Cool Diving on the East Coast

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

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

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

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

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