West Bay

Our dive trips this year keep getting better and better! The West Bay trip was no exception with four excellent dives on the Baygitano, Saw Tooth Ledges, the Gibel Hamam, and High Ground Reef. The visibility was the best I've seen on the Baygitano at around 5-8m, and the congers were impressive as usual. But I didn't get any decent photos of them as I didn't have the camera strobe set up right! I did get to take lots of other photos though, and I intend to fill out SeaSearch forms for all four dives from the photos I've uploaded to Flickr.

Another pre-dive comment from Mike - he said they're weren't any boilers on the Baygitano, and as we descended the shot two huge boilers appeared! Steve had an amusing way to remember how valves work - "righty tighty, lefty loosey", as an engineer I instinctively know which direction to turn, but it's a great saying to pass on anyone who is unsure...

We camped at Highlands End Park Eype overlooking West Bay.

Cornwall '09 Dive Trip...

The Wantage Dive Club annual pilgrimage to Cornwall was a great week of UK club diving; there were numerous happenings - as you would expect when around thirty diverse people share various parts of a week together! Almost everyone camped at Trevair Touring Park with a few sharing caravans and cottages on the same site. Our dive base was Lamorna Cove, where we met the RIBs each day once they were launched from Penzance slip.


All grades of diver were present from novices to BSAC Advanced Divers. We started the week with some scenic dives around the Bucks (an offshore reef consisting of two pinnacles visible at low tide). On Sunday some of us did the 'SS Hellopes' wreck at 34m, which was our deepest dive. There was a huge range of marine life spotted during the week including a large common octopus (named George from Rainbow, by Les) seen by Tom and I, a large shark (yawn!) allegedly seen by Steve, and almost everyone saw congers, cuttlefish, dogfish, tompot blennies, crabs and lobsters, as well as the usual squidy things.


We soon got in a routine of up, breakfast, dive, lunch, dive, dinner, shower, bed. It's surprising how tiring diving makes you - not during the dive, but in the breaks in between. I had planned on filling out SeaSearch forms each day, but I've left it until after to trip and will use my Flickr images taken on the dives.


On Wednesday we were blown out and had a day off where most of us went to the National Maritime Museum in Falmouth. It brought back childhood memories of my dad painstakingly building a wooden GP14 dingy and sailing holidays in North Cornwall. Building my own boat is something I want to do one day - the Mirror dingy pictured above during our museum visit is still available in wooden kit form from Trident UK.

In the afternoon we called into Porthleven for a cream tea - Sid was so taken with the cream teas he even called into Tescos on the way back to the campsite and bought the ingredients to make his own. Roly found a namesake in the form of a Fish & Chip shop called 'Rolands Happy Plaice'.


Another activity experienced on the day we were blown out was kite flying as Mike had brought his power kite with him. Within minutes it ended up stuck in a tree on the campsite, but was subsequently recovered by Roly via a ladder and boat hook. Mike, Sid, and I went on to take the kite down to the beach at Marazion and after becoming airbourne several times I'm hooked and want a kite of my own, and a go at kitesurfing.


The week continued with dives on the 'Alice Marie' wreck - fairly flat and broken up, but a great dive because of the congers and edible crabs hiding under the plates. As well as several dives on the inner and outer Bucks (where we saw the octopus), we also dived Gull rock, Logan's gully, and Pendennis Point on the south coast. On the last day we tried several dive sites on the north coast out of Carbis bay, but the swell and current were running too much. We eventually ended up at Porthminster reef and it turned out to be one of the best dives of the trip. It was only shallow at 10m, but teaming with marine life - there were dozens of spiny spider crabs on every rock, wrasse, tompot blennies, candy stripe worms, pipe fish, and more. It was great to see how much the novices enjoyed the diving and spotting the marine life.


The week didn't pass without some minor incidents - Mark sprained his ankle while walking Calum the dog; Andy missed a stop after getting caught on his marker buoy, and also lost his brand new torch the first time he dived with it!; Mike flooded his camera; and Tom lost a fin. But overall as a club all 218 dives were safely completed.

It wasn't only the diving that made the trip special, but the people involved: the assistant dive managers, cox'ns, boat crew, and all the divers for being at the right place at the right time, with the right kit. And most of all a special thank you to Jackie and Roly for organising yet another fantastic dive trip...

Links:
My Flickr photos
Paul's Flickr photos
Chris' Picasa photos

Mounts Bay Archaeology Project

Training at Vobster...

I did my first one to one training today - it was a positive experience, I learnt a lot. It's important to concentrate on the trainee so there was no taking a camera on the dive. I had to grab hold and control two peoples buoyancy a couple of times, but it's given me the confidence to deal with novices in various situations...

Salcombe dive trip

We dived out of Salcombe this weekend - camping at Alston Farm and launching at Salcombe slip. The most memorable dive of the trip and one of the best dives I've done was The Maine wreck. It was covered in marine life such as Oaten Pipes hydroids, blennys, wrasse, and anemones. We dived the wreck twice as it was so good.

Another wreck was the Herzogin Cecilie - Mike had dive it several times and said: "if you can't find this wreck you should give up diving", needless to say no one found the wreck, not even him!! There were a few kelp dives, but I particularly enjoyed the one with David as it was so relaxed. We had a great weekend's diving...

Training at Cromhall

I shadowed David and Mark doing Ocean diver training today and got my first taste of dealing with novices. Everything went OK and I learnt a lot from the experience...

SeaSearch Photography Course Brownsea Island

Four of us from Wantage Dive Club attended the SeaSearch Underwater Photography Course at Brownsea Island, hosted by Dorset Wildlife Trust. It was an interesting weekend, both from prospective of learning more about Underwater Photography and also experiencing the wildlife on Brownsea Island.

We were all fascinated by the chickens who stand about on one leg and then fly up in the trees at night! And the red squirrels running up and down the trees. Brownsea Island is a really tranquil and relaxing place, but there were a few challenges such as carrying our kit down to Pottery Pier and then back up the steep steps!


The diving was shallow with variable vis, but OK for surveying the area and taking photos. I was pleased to find a few crabs, and a large pipefish.

We learnt some interesting techniques - I was impressed with synching images with geodata via a GPS using Google's 'gpicsync' freeware...

Portland Trip 2009

The Portland Dive trip this year was the best I've done - the weather was perfect and even the vis in the harbour was around 4m. We dived the Countess of Erne and the Cragside wrecks in the harbour. And outside several dives around Balaclava Bay Reef, and the British Inventor wreck, which is totally flattened but has some interesting marine life, including a huge edible crab.

This was my first proper go at dive managing (jointly with Les - 1.5 days each) and everything went reasonably well.

SeaSearch Dives..

To complete the SeaSearch Observer Course you have to fill out 5 forms, with the first two checked by a tutor. We did ours at Kimmeridge, which was my first time diving in this area. The dives were ideal to practice the SeaSearch stuff but it was very shallow in the bay at less than 3m...

SeaSearch Observer Course

Lucy and I have completed the SeaSearch Observer Course at Kimmerage. This one day course teaches you how to fill out the SeaSearch Observer forms and some basic marine life ID techniques. I found the course really interesting and I'm looking forward to combining SeaSearch and underwater photography.

First dive of the year...

Andy and I went to Stoney today for the first dive of 2009 - it was cold! And the vis was only a couple of metres. On the first dive I missed the hydrobox, so we bimbled about in the 35m bit and then we eventually ended up back at the bus stop, exactly where we had started from. On the second dive Andy missed the Stanegarth so we came back via the bus. The day got us back into the delights of UK diving...

BSAC Instructor Foundation Course

I'm one of the majority who doesn't like standing up in front of a group of people and talking. And I mean I really don't like it! But I forced myself to do it as teaching a subject is one of the best ways to know it inside out yourself.

The BSAC Instructor Foundation Course is a two day event which introduces the basic concepts of diving instruction in both a classroom and pool environment. Day one is where the Instructors do the demonstrating and on day two each student does a 10 minute classroom presentation followed by a 20 minute pool lesson. None of the course is assessed.

Saturday night was spent putting together some OHP slides on my classroom subject - 'The effects of Pressure on the Ear' (I should have used PowerPoint!). And a slate on 'Alternate Source' for my practical lesson. I wish I had spent more time on preparation and at least rehearsed the theory lesson. But once I was up there it wasn't as daunting as I was expecting. The course mantra is 'small steps' and I need to put this into practice in my own transition from student to instructor. The key to not only doing it right, but enjoying what you're doing is preparation which also helps to reduce nerves.

My next step is to get plenty of experience within the club environment before going for the Theory Instructor Exam which is assessed against set criteria...

RYA VHF Marine SRC Course

Another five of us from Wantage Dive Club have now completed the RYA VHF Marine Short Range Certificate and are competent to operate the club radios. It was an interesting course which covered GMDSS, DSC, a little radio theory, and procedures. And finished with a simple assessment.

It's a one off competence test so the problem will be remembering everything for years to come as we don't get that much chance to practice. But some procedure prompt cards should help...

Marine VHF Radio...

I've been interested in radio communication for many years - I was a radio operator in the Army in the 1980s, and I've had a full Amateur Radio Licence since 1983. A marine radio course is being run locally so I've put my name down.

When scuba diving from a boat an important piece of safety equipment is the VHF radio - all divers / boat users should know basic operation and how to send a distress message. In the UK voluntarily fitted radio equipment must be covered by a Ships Radio Licence, or a Ships Portable Radio Licence issued by OFCOM, and a Certificate of Competance issued by the Royal Yachting Association known as the Marine VHF Radio Short Range Certificate(SRC). Unlike Amateur Radio where only an individual operator is covered by the licence, with short range VHF marine radio anyone can use the radio as long as it is licenced and they're directly supervised by someone who has passed the competency test.

Digital technology has led to major changes in the way VHF radios are used in distress situations at sea. The Global Maritime Distress and Safety System(GMDSS) and Digital Selective Calling(DSC) mean that a distress call complete with GPS coordinates can be sent with the push of a single button on DSC equipped radios. Here's a short demo from radio manufacturer Icom:



I'm hoping to take the one day RYA Marine VHF SRC in February and although the course is self contained and you don't need to do any preparatory work, it is useful to know the phonetic alphabet before hand. There are also quite a few books on the market, which are useful references during the course. I've chosen Reeds VHF/DSC Handbook (2nd Edition) which is recommended by several commercial training providers.



Useful links:
Ofcom Ship Radio information (.pdf file)

Maritime Coastguard Agency leaflet on Benefits of DSC (.pdf file)

Maritime Coastguard Agency leaflet on GMDSS Sea Areas (.pdf file)

ITU MARS Database

Review of 2008...

For me 2008 has been a year focused on diving - I've completed 79 dives, doubling my total number of dives logged in a year; I've qualified as a BSAC Dive Leader and gained a range of experience; I've had my first Red Sea trip which was brilliant (although I still prefer Scapa Flow!); I've been in some uncomfortable situations, which perversely have made me even more addicted to being underwater!

The beginning of the year started well with lots of inland dives which boosted my confidence, but then I took a couple of steps back loosing confidence with the early sea dives and Dartmouth trip. But I recovered from this and went on to have some excellent dives in the Farnes with some fantastic seal encounters.

My underwater photography skills have followed a similar pattern - I was doing OK until I lost my camera on the St Dunstan early in the season. Getting a new camera was like starting all over again - particularly as I got a lens and a strobe at the same time. I was disappointed with most of this years images, but I've learnt a lot more about photography and hope to improve next year.

I had hoped to do over 80 dives this year, but getting Manflu just before Christmas meant cancelling a dive on the 28rd - I'm over the worst of it now, but I'm still getting the odd coughing fit!

I've set some targets for the year ahead - I hope to complete the Instructor Foundation Course, Dive Planning SDC, VHF Radio Course and get stuck into Advanced Diver training. In December I completed the Nautical Archaeology Society Foundation Course and so I hope to set up a club project in the next few months.

The highlight of 2009 is likely to be the Norway dive trip - I booked my flights today.

Apart from diving - like everyone there's uncertainty at work; my dog Charlie continues to be a delight; I've rekindled a past hobby, Amateur Radio and I'm re-learning Morse Code; Herself continues to put up with it all:-)

Stoney Cove training day

There of us went to Stoney Cove today so Neil could finish his Advanced Diver training - I was the 'body' for him to carry out a controlled buoyant lift(CBL) and various rescue skills.

In the afternoon we had a cold but relaxing dive with great vis. to the hydrobox at 36m...

Red Sea Liveaboard

In the early hours of the 6th November twenty of us from Wantage Dive Club made our way to Gatwick to catch our five hour flight to Egypt for our Red Sea diving trip on the MY Whirlwind. The journey seemed to take ages, and Sharm El Sheikh airport was an experience; followed by 'on the bus, off the bus' for checking of visa stamps. We eventually boarded the Whirlwind, and immediately found that she lived up to her reputation as one of the best liveaboards on the Red Sea. We had a general briefing from our dive guides and kit check before dinner.

Day one started with a check out dive on the Seven Pinnacles so we could do weight checks and the guides could check us out make sure we were competent divers. The marine life was amazing - on every dive we saw clown fish(Nemo), crocodile fish, lion fish, scorpion fish, and stone fish. Breakfast was followed by a dive on the Chrisola K, lunch by a dive on the Giannis D, and our first night dive was on Abu Nuhas reef before dinner. We soon got into a routine of dive, eat, sleep, and that went on for four dives a day for five days and then two dives on day six, with day seven spent in a hotel degassing for the flight home. I did all 22 dives and used nitrox as a breathing gas all week. It didn't make me feel any different, but I probably would have been more tired just breathing air.


Each day brought different wrecks and reefs and exhilarating dives. Our deepest dive was the Rosalie Moller at 40m, and shallowest Laguna at 8m.

The diving was every bit as good as we anticipated: lots of marine life, excellent vis, and relaxed and interesting dives. My favourite dives were the Barge, both day and night dives, and the Thislegorm night dive. The barge because of the Moray eels, and the Thistlegorm because it was a really relaxed dive an the colours in our torch light were so vivid. There were numerous moments to remember throughout the week - watching a stone fish walk along the bottom on its fins; the holds of the Thistlegorm with their WWII cargo; seeing the keel of the 30m deep Dunraven wreck from the Surface; the large moray eels; my first night dive; seeing my first pair of clown fish; seeing my first crocodile fish and stone fish, and many more.


But, there was a slight downside - the diving operation throughout the Red Sea seems hugely commercialised. On some dive sites there were 6 boats or more and up to 100 divers in the water. The diving skills ranged from Advanced to novice - we occasionally saw dive guides with their alternate air source hooked up to a novice trailing behind. And it was really disappointing to hear that one group were holding down a turtle so it could be videoed underwater!

My only regrets are that my photos didn't come out better and I didn't get to wear my mankini. Would I go to the Red Sea on Whirlwind again? Definitely! Was it better than Scapa Flow? Almost, but not quite:-) I'm now thinking about my next major diving trip, Norway on the Jane R next July...

Plymouth second time around...

The Plymouth trip was excellent this time - the vis was great, at least 10m. On Saturday we dived Hands Deep reef, and in the afternoon the wreck of the James Eagan Layne. Andy and I camped at Venn Farm, but joined the others for an Italian meal at the Barbican on Saturday night.

On Sunday I was Dive Marshall as the final part of my Dive Leader training, I did a briefing on the Scylla, but we were blown out and had to do a more sheltered reef dive. It was still a great dive although the sea was getting up to a 5/6. During my briefing Amanda innocently mentioned the shot and said: "It's difficult going down on big buoys", which raised a few sniggers!

For me the weekend turned into one of the best trips of the year...

Vobster not West Bay…

We were due to go to West Bay this weekend, but it was blown out, so we went to Vobster instead.

Earlier in the year Andy, Steve, and I had our first trip to Vobster (not Portland) – it was snowing. We dived as a three with Steve leading. On the first dive we checked out some of the main attractions such as the boat, wheelhouse, tunnel and cement works. We had an enjoyable and uneventful dive in reasonable vis. On the second dive our intention was to follow the wall around to the submerged trees but we became disorientated / narc'ed as we encountered the trees in the weird light and lost our bearings. This led to a bonding session on the surface! And this particular dive became a bit of a nemesis – we all wanted to do the same dive again in the same three to discover what went wrong.

As West Bay was cancelled we had the ideal opportunity to do the same Vobster dive again. Andy was diving in his newly purchased semi-dry and we were half expecting a couple of lumps to appear in his neck at some point during the dive as his testicles sought refuge from the cold! But he kept insisting he was warm enough.

From the surface the vis looked incredible you could see some trainees on the 9m platform and the water looked crystal clear. This time we checked the compass on the surface so we always knew the direction of the wall. At around twenty metres we hit a thermocline with a sharp drop in temperature and the vis deteriorated rapidly to dark and silty at 28m! We followed the wall around to the trees and kept our bearings this time. It was still a slightly disconcerting experience, as the poor vis and silt on the trees made it seem like a scene from the ‘Lord of the Rings’. But we were all happy that we had a more successful dive than last time.

After a surface interval we did our second dive where we toured the usual attractions – boat, wheelhouse, car, tunnel, etc. Andy still hadn’t acquired any lumps in his neck and was really pleased with the performance of his semi-dry. He positively skipped through the tunnel, kicking the silt as he went! Steve stuck his head in the aircraft fuselage and pulled out a Roly look-alike, much to our amusement (you can hear Andy laughing underwater on the video!

Another two dives logged and my 50th dive of 2008 completed. Buddy threes are difficult to dive in poor vis, but Andy, Steve, and I are always happy to dive with each other...

Farnes Dive Trip 2008

Last year the Farnes dive trip was one of the best trips of the year second only to Scapa Flow. This year the vis wasn't as good, and we were blow out because of the weather for one day, but the trip was even better than last year!

It's the seals that make the Farnes - they're playful and interact with divers - biting fins, nibbling at hoods, arms, legs, etc. It's like playing with a large dog underwater - an amazing experience. Last year they were a little timid - just nibbling fins and swimming off, but this year they stayed with us for several minutes at a time and were all over us.

We went with Sovereign Diving again, half of us camping at Springhill farm and the other half B & B. It rained hard one night, but we still had a great time.


I managed to get my first octopus photo which was another highlight. And I used the video function on my compact camera which worked well with the seals.

On the day we were blown out we went sightseeing to Holy Island and then on to the Deep Blue dive shop in Whitley Bay.

Farnes 2008, an exceptional dive...