out into Whitsands Bay in a strengthening wind to do a single dive on the Scylla. Having not dived this newish wreck for 2 or 3 years I was surprised on how much life there now was, many soft corals and even the start of some colonies of jewel anemone’s.

With the wind increasing and sea conditions worsening we headed off back to Queen Annes and homeward up the M5.

It was cold weekend at the extreme edge of what is comfortable (probably over the edge for some) and was not for the faint hearted but I enjoyed my early year dip.

Andy McKay

We are already planning the following trips for 2013

Plymouth weekend 16th – 17th February.

Cornwall (The Lizard) – Easter

Members contact Me or Sue if you are interested & watch this space for more.

With beautiful weather forecasted, we made the drive down to Plymouth on Friday night, to be ready to set off on Saturday.  We had an unhurried start to Saturday morning, so after getting the boat down to QAB, dropping off some cylinders to be filled, and fixing some minor boat concerns, we were out on the water by around 11:30.  It was a good way to start off the weekend, since I was unsure of what sort of things I’d want/need with me on the boat- having that extra time to get ready in the morning made me feel certain that I had everything, and allowed for time to have some very essential lessons in boat etiquette.

Bib on Persier

The first dive planned for the day was the Persier wreck- about a half hour ride southeast out of QAB.  Since I wasn’t going to be diving the wreck, I got the chance to watch everyone else kit up and see how each pair of dive buddies arranged their dive.  Even though I wasn’t diving, I found that it was a good experience to see the progression of each dive, from kitting up, to entry, and exit.  It was also the first time I got the chance to see SMB’s utilized, and use a nitrox gas mix analyzer.  Plus, while everyone else was diving, I got the chance to relax on the boat, enjoying the bright sunshine and calm waters.  Even though I wasn’t in the water, everyone said it was great visibility, nice warm water, and that there were tons of fish around the wreck.  All their positive reports nd the great weather topside made me even more excited to get started with my first dive!

Red Cove

After we had everyone back on board, we headed a short distance north, into Red Cove.  We pulled up to the west side of the bay, near a small shelf at about 10m deep.  Getting kitted up myself, I was glad for the advice and assistance from everyone else on the boat.  I was so focused on getting everything set up properly, that I almost certainly would have forgotten something crucial!  After getting in the water, and adding a bit more weight to compensate, we were off.  They were right: the water temperature was perfectly comfortable, and although the visibility wasn’t bad, it certainly wasn’t quite as good as I had expected.  One of the first things I noticed was the difference in water swell- although it was pretty minor, it was definitely a different feeling from being in the pool or the still waters of Stoney Cove.  Being pulled and pushed by the water even the slightest bit was disconcerting, but it wasn’t as strong as I had expected.  In the beginning, I was mainly concerned with watching my air pressure gauge and making sure I got my buoyancy set properly.  Once we got moving though, and I got more comfortable, I started noticing all of the details along the seabed: small schools of fish, solitary fish camouflaged on the sand, and several little ones that would hop along the sand anytime the torch shone on them (I later learned that these were called goby fish).  After a short while, we turned back to find the shot line, and did a few drills before ascending.  Getting back onto the rib was certainly an interesting experience in and of itself- I’ve determined that there is no graceful way of heaving oneself back onto the small boat!

Our last dive for the day was closer to QAB, just east of Mewstone, where we had another shallower dive amongst a large area full of kelp.  Kitting up and getting in the water was much quicker, and I felt much more confident this time, since I thought I knew what to expect.  Lo and behold, I had my first lesson in how much the conditions can change in a seemingly small distance.  The visibility was much better and the water was much more still.  There were a few strong currents, but not nearly as much swell.    Diving amongst the kelp was absolutely beautiful- the proliferation of different types of plants and creatures was astounding.  I saw my favorite fish of the weekend during this dive- a cuttlefish gliding along through fronds of kelp.  After a while, we ascended with the SMB, and called it quits for the day, heading back to QAB.

Our start on Sunday was a bit quicker, and we were on our way west of Plymouth to the Rose Hill by 10:30.  The weather was still warm enough, but the sky was overcast and it was breezier than the day prior.  Although I didn’t dive the Rose Hill wreck, I still had a fantastic time being on the water, and learned even more just by being on the boat.  It was great to see that others in the group were still doing drills and learning new skills, like boat handling.  Once again, the people who dived the wreck came up with nothing but positive comments about the dive- great visibility and a ton of marine life on the wreck.

Conger on the Rosehill

Even with only completing two short dives, I really enjoyed myself, and think that I picked a fabulous weekend to begin my UK diving.  The weekend has definitely succeeded in giving me more confidence in the water, and spurred me to continue diving.  Most importantly, I had fun- both while diving and on the boat.  It was a beautiful couple of days with fantastic conditions and great dives enjoyed by everyone who came along.

By Meghan Voss