FIRST DIVE OF THE YEAR

Well thank goodness i have got the diving season off to a start. just scraping in a dive before the end of January.
I was out to dive on the wreck known as the Dove and conditions were very good but the water was very cold at only 5 Deg C. This is more akin to water temperatures we saw in the past and reflects the serious snow and cold we experienced over the festive period.

A new year and a new boat, we were out on Aquamarine Charters boat Scimitar out of Eyemouth.  The Skipper of this boat Derek was helping out Jim and Iain of Marine Quest whose new boat Jacob George was undergoing engine maintenance. There were only 4 of us on board and there was plenty of space. I was in 2 minds about the dive. i was really looking forward to getting in the water but not looking forward to the cold. This was all forgotten as i arrived at the wreck in 8M vis and started enjoying myself, checking out the engineers gauges and other interesting items around the wreck. My replacement dome port for my camera was found to be far more buoyant than my old one that i burst on my last dive.( See Heaven and Hell on the U12). this made deco stops awkward and i will have to add more weight to the camera.
Once up a warming cup of coffee and fantastic home baking rounded off a fantastic first dive of the season.
Thanks to Derek, Iain, Jim, Mark Peter and their friend who i cant remember his name (but i hope he has warmed up and stopped shivering now) for making it such a great day out.
Mike Clark