Wet again naturally

It suddenly seemed like ages since I got wet though in reality it is only a few days. Strange thing is perspective because my couple of days out of the water, away from teaching and no camera really has been the shortest of times.

It has made me wonder how it feels for other divers who spend much longer away from the water and away from the camaraderie of divers. Getting back into the water last night was like putting on a very comfortable pair of your favorite shoes and knowing that you are in the right place.

To top it the good news is the camera is back in action. The replacement camera works and more importantly the housing is not leaking. That after all was the whole point of taking it in the water. Actually the dome port still has smudge marks from it's dunking in the sea and the camera is not yet set up as I want it but it all works and I am so happy.

On Tuesday I missed out on finishing off confined water five with H and H in Basildon as I had to put work first and let Gary have that task. I understand all went very well and I can't wait to see both completing their open water.

Last night as if by magic I found myself completing another confined water five here in Bristol. All made easy by the quality of the skills on display so somebody had done a really good job to date. Embarrassingly I am not sure who. so nobody can get the individual praise and it can just go to Lou, Spike and the Bristol crew in general.

The Bristol team are heading off to Porthkerris this weekend with a fairly sizable group including a number from the pool last night and I was very tempted to join them even though that was the location of the previous camera's demise. This weekend I am racing a yacht at Cowes so as much as I would love to be diving I am actually excited by that as we have a great crew.

Also at least it will give my diving gear a chance to dry out completely because to my horror last night I realised I had left my wet suit in the dry bag for the week. I know that with swine flu to be dealt with I kind of had an excuse for not remembering to get it out but it was still close to revolting.

Yuk yuk yuk.........

In any event I have promised myself a new shortie before jetting off to Marsa Shagra in a couple of weeks. The excitement is starting to build I am so looking forward to a weeks easy diving and some real sunshine. The weather in Bristol this week has been ridiculously wet.

It prompted one of my work colleagues to inform us that there was no global warming, the ice caps are not melting and there are more polar bear now than there ever have been. He believes the whole environmental issue is a statisticians scam, yep he really believes this too.

It takes a brave man to point out that the Emperors new clothes are not! I am not about to pass judgement on his opinion though it is fascinating how easily people can be led to believe when they want something badly enough.

Personally I will judge by what I see and I will get a new shortie that will be real, comfortable and make me feel good.

Go diving it makes you feel great.

All quiet over here

It may seem like some time since I last wrote anything on the blog. The truth is there has been a slight lack of diving activity due the pesky swine flu. Fortunately mild cases all round but being sent home from work when you feel perfectly ok is weird.

Meanwhile Gary has started to run the scuba diving summer camp activities at South Woodham with the support of Chelmsford Borough. He had an excited group on the first day who all thoroughly enjoyed the experience as the got their first taste of diving. The summer camp is now set to run throughout the school holidays.

Incidentally Gary is now opening the Academy seven days a week and I am encouraging everyone to drop by and check out his tea making abilities, no promises mind you.

I did manage to get out and about towards the end of the week so my only involvement has been starting the DM theory for our next batch of DM's. There can be no substitute for thoroughly covering the knowledge reviews with DM students. Much of what is covered is about judgement and decision making. Some would say there is no substitute for experience in this area. My tendency would be to agree though it is not necessarily always true.

Do you need to make the mistake to realise it is a mistake; some would argue that you need to. I would say that you should learn from others mistakes whenever possible. But lets face it that takes a willingness to listen and a readiness to learn. Not everyone has both of those attributes and not everyone thinks things through and uses good judgement.

I can think easily of divers who despite what you may think exercise appalling judgement and make the type of mistake that could have sever and lasting consequences. One of our DM students lent me a book entitled "Raising the Dead" which really emphasises this point from the extreme world of technical cave diving.

Having the clarity of mind to think through the issues that you face when diving is a key skill that can be learnt. More importantly it is a key skill that can be practised repetitively.

As I sat discussing the DM role during dives you will not be surprised to learn that my favorite "Stop, Breathe, Think and Act" was mentioned. But the drill I really wanted to get some focus on is from the Rescue course once more. How to deal with the panicked diver underwater.

My DM trainee had been taught how to offer up his regulator and distance himself from the panic ridden diver. The truth is that a diver in a panic will most likely head upwards, especially if they are new to the sport.

Panic excites the brain, it stops clarity of thought and when excited unless very well drilled you are likely to act in a really damaging way.

Our conclusion was that for the DM trainee a lot of practice on dealing effectively with divers who might panic should be undertaken. All our new divers get excited, sometimes a little nervous so they are already pumped up with adrenalin. Our primary role is to keep them safe and let them experience how relaxing and enjoyable floating around under the water can actually be.

PS I have a replacement camera at last so pictures will be back on soon.

How many CESA's

Our second day at Gildy and thankfully not quite as frantic as the first, most of the Rescue Divers having decided to go out and party. Still no photographs to show you but this must be counted as a successful weekend thanks in no small part to the supporting team and the organisation of Gary.

Gary masterminded the entire operation and made sure that everybody had a full cylinder before each dive. One of the benefits of using Orca is that we do not charge for the air fills on courses so the students don't need to worry about arranging their own fills or forking out cash each time they do.

The day itself went off well and there can be little argument that everyone has had to work hard in the conditions to acquire their qualification. As is always the case there were challenges during the day, false starts and anxious moments.

Personally I ended up working with two Open Water groups one with youngsters who I had previously trained and one a family that came to Orca as a referral. On top of this I had the luxury of two Assistant Instructors, one Divemaster and one Divemaster in training. This gave us pretty close to one on one supervision.

All the student performed their skills well and in reality very few needed to be re-done and the standard was good indeed.

For both groups the planned CESA had to be postponed from dive three to dive four. But when we actually did them I managed to see seven on the trot without my computer beeping even once to warn of a rapid ascent.

To top it all I still get an enormous buzz from saying to somebody congratulations you have just passed your Open Water. I just love it.

Amongst today's successful new OW Divers was Lauren who you may recall did so well in the buoyancy competition recently. She has had to be patient to get to this point as the original intention was to get her qualified during a trip to Australia earlier in the year. It didn't happen and while Gildy isn't the Great Barrier Reef Lauren deserved to pass as she did with flying colours.

I hope that photos will be forthcoming soon and I also hope we will see all the qualified divers back in the water soon. In the meantime whilst I have already thanked Gary I would like to extend my thanks and gratitude to all involved in pulling off this great weekend. So to Graham, Dave, Peter, Gillian, Colin, Amanda, Andy, Nick and James thankyou we couldn't have done it without you!

Here Come the Sun - Gildenburgh

Saturday saw the majority of the Orca team head off to Gildenburgh for an Open Water weekend. In fact there were so many students I can't do them all justice and mention them by name in the blog and as I am without camera at present I will have to wait until others post in any shots.

My day started at the unseemly hour of five o'clock in order to meet up with Andy. I knew I was in for some excitement when on route to the rendezvous an idiot overtook me on a blind bend only to bash into a car coming the other way. Both cars ended up in the ditch and both drivers were fine. Just goes to show even crazier idiots than me get up at 5 am.

Having met up with Andy I quickly discovered the delights of going slow in a large fully laden van. At times I am sure I could have walked faster.........but Andy I am really grateful for the lift. We stopped briefly in Cambridge services which gave me the chance to get the new Orca Team shirt from Gary. They look brilliant; you will see what I mean when the photos arrive.

At Gildy everything was already being organised as Andy and I arrived. A briefing and cup of tea later I found myself confronted with five apprehensive rescue divers to be. Why they seemed so suspicious of what I might throw at them I just don't know. What they all need to understand is that there are four scenarios that I have to use and everything else is academic. Or in my case an evil twisted plot to keep them on their toes.

As it happens on the first scenario after some confusion over weights the whole team missed their victim as he lay hamming it up at the rear of the double decker bus. I must be fair at this point the viz was poor and there was diver soup down there. In addition Pete our victim had PW on his tank and there just happened to be another diver at the bus with PW on his taken. To whomever that was I apologise for a team of divers that came by and shook you to see if you were alright.

At last they got some action when the group were gently pointed in the direction of two distressed divers on the surface. From there on in things went relatively well as I gently piled on the pressure. There is nothing like arranging a cup of tea waiting until it arrives and throwing an incident into the mix.

By the end of the day Nick, Louise, Gary, Lee and Danny had discovered the art of team work and on the final scenario they executed a great search and two very controlled lifts. That was even the case where Dave had become one of the most awkward of victims. It almost seemed poetic justice when they initially dragged him out before completely moving his kit.

To finish off my diving day I had the pleasure of taking to the water with Tom, Lauren, John and Hadley to complete Open Water Dive 2. I have to say what a delight. All smoothly went through the skills without any real hitches before we headed off to find the sunken pool table for a quick game.

In the evening a really good number stayed in March and we all went out for a curry, Before hand by some strange quirk we started the evening in a bar that just happened to be doing Karaoke. I should have known better than to go in such places with the Orca crowd. I am now praying that the threats of me and Dave singing Here Comes the Sun do not materialise and the world is not subjected to such punishment. My only consolation is that the plan apparently was for everyone to walk out when I started to sing, it would have been very funny but I am glad that you didn't folks.

On our way back after the curry it is true that Andy and I went and had another bash, though we would rather not remember that one.

All in all it was a great day and as seems fit the sun shone all the way through.

Now I am off to do it all again.

Dive to have fun, have fun diving.

Knowing when to quit

I have had a very busy few days and consequently not written too much on here for a while. Meanwhile I have been introduced to Facebook which is kind of fun, please have a visit as Orca is also present.

Last week I worked in Bristol with two trainee Divemasters running through a skill circuit. Ian was having a second crack with me on this having spent some time observing Open Water courses. The improvement was immense and Ian should be very happy with progress. Sadly my Nikon is dead so I can't show any of the evidence.

It is really surprising how much you miss something when it is not there. Just to make up for things I have added a couple of shots taken to show skill signals that I am using in the Divemaster skill guidance booklet.

The camera may not yet have gone to the scrapheap,but having tried to dry it out and store it in an airing cupboard the time has come to admit defeat and move on.

I am embarrassed to say I can't now recall the name of the second trainee, doubtless I will be reminded on Wednesday. Interestingly he was from the BBC and is doing the DM course in order to be able to dive at work. He was thrown in at the deep end in terms of skills as he had not been shown what was involved and he kept reminding me of this. Actually I am a great believer in establishing where a new DM student is before looking to develop. It is a little like understanding the raw material before you set to work. The challenge is that this can seem somewhat frustrating for the student.

What is also quite interesting is that here was somebody who has no aspiration to go on and teach. The DM course is a fantastic course and really does improve diver skills and understanding but the bias really is towards becoming an Instructor. I am an advocate of a DM course without this bias, maybe one day?

Over the weekend I was back in the deep pool doing another rescue. There is always the bit in the course where you need to cover post incident stress and issues such as failing to resuscitate. Any rescue attempt is good and if you try your best nobody can criticise you. Dealing with it at the time is not so easy but you have to, little bit like my dead camera.

They say the camera never lies but we all know that is a matter of perspective. I recall a very traumatic incident for me from when I was a Police Officer. A young lad had died and his mother had come to the mortuary to identify his body. Understandably she hugged her son and was distraught. The really tough bit was pulling her away because she couldn't accept that he had died. I was completely overwhelmed by the emotion of it all but I had to do my job and the lad was dead and that unfortunately was the fact.

I hope that none of my students ever have to deal with anything like this but if they do I hope they make sure they are not effected by what they experience and that they seek help. Once you have given up something that is it, it is over and gone.

Anyway here are some signals for you; can you identify them?

On Log Books

I decided whilst out for dinner and chatting last night that it does bug me that I have not kept up my diving log. I have three or four log books and for a time I did keep things up together but it stopped several years ago now. I do nevertheless download from my dive computers and for a number of dives I have attached photographs but it is not the same as keeping the personal notes and write ups from each dive.

These days I find myself vigorously encouraging others to keep their logs not only because it is good practice and gives others an understanding of your experience but because it is such a good thing to look back on for yourself.

I recently found my original log book from when I learnt in Kenya many years ago and just reading the brief notes brought memories flooding back. Some people struggle on what to write and it does seem to me that it really doesn't matter because whatever you put down will act as a memory jogger in the future.

Then it occurred to me to post details of the wreck and dive sites as I did them on the blog. I am hoping that it may encourage those reading to know a little more about what they have done. You will see that I have posted notes on both Scylla and James Egan Layne. The notes were some I wrote a while back intended for the main web site but I thought I would give it a go and see if people find it useful.

Just remembering all those dives.............

Dive Site Info: James Egan Layne

Dive Site: James Egan Layne
Location: 50°19.54N; 4°14.65W
Description: 7,000 ton wreck
Length: 130 metres (427 feet)
Depth: 24 metres (79 feet)


The James Egan Layne is perhaps one of the best known dive sites in the UK. She offers a very rewarding dive with a fantastic abundance of life against a backdrop of an impressive and still intact bow section that is a photographers dream.

The James Egan Layne was a “Liberty” ship that was torpedoed by a German U-Boat in March 1945 close to the infamous Eddystone reef. In an attempt to save the ship she was towed towards Plymouth, but only made it to Whitsand Bay where her stern gave way and she sank. She now lies upright, fairly broken up with her mast and funnel lying on the port side.

Liberty ships were built by the Americans to help supply food, vehicles and other equipment to the then beleaguered British Isles and the American troops. At the height of the World War II there was a period when more cargo ships were being sunk than could be built to replace them. To counter this problem the Americans developed a means of welding that allowed them to build the 400 feet long, 7000 ton Liberty ships in 24 hours. Notably the ships were built almost exclusively by a female workforce.

The wreck site is very close to that of the HMS Scylla though she is much deeper into the clutches of the seas ability to reclaim whatever arrives on her bottom. Consequently she makes a great comparative dive to the newer wreck and the level of additional plant and fish life is obvious immediately.

On out last dive the skipper put us down a shot line on the bows to a depth of 23 metres. From the sea bed it is possible to look at the silhouette of the bow which sets you up with an inspiring start to your exploration. The hull is covered in Deadman’s fingers and anemones and it is worth fining along the port side to really capture this abundant panorama. You will also see the normal selection of Bib, Pouting Pollack and Wrasse together with Tompot Blennies Congers, lobsters and Crabs.

If you do swim down the port side you will eventually find a large opening that leads into what would have been hold number two. The hold itself is not covered so this is an easy swim through to get you in a position to see what is left on the inside. Much of the cargo was removed prior to sinking but there is still plenty to see including winches and old axes that were being carried. Much of the wreck is now open unless you make your way through the wreckage to hold number four which still has overhead covering though it is fairly straightforward to penetrate.

It is quite easy to do more than one dive on the James Egan Layne as the stern section though much more dismantled makes for another beautiful dive in its own right.

The top of the bow section is at about 6metres making it ideal for safety stops that all in all makes this wreck a really good one for the relative novice or first time wreck diver. In short I love this dive and would happily do it over and over.

Dive Site Info: Sylla

Dive Site: HMS Scylla
Location: 50°19.655'N; 04°15.162'W(Whitsand Bay, Plymouth)
Description: Frigate
Length: 113 metres (370 feet)
Depth: 24 metres to sea floor (79 feet)

HMS Scylla is a Leander-class frigate that served in the Royal Navy between 1970 and December 2003. She was actually launched at Devonport in August 1968 and was the fourth Royal Navy ship to carry the name Scylla. Notably our own Andy Hardwick served on her during his time as a clearance diver in the Navy. During her commission she performed a variety of roles, from patrols in Icelandic waters during the second and third 'Cod Wars' to royal escort duties for the Queen's Silver Jubilee. She also provided humanitarian relief in the Cayman Islands during 1980 when hurricanes threatened the lives of many of the inhabitants.

Records indicate that she was a little like a bumper car as she collided with a ferry in Plymouth during foggy weather in 1973, causing the Captain to undergo a court martial while later achieving notoriety for ramming an Icelandic gun boat.

Following her decommission she was bought by the National Marine Aquarium, She was then sunk on the 27th of March 2004 in Whit sand bay near Plymouth, where she now lies creating an artificial reef for divers, the first of its kind in Europe.

The Scylla is now a large and enticing wreck, measuring 113 metres long with a 13 metre beam. To fully appreciate the wreck would take several dives and there is no doubt that you can see plenty on one dive.

Before being sunk the ship was altered to make her safe and accessible for divers, consequently while she is upright and fully intact there are a number of holes in the structure to allow for easy access and improve the light for those that want to venture inside. Of course penetration should still only be undertaken by those with suitable training and experience. Certain areas such as the engine room have been rendered inaccessible by concrete to again keep the wreck as safe as possible.

Nevertheless, if you do want to explore inside there is plenty to see with radar consoles and other equipment having been left in place. Just be mindful that there is already a coating of fine silt in the ship and poor fining can easily destroy any visibility.

On the decks and superstructure the wreck is already being colonised by sea life with the hull covered in anemones and sea squirts. She has also started to attract an abundance of fish including bib, Pollack, Pouting and Wrasse.

The wreck is well marked with several lines to her decks the choice of which to use being largely down to expected water movement. Whilst largely intact and offering a pleasant dive for relative novices and more experienced divers the main mast, funnels and sonar dome have been removed to accommodate local shipping activities and the decks at the bow lie in approximately 11 metres with the depth to the sea bed at about 24 metres

The British sea conditions have already caused the aircraft hanger to collapse towards the stern but we can all expect this wreck to get better and better over time as the sea slowly makes her its own. Divers joining Orca on our Plymouth trip can certainly look forward to this dive.

Mewstone Ledges and the Glen Strathallen

Waking up on Sunday morning to bright sunshine and only gentle gust of wind looked very promising for the days diving. Destination was to be the Mewstone Ledges and the wreck of the Glen Strath Allen. Both in a better location for prevailing winds.

As we sat on the boat ready to go everybody was basking in the sunshine and sun cream was being generously applied. Making our way out of the harbour while preparing kit, Paul managed to break his low pressure hose in the first stage so we made a detour o let him race back to the shop and get a replacement.

Once out of the harbour the sea proved to be lumpy once again much to the horror of Amanda who despite having taken a years supply of seasick pills in one go was soon back in the praying position making it a weekend horriblis.

Otherwise the team were much better organised with everybody ready early to get in the water. A few buddy switches to pair up our guest diver Jenny, on a twin set, with Paul on his now re-engineered twins, meant Phil and Kelly and James with Amanda was the order of the day.

Rebecca and I went down the shot with Colin and Graham. My intention being to get in the deep dive for the AOW. The shot took us to around 20 metres so I decided to try and go a bit deeper which meant swimming into the current. It turned out to be tough work and while we did get the depth Rebecca and I decided to turn round and go with the flow while Colin and Graham fought on.

Drifting back onto the Mewstone gulleys was fabulous and best described as a series of very pretty underwater gardens with great rockeries surrounding stony and sandy bottoms. Plenty of life to be seen amongst the rocks which were covered in sea fans, deadman's fingers, squirts, and anemones. Under the rocks we managed to spot squat lobsters, crabs and juvenile dog fish. The best spot of the dive was a small cuttlefish that we followed for a while as it changed hues.

Once again Rebecca obviously really enjoying herself and was swimming around like an inquisitive baby seal.

Once back on board we moved out of the chop for a well deserved cuppa and a rest before kitting up ready for the final dive. The Glen Strath Allen has a colourful history having been used as a muli-millionaires gin palace for much of her life, she was also used in world war two. The owners will specified that after his death the ship should be used for training or be scuttled. In fact she was used for training for a number of years before being deliberately sunk to be used for divers.

Sadly it was subsequently decided that she was a hazard and so she was flattened. The boilers and winch are still obvious but all else is widely scattered. Rebecca and I jumped in with me determined to find the resident Conger in the boilers.

Getting to the boilers we had a good look but saw nothing. I was later told by Paul that they did see the Conger in the boilers so I must say sorry to Rebecca. The rest of the dive was truly relaxing and we did manage to see Lobsters and crabs even if most of them were in the pots.

For some reason on the safety stop my mask began to leak relentlessly making it really difficult to see the computer. I still can't figure out what happened.

Back at port most of us had a quick drink and some food all agreeing that it had been a great weekend, well nearly all. Sea sickness really can feel like the worst possible thing in the world so I am very sorry that anybody had to suffer. Then as Dougie had pointed out to me in the wheelhouse saying you can't blame me for the weather!

As we departed James and Rebecca both suggested staying and I have to confess it was extremely tempting I would certainly love to be still diving today.

On the way back Rebecca expressed some concern about restricting me as I did not use the breather or use too much of my air. Actually as those who know me will testify, the reason I instruct is to pass on the passion that I have about diving and this weekend reminded me how much I love doing that in absolute abundance. So Rebecca if you are reading this an enormous thankyou diving with you was brilliant.

For all others (Gill, Heidi, Amanda, James, Paul, Phil, Colin, Graham and Kelly) on the trip thankyou once again for making this such a terrific weekend.

HMS Scylla and James Egan Layne

The Orca weekend trip to Plymouth officially began as people started to arrive on Friday evening after a long trek from Essex. Some initial rooming issues arose in the guest house but once sorted we headed out to the Barbican for an evening drink and a bite to eat. Eleven divers made the trip. The brief from me was to be at Aquanauts from 8:30am.

All looked promising for the weekend though the weather was freshening already on Friday night. I should also make an apology at this stage as due to technical difficulties with my camera there will be an absence of photo's until I get some from the various people that took them during the trip.

As it turned out we had most people at the quayside in plenty of time and while we could have met later it did mean that we were ready and there were no frantic last minute panics. By this time the weather was fine on land but there was sufficient wind to suggest that it may be a bit choppy out at sea.

On board it all felt quite cramped with twelve compared to last year when there were only eight of us. Nevertheless Dougie gave his normal safety briefing reminding me of why I rate him so highly and off we set.


As expected the conditions were not ideal and very quickly several of the team were suffering the effects. This did mean that we were on the slow side getting ready and getting on the line for the Scylla became challenging. Notably Graham and Colin were amongst the quickest to get ready but my real attention was with Rebecca who was making her first UK dive. Paul also ended up joining us as his twin set gave him problems and he had to sort things out before getting in the water.


Not feeling brilliant and having to do a weight check in big swells is a challenge for anybody but Rebecca coped well and thankfully listened when I told her it would all calm down at 5 metres. With an additional 2kgs addded we managed to descend and I saw her visibly relax a tad.


Visibility was at 4-5 metres which meant we had a reasonably enjoyable dive exploring topside and along the hull. We also took some time to show how to use the line and reel. We didn't penetrate because of Rebecca's experience though she has already told me that she wants to come back and do it again.


Over the last year the Scylla does look to have blossomed with more life. Pollock also seemed to be everywhere. With a bottom time of 28 minutes we surfaced and it was pretty obvious that although conditions were hard Rebecca had enjoyed the experience.


Back on board the boat continued to pitch and yaw and the sickness casualties continued to mount with degrees of severity from a quick chuck to unfortunate Amanda who assumed a praying to Mecca position on the gunwale. All seemed happy with the dive just not the weather conditions.

For our second dive it was a quick shift of positions to get onto the James Egan Layne. A couple of people chose to sit the second dive out so there was some quick changes in buddy teams. For Hiedi there was also a quick change of dry suit too as she had been soaked on the first dive. Gillian's O'three was called into action as she sat out and there was some hope that Heidi would now get a dry dive. She buddied up with James and all was set.

Kelly set off with Paul and Darren our welsh guest for the day to make up the twelve.

The James Egan Layne is a wonderful dive and there was no disappointment despite the challenging conditions. Still sticking to Instructional duties and staying with the least experienced diver I set off once again with Rebecca and this time it was much easier making the descent. Somebody had got the message about it being much better once you get to 5 metres.

We all went down the line to the bows and even in lower visibility than last year the sight is very impressive. I do so love this wreck and as we sculled around slowly I very quickly noticed that my buddy did too. Rebecca wanted to dart this way and that and I have to say it is so rewarding to see the excitement and interest.

Unlike the first dive we managed to bump into most of the team underwater at some stage or another with most people staying on the bow section to look about. Somehow I managed to miss out on the Congers that Kelly reported seeing but we nevertheless had a glorious dive.

Back in port we had a few beers in the bar next door where we were treated to some good live music and I have to confess to getting the old vocal chords going. Agreeing to meet for supper at eight we all went our separate ways to relax and find our land legs. Kelly went off to see his parents, I took my guitar onto the Hoe but was drowned out by a band playing Irish folk.

Meeting at eight the vote was for a Thai and after a bit of negotiating assisted by noisy comments from the team we somehow managed to get a table for all of us. Great food, good company and laughter followed. As always Graham and Colin were on superb form even though they ended up sat apart.

With a slightly later start on Sunday a night cap was called for but I have to acknowledge the sense of Phil, Gilland Amanada who called it a day. Now to be fair most of us only had a quick one before singing and dancing our way back to the hotels. For those of walking and singing the imagine of Graham dancing down the street back to his room will doubtless by one that stays with us for years.

Rough conditions at sea it may have been but I have to say what a cracking day and what fantastic company.

I love diving, I think I could easily get into it.

Diving the Manacles

While the rest of England was sweltering in the heat wave on Thursday we had a windy and slightly damp day at the start of our two night stop in Cornwall. Fortunately the weather brightened up a lot on the Friday.

Graham and I had chosen to visit Porthkerris because it is the gateway to the Manacles and also offers beach diving that is reckoned to be some of the very best in the UK. The cove is situated amongst granite cliffs and is well protected from the weather making for good diving conditions unless there is an easterly wind. Which on Thursday there just happened to be.

The Manacles themselves consist of approximately one square mile of reef that over the years have claimed over 110 wrecks and sadly as many as 1000 lives.

On arrival we duly paid our £2 diving tariff and £3 parking fee and parked up directly opposite Drawna Rocks and the infamous Crack of Life. It was a recent article in one of the dive magazines on the later that had drawn me here in the first place.

Things all looked very quiet with only one other diver getting ready to kit up. We duly went over to say hello and see if we could get any local tips only to discover that the diver was from Southend. He still managed to give us some pointers but isn't it a small world.

The first challenge of the day came when setting up the rebreather only to have an 02 cell failure. Not daunted I quickly moved on to the open circuit gear and soon Graham and I were climbing the short distance over the rocks to the beach.

With the wind blowing easterly surf was up making it a mild challenge to get in the water. We soon got in to pleasantly discover that despite the weather the visibility was holding up.

As you approach the rocks themselves you swim through an area known as the aquarium because of the numbers of fish that seem to gather there. We were not disappointed and the Wrasse seemed almost tame as they came into say hello. I would be fairly sure that these fish are being fed by the procession of divers visiting the site.

Making our way around the rocks and into the swim through we could quickly understand why this site is so popular as there was life everywhere. We had been told to look out for cuttlefish but were not fortunate enough to find one.

In fact if I am very honest as we meandered around peering into nooks and crannies we really had no concept of the dive route so after 45 minutes staying at around 15 metres we surfaced only to find that we had strayed off Drawna Rocks. We re submerged and made our way back to the rocks swimming over the less interesting kelp beds and then eventually back onto the beech.

Despite the weather this was a very pleasant and picturesque dive though it has to be said we were glad for the cup of tea from the refreshment caravan.

Shortly after the first dive we got a call from James to say he was on his way but as it had taken Graham and I ages to actually find the dive centre we agreed to meet up in Helston at AP Diving which would then give me a chance to check out the problem with the rebreather. Convenience being the name of the game with the manufacturer only a few miles down the road.

It was good to visit AP valves where I stocked up on some sofnalime and O2 cells and had the opportunity to chat with Martin Parker as he came out to say hello in the car park.

Having decided the weather was not good we then abandoned two plans in quick succession; camping and a second dive. A quick ring around B&B got us lodgings in the Gallentreath Guest House at Porthallow.

We arrived to a warm welcome and a pint of strong local ale. The location could not have been better with an amazing view down the valley onto the beach. The beach at Porthallow looks ideal to dive from though it transpires it is owned by the villagers (most beaches in Cornwall are privately owned) and they banned divers many years ago because they were too rowdy.

It may have something to do with the quality of the local pub the Five Pilchards which served excellent ale and a superb supper. All in all we ended up walking back to the guest house in fine spirits having had a good day.

In the morning we had a wonderful sight of the new style of thong as modelled by Graham before being treated to a very full and tasty English breakfast. Setting off in convoy we went back to Porthkerris beach via a slight diversion as I had re-entered St Austell in the sat nav. Got there in the end and in time to get on the rib to take us out to the manacles proper.

Our first dive on Friday was on the prettiest reef I have seen in UK waters, Raglan Reef. The reef is a pinnacle that goes from 6 to 42 metres so it is ideal for getting some depth and then gently sauntering upwards below the kelp line. Now here's the honesty part: as we descending as a three I had a problem with the camera housing so I resurfaced dropped the camera back on the rib and went back down in search of the others. I looked but couldn't find them so ended up doing a solo dive which was absolutely fantastic. I know it is not a good example but I had bail out redundancy and I really enjoyed the solitude. There was so much to see too and I really resented not having the camera. Numerous dog fish, pollack, saithe, mackerel but most of all the topography. Awesome!

On surfacing I caught up with the other two who had enjoyed a great dive too, if a bit shallower.

With quick race back for lunch and tank switches and we were back out on the Manacles to dive the Mohegan. This is the best known and most dived wreck on the Manacles though fortunately we were the only ones on it. I buddied with Mark the other diver that had joined us for the day as he left his new wife on the beach. Yes they were on their honeymoon having chartered a yacht from Falmouth for a fortnight to celebrate. Seemed like a great idea to me.

The Mohegan hit the manacles in 1898 and she is now fairly well broken up and spread about. The boilers are still intact and there is plenty to see. As you may expect she is also now covered in life and there are plenty of plates to look under. The bows sit in about 15 metres and the more interesting stern section in about 24 metres. All of the wreckage is below the kelp line and this was a really pleasant dive when all is told. The fact that I ran my bottom time to the wire before ascending to the kelp line to watch the fish on my safety stop should say it all.

Back on the beach we had more excitement before setting off to Plymouth as James car wouldn't start. We did think of abandoning him, but soon we were off doubtless to be back for a long weekend later this year.

Dive to live.......we do

Where's the weather?

Graham and I are sat in Porthkerris this morning having stayed in St Austell last night and whilst it is warm we both have one question; where's all the nice weather?

Still at least we are getting wet just wasn't expecting it to be coming from the sky.

Are well, we are not at work and we are diving, full report later..........off to find those Basking Sharks I hope.