False Lights: diving plymouth 2008

Showing posts with label diving plymouth 2008. Show all posts

Sunday, 3 February 2008

This is copied from Dom's comments but is just worthy of a post.

Dom said...
Top 5 diving goals of 2008 - an interesting question. Working on the assumption that I try to achieve things, how about:

1. After the awesome experience that was the Red Sea 2007, agree when our next big holiday is going to be.

2. Avoid getting irritated by the usual suspects ...... (John, people with all the gear, etc)

3. Persuade Suzi that Truk/Bikini is what we need to do .......

4. Dive The Maine again!

5. Try not to lose my new computer (after I've figured out how it works again!)

Neill says - I don't recall John having any diving difficulties last year at all - he had his shit well together. You're just cranky from the war and the rugby.

There is no doubt that 2007 was an absolutely mint year for my diving. Not only were there some fantastic sites, both in the Red Sea and the UK, but the experience was multiplied by the great group that we’ve got. For me, it is really special being able to go diving with my family and friends and share the experiences with them. It’s difficult to narrow it down to 5 but I’ll go for:

1. Wreck of the M2. This is a legendary dive that I always enjoy although I don’t think that Suzi enjoyed this quite as much as me! We caught it early in the season so it was cold but also very, very murky. Vis was limited to a metre or two and it was very difficult to get much of a feel for the size or shape of the wreck. Anyway I enjoyed it!

2. Wreck of the Scylla. It’s my top 5 so you can all poke off! I enjoy it and this year it was great to see the significant change in marine life as the sea starts to claim it for its own. As well as the shrimp that festoon the inner passageways, Suzi also saw a large Conger and we both saw a cuttlefish lurking under the prop shaft. This is a wreck that will just get better and better .....

3. Wreck of Rosalie Muller. In my opinion, equally as good as the Thistlegorm with the added bonus of being considerably less popular! Although lacking the prettiness of its much better known neighbour, it makes up for it with far more atmosphere and being far more intact. As ever, my biggest disappointment was the limited time that we had to fully explore although Suzi did manage to clock up 45m on this one....

4. Jackfish Alley. Although we started this as a group, Suzi and myself stayed in the cave a bit longer than everyone else and ended up in the drift by ourselves. The current was something I’d not really experienced before in the Red Sea and it made for a great dive especially as there was plenty of life moving round for us to see. You know that this dive must have been good as it has pushed some of my favourite wrecks out of the top five!!

5. Sara H/ Kingston/ Shag Rock. I’ve done this a few times before but it has never been as good as this year. The vis was awesome, coral stunning, the current just about right and we ended up by ourselves just drifting along in a beautiful warm sea for over 70 mins! On the way we encountered 4 turtles and a whole host of other marine life ......

Dom

Neill -Thank you very much Dom. I note this is posted just as you return from service in the desert. Surely you can't be serious about the Scylla!

Sunday, 27 January 2008

My Top diving goals for 2008

What do I want to achieve in diving terms for 2008? Well it must be said that this year is one of consolidation and one in which I am unlikely to do any more training or buy too much kit. I would like to dive three new wrecks Bretagne, Oregon and Louis Sheid. I would like to get to the Rutts as a reef dive. Old favourites to visit include the Maine and the reefs of Hand Deeps and Eddystone. I would like to cover more ground at the Mewstone drop off as well as explore the other drop off. I would like to investigate some alternative shore sites with Rob and Brian. Let me know what you are hoping for this year.

Neill

Wednesday, 23 January 2008

The Mighty Amoco is confirmed for May and September

In Dave we trust........

Summers Coming

I have made a provisional booking for 5th & 6th July 2008 with Teign Diving Centre for their Hardboat SeaQuest. I have suggested the itinery is likely to include the Bretagne.

http://www.ssbretagne.co.uk/

http://www.ukdiving.co.uk/wrecks/wreck.php?id=70

http://www.teigndivingcentre.co.uk/

Quite exciting...........

Monday, 21 January 2008

Regular Trick

Seems like I know you from somewhere. Been here before?

First Dive of 2008

Shit viz, 28c temp. Dry suit but no gloves. Guess where I am.

Wednesday, 16 January 2008

Scuba Surfing

I thought I would bring you the benefit of my procrastination. Some Jolly fine diving websites that are seldom visited gems.

First the Deepblue diving website. DBD in Plymouth have moved away from Rec diving to focus on more adventurous stuff. They have and excellent links page which can take you on many a long wander.

http://www.deepbluetech.co.uk/links.htm

A strange scuba do it yourself site which has a few little gems.

http://insel.heim.at/malediven/350052/proj_e_e.htm

A very good value alternative to the 4th Element undersuits. You know how good I'm gonna look in these beauties.

http://www.xcelcius.com/int/acatalog/xmt01.php

A cool on-line logbook site.

http://www.diverecord.com/Welcome.asp

and a very usefull site for looking at kit in depth............
http://www.bitz.fsnet.co.uk/index.htm

I am so good to you.

Saturday, 12 January 2008

Eejit's Top Five Dives of 2007

Drop-off although I did not dive with you and dive dad and was in a semidry lovely dive all the same (Neill - I thought I did this once with the Daddy Lobster and once with the Eejit Monkey?)

The night dive on the Giannis D fantastic wreck had a bit of trouble getting back to the mother ship.

The Kingston the drift over the reef was the closest to flight i think i will ever be,

The Mammeries at Eddystone - new depth record for me at 40.2 this is the best dive so far dive buddies Neill and Rob (dive dad,Robster the lobster) call him what you will - big shark, jewel anenome, big viz. PS where were you shallow? Hal Ha Ha He He,

Hands deep

Eddystone photo on my blog http://eejit71.blogspot.com/2007_06_01_archive.html buddy rab loads of sea life 1st time i dived in the eddystone area.

Love The Eejit

Neill's comment - sneaking in a bonus Paddy? Thank you Mate.

Sunday, 6 January 2008

Josephine's Favourite Dives of 2007

The Thoroughly lovely Fiend gives us her 5.....

Best dives of the year..

1) Eddystone on the last dive weekend of the year - great visibility, fantastic jewel anenome and big fish.

2) Dive on the Thistlegorm going out to see the trains followed by the Robinson family attack on the forward gun - great dive and lovely opportunity to do it as a family.

3) Chrisoula K (aka tile wreck) - loved the site and amazing opportunity (if a little scary) to go through the engine room with Adam even if we were a little unprepared!

4) Rosehill - loved the wreck even if the water was as green as pea soup. Great life on the wreck and great gun (we're suckers for big guns!)

5) Kingston - good wreck with great life, but drift dive afterwards was the best ever. Like being on a conveyor belt and watching the reef fly by - luckily the current slowed by the time the turtle made an appearance!

Neill's Comment - Thanks to Josephine for contributing. Top Hardcore Wrecker UK diver - picks ace UK dives ahead of shandy soft Red Sea prettyness.

Tuesday, 1 January 2008

1st Draft Diving 2008

10th/11th May 2008 - Plymouth (Neaps /HW 1018)

Goals - Offshore reefs/Maine/ Local favourites

7th /8th June - Plymouth ( Coming off springs HW 0923)

As Above.

5th/ 6th July - Salcombe/Teignmouth ( Small Springs HW 0823)

Goals - Maine / Bretagne / Orestone

6th / 7th September - Plymouth ( coming to neap HW 1003)

Stone, Deeps or Hatt Rock, Drop Off, Thornbacks.

Please get in touch gang to tell me if these are a working set to approach skippers.

Thursday, 27 December 2007

Neill's Top 5 dives of 2007 (UK).

Eddystone Reef (E). 9th June
This 37.8m – 35mins dive saw me buddied with Rob. Whilst this dive was excellent it was preceded by the second best wildlife encounter of my 177 dive career. Basking Shark. Great viz and a new depth record for me at the time.

Eddystone Mammaries 22nd September.
39.4m for 30 mins runtime. Buddied with Rob and Brian this was a great dive to blow away the soft diving of July. Saw a massive 1.2m Nurse Hound {Sharky} and my heart was banging away. Beautiful Jewel Anenomies.

Drop Off 10th April.
20.9m for 39mins. This is a new site and a spectacular one – Rob and I were blown away by the viz, the wall and the sea life. One for Amoco regulars only. I have discovered that this may be part of a system of drop-offs independently dived by several groups out of Plymouth.

Thornback Patch 6th August.
Have dived this twice once with Brian and once with Rob (@ 22m – 45mins). In those dives we counted 28 Thornbacks and 15 Dogfish. This is another Amoco mark.

Hand Deeps 20th May.
When thinking about this it was easy to forget that this was a five year ambition realised. Having not been back to HD since 2002 on my first weekend charter. Great viz, great buddies and a Great year of UK diving.

Wednesday, 26 December 2007

Boxing Day

It's Boxing Day morning and I have a day of playing games ahead of me. Have already played downfall twice before breakfast. However the reason for this post is to ask (remind) the plymouth posse to send me a list of their top five dives of 2007. Also I wanted to say we have passed the solstice and the days will become longer and the sun will return. The count down to the diving season starts here.