First Published in Dive March 2005 but prices are current
Get Charter - The Selkie
By Mike Clark
For a non-diver, this St Abbs skipper has an uncanny ability to brief his divers on the finer points of a site. Mike Clark reports
SKIPPER: Peter Gibson
The Selkie Photo: Mike Clark I have been lucky enough to dive the St Abbs and Eyemouth area many times over the past 18 years. It is such a big place that my exploration of the area has probably only scratched the surface. On my latest trip, to maximise my chances of finding the right marks in the optimum tides and conditions, I turned to Peter Gibson and his charter boat Selkie (which means 'seal' in Gaelic). A local man, Peter holds a coastal skipper ticket and his knowledge of the area is impressive. He has been skippering for divers for the past nine years.Ask Peter if he has ever fancied diving and the answer is usually something like, 'No, but I did a lot of snorkelling here as a kid'. It must have been good snorkelling as Peter's descriptions of the sites are accurate to a remarkable degree. Once, prior to diving a site at West Hurker, Peter advised me to, 'Go through the gully, find the cave and come out to see the pinnacle. If you get lost, I will point the b
ow at the cave'. It was a relatively complex briefing for a shallow dive, but by following it I was able to make the most of the site, seeing all the highlights Peter had promised. I looked up through the 10m visibility to see the Selkie's bow pointing the way. Fantastic!Peter is a big bear of a man who makes his clients feel welcome. The boat, Selkie, replaced Peter's previous boat, the Guiding Star, three years ago. She is a 10m Berry Boat, with a 40hp Ford engine that provides a comfortable cruising speed of eight knots.The Selkie is a fairly basic dayboat. There is no toilet on board, so most trips involve a return to the harbour after each dive. There is an echosounder in the wheelhouse which has helped to discover some fascinating new sites, notably some previously unknown gullies and pinnacles. That said, Peter never uses it to put you on the wreck of the Glanmire, as he knows the transits in his head and the shot always goes in just forward of the boilers.The Selkie has a small wheelhouse - there's only room for a couple of divers and the skipper. Usually it is filled with dry kit and divers' cameras. If the weather is foul, there is no shelter.The boat has a high gunwale with a nice step to help you get over the side. The advantage of this is that there is a bench running around most of the inside of the hull, which lets you sit comfortably while fully kitted up on your way out to the dive. Another area handy for seating is the engine hatch. However, there is not much room to move about, but this is not too much of a problem as Peter always makes himself available to help, passing cameras in or rinsing a mask.Due to the ferrying back to harbour after each dive, the amount of time divers are on the boat is minimal. The ladder is pretty basic. It's more like a steel step ladder that is dropped over the side when required. When boarding the boat you grab a tyre slung over the side and Peter reaches over and removes your fins for you, and you can climb up the ladder after that. Coffee and tea is on hand to warm you up as soon as you have ripped your hood and gloves off. If you are really lucky, you may even hear him crack one of his jokes on the way back. Sadly, we can't print any of them here!Peter is a flexible skipper and will put every effort into getting you onto your desired dive site. If the tides or weather are not in your favour, he will know of another decent site to get you in the water, in safety.The boat may be basic, but the skipper is hard to beat. What we likedFantastic skipper and comfortable seats around hull.What we didn't likeBasic ladder, no toilet and little shelter.Boat: 10m-long Berry boat Moored: St Abbs Harbour Engines: 40hp Ford Date of manufacture: 1985Cruising speed: eight knots Head: none Maximum passengers: 12 Optimum passengers: ten Charter rate: £10.00 per person, per dive Contact Peter: 01890 771681 mobile 07702 687606
Get Charter - The Selkie
By Mike Clark
For a non-diver, this St Abbs skipper has an uncanny ability to brief his divers on the finer points of a site. Mike Clark reports
SKIPPER: Peter Gibson
The Selkie Photo: Mike Clark I have been lucky enough to dive the St Abbs and Eyemouth area many times over the past 18 years. It is such a big place that my exploration of the area has probably only scratched the surface. On my latest trip, to maximise my chances of finding the right marks in the optimum tides and conditions, I turned to Peter Gibson and his charter boat Selkie (which means 'seal' in Gaelic). A local man, Peter holds a coastal skipper ticket and his knowledge of the area is impressive. He has been skippering for divers for the past nine years.Ask Peter if he has ever fancied diving and the answer is usually something like, 'No, but I did a lot of snorkelling here as a kid'. It must have been good snorkelling as Peter's descriptions of the sites are accurate to a remarkable degree. Once, prior to diving a site at West Hurker, Peter advised me to, 'Go through the gully, find the cave and come out to see the pinnacle. If you get lost, I will point the b
ow at the cave'. It was a relatively complex briefing for a shallow dive, but by following it I was able to make the most of the site, seeing all the highlights Peter had promised. I looked up through the 10m visibility to see the Selkie's bow pointing the way. Fantastic!Peter is a big bear of a man who makes his clients feel welcome. The boat, Selkie, replaced Peter's previous boat, the Guiding Star, three years ago. She is a 10m Berry Boat, with a 40hp Ford engine that provides a comfortable cruising speed of eight knots.The Selkie is a fairly basic dayboat. There is no toilet on board, so most trips involve a return to the harbour after each dive. There is an echosounder in the wheelhouse which has helped to discover some fascinating new sites, notably some previously unknown gullies and pinnacles. That said, Peter never uses it to put you on the wreck of the Glanmire, as he knows the transits in his head and the shot always goes in just forward of the boilers.The Selkie has a small wheelhouse - there's only room for a couple of divers and the skipper. Usually it is filled with dry kit and divers' cameras. If the weather is foul, there is no shelter.The boat has a high gunwale with a nice step to help you get over the side. The advantage of this is that there is a bench running around most of the inside of the hull, which lets you sit comfortably while fully kitted up on your way out to the dive. Another area handy for seating is the engine hatch. However, there is not much room to move about, but this is not too much of a problem as Peter always makes himself available to help, passing cameras in or rinsing a mask.Due to the ferrying back to harbour after each dive, the amount of time divers are on the boat is minimal. The ladder is pretty basic. It's more like a steel step ladder that is dropped over the side when required. When boarding the boat you grab a tyre slung over the side and Peter reaches over and removes your fins for you, and you can climb up the ladder after that. Coffee and tea is on hand to warm you up as soon as you have ripped your hood and gloves off. If you are really lucky, you may even hear him crack one of his jokes on the way back. Sadly, we can't print any of them here!Peter is a flexible skipper and will put every effort into getting you onto your desired dive site. If the tides or weather are not in your favour, he will know of another decent site to get you in the water, in safety.The boat may be basic, but the skipper is hard to beat. What we likedFantastic skipper and comfortable seats around hull.What we didn't likeBasic ladder, no toilet and little shelter.Boat: 10m-long Berry boat Moored: St Abbs Harbour Engines: 40hp Ford Date of manufacture: 1985Cruising speed: eight knots Head: none Maximum passengers: 12 Optimum passengers: ten Charter rate: £10.00 per person, per dive Contact Peter: 01890 771681 mobile 07702 687606
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