June Cont...Farne Isle Diving

Well after the great dives at St. Abbs (See below for details) i was keen to get back into the water. I phoned my good buddy Lee Hall of Farne Diving Services and got myself a space on his boat. the diving was superb even though the vis had dropped a little to around 6 metres. vivid red Sunstars and friendly Ballan Wrasse made the first dive and the Seals made for a fantastic 2nd dive. Surface interval was filled with great crack from a bunch of divers from a wee place near Coventry. they were a great bunch. Flocks of passing seabirds including Puffins also provided entertainment between the dives. The sun shone the sea was calm. What a cracking day.

Flaming June

Well after a fairly slow start to the year June arrived and so did some great weather. I took the opportunity to head down to St. Abbs and experienced 2 great dives off of the harbour. Vis was an unexpected but extremely welcome 10 metres. A highlight of the dives was finding a nice Lumpsucker. I have not seen one of these for a long time and have always struggled to get a good shot. this time i think i managed, even if the batteries in one of my strobes did choose that moment to pack in. Ballan wrasse were also pleased to pose for the camera.

Avondale Park

After a fairly rough week, the Firth of forth settled down in time for a trip out to the Avondale park with Marine quest. the sea was calm with a long lazy swell. Gannets were everywhere on our way out to the Isle of May but generally disappeared once i got my camera out after the dive. The dive itself was excellent even though the vis was poorer than recent weeks averaging around 5 metres max. What little of the wreck i did see was very impressive. Machine guns in their tubs and large intact portholes. This certainly looks to be a superb wreck and in good conditions it would be a spectacular dive.

BOYNE CASTLE WRECK

A beautiful day to be out on Marine quest's Silver Sky dive boat. The weather was truly amazing. Visibility was around 10 metres on the wreck of this old steam fishing trawler and everybody on the boat had a great dive. The seas were flat calm on the return journey and we were lucky enough to see a couple of pairs of dolphin and perhaps an orca. this whale was chasing a seal which was leaping completely out of the water to avoid the large whale that broke surface right behind it.

Thanks to Iain and Jim for a great day out.