Mike Clark's Dive Blog

DIVING AT LAST

2012-01-29T13:05:00.000-08:00

Well I managed to get the first dives of the year in this weekend and they really made me realise how much I had been missing diving! I was out on Silver Sky with Skipper Jim Easingwood and my Buddies Gordon Mackie and Charlie Leeson from Dive More Scotland were on board as well. It was a great trip and even before the diving started we were rewarded for our early start in sub zero temperatures by the most amazing sunrise. The first dive was on the Glanmire, vis was around 4 metres and I had an enjoyable dive. The second dive was a drift dive along past the Skelly at St. Abbs Head and this was by far my favourite dive of the day. I found a fish that I had never seen before. I think it is a Sea Snail ? but with its striking markings I thought I had found something new and exotic. If anybody knows for sure please let me know.

Mike Clark

A slow start to the year

2012-01-24T10:11:00.000-08:00

Poor weather on the East Coast has curtailed diving activities so far this year. I have kept myself busy enjoying my topside photography. I have managed to have a few exciting encounters catching swans in flight and a wonderfully coloured Kingfisher. i have also been trying out new photo techniques such as HDR so check out my image of Cockenzie Power Station.

Mike Clark

Duck Shoot

2011-12-30T09:54:00.000-08:00

Hi All,
I had a great Christmas and I hope you did too. Cant wait to get first dive of the new year in!

In the meantime I had to make do with shooting duck and Geese, with the camera only of course.

A couple of Topside Images

2011-12-24T12:12:00.000-08:00

Christmas

2011-12-23T11:00:00.001-08:00

Merry Christmas and a happy new year

Mike Clark

Recent Photos HDR and Winter Wonderland

2011-12-06T12:47:00.000-08:00

Weather has been terrible for the last couple of weeks and there is a big swell running on the east coast. No diving for me then so i turned my attention to some land photography. I dabbled with the HDR technique for the first time and below are 3 of my first attempts. I also visited Winter Wonderland in Princes Street and there are 3 of my shots here too.
i hope you like them.

Mike

Christmas Copy of Wrecks and Reefs of Southeast Scotland

2011-12-04T01:53:00.000-08:00

Hi All,
If you are interested in the above book for Christmas, I have around 20 copies left available for signing.
Cost is £16 and postage first class will be £3. If you are interested just get in touch. I will sign them and post them out in time for Christmas if ordered before 15 Dec. After this date i will do my best.

Mike

JMD DIVING TORCH CONVERSION/UPGRADE

2011-11-13T07:54:00.000-08:00

JMD TORCH CONVERSION UPGRADE

I have or should I say had a JMD B5060 torch. It now has been converted into a JMD B21 torch. The xenon bulb is out and LED’s are in. Here is how I got on with my upgraded torch.

I had owned a JMD B5060 umbilical torch for around 3 years. It was my first choice of torch for deeper wreck diving. Its xenon bulb produced a warm intense beam of light that illuminated the darkest corners of murky wrecks. The torch did have a few drawbacks though. The bulb took a while to warm up to full operating temperature and also battery life was fairly short at around an hour on a fully charged battery.

Then thumbing through the pages of Scottish Diver I saw the JMD advert. This was showing the new LED headsets that could be placed in the original torches. As you can imagine I was very interested in this and I contacted Claire and Julian at JMD. I sent my torch down to them and within a week it was back to me with the xenon bulb replaced with 7 3w LED’s. It certainly looked the part.

On testing the light was powerful. I had opted for the 21W head which has a 2hr 40 minute burn time which far exceeds that of the old xenon bulb. A 7 watt head is also available comprising 7 1w LED’s and the burn time for this unit is a staggering 5hrs 20 minutes. The 21 watt head burns as brightly as the xenon bulb giving 1500 lumins at 6000 Kelvin. The 7 watt head gives 840 lumins at 6000Kelvin. This is identical to the JMD L7 mini torch I have reviewed earlier. For the review of this torch see here http://mikeclarkdiveblog.blogspot.com/2011/09/jmd-l7-mini-led-lantern-diving-torch.html

So you have a choice between power and burn times to suit your diving needs. I can certainly recommend the 21 watt head. It gives off a very powerful beam with a great blue white light. Gone are the days of waiting for a bulb to warm up. The LED’s draw power from the battery via a microprocessor controlled driver. Power up is instantaneous and the light omitted by the torch is constant as long as power is left in the battery.

Both umbilical and lantern style JMD torches can be upgraded.

Charging the unit is still exactly the same and if you opt for the fast charger, this does the job in around 3hours.

So should you upgrade if you own a conventional JMD B5060 torch? The answer is yes! There is no need to think about it, if you have a JMD torch and a spare £100 you will not regret opting for this upgrade. Better battery Life, Instant power, Better performance, no worries about a bulb going POP and you are future proofing your torch.

Now the question you will all be asking is how much does it cost?

Well for a new headset, that is the whole light assembly it costs:-

7 X 1W LED model £185.46 7 Watt

7 X 3W LED model £197.46 21 Watt

And you can keep your old headset as a spare, although it’s unlikely you will ever need it again.

If you just wish to replace the bulb with the LED unit, which is what I opted for the cost is:-

7 X 1W £90.01 7 Watt

7 X 3W £102.01 21 Watt

This procedure can be carried out by the user but JMD recommend that you return your torch to them for the conversion. This will keep your warranty intact.

The full price list and details of the JMD range of LED Torches visit http://www.jmdsports.co.uk/7-led-diving-torches

Goodman Style Handle cost £30

I used the above handle with the torch and found it superb to use. I had difficulties in the past using torches with my camera system. This handle basically freed up my hand again so that I didn’t have to drop the torch every time I took a shot.

The handle is solid and made out of good materials. It has also been made to fit perfectly with the range of JMD umbilical torches.

I found it very nice to use.

Mike Clark

ANEMONE FEST! DIVING THE CAVES, LOCH LONG, SCOTLAND

2011-11-13T01:59:00.000-08:00

The Caves

Well its been great to get back into the water and to get back to one of my favourite dive spots in Loch Long.

Adding to that diving with my pals Gordon Of GM Diving and Charlie of Dive more Scotland. After the abseil down through the culvert we noted a very high tide at the site. Vis was fairly good for here around 4 metres but it was pitch black at 30 metres. This made it difficult to photograph the shimmering comb jellies in the depths. There were other subjects and the anemones were fantastic.

Here are some images of the day.

Mike

Shipwreck

2011-11-05T09:48:00.000-07:00

No Diving today for me, Weather looked good though, so i headed for the beach. I managed to take some pictures of a shipwreck without getting too wet.

EAST LOTHIAN SAC FUN DAY'S AT ST. ABBS

2011-10-22T13:48:00.000-07:00

Mark Crane is the Entertainment Officer of East Lothian SAC. once again he organised a fun weekend at St. Abbs. A whole weekend of fun was too much for me So I only made the Saturday. Conditions were very challenging but some divers wanted their pictures taken. here are the results. It was a great day which i enjoyed very much. We dived from Peter Gibson's Boat Selkie and Graham Crowe's boat Stingray.

2011-10-19T12:07:00.000-07:00

Nice Sunset looking over Edinburgh, Stiff Northerly wind though.. Not looking good for diving on the East coast.

Mike Clark Photo Galeries on Photobox

2011-10-12T12:14:00.000-07:00

Hi All,
Mike Clark Underwater Photos are now on Photobox. As well as my Underwater images I have images of Wildlife above the waves, Landscapes and Seascapes. There are also galleries for Aircraft and night time images including firework displays at Edinburgh Castle. You can access all these albums from the links on my Blog Page or click buy prints from http://www.underwater-photos.co.uk/ or click on the links below. I hope you enjoy looking

See them All here
Mike Clark Landscape Images
Mike Clark Seascape Images
Mike Clark Night Time Images
Mike Clark Wildlife Images
Mike Clark Planes, Trains and Boat Images

and last but not least

Mike Clark Underwater Photos

2006 Crusaders Chase fording the River Esk in Musselburgh

2011-10-10T11:55:00.000-07:00

Hi All,

Here are another batch of images of the Common Riding in Musselburgh. This was my first attempt at photographing the Crusaders Chase event in 2006. Here the riders ford the River Esk in Musselburgh.

Mike Clark

Musselburgh Common Riding

2011-10-09T09:22:00.000-07:00

Hi All,

As said in earlier posts i am planning to post a lot more topside images on my facebook pages. I have just added around 200 images of the Beach gallop from the 2009 Common Riding event in Musselburgh. I also have many images dating back from 2006 of the crusaders chase and riding of the marches. I have many images of the riders fording the River Esk. I will be uploading these soon to so please do take a look. If any of you are riders and would like prints feel free to contact me.
Mike
PS all the images shown are low res and have received no editing. If you receive a print high res and fully edited images will be supplied to the printers. These will provide super prints at A4 and A3 sizes.
Just get in touch if you are interested.

here is the link to all of the images for the Beach Gallop

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.2068014335237.2097794.1091176810&type=3

Seascape Images of the Firth of Forth

2011-10-08T14:15:00.000-07:00

Its not been possible for me to go diving over the past couple of weeks. Free time has coincided with poor weather conditions. That said the sun was shining this Friday afternoon and i had a couple of free hours. A couple of my friends had told me that i should do more with my photography, especially my Land Photography, which i call my Topside Images. I decided to use my 2 hours and take advantage of the good conditions and capture some nice Topside Images. Here are my results after hitting the beach, initially in the rain! Please do let me know if you like them. I plan to take my friends advice and will shortly be populating my Photobox photo galleries with further work. These galleries can be accessed through my main website www.underwater-photos.co.uk Access through the buy prints tab, dont worry though you are free to look.
I hope you like them.

Mike Clark
Ps. If you would like and of the prints please just e mail me.

SUUNTO D9TX DIVE COMPUTER REVIEW

2011-09-29T13:01:00.000-07:00

Suunto D9tx

The Suunto D9tx Is the new top of the range watch style dive computer from Suunto. It brings together the technology from its predecessor the Suunto D9 and the trimix algorithms of the Suunto HelO2 dive computers and puts it into an upgraded package that considerably improves on both the D9 and the HelO2. I have previously owned a Suunto D9 and I currently use and hold in high regard the Suunto HelO2. I am therefore well placed to look and see how the new D9tx compares.

In 2008 I reviewed the Suunto HelO2 and you can find my report here

http://mikeclarkdiveblog.blogspot.com/2009/11/suunto-helo2-review.html If you read this it will go into depth re trimix and how the computer works. The D9tx works in an identical fashion re the trimix algorithms, so to discuss it again would just be to repeat myself. That said I will cover key features and upgrades in this review.

Three years ago when I reviewed the HelO2 I missed the inbuilt compass available with other Suunto models. Suunto advised me that at that time it was just not possible to fit the compass into the HelO2. Those 3 years have seen technology move on and now the compass along with the trimix algorithms are included in the Suunto D9tx. This is amazing in its own right, for all this technology to be encased in a computer not much bigger than a standard dive watch.

D9tx V HelO2

Some divers like the watch style computer and others like the standard size unit and choice will come down to the diver’s preference. I found only 2 things that for me really improved this unit over the HelO2. Firstly as already mentioned the compass is a feature of the D9tx, I am happy to say. Secondly and perhaps more importantly in the Dive Mode menu the D9tx has a “dive air” category as well as mixed gas and gauge mode. The beauty of this is that you can utilise the air dive mode for your air dives, without having to adjust or delete your gas mixes. With the HelO2 you only have mixed gas and gauge options and diving on air requires the user to delete gas mix 1 whatever it may be, say a rich trimix mix and substitute it with 21% O2. This requires discipline from the user. It’s unlikely that a diver would forget to imput their trimix mix into the HelO2. Dives are planned on the pc and the info is transferred from the pc directly to the HelO2 populating the gas fields. If not uploaded directly from a pc the trimix diver will enter their gases into the HelO2 after analysing their gas mixes. The trouble comes when the gas diver dumps his twinset and decides to go for a wee air dive, where potentially half way through the dive they will note the computer is not set up for an air dive at all. The diver if diving purely on air with a HelO2 would have to turn all the travel gases and deco gases stored on the unit to off. (For Info. - Gases have 3 states-primary, Secondary and Off. Full description in my HelO2 report). So the D9tx is much less time consuming and diver friendly for an air diver.

What are the advantages of the HelO2 over the D9tx- well all I can say is the HelO2 has a user replaceable battery and also a larger viewing screen. Both are superb dive computers for open circuit trimix and choice of style is likely to be the deciding factor between the 2 computers.

D9 V D9tx

Firstly the addition of the trimix algorithm makes this a full trimix open circuit dive computer. I found the D9tx easy to use and read. (The screen is smaller than the HelO2 but it is extremely clear.) It works identically to the HelO2 underwater, Secondly the Compass has been improved to a 3D tilt compensated compass. I found it worked well and was easy to utilise. I found on my test unit that North was a bit off. I checked this against my buddies D9tx and a traditional compass which confirmed my unit was a bit out. Thirdly and this is not a minor point the strap has been changed on the D9tx (Elastomer style). This is far more pliable and therefore comfortable to wear than the D9 strap. Once the test unit arrived it was constantly on my wrist and there were no comfort issues, which was great! I found this a vast improvement. A bracelet style strap is also available. Lastly the bling of the D9 has been toned down and the gun metal titanium casing of the D9tx is a little less in your face but very smart and presentable for daily use.

Other improvements that you may not notice immediately are that the D9tx has new internal electronics that improve memory in relation to information storage and accuracy when compared to the D9. The front glass has also been replaced with sapphire glass which is much more resistant to scratching than standard glass.

Advantages of D9 over D9tx – Nil

Conclusion

In all this is a superb dive computer that has improved on its predecessors. It is diver friendly and easy to use for trimix dives in the UK (Gloves and all). One other thing just in case you are worried about the smaller face of the display. For my diving I found the unit clear and easy to read. Fields such as Gas mix’s and tank pressure have to be accessed by pushing a button to display the desired field (as with the HelO2).

Price for the D9tx is around £900 and the optional integrated gas transmitter is around £200. All Dive Planning software and the PC connection are included in the price of the computer.

Things I didn’t like

Well not much to tell the truth. The compass played up a little but this was confirmed to be the test unit I was using. Otherwise it works beautifully. The thing that concerned me the most was wearing this beautiful piece of kit on your wrist and cursing every time it takes a knock. It’s a very tough little unit but if you want to keep it looking pristine make sure you invest in a screen guard.

Mike Clark

New images of the shipwreck SS. Exmouth

2011-09-25T03:03:00.000-07:00

Hi All,
Here are my images from a recent trip to the deep wreck SS Exmouth lying in the Firth of Forth.
I hope you like them.

Mike

JMD L7 MINI LED LANTERN DIVING TORCH REVIEW

2011-09-20T13:34:00.000-07:00

JMD L7 MINI LED LANTERN DIVING TORCH REVIEW

The JMD L7 Mini Led Lantern is a beautiful little torch to look at. I was sent one to review and I decided to use it on my shore dives and shallow wreck dives in place of my usual torch. Here is how I got on:-

Exterior

The first thing that struck me about this torch was its build quality. The main body is made from Aluminium 6082 and is coated with a black finish with the JMD Sports Ltd logo in silver on its side. A 316 stainless steel lantern style handle rises out of this. Six mm toughened, heat resistant glass covers the LEDs at the front of the torch. The quality of the exterior of this torch is therefore excellent and the finish is very pleasing on the eye. How long the torch will stay in this condition is up to how the diver treats it. Dings and scratches are inevitable but the test unit dealt well with the treatment I dished out to it on my test dives. At present JMD do not provide a neoprene protective cover, but if you wish to keep the torch in pristine condition, you need to get one. This neoprene may also offset the negative buoyancy of the torch underwater.

This is the baby torch of the JMD range and its dimensions are neat at only 15.5 cm long and the cylinder of the torch is 6cm in diameter, excluding the handle. Weight out of the water is 1KG but underwater this is halved to 1/2KG. This torch is therefore negatively buoyant underwater.

Rear operational switches

At the rear of the torch there is a magnetic on/off switch, which is a rotating knob with a locking screw. This was very easy to operate underwater. I found I had to pay special attention to this after use and rinse it well with fresh water to stop the switch ceasing up and getting stiff. Also found at the rear of the torch is the charging point. This is covered by a knurled knob which is removed and replaced by hand. It is sealed by a double “O” ring and is very easy to use and maintain.

Interior

The battery in this torch is a Nickel Metal Hydride 16.8 volt, 1.5 Ah rechargeable cells. This means there are no worries re the battery forming a memory. This unit can be recharged at any time without loss of performance of the battery. The stated burn time with this torch is 2hrs 18 minutes and on my dives I found this to be the case. The torch easily dealt with 2 or 3 dives in a day. Light intensity does not fade as the battery nears the end of its power as the LED’s are driven by a microprocessor which manages and draws the power from the battery ensuring constant even lighting until the battery is exhausted. The L7 Mini is supplied with a fast charger that fully recharges the battery in 3 hours from empty. The charger has a red led which turns to green when the torch is charged, so there is no guesswork wondering when the torch is charged.

Lighting

The battery unit powers 7 1W LEDs providing 840 lumins of light burning at a temperature of 6000 Kelvin. The torch produces a very even, narrow beam of light, with no central hotspot or peripheral halo effect around the main beam. In use underwater I found this torch punched out a narrow beam of pale blue/white light for a considerable distance. I found this perfectly acceptable for the shore dives and shallow wreck dives. On anything more technical or dark I would personally prefer the torch to have a hotter light as I did feel like the light from the L7 mini was being absorbed into the water column (but that is why the rest of the JMD range of torches is there). The narrow beam meant that I had to manoeuvre the torch about more than normal to see into holes and view larger subjects. I found this a little strange as I was not used to the lantern style handle as my current torches are either umbilical or pistol grip styles. The narrow beam did perform well in poor visibility with no flare or backscatter being illuminated.

Price

The JMD L7 Mini with universal fast charger retails at £235

Conclusion

This is a beautifully constructed torch made with high quality materials. The battery and the fast charger with the single easily accessible charging point make this torch very user friendly. Performance was very good bearing in mind that this is the baby torch in the JMD range. I would have preferred a slightly broader hotter beam where peripheral light would pick out subjects rather than the narrow beam which requires the user to move the torch to the best position to view subjects in the best light. (Although part of this was me getting used to the lantern handle.)

For general sports diving whether scenic or shallow wrecks this small torch will certainly brighten up your dives.

Mike Clark

New images on Photobox topside gallery

2011-09-18T12:26:00.000-07:00

Hi All,
Just to let you know i have just added the best of my Topside images to my photobox site. Click either the link to my prints on my homepage or follow this link my prints. Then just click on the topside gallery and enjoy. Images range from Birds to Butterflies and Steam Trains to fast jets. If you like it why not take a peek at my underwater gallery too. I have added lots of printing options should you see something you like. If you have any questions just ask
Mike

St. Abbs and Eyemouth clean up dive

2011-09-17T11:48:00.000-07:00

Last Wednesday i headed down the coast to Eyemouth. to take photos of divers completing an underwater clean up dive. Weather blew out the proposed site and we ended up on the President wreck. The divers did really well and raised loads of rubbish from the site. Well done to all who took part. Iain Easingwood provided use of his boat Jacob George for the operation.
Mike

Upgraded Led Lenser Torch Review

2011-09-16T12:15:00.000-07:00

Well for those of you who have already read my review on this little torch, you will know how much i liked it. For those of you who haven't seen that review here is the link. http://mikeclarkdiveblog.blogspot.com/2009/02/led-lenser-frogman-torch-review.html

Now this torch has been given an upgrade. The new model looks to be identical from its predecessor in every way apart from the serial number on the side of the torch. Internally there are differences. The torch now burns twice as bright producing 150 lumins. This torch is only powered by 4 AA batteries but has a burn time of 20 hours. this is half that of the old torch, but hey 20 hours on a set of batteries is magnificent.
How did i find the light well i can confirm it is even brighter underwater than the older model.

Here is an image comparing the beams of the old and new models. The new torch is on the left and you can note an improvement in brightness.
This torch also has a new cooling system so that it can be used out of water as well.
These new torches are distributed by Seascooter UK Ltd but they have asked me to mention that these torches being advertised on ebay from China or the far east are copies.
My finding is that this impressive little torch has been improved upon. Brighter light but at the cost of less burn time (But this is 20 hours, so its no problem at all). Price remains the same. Only thing i could say would be the same as my last review would be to have a notched section on the torch body or another attachment point to secure the torch to a mask or a camera.
Conclusion an excellent product.

St. Abbs and Eyemouth Splash in 2011

2011-09-10T07:27:00.000-07:00

The Splash in underwater photography event, held at St. Abbs and Eyemouth every August, Is something i have enjoyed and supported for the best part of 20 years.Im a regular visitor to the Marine reserve here and the place means a lot to me. the splash in itself is a great way to meet up with fellow underwater photographers and catch up. This year there were very few entries from serious underwater photographers. Still i did bump into a few palls and had a good chat. Conditions over the weekend were challenging to say the least but i managed to bag some really nice shots despite this. I also spent most of my time between and after dives mucking about to Get my most humorous shot set up, with Nessie visiting St. Abbs.
Anyway the marine reserve staff did a great job and i enjoyed watching the entries of the images submitted. I think the overall winner of the competition was Martin Davies and he did well with his images of pollack on the wreck of the Glanmire and that shot deserved to win. Just like last year when Clare Jubb's fantastic Shanny image scooped first place also deservedly. Thankfully the audience voting system does provide a clear vote for the overall winner. The only other placed images that caught my eye was a shot of a lobster in a pot captured by Neil Lilly Nice one and Colin Samuels humorous shot winner pulling the plug which was v good, especially considering the day he had.
For me none of the Other placed entries stood out but there were some really nice unplaced images.
Here are the 3 images i entered to the competition and you will soon see the competition winners on the St. Abbs website in the splash in section. here is the link 2011 splash in winners

Another successful underwater photo course

2011-09-08T13:48:00.000-07:00

Last Friday,

I ran another photo course at loch Long. it was another successful and very worthwhile day out. My Student for the Day was Mark and he took on my message very well. Even on the course he produced some outstanding results. He even managed to get a great pic of me with all my camera gear, which is a novelty for me as im always on the other side of the camera.
I will be running further courses throughout the winter and i can tailor make the courses to meet your underwater photography needs. If you are interested please do get in touch for details.
I am also thinking about starting an u/w photography club such as BSOUP in Scotland. I plan to organise and run some photo competitions as well. if you are interested in this please let me know.
Mike

Edinburgh Festival Fireworks

2011-09-07T11:27:00.000-07:00

Hi All,
On Sunday evening i did a bit more topside photography. I captured some nice pics of the Edinburgh Festival Fireworks. here are a few of my shots. I hope you like them.
Mike

JMD L7 MINI LED DIVING TORCH review

2011-09-01T13:54:00.000-07:00

I Had my first dives with the JMD L7 MINI LED DIVING TORCH at the splash in weekend as well. Initial impressions were very good. for a small unit it packs a very bright punch. This torch is certainly a thing of beauty and i think JMD should make it compulsory to use it with a neoprene sleeve for protection. I tested the brightness and output against a past favourite torch the Aquasun E LED (for a review on that torch follow this link. http://mikeclarkdiveblog.blogspot.com/2009/07/uk-aquasun-eled-review.html )Results were favourable but more research needs to be done. A full review along with a review of my upgraded JMD 5060 torch to a 21w LED set up will follow very shortly to.

SUUNTO D9TX DIVE COMPUTER REVIEW

2011-09-01T13:39:00.000-07:00

Well i had my first dives with the new SUUNTO D9TX DIVE COMPUTER. I was using it for dives using air while taking part in the St.Abbs and Eyemouth Splash in Photo event (More on that may follow). Needless to say the D9TX performed well and was a dream to use. Straight away i noted advancements on the D9 computer and the HelO2 computer which i have already reviewed and rate very highly. To see that full review please follow this link. http://mikeclarkdiveblog.blogspot.com/2009/11/suunto-helo2-review.html . Little things like the new strap make the D9TX so much more comfortable to wear on your wrist than the D9.
All i need to do now is put the D9TX through a few deep trimix dives and i will be ready to report fully on my findings. Its so far so good though

SUUNTO D9TX DIVE COMPUTER REVIEW

2011-08-20T02:11:00.000-07:00

Hi All,
just to let you know i have just received a SUUNTO D9TX DIVE COMPUTER for review.
I will be testing it over the coming months and shall post my review here. you can also follow reviews on my new Facebook page.

Mike

JMD B5060 Dive Torch Review

2011-08-15T13:27:00.000-07:00

Hi All,
i have just had the Xenon bulb of my JMD B5060 dive torch converted to a new LED headset. I had my first dive with the unit on the Exmouth on Sunday and was very please with the torch. i also used the JMD Goodmans handle. I will be testing the unit over the next few months with another of their torches and will be compiling a full review shortly after, which can be seen here. i will keep you posted.
Mike

http://www.jmdsports.co.uk/

Back to the stern of the Exmouth

2011-08-15T13:22:00.000-07:00

Im So glad I abstained from the booze at the family BBQ as it meant that I could be on the road for 7am on my way down to Eyemouth. The weather had been poor all week but as we sailed on Sunday morning conditions were improving all the time, so for conditions to be so good was a pleasant surprise.The trip out on board Marine quests Jacob George out to the dive site was smooth and fast. On the dive the visibility was 15 to 20 metres.

thanks to Iain and Jim for a great day, here are a few of the pics. more will appear in due course. I hope you like them feel free to leave comments.
Mike

Jacques Cousteau The Silent World DVD Review

2011-08-09T13:34:00.000-07:00

Cousteau review

It’s the centenary of the legendary underwater filmmaker Jacques Cousteau. To mark this special occasion 3 DVD’s have been released. I was contacted by Go Entertainment and asked to review 1 of the 3 films.

These are- The Silent World, World Without Sun and Voyage to the Edge of the World. I had a look at the webpage http://www.jacquescousteaudvd.co.uk/ where I found all the information I needed re the films. There were even trailers for each film.

I decided on the Silent World the trailer showed a clip of Cousteau finding the Thistlegorm in the Red Sea and I was hooked.

The Silent World won an Academy Award in 1956 for the best documentary feature and was filmed in dazzling Technicolor. As I popped the disc into the machine I was transported back to my childhood as the calypso filled the screen. Cousteau and his band of men looked a lot younger than I remembered and they looked fresh out of the French Navy. Soon the divers were taking to the depths with Tri sets and Speedo trunks carrying flaming torches. It looked like a scene from the Bond movie Thunderball that would hit the silver screen a decade later. As a photographer I was amazed at the lighting and camera units used to capture the images for the film. Soon images of coral reefs, turtles and divers on Sea Scooters were filling my screen. It was great and for 1956 the picture quality wasn’t bad either although understandably it does not compare with today’s underwater imagery. But what this documentary did have that today’s films miss is the “daring doo” being there and taking the risks. Divers descending to 165’ on air and a diver becoming narked and thereafter bent and being ordered into the pot by Cousteau. It was exciting stuff. Then the scene where the Thistlegorm was found, the cleaning of the bell with a dive knife. Finning through the holds, displacing large fish to see, pristine motorbikes and trucks. It was excellent viewing. This for me was the highlight of the film. Sadly after this things got a bit bizarre almost to the point of making me switch the film off.

Firstly Calypso is tracking a pod of Sperm Whales, once again it’s spectacular. However, Some of Cousteau’s team try harpooning one. Calypso is so close to the whales that its propeller kills a calf. The poor thing struggles along bleeding crimson and I found it quite distressing. Eventually it dies and Oceanic White tip Sharks turn up to feast on the carcass. Perhaps twenty of these magnificent sharks turn up and I’m thinking we are going to see great shark footage but this is not to be. This film was made in pre enlightened times where sharks are portrayed as the evil of the deep. Even though the Calypso killed the whale, the crew are sickened by the feeding sharks and decide to kill all the sharks too. The sharks are hauled from the sea by large hooks and generally despatched. It’s not nice viewing.

After that bloodbath there was a dose of divers riding sea turtles and then sitting astride the giant Galapagos tortoises.

For me personally it was a disappointing second half to the film. But that said this film was shot in 1956 and you have to cut the film some slack as there was a different mindset regarding the oceans and the creatures of the deep back then.

I am a Cousteau fan and the first half of this film was great but for me I prefer Cousteau’s slightly later films where there is still plenty of adventure and exploration but the mindset has moved onto conservation of the marine environment.

Mike Clark

Dive the wreck of the Glanmire. St. Abbs

2011-08-07T09:44:00.000-07:00

Fridays off work always give me a good feeling. The fact that a fresh offshore wind was blowing and our planned dive on the dove was cancelled didn't upset me at all as the wreck of the Glanmire just off of St. Abbs head was the back up dive. Wind aside the conditions were surprisingly good with vis of around 8 metres, which was twice as good as i had expected. After a great dive we were picked up by skipper Iain of Marine Quest and we relaxed on the Dive Boat Jacob George until it was time to dive again on the wreck of the President. Vis was slightly down but still good. With conditions being good i talked myself into another dive, this time from the shore out to Cathedral Rock and Dunc and myself had some fun photographing the Ballan Wrasse before i got disorientated and ended up near great green Carr.
It was for me a great days diving and here are some of the images of the day.
Mike

for sale

2011-08-06T03:09:00.000-07:00

RETURN TO EXMOUTH

2011-07-31T03:54:00.000-07:00

RETURN TO EXMOUTH

here are some of my images from a recent trip to the wreck Exmouth. This time i experienced superb visibility and i concentrated on the Bow section of the wreck.
I was diving with Marine Quest out of Eyemouth. Check out the image showing shot line placement.
If you double click on the images you can see them at a larger size and an identification label appear in the title bar. Its basically anchor, divers and Guns.
thanks for looking and feel free to leave comments
A full account of the trip will shortly be in one of the main UK Diving Magazines.
Mike Clark

Amazon Bookshop reduces price of Wrecks and reefs of Southeast Scotland

2011-06-30T05:19:00.000-07:00

Hi All,

I have just noticed that Amazon have reduced the price of my book Wrecks and reefs of Southeast Scotland to just over £13 saving you over £5. I dont know how long this will last but dont miss out if you are interested in the book.

Mike Clark

Quick link to sale page below.

Exmouth Wreck Dive

2011-06-30T05:00:00.001-07:00

Hi All,
Just to let you know that i managed to get out to the Exmouth this week and had a superb dive. Images and text will follow in due course.
Mike

Sport Diver Magazine Wreck Articles By Mike Clark

2011-06-30T04:56:00.000-07:00

Hi All,

just to let you know, i have just had another couple of wreck articles published in Sport Diver. HMS. Pathfinder is featured in the June issue and a divers guide to the wrecks of the Sound of Mull can be found in the July edition.

Cheers

Mike

On-line Simply Scuba Shopping Experience

2011-06-24T10:04:00.000-07:00

On-line Simply Scuba Shopping Experience

I recently purchased some diving gear from the Simply Scuba website and was asked to report on how I got on. Here is an account of my experience-

Entering the site I found the home page to be clear and user friendly. Phone numbers for contact and customer service can be found here as well as tabs for popular departments. I didn’t want to phone I wanted to order online. I therefore perused the menu on the left hand side of the screen. Here you can choose to shop by department or by product type. I decided on the latter and clicked on Bags. Immediately a sub menu dropped down giving me different choices re types of bags. (Dive Bags, Mesh Bags, Reg Bags etc.). The range was very impressive and whilst I had initially thought about buying a traditional dive bag, I became interested in the range of mesh dive bags, because of the choice, (and I wanted as much water to drain off my kit before it goes back into my car). Another great tool to assist in my choice was Simply Scuba’s product videos. Here in my case different dive bags were displayed, pockets opened up, straps and handles clipped on etc. I also got a sense of scale of the product by comparing it to the staff member demonstrating it. I would say that these little video clips are the next best thing to actually being in a shop yourself and getting hands on with a product.
I was also interested in a lifting bag but initially I could not find them on the site. I looked in the reels and buoys section to no avail. To find them, I returned to the home page and used the search function and this found them. They are located in a drop down menu- under accessories. Once again there was a good range. Unfortunately the lift bag I was interested in was currently out of stock. There was a banner stating that the product would be available in 8 days time. As I write this review I have re visited the website and note that the lift bag is now back in stock.
With no lift bag being available at the time I decided to purchase a T shirt instead. I noted a favourite design. Opening the relevant page up I was given options of size and colour. Further down the page there was a size chart to assist me in getting the right size.
Checkout was very easy and I received an e mail to confirm my order and also to alert me that my order had been despatched.
The cost of delivery was very reasonable and it arrived quickly. In fact had I received my dive magazine quicker I could have benefitted from free postage with an offer code in the magazine.
So now we get to the important bit when the products arrive. I was happy to note that the bag I ordered was exactly as I expected. My T shirt had been supplied in the correct size and colour.
In conclusion I found this to be a pleasant buying experience. It’s the next best thing to actually being in a shop with hands on a product. But with the benefit of ordering from a huge range of diving products from the comfort of your own home. What about price? Well I thought prices across the range were neither high or low. However, what I did note was that if you see the same product cheaper else where Simply Scuba will price match, so I knew I was going to get the best deal.

I would happily shop online again with Simply Scuba.

Mike Clark

Diving Equipment

DIVE AND DIVER MAGAZINES REVIEW WRECKS AND REEFS OF SOUTHEAST SCOTLAND.

2011-06-18T07:24:00.000-07:00

Wrecks and reefs of Southeast scotland has been receiving great reviews since it was released in October 2010. Now the editors of 2 of the biggest UK Diving Magazines had their chance to review the book. Here is what Simon Rogerson of Dive Magazine and Steve Weinman of Diver Magazine had to say about the Wrecks and Reefs of Southeast Scotland

Simon Rogerson Editor Dive Magazine published june 2011

WRECKS AND REEFS OF SOUTHEAST SCOTLAND
by Mike Clark

Whittles Publishing

The best of this month's batch of dive site guides comes from the Pen of Mike Clark, a Prolific scuba

journalist who specialises in this corner of his native Scotland. lt follows the Firth of Forth from west to east, taking in 100 sites

(apparently the obligatory figure for books of this sort) along
the way. Mike's site descriptions are incredibly detailed' and
speak of a diver who takes his logbook very seriously indeed'
Many visitors to Scotland tend to head for Oban and the

Hebrides, but Mike is on a mission to show that there's plenty

of meat on the east coast. His book is divided into five sections

covering Burntisland, North Berwick, Dunbar' St Abbs and

Eyemouth. So, not a massive area

but as the book demonstrates, there's plenty of substance to the local sites'

Each dive is treated with a general descriptive passage of

about 4OO words, neatly laid out with location photographs

and essential information. Mike's photography is excellent and
is used to good effect throughout' Overall' it's a very nicely

produced Guide that should be a must-buy for anyone with

an interest in diving this overlooked corner of Scotland' SR

Steve Weinman Editor Diver Magazine Published October 2010

Wrecks & Reefs of Southeast Scotland, by Mike Clark

The author of this guide to dive sites in the Firth of Forth and further east was at 0ne time a regular contributor to Diver. His style then was very much "wreck tour" (or reef tour), in that he liked to guide the reader around mainly Scottish sites in blow-by-blow detail. Mike Clark's first book takes a more general approach to each of his chosen locations, with the words backed up by sound underwater photographs. Anyone looking to dive what is in effect the Edinburgh author's underwater backyard can be sure that the information offered here is based on first-hand and often repeated experience. The Forth contains a number of interesting wrecks, from warships such as SMS Munchen and HMS Saucy to the liner Campania, aircraft and even midget submarines. The port of Leith and Rosyth dockyard gave rise to heavy river traffic, and the casualties may have run into storms, wartime attacks or each other.

The action starts at Burntisland (on a shark dive at the local aquarium) and moves east through North Berwick and Dunbar in the Firth estuary. Lesser-known wrecks lie in the deeper waters here, including steam-powered submarines off the isle of May. Wreck-divers should note that only about 40 of the 100 sites in the book are in fact wrecks, and scenic dives predominate as Clark moves out of the Firth and down to St Abbs and Eyemouth, an area already well-covered by diving guides.
This is a well-written and useful addition to the UK dive guide canon.

Steve Weinman

Whittles Publishing

ISBN 9781 8499 SO1O724O, Softback 224pp, l8.99

FOR SALE RWATER HOUSING AND CAMERA

2011-06-10T12:26:00.000-07:00

Hi All,
I have recently upgraded my camera and I am now selling my current underwater Housing and camera
Details are as follows.

Sea and Sea NX 70D Housing
Nikon D 70 camera Body (Boxed with all cables, battery and other accessories)
4 compact flash cards- 2 sandisc extreme 3 4GB cards, 1 sandisc extreme3 1 GB card and a further unused 2GB card

All are in excellent condition and are in full working order.
I will include in the price postage in the UK and a 1 day training course explaining how to use the system. (transport not included. Location of course St. Abbs or sea lochs)

Just to confirm ports and lenses are not included in this sale.

This is an excellent package for the underwater photographer to get into underwater photography with a SLR camera. Image quality is superb and this is the system i used for the photography in my book Wrecks and Reefs of Southeast Scotland, which you can view to see the images.

Total price for above items posted in the UK is £650

if you have any questions re the camera system please just ask
contact me via email or on tel 07722887278

Regards
Mike Clark

Buy Underwater and Topside prints

2011-06-10T12:10:00.000-07:00

Hi All,
I hope you are enjoying my Blog. If you are why not look at my main website www.underwater-photos.co.uk To get there just click on the main site link at the top of my Blog page. I have just updated and relabeled all the images in my buy print section, so please do have a look if you like. i have reduced the prices across the board on all my prints.
If there is anything specific you wish a picture of either above or below the water please let me know and I will check to see if i have suitable images in my back catalogue or i will go out and get a photo for you, if possible.
Mike Clark

St. Abbs Boat Diving

2011-06-10T12:01:00.000-07:00

Hi All,

Believe it or not, it has taken me till the beginning of June to get a dive in at St. Abbs this year. Reports from the area suggested that underwater the conditions have been superb! i can now confirm this to be the case. Diving from the Wavedancer II i was on board with a couple of well known photographers Ken Sullivan and Bob Allan. We were the only 3 on the boat and we had a great time, in near perfect conditions. First up was anemone gullies where i found a nice wolf fish amongst other things. The second dive was at Ebb Carrs where a nice lumpsucker was found. Visibility was superb at around 10-12 metres.

Mike Clark

Snapper Snapped

2011-05-24T12:55:00.000-07:00

Bob Anderson
owner of Halton Charters managed to take some pics of me at work in the Sound of Mull.
Many thanks for letting me put the pics on the blog Bob. I don't normally get any pics of myself as I'm always on the other side of the camera.
Cheers

Mike

Dive Magazine review of Wrecks and Reefs of Southeast Scotland

2011-05-23T10:09:00.000-07:00

Hi All,

Wrecks and Reefs of Southeast Scotland has been reviewed In this months (June) edition of Dive Magazine. Check out page 37 and find out what magazine editor Simon Rogerson has to say about my book. As soon as a text version is available i will post it here too. If you want to see other reviews check out the my book section of my main website or click on the Amazon link to see all the reviews there too.

Just now i am selling a dedicated, signed copy of the book for £16 + £2.50 P&P.
If you have any questions just ask.
Cheers
Mike Clark

Sound of Mull

2011-05-22T08:27:00.000-07:00

As promised here are a selection of my photos form a recent trip to the Lochaline Dive Centre. I had a great stay in comfortable accommodation. The surrounding scenery is absolutely majestic. Best of all though was the diving which was truly superb. My thanks goes to Mark Lawrence Owner of the Dive Centre and Dive Boat - Sound Diver and also to Lee the skipper and the group of divers from up in Elgin who made the trip very enjoyable.
Images are of Hispania, Breda, Thesis, Rondo and Shuna

Mike Clark

another successful underwater photography course

2011-05-13T11:36:00.000-07:00

Conditions were really challenging above and below the waves. heavy rain and poor vis did little to stop us enjoying a photography course at loch long.

here are some pics from the day.

Also I will be running further courses in the future and will also be providing courses for divers who wish to experience using SLR cameras underwater. just contact me for further information.

Mike Clark

SOUND OF MULL

2011-05-05T14:00:00.000-07:00

Hi All,
There will soon follow a full account of my recent trip to Lochaline Dive Centre and the dive boat Sound Diver. Here are a few pics of some of the wrecks

Mike Clark

DUNDEE UNIVERSITY TALK

2011-03-30T13:51:00.000-07:00

Well it wasn't raining and that was a good enough excuse for me to take a half day off from work. I intended to see the sights of Dundee before giving my presentation in the evening. i had only been to Dundee once before and i had a few landmarks in mind to view. firstly there was Broughty Ferry Castle, then Claypots Castle then the frigate HMS Unicorn before Dundee's top tourist attraction RSS Discovery at Discovery point. I had a couple of hours to wander around the exhibition and the time disappeared very quickly. So much so that it was soon time to meet Vicky, who had arranged for me, to come up to give the talk. Needless to say i drove around the vicinity of the university before Vicky spied me and pointed me in the direction of a parking space.
Once set up the show went well and divers from the North side of the Firth of Forth got to hear about diving Southeast Scotland and see images of the areas top attractions in my presentation.

I truly enjoyed my day out and my thanks goes to Vicky and her team who made the event run very smoothly. I'm now hoping to organise similar presentations at dive clubs throughout the central belt of Scotland. If you or your club are interested please just drop me a E mail.
I have been able to do a lot more of my topside rather than underwater images recently and i hope you enjoy them. I will be updating my galleries shortly and hopefully i will soon be back in the water with the start of the diving season.

Mike Clark

DIVE TALK DUNDEE UNIVERSITY

2011-03-09T02:38:00.000-08:00

Sub-Aqua Lecture

Date: 22 March

Time: 6.00pm

Location: Carnegie Suite, Level 4, DUSA

Cost: £2.00

Details: The Dundee University Sub-Aqua event is hosting an event that will see Scottish underwater photographer Mike Clark present an evening showcasing underwater experiences in South-east Scotland.

The event will be held in DUSA (level 4 Carnegie Suite) on Tuesday 22nd March at 6pm.

Tickets are £2 which includes the chance to win a copy of Mike's book 'Wrecks and reefs of Southeast Scotland') and are available on the door or in advance from club members (contact subaqua@dundee.ac.uk for more information) Mike will also be signing and selling copies of the book after the presentation.

More information

Contact subaqua@dundee.ac.uk for more information.

Cool Diving on the East Coast

2011-03-06T08:58:00.000-08:00

There was a moderate swell as we headed out in the Silver Sky to dive the Glanmire, but this was moderating all the time. Vis underwater was around 4 metres so none of my pics are worth showing. Much the same on the second dive on the Black Carr Gullies. The vis may have been poor and the water cold but the diving was good. I noted a lot of new stuff on the Glanmire that i had never seen before. Add to that Jim's excellent coffee and Mrs E's shortbread and it was another good trip to start the season off. The only pics i managed were of Jim coming to pick me up in Silver Sky. Conditions were a bit bumpy and the photography was challenging but i like these 2 shots.

Mike

if you fancy diving here contact jim and Iain at http://www.marinequest.co.uk/

NO MORE SPIRIT ON THE CLYDE

2011-02-21T12:30:00.000-08:00

Elaine Watt Skipper of the Dive boat Clutha is Getting Married and my warmest congratulations go to her and Stevie. This now means that the Clutha (Spirit of the Clyde) has been sold and is completing her last dive charter next weekend. I was lucky enough to get a final trip on Clutha last weekend and enjoyed meeting up and seeing Elaine and Neil again. Thinking back its over 10 years since i first met these guy's and have been happily diving with them since. So no matter how nice a day i had, when it came to saying goodbye to Elaine and Neil i felt sadness but hoped i would see them again at some point.
The diving was good as always on the Clyde and conditions were not too bad with vis on the Akka around 3 metres but better on the Beagle with 5 metres. I took my camera on both dives and captured a couple of nice shots but my favorite shot of the day, was the Clutha coming to pick me up for the final time. A feature article of the day will appear shortly in Sport Diver Magazine where i will cover the dives of the day and a few special trips from the past.

Thanks Elaine and Neil Best wishes to you both for the future and i will hopefully catch up with you on the East Coast soon.
Mike Clark

FIRST DIVE OF THE YEAR

2011-01-30T04:32:00.000-08:00

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

Happy New Year

2011-01-03T05:05:00.000-08:00

Hi All,
I hope you had a great new year and are looking forward to some great diving this year. i haven't been in the water for 3 months and its driving me bonkers. A wee expedition through to the sea lochs is required to reacquaint myself with all the kit again. Soon after that i will be organising photo courses, so please let me know if you are interested.
All the best for 2011
Mike Clark

Special January Offer Wrecks and Reefs book for £16

2011-01-03T04:45:00.000-08:00

I have copies of my book Wrecks and Reefs of Southeast Scotland available for £16. I will be happy to dedicate the book to you or a friend and post it to you in the UK for £2.50 P&P.
So for £18.50 you can get a signed copy delivered to your door for less than the RRP. If you live near me you can also come and pick a copy up directly from me.
kind Regards
Mike Clark

Scottish Diver Book Review of Wrecks and Reefs of Southeast Scotland

2010-12-18T07:42:00.000-08:00

Here is a review of my book as featured in this months Scottish Diver. For more reviews and comments pleas see Mikes Book on the Main Page of my website
A Dive
Guide
With A
Difference
IT SEEMS ages since SCOTTISH DIVER
received a dive guide to review let alone
one as good as this. There are other
guides available for parts of this area
notably St. Abbs and Eyemouth but here
Mike has chosen to review a wider area
stretching from Burntisland to the Isle of
May and south to Holy Isle.
Mike lives in Musselburgh almost in
the centre of the area covered and it is
clear that 25 years experience diving the
area have gone into this book. Mike is
passionate about his diving and photography
and it is obvious, that this project
has been a labour of love.
The hundred dives Mike has chosen
reflect his development in diving with
dives varying in depth from 8m-58m.
He begins with all the usual thanks and
acknowledgments, a ‘how to use this
guide’ section, and some observations
about the tides in the area which is essential
in my view.
Another excellent addition is the
BSAC Divers Code of Conduct, given
the problems divers are having around
Loch Fyne and elsewhere it is a timely
reminder that if we want to enjoy access
to dive sites we have to behave accordingly.
Dive number one is indoors, yes
indoors and not a swimming pool. It
is Deep Sea World, like all the dives
Mike gives essential information name,
location, depth, conditions, access, diver
experience and then details of what to
expect. This is where the book comes
alive. Even in Deep Sea World he provides
the reader with plenty of interesting
background information.
For instance I was not aware they no
longer kept congers as their life cycle
requires them to spawn in the Sargasso
Sea and when that time comes they get
agitated and will die if they can’t make
that final journey. That is research above
and beyond the call but it is what sets
this dive guide apart.
Every dive in the book gets the full
treatment; if it’s a wreck you can be sure
you will get the history, how it went
down and if appropriate - why. Plus all
the details you expect about how to do
the dive. Some dive guides take a scatter
gun approach and cram in as many dives
as possible with little information, just
some co-ordinates which often turn out
to be inaccurate.
Others choose just a few, normally
wrecks and tell their full story. This
guide has struck the right balance of how
to dive the site with enough background
information to be both informative and
entertaining.
Some of the dives like the SS Exmouth
will, for me anyway, be an armchair dive.
Mike has done it for me, his description of
the wreck and his dives on it are as close
as I need to get. However there are many
dives in this guide that have my juices
flowing and I fully intend to be visiting as
many of them as I can over the next couple
of years.
Indeed one of the criteria I use to judge a
dive guide is, does it make me want to go
out and do the dives? The answer in this
case is, yes. Not just because of the descriptions
but also the photographs which
are of the highest standard as you would
expect from Mike.
It’s not often a dive guide is both useful
and entertaining but in this case Mike
has put his heart and soul into it and has
raised it from just a dive guide to another
level. Like all the members of Conger Alley
who have written their own reviews I
would like to join them in recommending
this book to anyone who is thinking about
diving the Wrecks and Reefs of Southeast
Scotland.
Wrecks & Reefs of Southeast Scotland
Mike Clark
Whittles Publishing
www.whittlepublishing.com
£18.99
ISBN 978-1-84995-010-7
Jack Morrison reviews regular
SCOTTISH DIVER contributor, Mike
Clark’s new dive guide - Wrecks &
Reefs of Southeast Scotland ...
Mike is passionate about
his diving and
photography and it is
obvious, that this project
has been a labour of love.

A Totaly Relaxing Time in Birmingham at Dive 2010.

2010-12-18T07:35:00.000-08:00

This is an account of my experience at Dive 2010. It certainly was not relaxing!

DAY 1

This was a first for me; I had never been

to a really big dive show before. So I

was excited as I drove down the road

with three friends (Gordon, Charlie and

Stevie) heading for the Birmingham

NEC. Past experiences let me imagine

what I would experience. I had attended

both the Scottish Dive Shows at the SSEC

in Glasgow but these were described as

small shows in diving circles, although

they had appeared big enough for me at

the time.

I would be personally involved in this

show however, as I was giving a presentation

about how I put together my new

book, Wrecks and Reefs of Southeast

Scotland and the fantastic diving which

is experienced there. (Thanks to all who

bought a copy at the NEC and the Scot-

SAC. conference).

To help me do this I drew on experience

from previously giving talks most

notably at the 2009 ScotSAC conference

when I talked in front of over 200 people,

(and a baby heckler) which was fun.

Maximum numbers for the talk at the

NEC would be 80 people. (I would turn

out to be lucky getting a full house on

both days).

So on the Friday before the show Stevie

piloted us smoothly south down the M6.

We relaxed and wondered if we could

actually manage to pass a service station.

Charlie ‘Crusher’ developed a stomach

problem, requiring frequent stops. Darkness

had fallen as we neared Birmingham

and we ran into jams as commuter

traffic headed home.

We decided to save some time and

pay to use the toll road which was a

good idea. Stevie was doing a great job

driving, Charlie was doing a great job

holding on and Gordon was doing a

great job managing his IT systems via

his Blackberry (Whatever that does)? I

was just starting to do a good job dozing

when we arrived at the NEC.

Stevie parked the car in a free space

and a recovering Charlie saved the day

by warning me as I exited the car ‘watch

the hole!’ Unfortunately, I was still

groggy from my attempted dozing and

didn’t understand what he was on about

until I had almost fallen down the 8 foot

drop just off the edge of the road.

So we had made it, just the security

guard to get past - no problem-tickets in

pocket.

Then light and sound, as the vast hall,

empty of most people but full of stands

in various states of assembly. Straight

away I bumped into Mark Lawrence of

Lochaline Dive Centre - ‘Scots on tour.

After finding out where I was to place

myself in the morning and dispensing a

few posters we retired to our accommodation

five minutes drive away and had

a cracking meal before turning in.

DAY 2

At 8.30 the next morning we were getting

the run-around from one parking

attendant to another which was frustrating

and not even the cheerful Brummie

accent humoured us as we eventually got

to where we needed to be. The hall was

now electric, the stands were all assembled

and you could feel the tension as the

exhibitor’s awaited opening time and the

beginning of the show.

I turned up at the Diver magazine

stand and introduced myself. “I’m the

bloke doing the book signing here”. I

must admit the blank expression in the

girl’s eyes could not fail to let me know

she knew absolutely nothing about me

being there. They soon cleared as she

sent me off to find a Dorothy. Anyway

they soon got it sorted out and before I

knew it, it was almost time for my first

talk.

This went very well with almost

absolutely no IT issues. After that and a

brief couple of book signing sessions, I

eventually got to have a wee look around

the show for myself and I tried to track

down people who I had worked with or

had received help from over the years.

I soon found Matt Sydenham at the

Suunto stand who was a great help

when I reviewed the Suunto HelO2 Dive

Computer, later I tracked down Geoff

Sharples of Sea and Sea who had helped

me with a few underwater photography

issues over the years. Mark Evans, editor

of Sport Diver would remain elusive

until the following day.

However, most thanks went to Stevie,

Charlie and Gordon who kept my spirits

up when interest in the book was slow.

Being at the Diver Stand I did bump into

a few celebrities though. Firstly Paul

Rose of BBC Oceans Fame. Both being

authors we thought it would be great to

swap books. I’m sure I’m going to get

my copy soon, you know he is a busy

guy, probably away in the Arctic or in

the Maldives diving with Manta Rays.

Anyway he was a real gent and I expect

his book will be arriving any day soon.

Then I met the lovely shark activist,

film maker and bikini swimwear model

Lesley Rochat.

Now some people may think from the

picture that I have lost all control of my

face and am actually smiling my head

off. This is not the case I am merely

sneezing!

Anyway first day over, book sales into

double figures (two counts as a double

figure?), talk went fine, met some good

friends, and finished off the long hard

day with a couple of beers at the after

show party. Now we planned to get off

for a cleanup and evening meal but first

I had to get past a security guard who

would not let me leave the bar area until

I finished my beer! Jolly dam decent of

him if you ask me but I later found out

that it was because of the glass bottle I

was drinking from rather than the beer

itself. Being a good law abiding citizen I

got rid of the beer ASAP!

Massive excitement was to follow;

Stevie piloted us effortlessly around Birmingham

by the scenic route before we

arrived at the Indian curry house 40 odd

minutes later. Curry in Birmingham this

was going to be great!

Now it was nothing to do with the two

beers I had gulped down earlier. It was

just really bad luck that I put my hand

on the door frame just as Charlie shut the

door. Simple thing to do.

“Charlie open your door”

“Eh!”

“Charlie open ...”

And he did which was good of him and

it was good of me to use absolutely no

expletives at all. Now you know why

I call him Crusher. At this point I must

recommend the Citroen C5. If you have

to get your fingers caught in the door of

a car this one does allow you to have full

use of your fingers after the event, which

is nice.

Afterwards, once they knew I was ok

my mates consoled me no end by pissing

themselves over and over and over again

about the incident. Yeah, yeah it was

really funny!

The curry was great and the ice reduced

the swelling. I was still fairly sure

I would be able to fulfil my book signing

obligations the following day!

DAY 3

Second day of the show! Stevie effortlessly

parked in the right place, no bother

with parking attendants. I got to the

Diver stand and they recognised me. It

was going well!

Then it was the long walk across the

hall to room 19 for my talk. The room

was full to bursting, the crowd was

cheering, I walked up to the mic and

shouted “Good morning Birmingham”

upon which the projector stopped working

and the screen went blank. Supper

Sandy of Musselburgh SAC (SSAC

Conference Fame) offered to get help but

I wasn’t giving him a chance to leave his

seat. To cut a long story short the NEC

staff sorted the problem quite quickly but

this palaver wasn’t helping my nerves!

I was now 10 minutes behind schedule

and sweating harder than a Thunderbird

puppet under pressure. However I was

quickly into my intro and in no time the

talk was over, the lights were dimmed

and my video presentation began with

the trademark music thumping out. I

settled back to enjoy the action.

Mistake! I felt a tap on my shoulder

and a voice whispered: “It’s my turn to

get into the room”. This was the bloke

who shall remain nameless who was

due to get into the room after my show

had finished. I tried to explain about

the IT issues and lack of support but he

wasn’t listening so I had to ask him to

step outside, so that he didn’t disturb the

audience.

Once out into the bright lights of the

corridor I noted it was 11.55 still 5 mins

before the end time for my show and 20

mins before the start of his show (In fact

he was doing two talks in succession so

the plonker had 30 free minutes to play

with).

Now I had sore fingers, was perspiring

heavily having been trying to do stand

up comedy to keep the audience entertained

until the projector got fixed. So I

asked the guy to be patient and advised

him it was still 20 mins to the start of his

The hall was now electric,

the stands were all

assembled and you could

feel the tension as the

exhibitor’s awaited

opening time and the

beginning of the show ...

show. It only takes 30 seconds to plug a

laptop in, (unless you are me that is!).

Disappointingly I missed the last of my

show on the big screen, getting back into

the room just before the finish. After that

I was buoyed up again by meeting some

ScotSAC guys from Musselburgh and

East Lothian branches who had flown

down to Birmingham.

Then I was free to wander and I visited

a few friends who had stands. I went

to have a look at the British Society of

Underwater Photographers (BSOUP) who

had a great stand, I looked enviously at

the camera stands and then I went on the

hunt and eventually found Sport Diver

Editor Mark Evans.

Then unexpectedly I bumped into Asim

of Amphora Diving who I dived with in

North Cyprus some 8 Years ago. It was

great seeing him again. I also caught up

with John Perrin of Kent tool reel fame

and all the dive shop owners, Otter Watersports,

Robin Hood, SDS, and Northern

Diver etc. I think it was only Ryan of

Vandergraph, who was deep in conversation,

that I didn’t get a chat with.

Then alas it was time to bid farewell

to the NEC and Dive 2010. We needed

to hit the M6 North before the big rush

started unlike the flash guys from Scot-

SAC who were flying back. Thankfully

I believe we only stopped twice on the

way back up the road. Normal service

had been resumed to Charlie’s plumbing.

The following day on surviving the call

of the alarm clock, I may have stated “Oh

dear I’m rather tired this morning”. To

which my wife responded “but you have

just been away with the boy’s all weekend,

relaxing and enjoying yourself”.

Enjoyment yes, relaxing no, everybody’s

a comedian.

Order now for Christmas Delivery

2010-12-06T08:29:00.000-08:00

Dedicated Copies or Wrecks and Reefs of Southeast Scotland. Free postage in December.
Hi All,
If you would like to treat yourself or a diver or a shipwreck enthusiast you know to a dedicated copy of my book please order soon especially in light of the disruptive weather and especially if you wish to pay by cheque. I will be happy to sign and dedicate the book with a short message of your choice, or i will just be creative.

As a Christmas offer I can offer the book at the RRP. of £18.99 but will post it for free in the UK.
Just contact me via e mail and i will organise getting a copy of the book off to you.
Payment methods accepted-
Cash, Cheque, Internet bank transfer, credit transfer via your bank branch.

Merry Christmas.

Mike

October/November

2010-11-17T11:20:00.000-08:00

Well apart from a highly enjoyable photo course at the beginning of October, i have failed to get a fin wet since. Week day diving in the evening cant happen now as the dark nights are here. Weekends have been heralded with big storms and the Firth of Forth has been very rough in its outer reaches. What has been good though, was the Dive Show at the Birmingham NEC and also the Scottish dive Conference held at Eyemouth. They have both managed to blunt the withdrawl symptoms of not diving. Anyway hopefully the weather will improve soon so there can be some great dives leading up to the end of the year. I will post something colorful to help us through.
cheers
Mike

another photo or story competition

2010-11-11T12:41:00.000-08:00

Hi There ,
the excellent Dive Forum finstrokes is running a Photo Competition. here is the link
http://www.finstrokes.com/scubaforum/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=4406
Go for it.
Mike

FIRST REVIEW OF MY NEW BOOK

2010-11-05T14:23:00.000-07:00

Hi There,
To see the review of my book Wrecks and Reefs of Southeast Scotland click in this link BOOK REVIEW
You can also enter a PHOTO COMPETITION to win a copy of the book here too.
To enter you will have to sign into Diversinc

PHOTO COMP WIN A COPY OF MY NEW BOOK

2010-11-05T14:17:00.000-07:00

If you would like to enter a photo comp to win a copy of my new book follow this link Photo Comp You will require to sign into Diversinc to enter.

DIVE 2010 SHOW REPORT

2010-11-02T14:19:00.000-07:00

What a great show! i must admit i thoroughly enjoyed myself. Unfortunately I didn't get to see any of the guest speakers but what i did get the chance to do was go around and meet all the people who i work with online and never get to see. I also got around to see a great many of the good guy's who have helped me out with equipment problems over the years. Firstly i had to find the Diver Stand where i would be launching and signing copies of my new book Wrecks and Reefs of Southeast Scotland. That done i soon Found Matt Sydenham at the Suunto stand. He had helped me a lot in getting to grips with Suuntos HelO2 Dive computer.Then i said hello to the guy's at the Otter Water sports stand. I also met up with JP at the BSOUP stand. Thanks JP for putting a book on your stand. I will keep you posted re a Northern Photo club. After that it was time for my Seminar about the wrecks and reefs of Southeast Scotland and on both days the talk was well attended and well received. Many thanks to all of you who turned up to see the show. After that i had a wee bit more time to look around and i tracked down Geoff Sharples of Sea and Sea. I also found Asim of Amphora diving who i dived with a few years back in North Cyprus. Then although i had been working with him for around 10 years i eventually got to meet up with Mark Evans editor of Sport Diver. I also managed to get good chats with Duxy of Cameras Underwater and Alex Tattersall of Nauticam.

I also got to meet a lot of new friends and hopefully will be completing some trips to new destinations in the near future.
I also managed a bit of celebrity spotting and swapped books with Paul Rose of BBC Oceans fame and i met the lovely shark conservationist Lesley Rochat.
So a great weekend and it was great to meet up with friends and buddies who came over to see me. It was great seeing you all and i look forward to more dives when the gales stop.
Also many thanks to all of you who bought the book. I hope you enjoy reading it and it will enhance your visit when you come to the Southeast of Scotland.
Lastly many thanks to Stevie, Gordon and Charlie who made the trip so enjoyable! (apart from the finger bit)

Mike Clark

AT LAST

2010-10-25T10:41:00.000-07:00

Not that i was starting to panic or anything but 4 days before dive 2010 was cutting it a bit fine!
Thankfully though the book has arrived, just a bit later than expected. So for all those divers going to dive 2010
and looking for a copy of the book, fear not as i will be taking a few box's down with me.
i hope to see you there. If you cant make Dive 2010 the book is available directly from me or the publishers and Tesco, Amazon, Whittles Publishing and others. I will also be at the SSAC Conference on November 13th and will be giving a show there about compiling the book.
ATB
Mike

PRINT EXHIBITION

2010-10-09T00:47:00.000-07:00

Hi All,

Should you find yourself near Portobello, the seaside town just east of Edinburgh. Why don't you drop into the Blue Bean Coffee House ( 272 the High Street) and have a look at my exhibition of prints? i have 14 mounted and framed A4 prints on display and in a break from my usual underwater photography all these images are of topside subjects. they range from Icelandic volcanic ash fueled sunsets over the Firth of Forth and Landscapes of dramatic East Lothian Castles to Butterflies. i could not however loose touch with the sea and a few underwater images including a recent encounter with a Grey Seal pup are also on display.

The event is free to view over a warming cup of tea or Coffee which will be enjoyed after a bracing stroll along the promenade. The exhibition will run for the next 3 months until January and the prints are on the wall to view now.

A4 Framed and Mounted Prints are available to buy straight from the wall at a cost of £25. If you require prints only or require different sizes or finishes just contact me online.

I hope you get the chance to see the display.

cheers

Mike

September Diving

2010-10-03T00:52:00.000-07:00

Hi All,

Well after a superb start to September with an amazing dive on U12 (see previous blog) Poor weather and a smashed dome port stopped further play. Thankfully because of the bad weather that plagued the east coast i didn't miss my port at all. The good news though is that my insurance company has acted and i now have my replacement port to hand. October though is shaping up to be a very busy month. Im running an U/W photo course in Loch Long on Saturday 16th Oct. If you wish to be involved in that please get in touch with me quick. For Local folks im putting up a display of my images in the Blue Bean Cafe in Portobello. This is situated on the east side of Edinburgh and will comprise underwater and topside images. Its free so take a look if you can make it. Images will follow. The images will be up this Wednesday all being well. Then the main event Dive 2010 in Birmingham. I will be giving a presentation in Room 19, between 11.30 -12.00 noon on both days of the show. So come along if you are interested in seeing a show about the newly found wrecks and reefs of Southeast Scotland as well as new images of favorite sites. It should be a good couple of days and i will be signing books down there too!

Now all we need is for the weather to calm down a bit so we can all get our fins wet!/

Happy Diving

Mike Clark

New book release date

2010-10-03T00:39:00.000-07:00

Hi All,

Just had the release date confirmed as 18Th October, That's just 2 weeks away! Its been a long wait but it will be great to see the completed book.

For the best deals the book can be ordered through Amazon, Tesco and Whittles publishing. These guys will be able to offer you the best deals. If you wish a signed copy you can order the book direct from me, however there will be a postage charge of £2.50 for signed copies. Another option for signed copies is if you can make it along to Dive 2010 at the end of October or to the SSAC conference in Eyemouth in November. Dive centres in the area will also be stocking the book, notably: Marine Quest, Aquastars and Scoutscroft Dive Centres.

If you are planning to buy the book i hope you enjoy the read and thanks for your patient wait.

Mike Clark

UNDERWATER PHOTOGRAPHY COURSE

2010-09-26T08:44:00.001-07:00

Hi All,

I will be running an underwater photography course in mid October. The destination is likely to be loch long. please contact me if you are interested in attending and for further details.

Cheers

Mike

DIVE 2010 NEC BIRMINGHAM BOOK LAUNCH "Wrecks and Reefs of Southeast Scotland"

2010-09-22T14:07:00.000-07:00

Hi All,

Just to let you know that the times for my slot at Dive 2010 in the Birmingham NEC have been published. I’m on in room 19 between 11.30 and 12 noon each day. I will be giving presentations on some of the wrecks and reefs included in my new book The Wrecks and Reefs of Southeast Scotland. I will be talking about a wrecked aircraft carrier, Steam Powered Submarines, Massive, armed, US cargo vessels, a WW2 type 7 U Boat and the U 12 u boat that I recently posted some pics of as well as some of the spectacular scenic sites and marine life covered in my book. I will also be signing books over the weekend as well.

I should have the first copies of the book available at the beginning to middle of October and they are available to pre order through my website at www.underwater-photos.co.uk Links are available direct to Amazon, Tesco and Whittles publishing. If you would like a signed copy just see the page on my website for details. I’m starting to really look forward to the show and if you can make it there please do say hello.

Cheers

Mike Clark

DIVE 2010 NEC BIRMINGHAM

2010-09-17T12:45:00.000-07:00

Hi All,

I will be giving a presentation this year at DIVE 2010. I have accommodation booked and i am really looking forward to the event and meeting many of you down there. My presentation will last for around 30 minutes and comprises images of some of the Wrecks and Reefs of Southeast Scotland. I will also be completing a book signing of my new book The Wrecks and Reefs of Southeast Scotland. I will have a small stand near the Diver stand and would be really happy to meet you all to have a chat. The times for my presentation have not been finalised as yet although i think 11.45 on the Saturday and Sunday will turn out to be my slot. I will of course keep you posted here on my blog.

For further details about my presentation have a look back at some of the older posts from my blog and you will note some of the fantastic new wrecks and scenic sites that will be covered.

Looking forward to seeing you there

Mike Clark

PRE ORDER AND BUY WRECKS AND REEFS OF SOUTHEAST SCOTLAND HERE

2010-09-17T10:37:00.000-07:00

Hi All We are experiencing technical problems with the Amazon link on the main site. Apologies for this and we aim to get it sorted ASAP. in the mean time you can click on this link or any of the links in the BLOG section of the website, Which mysteriously appear to work perfectly.

PRE ORDER AND BUY WRECKS AND REEFS OF SOUTHEAST SCOTLAND HERE

2010-09-14T14:04:00.000-07:00

Free Delivery and a reduced price when ordered from the link below.

Two things

2010-09-09T13:32:00.000-07:00

Hi All,

Two things firstly some of you have found the turquoise text difficult to read, so im experimenting with green.

Secondly a few weeks ago i told you about my Led Lenser Frogman torch and the issue i experienced with the switch. Im pleased to say that after contacting John Camm, Managing Director of Alpha Distribution that i received a replacement torch. This appears to be a policy for a known fault with this torch, so if you experience the same problem return it to where you bought it and you should get it replaced FOC. the trick is said to rinse well with fresh water after every dive, although as my torch was attached to my camera, i can confirm that i did do this. The manufacturers of the torch are still using the same steel in the part as so few of the torches are said to be affected.