UNDERWATER PHOTOGRAPHY COURSE

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"

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

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

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

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

Two things

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.

U 12 Heaven and Hell

U 12 Heaven and Hell

The Jacob George sped us out to the site of the U 12 in short order. The 25 miles appeared to fly by in the near perfect conditions. As i dropped down the shot line i started to make the wreck out below me at around 20 metres down the line. The wreck lies on the sea floor at 48 metres and the coning tower rises to around 42 metres. Conditions were superb and i had already planned to carry out a long run time to capture the images of this superb wreck. I think i succeeded but i came very close to loosing all my camera gear as i smashed my camera port on re entering the boat. Thankfully no water entered the housing and the shots were safe. Have a look at the images and see what you think.

To dive this superb wreck get in touch with Marine Quest .

Further details of the u12 can be found in my forthcoming book see here for more details.

EDINBURGH EVENING NEWS ARTICLE 1 SEP. 2010

This article appeared in Edinburgh Evening News 1 Sep. 2010 about my forthcoming book Wrecks and Reefs of Southeast Scotland.

Mike Clark

THEY have lain undisturbed and mostly forgotten at the bottom of the Forth, giant hulks of vessels destined to languish forever in a watery grave.

• The U12's conning tower
Until now only the most intrepid few willing to dive into the estuary's chilly and murky waters were able to witness its long lost secrets.

There, lodged deep in the silt on the estuary floor, the remains of ships, submarines, fishing boats and even aircraft.

Among those to venture below the surface, lifelong underwater photography enthusiast and diver Mike Clark, who has spent the best part of a decade exploring the waters of the Forth.

Now he's sharing stunning photographs of wrecks he's encountered there, in a fascinating book which reveals a seabed rich in colour.

In one striking scene, the distinctive coning tower of a wartime submarine is easily identifiable - it's surrounded by a passing shoal of darting silvery fish, the wreck itself adorned in flowery anemone-type growths.

In another, the blades of wrecked steamer The Glanmire's propeller juts out from the seabed.

Its surface is decorated in the pretty yellow, white and orange of the eerily-named "dead men's fingers", another type of anemone.

Many of the wrecks here date back over a century, and each has its own fascinating history, yet according to Mike, 42, it's only recently that divers have started to properly explore what lies on the floor of the Forth.

"The shipwrecks in the Clyde are really well known, but the Forth has been practically unexplored until about eight or nine years ago, when a couple of companies started doing diving expeditions," he explains.

"The Clyde is an easier dive as it's sheltered water, and quite stable and calm.

"The Forth is open to the sea so can be very choppy."

Mike, a father of two from Musselburgh who, when not diving works as a civil servant, adds: "We've discovered some fantastic wrecks, many of great historical significance."

Among the vessels in his book is HMS Pathfinder which sunk off St Abbs in 1914, the first ship ever to be destroyed by a submarine fired torpedo.

• Mike dives between the blades of the Glanmire's propeller

"The position of this ship was well known but it lies 64 metres down so it's only accessible with specialist diving gear, which only became available when the new diving companies started," says Mike.

"It's a very impressive wreck. You can see the guns, torpedo tubes and shells still lying on the deck."

There is also the SS Exmouth, which lies near the Isle of May, a German U12 submarine, some K-Class submarines and a Grummen Avenger aircraft.

Then there's HMS Campania, the world's first aircraft carrier, which sank four days before the end of the First World War

"How many people know that the world's first aircraft carrier is lying there?" says Mike. "It slipped an anchor and drifted

out of position,

and collided with a battleship. It was a bit of tragedy when it went down."

The U12 before it sunk in the Forth

He adds: "That's the beauty of this book. When I first started researching I realised there was practically no information, let alone pictures, about these wrecks. So I decided to do it myself.

"I've been diving since my mid-teens and got my first underwater camera on my 21st birthday.

"I recall being really excited about photographing some anemones, off Eyemouth. I caught the bug and I've been diving ever since."

Some 500 wrecks lie on the bed of the Forth - from the Kitty, a 105ft trawler blown up by a submarine in 1917, to King Charles 1's treasure boat, The Blessing of Burntisland, which is believed to be laden with royal riches, but has not yet been found.

• Wrecks & Reefs of Southeast Scotland, by Mike Clark, published in October by Whittles Publishing, priced £18.99

St. Abbs Splash In 2010

On Saturday the conditions were magnificent. All the boats were out and all the competitors were taking images in fantastic visibility of around 10 metres. It was with more than a little surprise when i realised that there would be no diving on the Sunday as the weather turned with serious 50 MPH winds out in the North Sea. By the time i arrived down in St. Abbs with my buddy Derek Borthwick a 5 metre swell was crashing spectacularly over the rocks. It was then we found out that one of the boats had got out for a quick dive in the morning, the intrepid divers being rewarded with a sighting of a john Dory, Which is fairly Special.

The judging show was well attended and i took the opportunity to rub shoulders with my underwater photograph buddies and caught up with the news.

My picture of Derek with a lions mane jellyfish secured 3rd spot in the reserve atmospheric category. There were some other nice images and Brian Jubbs daughter was a worthy winner of the whole contest with her excellent shot of a shanny.