Seals all over

The diving today was superb made even better by the glorious sunshine. As we set off this morning for a late start at 10am the sun had already warmed the world and it seemed that everyone had decided to descend on the harbour side. As Kelly drove us into the car park we became stuck in a traffic jam of people. It seemed they had all decided to visit the islands and just to start their trips they were all having guide talks on the harbour walls. We entertained them with some Perry Como and sparkling repartee.

Eventually we got on the boat our party now down to eight for the day. That gave us plenty of space and somehow we seemed to be able to use it all. Spirits were high from the off, buoyed by the sunshine and the flat seas. I had a look at Kelly's inflator to see I could spot where he was leaking and was confident that we had found the cause.

First dive was deep with both Amanda and Gill having the opportunity to look at the effects of pressure on objects at depth. On the breather the computer is set to change PPO2 automatically and as this kicked in at 25 metres I had a slight moment of as a cell warning came up. Fortunately the system quickly settled and we were on our way. Coming back from depth we worked our way along a wall absolutely covered in pumnose and dead mans fingers. While there was nothing spectacular on the dive itself this one was extremely pleasant and even the water seemed a little warmer.

On surfacing I had realised my arm was wet and so it proved. Close inspection found that I had two holes in my wrist seals that almost looked like stab marks. At least I had found the cause which was quickly repaired. This also gave the opportunity for a spot of sun bathing. The good news was that Kelly had a dry dive so the running servicing had worked.

Our second dive was at the Hopper and a chance to see the seals once more. Arriving at the bottom Nikki and I were immediately greeted by a very large grey seal that had distinctive markings around the eye giving the impression of spectacles. Once again I was slow on the camera but it was a lovely way to start the dive. At the Hopper you need to get right inside the various gulley's as that is where the action can normally be found. Turning into one I was greeted by a giant that I swear was three times my size. The seals ability to swim at speed stop on a sixpence look at you and then graceful zip off is always amazing. During the dive I managed a count of five different seals all at different depths.

Ending the dive this time gave us the chance to let Nikki use her SMB for the first time so she was pleased as it had not come out of the packet before this.

Back in Seahouses we struggled to get into a hostelry as all the locals were piteously watching as Newcastle fought and lost their battle for Premiership status. You had to have empathy as streams of people looked forlorn in their black and white. In the end we sat outside and watched the world go by until dinner time in Spice a new Indian restaurant.

Finishing the night off involved a little dancing and Colin can be very proud of his moves on the floor.

Today is our last day of diving and then it is all back to reality so I will be off for now.