Lyme Regis

At last I got out for diving and this time there was not a student in sight just a bunch of people from Bristol intent on having a good day despite the drizzle that persisted. It is great to be with a group of people that you don't know and for me it meant concentrating on doing my thing.

Rebreather at the ready I couldn't wait. The trip was on the Blue Turtle out of Lyme Regis both of which were new to me.

Lyme Regis is picturesque and if I have visited before I certainly can't recall. It has a natural harbour and some decent beaches and all looked really very pleasant.

Getting on the boat meant dropping the gear of at the harbour and then parking the car at the top of a hill about half a mile away but for only a £1 for the day it was worth the exercise.

The plan was to dive the Ailsa Craig a British steamer sunk in 1918 by a German torpedo. I tried in vain to get much more detail. The wreck lies about 11 miles off the coast and fortunately the sea was in a good state despite the rain so the trip out was relaxing.

I was looking to get the chance for another solo dive but as the boat was full of twin sets I ended up buddying up to dive the wreck that lies in 36 metres of water. Visibility was not brilliant and it was quite dull when we reached the bottom of the shot line but there to greet me was a magnificent John Dory.

Turning to the right of the shot line we explored the wreck and were amazed at the fish life, mostly Pouting but Bass were about too. I also saw several large Lobsters and Crabs but took only photographs which was challenging enough as the water was ladden with silt.

The second dive was a drift on the West Tennants reef and whilst I listened to our skipper Doug telling us that the dive would have something for everyone including plenty of scallops as usual I wasn't too excited by drifting. I was very wrong. The sea bed was gloriously covered in pink sea fans and the life was prolific. Dog fish were everywhere and there were numerous schools of fish at every turn. More John Dory and enough scallops to feed an army. In fact I would rate this as one of the best drift dives every in the UK.

A very full bag of scallops, a pint and some chips and I was back to Bristol. At the point of writing I have just savoured a supper expertly cooked up for me in return for bringing my haul back.

Wonderful.......................