Vale Royal Sub-Aqua Club ~ BSAC Branch 1238

Ecclestone Delph Jan 2012 –Girls just wanna have fun!

2012-01-05T07:17:00.000-08:00

The first outing of the Midweek club for 2012

Wendy Northway

Captain Farnworth arrived at 09.00 hours on the dot and we left Winsford with a mild breeze blowing. The further north we travelled, the stronger the zephyr got till we got to the Delph where it ripped across the surface like a Harrier Jump Jet. I don’t think I’ve ever seen white horses on an inland site before, but this came close!

Quickly donning our dry suits (well I wore a borrowed one for my first dive); we headed off to the entry point. I needed to do a weight check with Sarah as she had a new suit, a neoprene similar to her old one, but I just wanted to make sure her weighting was OK. After a few kit reconfigurations Sarah finally managed to wade into the water. Good job she had her back to me as I noticed her belt was on upside down – Velcro pockets with heavy weights in –what could possibly go wrong! Once more Sarah dekitted, sorted out her weight belt and got into those pesky fins again then we were away. We both descended without any additional lead required, I gave a quick OK to Archie who was ready to pass us any if needed and we were away. We headed off to the 3m platform and did a few fin pivots then proceeded to circumnavigate the quarry on a dive proper. We only got to the transit van and Sarah felt her belt slipping. Grabbing it in one hand and her in the other we ascended, only to have her lose it close to the surface. A quick retrieval then back to the entry point – Sarah getting rather adept now at defining and dekitting, I altered the belt and once more we headed back in. Sarah was by now thoroughly fed up with putting her fins on and the first one needed help. Second one I coaxed her with the promise of a chocolate brownie should she succeed. Funnily enough that one glided on like iron filings to a magnet! I don’t remember bribery being taught on the OWI course!!!! We had a quick bimble around before both of us got a tad cold then up and out.

Meantime, the big boys, Archie, Fred and Alan followed a well finned path. Archie found a bike at 20m and did a bit of extreme cycling then all 3 boys vied to get deeper just beyond the yacht. This is all part of the initiation of diving with Fred and Archie. The sump* is at the pointy end of the ‘Perfect 10’ and F&A vie to see who can get deeper. Struck with raptures of the deep, Alan was determined to join in. Results are in a sealed envelope with me and can be obtained at a price. If you can provide a higher bid, Alan, I won’t reveal your depth to the DO! They made their way back to the origin via the transit van but before their final ascent, the 3 Musketeers practised one of their skills – DV removal. Alan found this especially enlightening as he had new valves and the hose on his main reg was shorter than the one he’d been using previously. It wasn’t quite so easy to retrieve thus he found this out in the safe confines of a quarry rather than in runaway train drift.

The Babylon 5 retired to the café for warming drinks and the aforementioned chocolate brownie for Sarah. Why didn’t I get an instructor like me? I think if I had have done, I’d have taken to mask clearing a lot quicker. Hey Dave, is there room in the training budget for Yorkie bars?** As we bade adieu to the F&A, I twisted Alan’s arm into doing a second dive. I’d got my suit back from Northern Diver and hopefully it really had been repaired this time. I needed to test it out before the season started in full as Clare wanted her suit back come spring. Thus we left the comfort of the café and threw on our wet hoods again. With much trepidation I pulled on old faithful and gingerly dipped my fins in the cool lagoon. We followed the rope round anticlockwise towards the tank. Very impressively Alan managed to turn the turret, if he was like this in a quarry; I guess there would be no stopping him when he gets to grips with real metal! I cautiously felt my lower arm and thought I could actually be dry. It’s hard to tell when it’s so cold but I was optimistic – think positive Wendy. We made our way to the cruiser and then back to the plane. Alan circled the jet to make his preflight check and gave it the OK as we headed for home. Back at the transit van I saw the vertical line with the buoyancy standards there attached. We did a few exercises - -twizzle, forward rolls and hover – all of which were in good tolerance. Over the past year I have seen Alan’s confidence and skills improve and this was a good way of demonstrating them to him so he could see for himself what he had achieved. Getting rather cold now so up to the shallows where we could watch the trout and roach above us whilst we completed our safety stop. The weather had definitely worsened as we made our way back to the car – torrential rain now added to the violent winds that were lashing the county. We quickly changed and retreated once more to the café for chips and hot chocolate whilst Alan now had to listen to 2 females wittering about pink pieces of kit! A very successful day was had –new kit tested and a dry suit was possibly mended! Once again a lesson was learnt in the practicality of having a clip attached to a weight system. I have done a lot of diving outside the Branch recently and the weight belt attachment to myself is always commented upon as a curiosity which I find quite baffling as I have seen or heard of too many weight belt loses. Surely it is a no brainer. The belt and braces approach for peace of mind must outweigh the £10 cost of the clip.

Fred and Archie dive midweek about once a month. These dives are open to all, depending upon instructor availability. They are planned probably a week in advanced although Alan Farnworth is working towards a little more structure in the planning and will be publicising them.

*the deepest part of the quarry is barely 20m, within depth limits for a qualified Ocean Diver

**other chocolate bars are available!

Loch Long Movember 2011 - No Americans, only Geordies!

2011-11-11T08:51:00.000-08:00

Wendy Northway

The famous five met up at DaveG’s workplace to load up the Mystery Machine, ok so there were more than 5 of us but it was a mystery as to how we managed to get so much dive kit in the van and still have room for all my shoes! We headed northwards late Friday, hitting rush hour traffic at Blackpool but afterwards, it was pretty plain sailing.

Saturday morning arrived bright and early, although our breakfast didn’t – it took over ¾ hour for ours to arrive, by which time I was ready to eat the table! Prandials complete, the big boys (me and Lesley manning up!) prep’d our kit in the car park, donned our drysuits and loaded up the van for the first of many dives that day – The Caves. Like most of the descriptions thus far, the term ‘caves’ is used in its loosest sense! We parked up and hopped out of the Mystery Machine and made our way down the culvert. Last year when I did this dive, I had no idea what a culvert was and didn’t think to ask so when I saw the look on Alan’s face when it was explained that this tunnel was the entrance to the dive site, I knew exactly how he felt! Ariel quietly carried not only my kit but his buddy Lesley’s kit down the culvert. A gent in the true meaning of the word.

We managed to get down in one piece, pulled on our fins and shuffled, as elegantly hippos can, into the cool, peaty water. We ascended down the muddy banks through comb jellies, bilinopsis infidibulum, which we illuminated in our torch light – the vibrant pulses of colour were spellbinding. Enough cnidarian harrassing we needed to carry on with the dive! Approaching 15m we happened across large boulders plastered with sea loch anemones – they were like flock wallpaper left to grow wild. Right in the centre was a very large anemone – a horseman, one of the largest anemones in the British Isles. Just stunning and a beauty to behold. Long legged squat lobsters held court under each crevice which they deigned to share with leopard spotted gobies. As we headed down the loch, evidence of fishing was more apparent – monofilament

Alan got tangled up which for me was game over. It’s so difficult to see, thus it’s attraction for fishermen, but that said we could easily get tangled up. We started to head back passing an old mooring line which in itself was a haven for life – plumose anemones, oaten pipe hydroids and bryozoan colonised the rope, all vying for a plot on an overcrowded metropolis. Working our way up the banks, I saw a lobster out in the open – Wow! I thought, that is until I realised that it too was snarled up in monofilament. (Pause whilst I decide whether to have a rant about negligent fishermen, no, let’s get back to freeing Lysander the lobster.) Lysander was not going to give up without a fight. Knife in one hand and a trusty buddy between him and me, I battled to free him as best I could. He still had line wrapped around him, but at least he was able to leave his prison and hopefully carry on hunting. Somehow I managed to get out of the water with a helping hand from Andy Shenstone who, with DaveW, was our shore cover. Soon everyone else surfaced – DaveG and Mark surfacing a little prematurely and had to surface swim back. Up the top the first of the catering delights of the weekend awaited. DaveW provided a delicious coffee cake. Not a coffee drinker, after 2 bites I started to get a caffeine hit such was the richness!

We piled into the Mystery Machine and headed back to the B&B to collect the trainees who weren’t able to do the first dive. A quick pitstop we then carried onto Conger Alley, another incredibly misnamed dive site – or is it! We changed our kit over in the layby of a very precarious road – the main route to Inveraray and the Mull of Kintyre. It was now gone midday and the prospect of fulfilling our target of 3 dives was diminishing. Backup plans were called for – the Pitstop Diner with its notorious slow service was just not an option. We needed reinforcments and thus as we attached regs to cylinders, Lesley and Alan took lunch orders and whilst we wended our way to the shore, they clambered off to collect comestibles.

Ariel took Andy in for his final Ocean Diver drill whilst I went in with Katy, and after an initial problem with mask squeeze we headed down the bank. We found a broken reef – small boulders where a dog whelk maternity ward had set itself up. These large molluscs were laying mounds of tear shaped eggs. Drat I thought, I’d initially taken my video in but after Katy’s problems I decided to drop it off with DaveW, our erstwhile shore cover. Still it was fascinating to study them. Under large fronds of sugar kelp, common prawn scavenged and we searched for that elusive conger but to no avail. Gobies flitted about, velvet swimming crabs did that sideways stagger and hermit crabs defended their territory. We also spied a decorator crabs – I’d love to see one actually threading the bits of algae onto his arms! Working our way up the gentle slope, delicate cerianthus llyodi anemones pushed their way through the gravel. We were the last to surface – the call of cheese toasties was just too much for the crowd. As we compared notes, Ernie turned up trumps as he managed to find that elusive conger after which the reef was named.

We ate our sandwiches as we put our kit away – nearly 2pm and we still had another dive to do if we were to reach our target. As Andy handed out Belgian chocolates, the DO declared an end to diving for participants such was the alcohol content of the ganaches! Luckily he was only kidding otherwise he could have had a mutiny on his hands.

Reloading the wagon for the trilogy, we headed back to the other side of the Loch, Fisherman’s Reef bound. The shore line was a gentle meander over grass and mud onto a slippery cobbled beach. Care was needed but we managed it, with only a few slips! The sun had now slipped down behind the mountains and I envisaged a darker dive, especially as I eyed the peaty water. Gareth, my buddy looked very keen and so we stumbled over to the water’s edge. All 12 of us were diving this site and thus as we were the last pair to descend, the viz was quite churned up. I opted to stay relatively shallow thinking that the others would have gone for depth and thus we were out of their silt. This plan worked to a small degree! The brief was to fin along, bank on left for about 5 minutes where a broken reef would appear. Well we finned for a good 10 minutes no reef appeared. We turned back and probably ascended just a matter of 20cm and voila! The reef appeared! It never fails to amaze me how the difference a couple of inches can make! As with all other dives thus far, sea loch anemones provided rock cover, with squatties hiding in all nooks and crannies. I’ve never seen such large leopard spotted gobies as I did here. They were also very placid. Usually as soon as the beam from a strobe hits them, they dart for cover, but no, these remained still. Where was my camera in all of this!!!! Harbour crabs and the tiny squattie galathea intermedia were also bountiful. Very interesting dive and oh, did I mention it? That was dive number 100 this year! Thanks Gareth for sharing it with me! Back at the Mystery Machine, Sarah appeared to be suffering from a very bad case of water retention – as DaveW pulled off her suit, the torrent of water gushing out was likened to Niagara Falls! I wouldn’t have been surprised if she a had a couple of wrasse in there! To add insult to injury, passing cars splashed her with the puddle of water she had just released! Do you know what? She still had a smile on her face. Looking at her, both me and Steve turned to each other and decided that perhaps we weren’t wet after all! The light levels were fast fading now as we scrambled to stow kit. Tiffin was now being passed around, thanks to yours truly. Divers need all the warming calories they can get!

Finally the day was over and we headed off to the Loch Long Hotel for cullen skink and other delights. A lovely meal was had – food was delicious, banter plentiful and pigeons pooped! (ask DaveW). When we got back to the B&B, the bonfire party was in full swing in the pub below – Irish bingo, cowboy hats and table dancing – somehow I managed to sleep through all of this.

Sunday morning and we weren’t going to be delayed with breakfast again – I think the whole gang were there at 7.30, well not everyone, but you know who you were! We loaded up the Mystery Machine again and headed off for the A Frames. Most of us were diving – Andy dropped out as he was heading home for some quality family time and Mark stood down. I think his legs may have been aching from dancing the night before. Oops! What happens in Arrachor stays in Arrachor!

Final dive and I went in with Sarah. I hope I gently encouraged her after she said she was struggling with donning her fins and she proved that she was getting to grips with this diving malarkey. We headed off over gravel bottom and found the eponymous structures. Very similar life was apparent that we had seen on the previous dives – plenty of long legged squatties, huge leopard spotted gobies, nice tiny flatfish and common prawns – again absence of conger. Perhaps I’m not destined to see conger but I don’t mind, burrowing anemones were plentiful. As I said to Alan on an earlier dive, if you dive with me, you look at anemones (or as a previous buddy once said to me, narcolepsy by cnidaria!) Once sated we turned back and headed to the shore. Again I gently encouraged Sarah that she was able to remove her fins which she competently did. At this point, mine were well and truly jammed on – I’d borrowed Clare’s suit which I loved – it was very slimming and flattered my figure and with her long legs, it gave me ample room to clamber up the banks and braes. However with Clare’s long legs come her big feet! My fins were a trifle too small and thus wedged on. After not accepting Sarah’s pleas, I couldn’t moan that I was also unable to remove my fins so struggled (as only an Instructor can do without giving the game away) and finally removed them! Phew, got away with that one!

I was very grateful to the divers on the shore that helped both me and Sarah up/down the shore – it may not be a big deal to rufty-tufty macho divers but the Pink Ladies appreciated the assistance and courteousness shown. Sarah once again was wet – a job for Alan to look at, whilst I enjoyed another dry dive. The weekend was very intense and if I hadn’t had a dry – drysuit than I don’t think I could have done the diving I did. I certainly would not have enjoyed the diving – the water was definitely cooling down now as we approached winter. We loaded up the Mystery Machine and headed off for Helensbugh for hot chocolate and baked potatoes. A lovely weekend with some good scuba. I think everyone enjoyed themselves; they sure had enough to eat. Thanks to DaveW for providing shore cover and congratulations to JohnA who selected all Farnworths in his Fantasy Dive team and with a flurry of Farners all diving, he goes straight to the top of the league!

Halloween dive at Vivian – Lyndon’s worst nightmare comes true!

2011-10-30T09:30:00.000-07:00

Wendy Northway

The advanced party arrived early, well as Paul would probably tell it, some earlier than others! We got there in time for a day dive to familiarise ourselves with the quarry. Ariel and Paul opted for a large step entry of the top whilst I was advised to go from the bottom – I’d borrowed Clare’s suit and the neck was a little slack so I worried about the force of the entry may make it leak. Shame because I think the step entry is the best part of the quarry! We descended quickly – I was seriously over weighted and could easily drop a few kilos. At the bottom Ariel wanted to try a mask refit whilst inverted. Paul and I just opted to watch! After Ariel adjusted his camera, the three divers set of clockwise round the quarry. Paul headed off at lightening speed ‘pace yourself’ I thought ‘it’s only a small quarry and we have a second dive to do – we need to leave some surprises!’ Ariel managed to spot a couple of eels tucked away under rocks – such is his spotting abilities, I wouldn’t have been surprised if he showed me an octopus! Paul had initially thought his torch was ineffective, only having used it in light conditions, but it rather impressive – there was a strong central beam around which a fainter light radiated, and dressed all in black he looked like Darth Vader’s sidekick! It was getting darker now so we opted to ascend just under the trapeze, happy that we had orientated ourselves and looked forward to doing the night dive proper.

As we headed back to the car, Chester SAC had decorated the area magnificently. An LED cable lit the fence whilst a pumpkin with a bat carved out of the front welcomed us under the tunnel. They had also erected a long gazebo by the shop from which tempting barbeque smells were emanating. The second party had now arrived – Lyndon, Ginger Jim and Ernie. We rekitted ourselves, leaving an hour’s surface interval and wended our way down the illuminated path. As it was the dive proper, I entered into the spirit of things by wearing a set of very scary boppers (£2 from ASDA) and away we went! Away they went too, for when we hit the bottom; they were nowhere to be seen! We circumnavigated the quarry anticlockwise this time and it was diver soup down there! It was tempting to switch off our torches as the beams from the other divers were more than adequate to light up the quarry. The glow from these strobes had a magical feel to them. As we gazed up to the 6m platform we spied a couple of divers in a halo of light – the kind of stuff for which magazine covers are renowned . There are only so many times you can go round Vivian in the short space of a couple of hours thus we surfaced – hot chocolate was certainly calling me. Ariel and Lyndon were just behind us – Lyndon using up his trimix from a previous dive and pretending to be very techie in a ‘shallow’ 20m quarry. Not sure what Ernie and Ginger Jim got up to, but I’m sure it must have been very adventurous.

Back in the car park, the rain had abated allowing us to get changed in the dry if not dark. I’d also brought along a carrot cake – I was going to make pumpkin pie which would have been more fitting for the time of year but Asda didn’t have pumpkins, only boppers. I may have been setting myself up there as Ernie reckoned I had now started a trend and would expect my culinary delights every trip. Lyndon was also suitably impressed that carrots did have some usefulness in the world! Watch out Techie Taylor – you may loose all credibility with your techie friends – diving to only 20m and eating vegetables!

Puffin Island Oct 2011

2011-10-25T03:12:00.000-07:00

Wendy Northway

With a force 8 whipping most of the North Wales coastline a cunning plan evolved where we planned to dive Puffin Island, launching from Beaumaris. For those who had selected ‘other’ as a dive destination in Fantasy Dive, it meant bonus points – especially as we were off by 10am – it’s looking good so far! Primary reason for this outing was to test the performance of the engines. We’d swapped the engines from the new boat to the old boat and needed to assess operation fully laden with 10 souls/8 sets of dive kit. The weather was splendid - bright blue skies with the sun coming out. There was a slight chill in the air, but for October we couldn’t complain. It was breezy but diveable. The boat set out with DaveW at the helm and the 10 souls set out Puffin bound.

I was lucky enough to be paired with JohnA – I cannot remember the last time we dived together so relished the prospect to dive with Neptune himself. We dropped into 12m to small boulders bedecked with life. Spiral hydroids tumbled over the edges, boring sponges dotted the tops and gobies flitted everywhere! Each crevice seemed to house a lobster and those that didn’t where home to catshark! Ballan wrasse and pollack loomed just sufficiently in view allowing us to believe we were in our own private aquarium! Lobster pot lines criss-crossed and we had to be vigilant so as not to get entangled. My suit was leaking big time and I was so cold (getting scary as it’s only October – still plenty of dates left in the season!) but I was determined to give John an hour, however the cold got the better of both of us and we surfaced after 56 minutes – still respectable!

Meantime Ernie and Dave Humphries opted for depth and ended up on brittle star beds – ask me guys and I’d have told you that. I’m happy to tell you a little more about these sites and there’s no shame in asking a girlie diver! Ariel and AndyS were also out in the gravel (which can be very interesting, I hasten to add) carrying on with Ocean Diver drills. They also had a great dive – Ariel spying prawns pointed them out for Andy who put his hand down to take a closer look whence the conger emerge and took great interest in his hand! On surfacing, Ariel acted as casualty and enjoyed a tow back to the boat, which honest guys, Dave was not moving the RIB further away! The wind had picked up whilst we had been down and I doubted if we would get out again this afternoon. Never mind I had enjoyed a very pretty dive, but I was cold and soaked through.

Back at base hot chocolate called and I managed to drape my suit over the car. A combination of wind and sun dried it off sufficiently to allow for a second dive – should the weather allow. The wind did settle allowing for magnificent views down the channel and we were out again. We had a couple of dropouts – Dave Humphries had snapped his mask strap, Mark was cold thus I couldn’t let the side down; they needed me to make up numbers!

This afternoon I was buddied with Dave G. I was getting all the big guns today – no complaints from this corner! Once again we dropped into 12m to boulders very similar to this morning. Indian feather hydroids, elephant sponges and nemetesia antennea decorated the tops. The catshark and lobster that were so abundant this morning however were nowhere to be seen! It’s amazing how 2 dives in the same spot can be markedly different! I managed to get a bit of gravel groping in as rocks gave way to coarse sand. Tree-like sand mason worms, tiny shrimps and dragonets played their parts in the full richness that formed this spectacular dive. Just as I was getting too cold – the water that was gushing in my suit was now rolling down to my nether regions, we spied an anchor. Dave grappled with his lifting bag, very impressive as we were now at the apex of the island and being drawn into a runaway drift. Mission accomplished and we were outa there!

As we packed our kit away, Ariel and Andy surface with a second DSMB. ‘There’s an anchor attached to that one’ they enthused! Another drill successfully finished for Andy and they were back on the boat. All we had to do was wait for Ernie and Steve – another anchor and it would make a hat trick! Sadly it was not to be – that would been an anchor too far! 6 happy but wet divers headed back to shore. All of us seemed to have drysuit malfunctions and needed to get our puncture repair kits out. I certainly needed to release the shoal of pollack out of mine! Wind had definitely picked up now as we headed back. The boat out of the water and we were headed back home for pizza and PG. The engines seemed to pass their test and we discovered another launching place. Thanks to all who made this a success.

Capers October 2011 – Back to the 80s!!

2011-10-15T02:46:00.000-07:00

Wendy Northway

As the season is on the home straight, yet another weekend is blown out owing to the weather. We’d planned on going to Pwllheli but once again we found ourselves heading up the M6, Capernwray bound.

Our newest member Chris Ashbrook was looking forward to doing his first open water dive, young gun Gareth was a last minute addition and Andy wanted to get his shiny new drysuit wet! I had to do a quick weight check as my suit was in repair and taking a trip down Memory Boulevard; I’d borrowed back my old suit but had no idea what weighting I used to use. Having enough lead I then repeated the exercise with Chris. Once happy he had enough to get him down we then made our way to the 2m platform and descended. I think Chris was initially spooked by the trout which came between us as we carried out our drills but quickly came at ease when he realised they were not killer squids from the deep! Once finished the drills we headed off for a pleasure dive but descending that little bit deeper, Chris had a few problems with his ears that is so common with first time divers. We ascended then gently went down again taking time and not forcing. With this approach he was comfortable and we headed off towards the 6m platform where who should we find but the rest of the gang! Such was the crowd of VRSAC, we couldn’t actually get on! Ariel and Sarah were fin pivoting like pin fivoters; Steve, Andy and Gareth were doing likewise and just as A&S left, pilot and purser Paul and Alan arrived after their mammoth circumnavigation of the shallows. Top marks to Alan who managed to find his way around the place without a motorway to follow ;o)

Back at base we dekitted and Sarah was baptised as a true diver – she was soaked through! In vain, Alan spread her undersuit over the top of his car, but we quickly came to the conclusion that this was never going to work. A fine rain had taken hold and we wanted to minimise our surface interval to get out of the wet (oh the joys of having a dry drysuit!)

Second dive and we had a turnaround of pairings. Steve took Chris for fine tuning of buoyancy, I took Andy for his second open water lesson and Ariel took Paul and Alan for some sports diver drills. Sarah was very keen to do a second dive but with her undersuit soaking she would have had no thermal insulation thus decided to skip the dive for the warmth of the car. Gareth also stood down as he developed a headache.

Me and Andy opted for a step entry and surface swim to the 2m platform on the left hand side of the quarry. We figured it would be quieter there as I believe the whole of the northwest diving fraternity had descended on the training area this morning. At the platform we conducted the drills for OW2. These went well however I figured his fins must have been breaking the surface with his colossal height as he did his inversion drill! Following successful exercises we then headed off in search of the Cessna. Here I must make a confession. I forgot to scribble down any bearings for points of interest. Luckily we saw The Answer en route so I made a mental note of it for the return journey, then following the contours we happened across the African Queen. Three cheers for pilotage! We carried on along the perimeter of the quarry passing the entrance point a little to ascend to the 6m platform on the right where we enjoyed a safety stop in an aquarium of trout and perch. Both of us were mesmerised as they swam back and to. Meanwhile Ariel, Paul and Alan also went towards the Cessna (so much for it being quieter here!) where Alan successfully completed his Sport’s Diver rescue scenario. Very interestingly they discovered they needed to adapt their technique for lifting using Paul’s jacket. Paul’s BCD has 2 buttons on the pocket for inflate/deflate. Usually when lifting on a jacket, the rescuer secures the casualty’s arm on his shoulder to allow for suit venting. With Paul, this would have to be done with the opposite arm in order to ensure a lock. This highlights differences in kit configurations and how we must be alert for adaptations that may be required. I think this is healthy and do not subscribe to the DIR philosophy. It is also the reason why I enjoy diving with different buddies – the constant need to think about their kit and how it would affect me. Complacency can lead to lax habits!

Steve took Chris for an enjoyable pleasure dive, sneaking in a few buoyancy exercises. Both returned happy, if not one of them slightly wet! The repairs on Steve’s leaking suit had been a partial success – I think a return to the dive shop was on order!

Alan was restricted by flying the following day thus called it a day – he’d had 2 good dives so was happy, Andy also packed his kit away and headed home. After a long week away from his family he plumped for man points which left 4 fit and eager divers! OK, eager divers as we hobbled down to the waterfront! Ariel took Chris in this time. Chris was very lucky as he managed to dive with a good variety of divers today. This final dive Ariel tutored him successful through the second open water lesson and was most impressed with his skills, commenting that he was almost surprised that this was his first open water dive! Well done Chris – a sound diver in the making!

I let Paul navigate towards the gnome garden which didn’t quite go to plan! We got to the plane and after Paul handed out tempting snacks to his club class passengers (oh have I used that joke before – sorry!) we headed off on our bearing. I’m not sure if we started from the wrong place but we hit a wall before getting to the dive bell thus I reckoned we were on the wrong track. The line of travel on the compass on my new (pink) console was configured for a left hand whereas my contents gauge comes over my right shoulder, thus I got very confused and was no help whatsoever. Another learning point, good job this wasn’t on a dive where the finding of the wreck was imperative – I have the luxury of changing this over before using in earnest. It also socks one in the eye for DIR again! Change of plan we went back to the horses, leaving the elusive gnome garden for another day. En route we passed over a laptop and both of us had the same idea – check for updates on facebook!

An enjoyable and most successful day was had by all. Gareth, Alan and Chris had several drills signed off, Chris was able to put many months of pool work into practise, Andy got his new suit wet and I stacked up another 3 dives to my target number for this year! Thanks to all who made it a most enjoyable day!

Plymouth Aug 2011 - a special brew!

2011-09-02T09:24:00.000-07:00

Wendy Northway

We rolled up at Mountbatten bright and early to a torrential downpour. I’d been looking forward to catching the last of the summer sun but we barely had time to get into our drysuits before we were soaked! Still, it was warm and we headed off for the Scylla in Whitsand Bay. After last year’s fiasco at trying to find the wrecks whence no one would listen to me I confidently proclaimed ‘it’s by the cardinal buoy!’ Once again the lads didn’t listen to me, proceeded to bob about for 20 minutes or so before they conceded that maybe I was right! Can we remember this next year boys? Oh didn’t I write that in last year’s blog!

OK – rant over, let’s get back to diving! 3 pairs went over board and explored the sunken treasure that is the Scylla. I remember doing this the year after it plunged to the seabed and thinking how devoid of life it was. Well what a difference 6 years makes! Plumose anemones festooned the superstructure with odd bowls of potato crisp bryozoan in their midst. Pollack weaved in and out, trying to entice us in and down at the bottom, schools of bib hung around like the bad boys smoking behind the bikesheds. Working our way along the decks I got entangled in some monofilament thus dive over! Back at base in record time, all thanks to Dave W who was our permanent cox’n, we waited for news of Ron. He’d stepped down as he wasn’t feeling too good – ‘off centre’ was his description. I think we wrong footed the girls with our nifty timing as we were off out again before they got back with our lunch. Luckily Jean was on hand to ‘donate’ Dave’s cheese on toast to hungry Steve!

We headed back to Whitsand Bay with the intention of diving the James Egan Layne. This wasn’t buoyed so we had to rely on echo location and GPS – what could possibly go wrong! Well in our defence, we did find it – once – but then lost it. Never mind, let’s do the Scylla again. Hmmm I wonder if they will listen to me when I remind them where it is? John Dorys were plentiful down on the sea bed whilst jewel anemones, nemertesia antennina, sargatia troglydytes and various red seaweeds carpeted the decks as rock cook and other wrasse darted about. All too soon dives were over and we headed back to shore to get out of the rain. We got word from Ron – BP elevated thus he wisely decided to have another day off tomorrow.

Saturday arrived and we got down to the business of doing some serious scenic diving – excellent! First dive was an old favourite, Hilsea Point. Again an early start meant we had 3 pairs of divers in by 10.05 – surely worth an extra 10 points in fantasy dive terms! I had a really lovely dive with Lesley. Dropping straight down to 26m we were welcomed by a jagged low lying reef adorned with sea fans, shredded carrot sponge, elephant hide – and boring – sponges. A truly spectacular array of colour and texture! I was on a mission to find the tiny anemones that colonise the sea fans. I didn’t find any but did find the nudibranchs who are also fans of the seafans! On other dives, a cheeky cuckoo wrasse posed for photos for Steve and Stella. No stop time was greatly reduced on these dives as we were so deep – we had to be to get out of the kelp! Back on the RIB, or should I say back in the pool, we had taken on a considerable amount of water. The wind had picked up, increasing the wave height and thus with all 3 pairs surfacing at once, there was no time to get rid of excess water. Will we be charged for another dive I wondered? Dave W went head to head with Poseidon battling against the wind and waves for the ride home. Dave W was valiant and we were back for lunch!

I had originally volunteered to stand down this afternoon but I had 2 others chasing me for that position – Stella who wouldn’t let wild horses drag her back on the RIB and boy, were those white horse wild! Also Lesley who had a loose neck seal and was rather wet thus, the dive slut that I am I went out again! A bit closer to home, we opted for the Mewstone and we were joined by Andy Shenstone who travelled up in record time and managed to squeeze in a bonus dive. Another dazzling dive was had, amidst red fingers, common spider crab and yet more sea fans. The viz wasn’t as good as this morning, probably because we were a tad shallower or maybe the tide was on the ebb, however the life was just as profuse. Again we managed to finish in record time – this time the last divers were up by 2.30.

Sunday morning and we were getting the hang of this – an early start and we were at the Mewstone just after 9.30. Interesting is the euphemism used for this dive! The tide was moving - as Steve described ‘a fierce pull’ on the SMB dictated the direction of travel! We travelled over fantastic deep gullies adorned with finger sponges then above sandy oases and mingled with sand eels. The reef disappeared just as our no stop time dwindled thus time to go. Heading back in the harbour walls we suddenly heard that grinding noise that every cox’n dreads – the sound of the props crunching over a low lying reef. Was this the moment that the camaraderie would break? No! Accidents happen and we have a couple of spares which DaveG swapped over during lunch, including a sneaky dive to successfully retrieve a dropped crown nut. We were back in business.

Sunday afternoon and we crossed the bay over to Penlee Point. Stella and Nick were dropped on a sandy bottom where they were delighted with the sight of a large ray, then did a spot of find and retrieve – Nick found an anchor, Stella retrieved it and carried it back for the remainder of the dive! Lots more life here than I remember. Conger, lobster and bispira voluticornis – tube worms to you and me! There were also a large number of crab carcasses. Initially divers searched for a satisfied-looking octopus but the more carapaces there were, the more we thought it may be human impact. Lesley and Ariel momentarily dived in a 3 as a common spider crab joined them. Well Ariel, that’s what you get should you antagonise the fauna!

Sunday evening and we all got together for a lovely meal at The Village restaurant in the Barbican. Quality food, fine wine and good company was enjoyed by all.

The weather gradually got better as the weekend progressed to Bank Holiday Monday. We had only planned one dive today in order to get the boats out in a timely fashion thus we were going to make it a good one! We headed off for East Rutts – a pinnacle lying a bit further out than Hilsea in very tidal waters thus the need for hitting slack was imperative. Unfortunately this meant getting up even earlier than normal – to congregate at 8am. Both Ariel and Dave G were in awe that there were 2 8 o’clocks in the day! We managed it and arrived at site with ½ hour to spare and waited for slack. It has to be added that this dive was an ‘experienced sports diver and above dive.’ I was buddied with Stella and as we descended the shot both of us lost hold of it on a few occasions but exhibiting good buddy skills we pulled each other back to the line and we got down. We were on the wrong side so I indicated ‘up, over and down’ and crossed my fingers that I made the right assessment that we would land in the lee of the current. This we more or less did as we were in a crescent which was teeming with life – a large common spider crab decorated with algae, sponges and hydroids – a true hippy amongst crustacea! Down at 30m bib, wrasse and pollack pottered together. Out of the lee, Ariel and Nick hung off the shot like a flag in hurricane Irene (gosh that’s topical!)

Back to base for a quick bite to eat and VRSAC split into 2 – boat recovery squad and team instructors. I relished the opportunity to do some instruction and started Andy Shenstone’s OD whilst Dave G finished off Graham’s Sport’s Diver drills. Me and Andy rounded a successful lesson with a gentle drift dive at Penlee Point and delighted in the spectacle of topknot, sponge crabs in snakelocks anemones and perhaps the most exhilarating of all, pollack hunting sand eels – one of the best dives so far.

With both boats out of the water, the long weekend was drawing to a close – not without the hard boat and another early morning beckoning. This time even earlier! Tuesday dawned – good job I prepped my video the evening before because as the alarm went off, it was still dark outside! I said the weather slowly got better over the days and today was probably the best day of all – brilliant sunshine and a flat calm sea. Just what seafaring travelers want on a long stretch out to Hands Deep.

Hands Deep was magnificent. Jewel anemones encrusted the rolling boulders in every colour imaginable. A lobster out in the open displayed no shyness towards Lesley and Steve.as it allowed its feelers to be felt! Again depth limited our bottom time. I really think nitrox would be a good investment for this trip!

Our final dive was Eddistone Lighthouse. The viz here wasn’t as good as the previous dive but life was probably more bountiful. Hundreds of sea fans, again I searched for seafan anemones to no avail but I did find a seafan nudi for Ariel. It was so small he couldn’t see it but decided to photograph it anyway as he thought there may be something important there! After a lovely day’s diving we headed home contented and looking forward to a curry. The weekend was a resounding success. Very relaxed with all pulling together in perfect harmony. I don’t know how you did it Steve, but what ever your magic ingredient was, bottle it up, slip it into the expedition pack and sprinkle liberally on all forthcoming outings

Rhoscolyn August 2011 – the difference between Club and Economy class!

2011-08-08T01:20:00.000-07:00

Wendy Northway

Dave sent out a request late last month for someone to run this weekend as it was a spare owing to 2 w/es chosen for the 30th anniversary celebrations. Newly qualified Sport’s Diver Paul D-L took up the challenge and proposed a return visit to what was such a successful w/e. Well that’s not quite the story, after a stab at Ysgaden but no one to launch, he opted for an old favourite and thus we found ourselves back at Rhoscolyn.

A hectic schedule was planned as we had 12 divers but only 1 boat thus broken fan belts were not an option. Broken fan belts? Oh yes, the first casualty of the day – the fan belt on Hursty’s 4x4 broke on route which left Hursty Major and Minor languishing in MacDonald’s car park for 2 hours. Could have been worse – they could have been vegetarians!

Chief purser Paul donned the Captains hat as he split team VRSAC into 2 groups – kit assembly subdivision and launch faction. The 2 teams worked remarkably quickly only allowing Steve’s car to rest on the beach for just under ½ a nanosecond and first boat was out heading for the Beacons in record quick time as the first pair logged a heads down at 9.34am. Carefully deciding which side was slack we opted for the nearside. I went in with Ron and found that for slack water, the stillness was fairly dynamic! The vis was not as good as we had experienced several weeks ago. I think we were in the middle of a plankton bloom brought on by the hazy sunshine we all enjoying. Poor the vis may have been, it did mean a wealth of nutrients for all the marine critters on which to thrive – and that they did! We were treated to a reef brimming with velvet swimming – and common spider – crabs all vying for their place amongst hornwrack, Indian feather hydroids and club sea squirts. Tiny sponge crabs lifted their fists in defiance as we swept over them. The sea bed changed to cobbles which hosted the starfish gathering! They were everywhere doing that lazy starfish thing that only 5 legged animals do! All 3 buddy pairs were swept over the far end of the beacons onto sand thus concluding the first wave of dives.

Arriving back at the beach, the second wave were ready to roll, but still no sign of the Hursties thus boat 2 enjoyed less cramped conditions than cattle class on boat 1! Was this Paul’s influence I wonder? Boat 2 returned to the Beacons but dived the farside, in the lee of the current. Ariel dived with Sarah who were also treated to echinoderm city and dahlia anemones in a spectacular range of colours. Back on land, StevenF discovered that drysuits aren’t necessarily always dry. Good job it was so sunny and his undersuit was able to air over the break.

Back to base for a short lunch break before the whole scene was repeated. 3rd boat was again the Beacons farside where I went in with Zoë and we were treated to the best dive ever at the Rhoscolyn (sorry Andy S – I know I said that about our dive last time but it has been superseded, I am fickle diver after all!) The current picked up on an ordinary dive which took us over the reef below the lookout. Nothing major stood out but he sheer energy was fantastic – we were swept over carpets of shredded carrot sponge, deadmens fingers and fried egg anemones. Pollack came and went and Zoë managed to point out a couple of cat shark! We only surfaced as we approached 20m, reaching the limits of Zoë’s qualification. DaveG dived with JohnA who managed a record 62 minutes under water spying 5 congers, 4 lobsters, 3 edibles, 2 octopod and a partridge in a pear tree. OK maybe not the last 2 but quite a spectacular dive!

Final boat out was launched at 3.15 and headed back to the Beacons (East Cheshire SAC were also at Rhoscolyn but not on our dive sites – are you telling me that there are other places to dive in the vicinity?) Ariel and Sarah dived together again and she successfully completed her 1st o/w sea drill before taking in the delights of the reef. Sarah also discovered that dry suits don’t always do what they say on the tin! To complete the Farnworth hat trick, Alan ripped his neck seal.

4 tidy launches with comfortable dives for all and the boat was back at the beach before 5pm – surely this isn’t VRSAC? The boat was out of the water and stripped down and we were away for 6. Team VRSAC done good!

Isle of Man – July 2011 - The Lighthouse Family

2011-07-27T02:39:00.000-07:00

Wendy Northway

I’ve been looking forward to this weekend since we stepped off the Mananan last year. I reckon Manx waters have to be the best in the world so nothing was going to stop me from going this year. The ferry out of Liverpool was bang on time and we loaded up Paul’s in flight catering trolley. Paul volunteered to supply half board for the party and as he loaded up Ariel’s car, I worried if we had room for the dive kit. How much can 8 divers eat?

Saturday was an early start – The Burroo. This is one of my favourite dives and I wasn’t disappointed. We landed on a rocky reef covered with oaten pipe hydroids which provided perfect food for the many nudibranchs – flabellina pedata, polycera quadrilinata – a truly wonderful array of colour! I dived with Ariel and both of us had cameras in macro mode – the smaller the species, the more interesting! Suddenly I looked up and realised we were surrounded by fish of all description – cuckoo wrasse characterised by their splendid blue and orange colouring, ballan wrasse with their distinctive white marking along their body and cat shark doing that swervy curvy swimming thing that only cat shark do! Getting back on the boat we heard tales of a friendly seal going from buddy pair to buddy pair. He probably visited us along with that passing basking shark but we had our noses pressed to the smallest of critters!

Back to the harbour for lunch on the beach. Paul quickly went to the galley and provided an incredible spread as the rest of us reclined in the warmth of the July sun. Ernie had delegated the task of ordering the weather to DaveG who did his job well. Lunch was a leisurely affair as we didn’t need to be out again until later as slack on the Lighthouse was late afternoon.

After lunch we reboarded and headed off for Chicken Rock. This is the lighthouse at the southern most tip on the Calf of Man consequently a very tidal spot rich in nutrient and profuse in life. The rock is also deep. Depth is quite a feature of the diving around here. Such is the clarity of the waters, the sunlight penetrates further than North Wales thus kelp is seen at up to 20m and we had to go below this to get out of the great forests. The terrain dropped away deceptively easily. Fantastic sea bed, very similar to this morning’s dive with fields of hydroids, walls of jewel anemones and large lobsters strutting their stuff out in the open. Once again a fine site to dive and Ernie racked up another Lighthouse to add to his collection.

The lateness of slack resulted in an even later finish and we still had to empty the boat. We were told that this was owing to the requests we had made and the timings of slack water meant that we weren’t diving until the following afternoon. We believe however, that the skipper was cashing in an extra fishing trip to add to his takings. Still this meant that we could enjoy a late night. The party split, the main group went to the Indian, well tried to. As they were a tad late, their table hadn’t been held and went off to the Cookery School instead. They enjoyed a truly scrumptious meal, all washed down with fine wine. Me and Ariel went to visit my Uncle where my cousin ‘Russelled’ up a fine bolognaise!

Sunday morning was a rare lie in for a dive weekend followed by brunch at the dive lodge courtesy of head chef Paul then a leisurely stroll to the boat for 2pm. First dive of the day was the Clan MacMaster, the ‘sewing machine’ wreck. This went down in 1923 with no loss of life. It was carrying a cargo of, amongst other items, sewing machines. Many a household on the island managed to acquire such a machine! For those that stayed on the wreck, they were treated to magnificent beams covered in deadmen’s fingers. The light infiltration was at it’s best as looking up provided optimum photographic opportunities. The rest of us were treated to a drift through the sound of Calf over the usual suspects –kelp, hydroids and lobster.

The final dive was planned to be North Stack but conditions were not ideal so we went round the corner from the Burroo, and dived The Puddle. This was again a stunning dive. Dropping down onto kelp covered rock which gave way to cluster anemones, then field upon field of plumose anemones. Once again I had my macro lens on the video but there was little opportunity to pull up and park as a gentle drift took us out in the Burroo itself. I wasn’t complaining as delicate sargatia troglodytes, actinothoe sphyrodeta and jewel anemones came into sight. No stop time limited out dive and thus we were up. It was very late now so we quickly packed up our kit, showered and headed off to Port Erin for a relaxing meal. Again we’ve experienced a magnificent weekend’s diving with great company, spectacular weather and enough food to fuel the 5000!

Rhoscolyn July 2011 – 30th anniversary celebrations

2011-07-14T00:54:00.000-07:00

Wendy Northway

As dawn arrived on Saturday morning, VRSAC were working hard in the car park at Rhoscolyn, prepping the 2 boats in glorious sunshine. Neptune must have been looking down on us as we anticipated a weekend’s diving to mark the Branch’s 30th anniversary celebrations. 1st boat out was to an old favourite – The Beacons. Lots of specific dives were requested this w/end and Dive Manager Stella strived to achieve all wishes. First down was Paul’s final drill for Sport’s Diver – SMB use. There was no shortage of instructors to coach him in this. Alan had his first boat dive in the UK as did Jamie. Visibilty was exceptional, particularly as when the poor weather we have experienced this year, was taken into consideration. I estimated about 10m – everyone concur? The current had picked up when me and Alan dropped in which took us on a mighty fine drift from the nearside of the Beacons to the Lookout! Unfortunately we quickly fell of the reef, but were whisked over large sand ripples, taking in spider crabs, sand eels and whole caravans of hermit crabs on the move. Others were treated to the delights of octopus, lobster, cat shark plus a lovely tapestry that made the background of hydroids, bryozoans and crustaceans.

As we arrived back, the Barbie was being lit and John A swapped his aqualung for a spatula. Jane and Val did us proud providing all with delicious delights of chicken, sausages and veggie burgers with copius quantities of crisp salads, buns and cheeses. Whilst this was going on, the 3 of the 4 junior Farnworths, did their 1st open water sea dive in Silver Sands Bay. A resounding thumbs up from all involved!

The afternoon saw the tide turn and thus we went over to conger alley which was rather depleted of congers, but crabs, wrasse, nudibranchs were abundant! The reef itself comprised a fabulous carpet of spiral bryozoans, elephant hide sponges and massive yellow boring sponges, which are really quite interesting.

The boat was quickly taken out of the water so we could get to the Valley in time for the meal. I suffered from the effects of the sun and unfortunately couldn’t join you but a good time was had by all.

Sunday morning and we were several divers down so we only took the one boat. First dive was a proper boat dive for the clan Farnworth, back on the Beacons. One by one they all expertly tumbled over the back of the RIB and descended to the delights of octopus, dahlia anemones, hornwrack and seasquirts! I dived with Andy Shenstone, who was really getting into the swing of boat diving and had probably the best dive on The Beacons in a long time. Conger, snakelocks anemones and pollack were plentiful.

A quick spot of lunch then we were out again. The final dive of the day and it was the hardy divers left as most had gone home. I was buddied with Ariel and on our initial attempt to dive we got swept away on a bearing for Isle of Man – no thank you, that’s next week’s plan! A quick scuttle into the boat we were dropped back on the reef and had a very pleasant dive, watching Pollack hunt sand eels. Dave and Steve persevered with their drift dive and were rewarded with a large ray.

Finally we hauled the boat out and packed up. A lovely w/e was had with good company, excellent weather and superior diving. Roll on the next 30 years!

Under Starters Orders!

2011-04-10T10:08:00.000-07:00

Wendy Northway

Grand National Day saw the usual suspects racing around Capernwray with a variety of activities! Steve Hopper initiated our newest member, Graeme Ireland, into the delights of diving with VRSAC with a whistle stop tour of the quarry in a a photo finish in less than 40 minutes. Meantime Alan and Paul DL started their Sport’s Diver drills hosted by Dave G and Ernie who were up and down more times than Macy’s Elevator on Christmas Eve as the students performed CBLs and kit jettisons. The latter not always scheduled as per SO1!

Meantime I had an awesome dive with Steven in the shallows. We were gently ambling along when all of a sudden I felt the reverberation of the water as a normally docile trout darted between us, followed by an almost tsunami wave of every size fish you can imagine! A couple of divers ahead of us had a packet of food and we found ourselves in the midst of a feeding frenzy. So OK it may not have been the Stuart Cove experience nor great whites, but it was here in front of us!

Mark and Ron eventually got their feet wet as Ron had a few problems clearing his ears – best to find out now rather than at Loch Fyne.

A quick turnaround was had, as DaveG was planning on making Ernie’s Eccy Delph boot-camp look like a stroll on the beach! The gang of four went back to blow up some delayeds whilst I went back in with Steven who unfortunately had trouble with his ears and didn’t manage to get down – stay safe and not push it, live to dive another day. Not sure where Steve and Graeme went this time, no doubt circumnavigated the quarry in record time!

After refilling cylinders and divers’ tummies, a change around in pairings saw me initiating Alan and Paul into the dark art of compass navigation. Both divers managed to successfully complete orienteering underwater which was rather satisfying to know, should I ever catch a plane with Alan at the helm! We ended the dive by watching the trout in the shallows. Not quite as manic as earlier with Steven, but very relaxing as they darted in front of us. Paul got the first recorded finger wagging of the season as he threatened to get his knife out and take one home for the barbie! Whilst this was going on, Ernie and DaveG were elevator boys again as Steve completed an Advanced Diver drill.

A winning day was had by all with open water dives and drills successfully completed on what I believe to have been the hottest day of the year so far. The water was cool but because the surface temp was so warm, we were able to complete more than would have usually have been done this time of year. Thanks to DaveG for organising and to all who attended.

Vivian Night Dive - ghosties, ghoulies and long legged beasties!

2010-11-02T02:43:00.000-07:00

It was a fine day when we left Winsford at about 1.30pm but as soon as we crossed the border into that little micro climate that is Wales, the heavens opened! Poor Sue Dewhirst who had come as shore cover and looking forward to a nice clear night would now experience a wetter evening than her rowing duties that morning!

Whilst it was still light we did an orientation dive and I was pleasantly surprised with the vis. Considering the time of day and the amount of rain (and I mean serious rain!) I thought it would be pretty poor but no, the quarry was very clear, maybe 10m vis?

We started by honing our buoyancy by going along the 6m wire, then we descended to the bottom and had a little reccie. Chester SAC had already started laying a route – chemiluminesence sticks adorned the bottom providing a colourful pathway, almost like Hansel and Gretel’s bread trail, but there was no gingerbread house at the end. Once we were happy and got our money’s worth, we curtailed the dive in anticipation of the main event.

The rain was so heavy that inbetween dives we sat in our cars, frantically trying to stop shivering as we ate our sandwiches! Plenty of other divers were about and they all dressed the part – skeleton bone costumes, witches hats, devil horns and then there was Ernie, Alan and me!

The dive proper – at just past 7.30 the gang of three entered the water. A large spotlight had been erected at the waters edge, without which it was pitch black. I always find Vivian a bit gloomy at the best of times as it surrounded by high slate walls. Our descent was illuminated by a LED rope light, which had a mystical quality to it, provided by Chester SAC - when Chester do a night dive, they do it in style!

We followed what we’d done on the orientation dive. Along the 6m wire, then descending to the bottom. There was a very peaceful and calming atmosphere in the gloom which our torches brightly lit up and provided a warm glow. I imagined this was very like cave diving must be like. I found the orientation dive very helpful even though I had dived Vivian a gazillion times before as it served as a reminder and also gave an indication of what the conditions would be like.

Alan was first to spot an eel – he was lucky enough to see it full length. I only glimpsed its head as it shot into the leaf mould. Still counts nonetheless! We headed back to our point of entry, past the mystical rope light then to the far end where we could hear the generator going – surges in the power as the more sensible amongst us were in the warmth watching Strictly! All too soon, we reached 50bar and thus we started to ascend. Hold on a moment, why’s it gone dark – the mystical rope light had mysteriously vanished! On surfacing, the only light visible was the glow of Sue’s iphone! Chester had taken all their lights! Luckily we had our torches to guide us back to the car park where Chester were tucking into a well earned barbeque. As I said, they do night dives in style! A lovely couple of dives were had providing something a little different from the norm which I would highly recommend for expanding experience. Any takers for next year?

Wendy Northway

Loch Long - Line Dancing in Wellington Boots!

2010-10-26T07:31:00.000-07:00

The van left Winsford on a rainy Friday afternoon heading north for a late visit to Loch Long. VRSAC usually go up early in the year when the air is crisp and the mountain peaks white. October was no different – the rain was wet and the glens snowy! We seemed to go through a time warp as we arrived at our accommodation to find the1970s were alive and kicking with line dancing as the bar entertainment. Goldilocks Northway explored the chambers to find a suitable bed for the night as the boys tapped their feet to the C&W.

Saturday morning we rose early and set off for the caves. I had never done this dive before but heard about the entry. There have been outlandish tales as to the severity of access to this site which I would love to share but I took the blood brothers pact to never, on pain of death, divulge the nature of Steve’s Assault Course SDC. Suffice to say with a hop, skip and a jump, we all made it down the fairy glen. Mark provided shore cover as he felt a sniffle coming on. The dive was stunning. Not so much caves but large boulders plastered with delicate sea loch anemones, topped with plumose anemones on the ridges. Squat lobsters hid in fissures flanked by leopard spotted gobies. As it can be imagined, this was a popular spot with fishermen and there was plenty of monofilament present. Ariel had to free an edible crab which was tied up. As he freed the poor creature, it tried to take a swipe at his saviour – so much for gratitude! Getting cold – water temperature around about the 10ºC so a quick scramble out and back to the warmth of the Pit Stop Diner for a hot chocolate and a plate of chips.

The afternoon dive was a choice of Conger Alley, an old favourite, which despite its name, there are no congers (do you see a pattern emerging here?) or a reccie on a different spot. Ernie had a few thoughts and we opted for a new site – let’s just call it Ammo Alley in order to protect the individuals involved! A very easy entry was afforded and the terrain much the same as this morning, shallow mussel beds giving way to a gentle gravel slope reaching down to larger boulders with a thin covering of pink encrusting algae and keel worms. Common starfish and dog whelks grazed the turf whilst gold sinney and ballan wrasse swam around –again this was a popular fishing spot, evident by the discarded fishing line and the tinnies. Once more the cold curtailed the dive and this is where we put into practice the second half of Steve’s Assault Course SDC as we scrambled back up the bank. Loading the van which was parked next to a puddle, the lads weren’t laughing at my ’choice’ of footwear now – wellies which were the only comfy footwear I could don after a minor procedure on my toe.

A very pleasant evening was had at the Village Inn for some warming comestibles and refreshing beer then retiring back to the Hotel for some more diddly-eye music before hitting the hay.

Sunday morning and a lie in (breakfast served at 9am!). Eventually DaveG got his fayre and after scraping the windscreen we were off to the A frames. Our party had expanded to 10 as we were joined by the Farnworth clan who had the delights of their first UK open water dive. The site was busy with many divers but we were able to get in without any problems. Lesley expertly navigated out over a gravelly seabed. Tiny gobies darted beneath us and small spider crabs hopped over the sugar kelp. Finally we found the A frames, or a selection of them at least. More dog whelks, oaten pipe hydroids and squirts adorned the section. Massive hermit crabs inhabited old whelk shells as 2 spot gobies flitted here and there. We also spied a magnificent feather star reclining over an empty shell. Again cold got to us and Lesley once again followed the lodestone bearing back to base.

Dave and Ernie finished the 3 dive expo with a fourth dive then we all piled in the van and headed off to Helensburgh for a well deserved hot chocolate and cheese toastie before heading back to Winsford. Lovely company and some good diving was had. Music choices by some of the drivers left a bit to be desired but I think I’ll put my name down for next year! Wendy

Capernwray Oct 2010 - Harold and Hilda go diving!

2010-10-10T07:22:00.000-07:00

An extra expedition was squeezed into the dive calendar as Ariel wanted to test his brand spanking new suit, a suit that I was very lucky to win earlier this year. Why didn’t I get the suit you may ask, because I had won one the year before! So in matching suits Wendy and Ariel AKA Harold and Hilda took to the waters.

First dive, Team Compass, Wendy and Dave Humphries circumnavigated the quarry with only a compass to guide them, successfully finding most of the set points, and finding the remainder with pilotage (allowed in my books!). A very successful exercise was carried out, which included air checks and contingency routes if air consumption was greater than anticipated. However with Dave’s increasing confidence now as a qualified Sports Diver, these weren’t needed but it always good to go through these calculations!

The other pair, Team Visibility, Paul and Ariel had a novel objective – to estimate visibility in the quarry. Taking a leaded line, this was attached to an object – say the helicopter container and then unwound as the pair swam away from the object. They would then turn when it was out of sight and reel in until just in view. The pair estimated what they thought the vis to be then proceeded to reel in whilst measuring the line with length of string that had been marked at 0.5, 1 and 2 metre increments. This was done at 2 different locations and the results were quite amazing. Both divers had under estimated the vis – first estimate Ariel reckoned 12m, Paul reckoned only 10m. When the distance was measured they were both stunned by an incredible 16m! Second site having the experience of the first they were less conservative. Ariel guessed 8-9m whereas Paul surmised 12m. Actual distance 12.5m! Top marks to newly qualified Ocean Diver Paul!

However the question on everyone’s lips was – did Ariel enjoy a dry dive? Answer was a resounding YES! Well apart from the dry gloves bit, just need to RTFM to get to grips with the proper attachment. Oh and I have to add, because the suit is a neoprene as oppose to his old membrane, he needed to do a weight check. An amazing extra 6kg was required. No more lifting that weight belt with 1 hand!

After a quick bite to eat and keeping the same pairings, we then swapped objectives. Dave and Wendy did the visibility check with very similar results as Ariel and Paul, although we were more conservative with our estimates. Both of us were astounded with the actual readings. Ariel and Paul went on a compass mission. Both teams returned, remarking how the objects under water seemed to move around!

Diving over for the day, we headed up to the café for a coffee and a bowl of chips. The weather was unusually warm for the time of year and the water a pleasant 16ºC. The quarry was a bit like diver soup at times, seems a large number of trainees were undergoing open water drills. Home for a DVD, pizza and bottle of wine – perfect ending for a perfect day. Thanks to all who made it so.

Wendy Northway

Plymouth Red Card District - August Bank Holiday 2010

2010-09-06T07:55:00.000-07:00

Friday morning with the boats been launched the night before we set off for the the first dive of the day. I believe the choice was either the Scylla or the James Egan Layne. No one opted for the JEL thus we went off looking for the Scylla. We really must remember next year that this wreck is situated on the cardinal buoys. I dived this with Alice and when I first went down, I thought we might have been on the JEL as the life on it was now getting quite profuse. The vis wasn’t the best I’d seen, the has been a lot of complaints about dredging and dumping in Cawsand Beach. It is easy to see why and I felt the delicate life here was being suffocated. A swift return to base, off load the cylinders and run them round in a DaveG trolley (I’m sure he made bogey carts as nipper!) we then headed off to the Mewstones. This dive sure made up for the morning. I again dived with Alice and we had a spectacular dive. It was one of those dives where you start out thinking – just where has the cox’n dropped me! 26m and a sandy bottom but as we progressed, we saw chimney sponges poking their heads out of the sediment as sand eels danced above, glistening in our torch light. Heading north we happened upon the reef which mimicked the Mewstone itself. As someone once said, look at the topography above the water and thus it will be reproduced below. A low lying reef with shallow gulleys was home to cuckoo wrasse sea fans, cup corals, and large yellow sponges, cliona celata.

Saturday we traipsed over to Hisea Point. This is probably my favourite spot and I opted to extend my dive by using nitrox. Plenty of seafans which gently bent in the current. Finger sponges pointed to the surface, I found a charming bunch of yellow cluster anemones which I managed to film before my camera packed up then just as we rested a while taking in the splendour, a fine cuttle fish came into view. He hung around for a while before doing that weird colour changing thing that only decapods know how to do and scooted off. A sight to behold! Rock cook shoaled mingling with the cuckoo wrasse producing a vibrant curtain of electric blue and jaffa orange. Even on nitrox, no stop time looms quickly and thus it was time to re-board the boat. Afternoon dive was a return visit to Mewstones. I dived with Nick who did his ‘hide from the dive leader’ trick that has us DLs in stitches everytime. A quick 360 and we were reunited. The spot we’d chosen was rather different from yesterday, a little less prolific and we were carried out away from the reef towards France. We continued to drift over pebbles and cobbles. The odd cerianthus anemone and cat shark held our interest until we spied the largest red gurnard ever! Must have been all of 12 – 15” long. Again we were foiled by no stop time. The vis here is marvelous but to get below the kelp line, we had to venture to depths in excess of 20m thus limiting our dives.

Sunday was the big day for the rufty-tufty divers amongst us. The Drop Off! This had been sited the day before after an initial recce by Ernie and Lesley, but today was the day the majority of us we going to dive it. A plateau at 28m, densely populated with pink sea fans preceded an intensely covered wall. Several pairs swam through a massive shoal of bib and the light was fantastic even at 30+m. Colours, shapes and textures were beyond he wildest dreams but once again no stop time hastened the dives. The afternoon saw us head off the other side of the breakwater to Penlee Point. This was a dive I was not looking forward to. I’d done it several times and had experienced poor vis with little to see. However, a dive’s a dive and DaveG and I kitted up. As it turns out, the dive was lovely. We found ourselves in the nursery ground for spotted gobies. A host of small fry clouded the waters, sand mason worms branched out of the gravel, fine bispira voluptacornis posed like flowers in a vase and I saw vivid colours I’d never seen before in the sunstar squirt, botrylus schlosseri . I also found, what I believed to be a lead fishing weight, neatly fashioned into a sort of, well as I come to describe it, torpedo shape. Ariel would like that for his lead collection, I thought as I loaded it into the cargo pocket on my leg. First thing DG said to me on surfacing was ‘collecting live ammunition eh?’ A couple of conversations with ex swabbies Ernie and Steve convinced me that the thing was going to blow my leg off along with the RIB and thus, much to their chagrin, I chucked it back to sea. Well it would have gone into JohnM’s melting pot and as they have just changed their carpets, I don’t think I would want that on my conscious!

Monday, our last day on the RIB we ventured further along the coast to Stoke Point where we all experienced a gentle surge. All found this rather pleasant as the current rocked us first backwards then forwards to recap on what we missed! After a brief trip ashore for lunch and the vain attempt to find somewhere private for, well nature calls! The afternoon dive was somewhat challenging! East Rutts, a pinnacle back towards Hilsea Point which we didn’t quite get on slack water! Steve did his utmost to control the SMB but it pulled us one direction then another, neither of which we wanted to go! After 24 minutes we decided to call it a day – we’d had a lovely dive in the morning and still had the hard boat tomorrow – why ruin it? Made our way back to shore via Bovisand to get cylinders filled – did I say that Discovery Divers compressor went down yesterday – probably the busiest day of the year!

Final day – hard boat diving with Glynn on the Maid Maggie 2. The weather looked good so we it was ideal to do Eddistone Lighthouse. A gentle crossing in bright sunlight brought us to our site. I dived with Lesley who expertly navigated us to the wall. We had worked hard this weekend and this was our reward. Vis was in excess of 15m – clear waters and light down to at least 30m. Jewel anemones covered the walls, seafans adorned various pockets and as always, cuckoo wrasse followed us everywhere with the odd pollack darting in and out! Once again, no stop time limited our dives and we found ourselves on the lift getting back into the boat. Did I mention that the boat had a lift rather than a ladder – this is hard boat diving in style! Quick lunch then we headed off towards Hands Deep. Steve had been waiting several years to get here but had so far been thwarted by the weather. Hands Deep is a kelp covered pinnacle with fingers jutting out forming a magnificent structure around which to gently meander. I dived with Paul and it was good to see his confidence growing as he looked at home in the sea. Once again we ran out of no stop time and it was time to surface, finishing good and early in time to get ready for the last night out.

A thoroughly enjoyable trip with excellent diving and the best buddies! Banter was light hearted as our welfare officer took it in good humour to issue us with red and yellow cards when the conversation got a tad risqué! Same again next year?

Wendy Northway

Capernwray Aug 14 - Old Trout and Limp Balloons

2010-08-15T07:41:00.000-07:00

Force 4+ winds saw a last minute change from the Llyn Peninsula to our favourite standby of Capernwray quarry. Although we arrived in good time, our prefered spot to the left of the entrance had already been taken – no matter, we got the last laugh as the concrete blocks closer to the shore were available – result!

First lesson of the day – regular servicing of equipment is recommended! Nick’s octopus was making noises very much like a cow giving birth. Steve tried various combinations to fix the problem but to no avail, Nick headed off to the shop to hire a set whilst Wendy went through surface compass work with Dave. Comments of a Northway teaching navigation were quickly dismissed as Dave expertly found his way from the bin to the old oak tree, and back again!

2 x threes were the first dive – Wendy, Dave and Nick who were on a navigational mission to plot the quarry – well the helicopter and the horses. Dave undeterred by the rising terrain, carried on til he found his object. Some more successfully than others! The second 3, Steve Paul and Ron started their dive with a weight check for Ron who was now sporting a pony. Weights sorted, this intrepid 3 headed off towards the latest attraction of the plane. Paul, after locating the nearest exit illuminated by floor lighting (no, sorry, I made that bit up) made his way to the galley and started to serve 400 lunches for irate business class passengers (no sorry, made that one up aswell!)

2 teams had very enjoyable and successful dives. The compass team managed to find their way back to the shore and the fly-divers enjoyed their in-dive entertainment. After a quick bite to eat, Wendy and Dave learnt how to find their way around the car park using a distance line and plastic cones. This was then taken under water and he successfully managed to negotiate the paddock where the horses were. On a roll Wendy demo-ed how not to deploy a DSMB. Perfect student that he was, Dave imitated Wendy’s deployment to the letter. Both divers need to go back to school for this one – sorry Dave! Paul dived again with Steve and had a good crack at navigation whilst the lads Ron and Nick just enjoyed a dive for the sake of it! Water temperature was a balmy 17°C with barmy Nick and Ron opting to go in without hoods.

A very successful day was had – several drills accomplished, a couple of divers who had not been in the water for a while managed to find their dive legs again, all divers continued to gain experience. The weather was lovely – sunny skies but not too hot and the day was rounded off back in the café with something chocolately – perfect end to a perfect day! Thanks for all attending without whom it would never have happened!

Wendy

Rhoscolyn dive weekend ~ Sat 31st July & Sun 1st August

2010-08-01T06:17:00.000-07:00

This weekend saw us diving one of our old favourite dive sites, Borth Wen (aka Rhoscolyn) in Anglesey! This is a lovely bay and the Rhoscolyn Beacons make for some beautiful (and sometimes thunderous drift) diving! It’s a site we’ve been diving pretty much since the branch started over 25 years ago!

We managed to dive both Saturday and Sunday with around 12 divers in attendance despite a heavy swell between the beacons and Rhoscolyn on the Saturday. The weather improved as the weekend went on. Underwater viz at around 4 metres and 15’c temperatures under the waves.

Primarily conducting training dives this weekend but still managed to catch glimpses of Dog fish, bull huss, spider crabs and lots of lobsters! Dave H even managed to catch one (but let it loose again… Honest!).

Congratulations to Zoe who completed her Ocean Diver qualification (Zoe has been coming here with her parents since being a toddler and finally managed to tick off one of her ‘must dive’ sites).

Thanks to everyone who helped with the training on both days (Clive also got some rescue drills out of the way) and to Dave G for organising a fab weekend!

DH

24 July 2010 – PorthYsgaden – Travelling at the speed of light!

2010-07-28T07:46:00.000-07:00

Got up early Saturday morning to glorious sunshine in Winsford – just perfect for diving Ysgaden. When it’s sunny it’s a glorious place. When it rains it’s miserable. As we drove over the hills in thick mist, I had to put the lights on – this doesn’t bode well I thought. To coin a phrase, when it rains at Ysgaden, it’s miserable,!

Still the RIB was prep’d and off we went. The sea was rolling and rain pelting down. The sooner we get there, the better I thought. The cox’n dropped us directly on the reef and we enjoyed delights of lobster strolling along on the sea bed, octopus, potato crisp bryozoans and oodles of cat shark! The vis was superb – at least 6-7m, water warm at about 15 degrees C and just a mild and gentle drift, no greater than 1 knot. 55 minutes later we got back into the boat

Lunch time I ventured down to the beach to take up the beach art challenge, but it was too wet and miserable so I went back to the car for a snooze.

After a brief kip, the rain hadn’t subsided so there was only one thing for it – to go out diving again! Once more, the cox’n dropped us square upon the reef and the usual suspects greeted us. By this arvo, the tide had picked up and there was no stopping! More cat sharks, common spider crabs, tiny macropodia crabs and an explosion of sea hares! Steve even spotted a bull huss – fantastic!

All too soon, the day was over and the sun finally came out. A wonderful day’s diving and hey, what’s a bit of rain when you can have the delights of the Llyn peninsula’s finest reef!

Wendy

Abersoch - the dive! 12-13 June 2010

2010-06-14T08:20:00.000-07:00

Last minute reprieve as Andrew kindly agreed to tow meant this weekend was on! Dave Humphreys and myself arrived at the Harbourmaster’s side of the marina in good time – only to find there had been a last minute change of plan and we were due to meet Blue Water Marina side. No problem, we were early and drove round. We were, as the crow flies, about 100m away from where we should have met, but a stretch of that pesky water stood in our way, and instead, it was a 1.5 mile car journey to meet up with the rest of the gang.

We quickly set about prep-ing the RIB and called for a tractor launch. After what seemed like an eternity, we were off towards St Tudwall’s. This journey was quite colourful as Hursty major negotiated the wind and waves. Good job we were wearing drysuits otherwise we would have been soaked through! First dive, I dived with Hursty minor (Zoe) at a lovely spot called Pistyll Cim. It was a sandy bottom flanked by a rich kelp forest. Common spider crabs lived up to their name in that they were armies of them. They traipsed across the sands as if the owned the sea. Who knows, perhaps they did – I wasn’t going to argue with biceps like theirs! Zoe glimpsed a masked crab which has been on my tick list for some years now so I was rather excited at that. Also noted was a stickleback – only the second one I’ve ever seen, the other coincidently was at Abersoch. A shoal of bream seemed to follow us on our way, before we decided to take off with the current and have a little drift dive to finish on.

Paul dived with Hursty major and spied cat sharks, pipe fish, sand eels, snakelocks anemones. At a last minute change of plan, (seems to be a bit of a theme running here) Andrew and Dave Humphreys also went in here. Which left Dave G and John A who trekked over to St Tudwell’s when we all surfaced. As we battled the crossing, hoping we would be in the lee of wind, dolphins were spotted. At St Tud’s seals sunned themselves on the rocks, a couple dived in, whetting the appetite for the last pair. Lobster, conger and edibles were seen.

It was late by the time we got back to base. Couldn’t decide what to do first – I was hungry, dying for a wee and I wanted to get out of my drysuit! After some lunch (by which time it was approaching 4pm) most of the crew didn’t want to dive again, as it was a lovely day, despite the wind, wanted to spend time with family on the beach. However, both Hursty major and myself were up for another dive. Hursty had fancied diving Gimblet Rock, the entrance to the harbour. We quickly relocated ourselves to the other side of the Marina and donned kit. Avoiding the fishermen we submerged ourselves into a lovely little dive. Sandy bottom again with mermaid tresses waving gently in the current. Pipefish once more were spied, along with scallops (too small for the pot, pls Hursty), dragonet, common spider crabs. As we turned back we found a superb low lying reef in about 1.8m of water. Flat fish, mussel beds, shoaling fish were all seen, amongst the varied seaweeds. I was also impressed that for a site which was so close to the shore, there was very little litter. It was remarkably clean. Sadly we had to surface – my lift wanted to get back for the footie!

Sunday morning the crew again dived Gimblet Rock but this time from the RIB. The dives recorded were seriously approaching safety stop depths! I believe 5.7m was recorded!

A lovely weekend was had by all. The weather was kind to us and the wind just about allowed us to dive and get wet. Many thanks to the collective Hurstys for organising and for Andrew for towing and paperwork

Wendy Northway

Isle of Man 22-23 May - two legs good, three legs better!

2010-05-25T02:01:00.000-07:00

The weekend started early on Friday morning – some had earlier starts than others VRSAC had two different passages across to the island – the early starters aboard the good ship Bryher, captained by Admiral Dewhurst, others took the more leisurely Seacat from Liverpool. The motley crew aboard Blackbeard’s yacht had the last laugh as they had a good run beating their expected travel time down from 12 to 8 hours allowing them time for a curry then down the local for a couple of pints. All this and Clive was able to keep facebookers updated as he mapped the progress downloading from his blackberry (giving up the ciggies, I guess he had to do something with his hands!)

The high energy dive sites of the Isle of Man are richly fed by the currents that race around the Island. These tides can be very fast and thus it is important to dive them on slack water otherwise divers can find themselves in either Scotland or Ireland! Time and tide wait for no man and thus Ariel was pained to realise that he couldn’t have a lie in – Saturday morning started with a 7.30 pick up! We loaded to the boat Endeavour and headed off towards the Calf of Man to our first site – Bay Fine. This was a site I hadn’t dived before, a magnificent wall covered in deadmens fingers. Alice and I caught sight of the full length of a ling in a long fissure. Steve found an octopus, others had splendid first dives as wrasse and pollock swam around us. We reboarded the diveboat very easily on a lift system – no climbing ladders for us and hot teas and coffees were very quickly made available for us

The next dive was at the highly charged Buroo. This was probably my favourite dive of the weekend. This is right on the tip of the Calf of Man were the currents sweep nutrient rich seas. John Sweetman and I descended through comb jellies to a carpet of oatenpipe hydroids in full bloom. Gulleys were pasted with deadmens fingers, jewel anemones, Devonshire cup corals and other cnidarians. A stunning sight to behold! Unfortunately I had a problem with my suit inflate and had to abort the dive early and only managed 23 minutes, but what a 23 minutes! Getting back on the boat one of the locals who joined us had actually seen a basking shark underwater. We weren’t sure whether to believe him or not – his buddy hadn’t seen it (how can you miss a fish the size of a whale?) and although he had a camera with him, he didn’t take a photo (ok he had a macro lens on, but he could have snapped its eye)

Saturday evening, we went our separate ways, I met up with my Uncle who now lives on the island and the boys went for a curry. When we met up Sunday morning it appeared that the curry was lying heavy. Dave George had tripled his antacid dosage and it wasn’t yet 8 o’clock! We loaded the Endeavour again and headed out for the Fairy Caves. I had a rare chance to dive with Ariel and we enjoyed going in and out of the caves. Large boulders flanked the outside of the caves as Pollock and wrasse weaved their way in and out of the kelp forests. Inside, we were treated to vertical walls covered in hydroids, anemones, red seaweeds, urchins, red and yellow sponges. The whole scheme was a 1970’s wallpaper at its most garish!

All to quickly the last dive approached – The Clan McMaster in the Sound of Calf. I dived with Alice again and we caught a brief glimpse of the wreck before we were taken by the express train that was a drift, taking us over carpets of bryozaon, anemones and hydroids. We were swept into kelp at 5m and thus ended the dive all too early. As we surface, a horde of seals dived straight into the waters around us, thus giving us the perfect ending to a most enjoyable dive!

The weekend was going to end at the Indian, the only eating establishment open on the Island on a Sunday evening, but the lads had curried themselves out – instead, we gathered a Chinese takeaway and some beers and it was back to Captain Dewhurst’s boat, via the magnificent rowing skills of first mate Alice. A pleasurable evening was had as we watched the sun setting over Port St Mary

A marvelous weekend of diving was had by all. Good weather and pleasant company was enjoyed by all and I hope that it isn’t too long before we return to this my favourite dive location

Porth Ysgaden ~ 3rd May 2010

2010-05-03T06:46:00.000-07:00

The planned Bank holiday weekend trip to Largs in Scotland was rearranged due to lack of numbers to become a very well attended one day trip to Porth Ysgaden on the Llyn Penninsular in North Wales. Diving just on the Saturday which lived up to far better weather than had been predicted by the weathermen!

Under cloudy skies but on a slight sea surface we motored out on both Ribs to Maen Melt, about a 40 minute trip from Porth Ysgaden, to dive the rocks and gulley’s there. Arrived just on slack water which is an essential to dive this location and were rewarded with 2 to 3 meter visibility and bright waters down to the 21 meter deep sea bed. Lots of spider crabs, sponges, dead men’s fingers and an unusually large number of Nudi Branches! Andy and Dave H even found an ivory chip, a remnant of the wreck of the Lucy!

Returning from Maen Melt the skies cleared somewhat to give some good sunshine. Ernie and Paul dropped into the bay at Porth Ysgaden and during lunch Dave G & John dropped on to the reef for a drift dive which was 'nothing to write home about' by all accounts.

A second full team dive on the reef towards the back end of the afternoon however gave much better results. Three pairs of divers dropped fairly shallow (15 meters) and closer in to the shore and covered by one of the RIBs didn’t move a great deal. Ernie and Alice covered by the other RIB dropped in to deeper water in a couple of knots of drifting water back towards Maen melt and had an excellent dive, again in only a couple of meters visibility, covering over half a mile in 30 minutes or so but encountering dog fish, Red Gurnard, Crabs of many varieties, etc. It has to be said that there was excited chat all round on both boats as to how good the dive had been on the return to shore.

A beautiful sunset wrapped up another great day’s diving!

Many thanks to Dave G for organising :-)

DH

Rhoscolyn dive weekend ~ 17th April 2010

2010-04-17T06:40:00.000-07:00

A one day dive trip to one of our favourite haunts of Rhoscolyn on the North West of Anglesey. A nice sunny day even if there was a bit of a chill wind! With two dives conducted…

Dive 1 the Beacons, poor vis, John A landed on an octopus. As we dived, Ernie and Andrew went through deploying a shot which they would later dive.
Dive 2 under the observation point on Anglesey between Rhoscolyn and Treaddur bay. Wendy and James had a really lovely dive, vis a bit better than earlier and saw an octopus, lobster and cat shark!

DH

Loch Fyne Easter Bank Holiday Dive Weekend ~ 2nd to 5th April 2010

2010-04-06T15:42:00.000-07:00

Our first long weekend boat diving of the year took place this weekend at our usual Easter haunt of Loch Fyne, basing ourselves at Argyll caravan park a couple of miles South of the Royal Burgh of Inveraray.

Following a heavy early Spring snowfall which threatened to call off the weekends diving, twelve divers plus families and two of our RIBS made the six hour journey up from Cheshire to start diving on Good Friday and well worth the journey it was!

First dive of a sunny Friday morning was at Pennymore Point. Steeply shelving under water cliffs where you can pretty much pick your own dive depth down to 100mtr plus! The waters whilst a chilly 7'c were quite clear (circa 10 metre viz) and bright even down to 25 mtrs or so.

Marine life here is abundant with various star fish (sun star, spiney, cushion star, etc.), squat lobsters, urchins, anemones and dead mens fingers.

The cold waters meant for fairly short dive times (circa 30 mins max) and fairly long thawing out times!

Second dive of Friday after lunch was to Kenmore Point (the opposite end of the same cliff system as Pennymore Point) much the same marine life but just as rewarding a dive if ever so slightly spoiled by rubbish dumped off the cliffs into the depths! This dive is mostly a cliff wall dive down to around 27mtrs before hitting a steeply shelving mud bank down to the depths of the Loch.

Easter Saturday and after some initial drizzle another sunny day. Saturday's first dive was to one of the most spectacular dive sites the Loch has to offer... Stallion Rock! A rock pinnacle along the Kenmore to Pennymore cliffs that rises from 35 mtrs to just break the surface at low water. Another sheer cliff dive with a small cavern at the base, the roof of which is smothered in blue sponge and adorned with feather worms. Urchins, squat lobsters, etc along the drop off.

Saturday afternoon post lunch and another dive along the cliffs for those warm enough!

Easter Sunday morning after Easter Eggs we took the 45 minute trip down the Loch in the RIBS to find and dive Creggan Dubh on the opposite side of the Loch. Another stunning dive site of boulders and reef down to 25 mtrs+ with wrasse, conga eels, urchins and the ever present squat lobster!

Sunday afternoon and a split of opinion! One RIB heads for Loch Shira a 'marmite' kind of dive site (you either love it or hate it!) and home to the very rare pachycerianthis or 'fireworks' anemonae which for some reason is profuse here in depths from around 18 mtrs. One of our divers, Phoebe, has produced a video on previous dives to this site which can be seen here ~ http://www.youtube.com/user/PhoebeSparke#p/u/4/QsAYdNmu0cY

The other RIB (the marmite haters ;-) heads back to Stallion Rock for a more traditional Loch fyne dive!

All divers meet up Sunday evening however for the traditional get together in 'The George' pub in Inverarary for drinks, eats and swapping of dive stories!

Bank Holiday Monday unfortunately brought torrential rain :-(
So much so that those who hadn't already set off home for Cheshire decided to shelter in the warmth of the caravans and camper vans rather than dive again, which was a dampner in more ways than one to end an otherwise excellent weekend!

So... All in all another fantastic dive weekend at one of our much loved dive sites... Can't wait to dive there again! Many thanks to Stella for taking on the unenviable task of organising the trip!

DH

Loch Long Dive Weekend ~ 6th & 7th March 2010

2010-03-08T15:06:00.000-08:00

This weekend saw the dive season kick off in earnest for Vale Royal Sub-Aqua Club with our first full weekend’s diving of the year (and Sea diving at that!).

Eight divers (Dave G, Ernie, Lesley, Clive, Steve, Zoe, Dave H, Andrew and family) made the five hour journey from Cheshire up to Arrochar on a bright and sunny Saturday morning, 6th March for what has become our annual dive trip to Loch Long in Scotland.

We arrived about noon’ish in Arrochar at the head of Loch Long and after a quick coffee at the Pit Stop diner, made our way to ‘the Caves’ for our first dive of the day. The Caves is a great dive over steeply shelving rocks and huge boulders covered with a profusion of anemones, dead men’s fingers, Sea squirts, tube worms and other soft corals. There are also quite a few wrasse swimming around and crabs and squat lobsters tucked away in the rock crevices. Depths quickly drop away to 30-40 metres plus, so not really a dive for our trainees. The dive site entry is also a bit of a scramble down the side of a bridge and along a brook under the bridge and down in to the Loch but once in the water the site is such that it is probably worth the trip in itself!

There is usually a halocline at this site as the fresh water from the stream hits the sea water and sits on top of it causing a ‘blurring effect’. With the amount of water run off from the mountains at this time of year from the melting snow along with the detritus carried down it also made for quite a cold (7’c) dark dive with torches being essential. Never-the-less, once below the halocline, the sea water was relatively clear (if dark) and made for a really nice dive!

After lunch at the Pit Stop diner, we ventured around the other side of the Loch on the road up to ‘Rest and be thankful’ for Ernie and Dave H to dive again taking in Clive and Zoe at a site known locally as ‘Conga Alley’. The slope is much more gradual and depths shallower here (typically around 20 metres) and for once we found the fabled rocky reefs that we have missed at previous attempts at this site! Again quite a cold and dark dive but still a nice one with lots of scurrying hermit crabs, swimming crabs and the odd soft coral. Ernie and Clive even saw a Conga Eel!

Off to the bar after the dive to thaw out a little with a beer to swap dive tales and catch up with friends Rob and Shona who came to cheer us on… A quick wash and brush up at the Lochside Guest house B&B and off for traditional Scottish fare of haggis, neaps and tatties washed down with a few more beers (and soft drinks for the younger members of the group ;-) at the nearby Village Inn.

Sunday morning, 7th March saw a subdued start and with air temperatures down to 5’c from the previous days 10’c much less enthusiasm to dive after the full Scottish breakfast… But dive we did (it is a dive weekend after all)!

At 10.30am (must be close to a record for Vale Royal) we were heading in to the water again, this time at the ‘A frames’ at Finnart which is the site of a now demolished pier on the South side of the Loch. A gradual slope and shallow depths make this a popular local training site and whilst there was quite a large gathering of divers there already when we arrived, underwater visibility although dark was still good. Beneath the surface there are boulders and metal wreckage from the old pier which attract lots of hermit, swimming and spider crabs. Also lots of star fish, urchins, dead men’s fingers, Sea snails and prawns (which must have meant Conga eels too but we didn’t seem to see any of those). With bone chilling temperatures and cold wet gear from the previous days diving, dive times were kept pretty short for all of us (circa 30 mins) but another nice dive all the same.

Off to the Tea room in Helensburgh to thaw out once again over soup and sandwiches, a team photo on the sea front and then homeward bound after a great dive weekend! Looking forward to our next trip here scheduled for October this year already!

DH

The icemen cometh

2010-02-24T08:35:00.000-08:00

Hardly has it been 3 days since we were last at Capernwray, we were back again - this time Tuesday 23 Feb. As we pulled into the carpark and made our way up to the shop to register, we heard an almighty cacophany of noise. Are they blasting again, I asked myself. No, when we looked over the balcony, both ribs were out traversing the length and breadth of the quarry in an attempt to break up the 1.2 cm topping of ice which covered the whole of the quarry. 'And we're going to dive in that?' asked Paul. Paul remarked that as it was his first open water dive, it was a bit like a baptism by fire. Not quite, Paul, baptism by ice I think is more accurate!

None the less, Ariel, Paul and myself, Wendy, kitted up and made our way down to the slip. The whole of the training area and beyond the roped area was covered in large plates of ice, more than a cm thick and up to 40 -50 cm diameter. So large that we could float our fins on them. As Ariel tried to acclimatise his face, he had to avoid the large ice cubes. We quickly did a weight check for Paul then descended to the 2m platform. Large trout swam gracefully around us and played chicken as they dodged us at the last minute. It was rewarding to see how relaxed Paul was as we worked our way back and to the 2 training platforms. There were a couple of lost buoyancy moments, but nothing he couldn't handle, especially given that by now, fingers were not working at their best. I tried to give an OK signal, which came out more like a deformed Q! After 30 minutes, I think we all had had enough and ventured our way out - slowly ascending to prevent the ice cracking on our heads as we emerged. The big grin and bright eyes that lit Paul's face told me that he really had enjoyed his first open water dive and was ready to go in again. Not before retiring to the cafe for some hot chocolate and a big bowl of chips, however.

Second dive we knew what to expect - it was going to be cold out there! This time, we had the double joy of donning the ice cold hoods and gloves. Nothing could delay that moment when we would immerse ourselves again. This time, we finned over the 2 training platforms and made our way to the horses, first of all Lord Lucan then Shergar. Both lads rode the one-time Grand National favourite, Paul even throwing in a bit a lasso-ing! The guys then showed how techie they could be by using Shergar as a tunnel and expertly avoided the edges (well almost!)

Made our way over to the Dreamer and another sunken boat that I didn't recognise, back past the Red Devil, pausing momentarily to hover over the edge to see what was down in the depths, then back to the 2m platform which Paul and Ariel used for drills to complete OO1. Gently we made our way back to the shallows, again the friendly fish came and went adding to the enjoyment. Again we slowly surfaced to avoid crashing through the plates of ice. As we finned back, the gentle chink-chink of ice reminded me of wind chimes. As I dekitted back at the car, I found 2 large chunks of ice had stuck between my BCD and suit. Where's the G&T when you need it!

Monday 21 February

2010-02-22T02:26:00.000-08:00

In the absence of regular blogger James, it was bestowed on myself , Wendy to write up this week's escapades! We were still quarry diving but this Saturday saw us with the first trek of the year up to Capernwray. It was a lovely bright but cold day that saw 4 divers - Ariel, Wendy, Andrew and Clive (of course!) brave the icy waters.

We went in as 2 buddy pairs, myself and Andrew; Ariel and Clive but stuck together as there were a couple of drills to be done jointly. I didn't know if I would make the full dive because as soon as I descended, I got the classic ice cream headache - something in 12 years of diving I had never experienced. However, Ariel assured me that it would pass after 5 minutes or so - which it did. Andrew led us successfully to the helicopter platform where we started playing around with buoyancy. Ariel had us spinning round, hanging upside down, tumble turning whilst maintaining good buoyancy. Andrew then successfully completed AS both as donor and recipient to 6m. He also had a valuable learning experience regarding kit maintainance. He had very recently swapped over the mouth piece from his main reg as he had bitten through the teeth guard and put it onto his spare. This was the reg that Ariel used which wouldn't stay in!

Andrew and Ariel then braved full mask removal thus completing his drills, the exploratory part of the dive was cut short as we headed back to the shallows and the warmth of a flask of hot chocolate. It was not the end of the dive for Ariel and Clive as Clive also needed to do mask removal, but at a shallower depth with Ariel demonstrating again.

We retired to the cafe for a warmimg cup of coffee. In an empty room, Andrew managed to find the only table which allowed him to double up as a door man! We talked through a rescue scenario as we were to be carrying out one later. This had some interesting ideas as to the morality involved in breaking and entering to make a 999 call!

I wimped out of the second dive as my hands were like blocks of ice, thus the intrepid tag team bravely declared a planned route using compass navigation. So confident they were, they opted not to take an underwater map. All went extremely well, even with the surprise appearence of Shergar (not on the planned route, but hey, it could happen to anyone!)

A very quick cup of coffee was had as we still had one more task to complete, Rescue Managment for Andrew. Clive was to play an injured diver with a missing buddy. All I can say is expect to see him on the Oscar nominations as he is from the school of method acting. In fact we couldn't shut him up at one point! With the safe return of Clive's missing buddy and a Bafta nomination, Andrew's drill was successfully completed and we returned to the warmth of our cars and headed home for pizza and a bottle of wine! A most enjoyable day was had by all.

Skiving and Skyving...

2010-02-09T14:13:00.000-08:00

Skiving and Skyving? Well, for those of you who don't know, skiving (as of a couple of weeks ago) is the combination of SCUBA diving with skiing, while skyving is a mixture of SCUBA diving with sky diving (obviously not actual sky diving, as diving and altitude generally don't mix - wind tunnel diving would be a more appropriate name). Anyway, this is what VRSAC was up to last Saturday, and what a great day it was.

Although the number of attending divers for branch weekends is yet to peak, a healthy turn-out of 8 divers gave each other the pleasure of their company on Saturday, the largest diving group so far this year. The day started off, as usual for this time of year, at the Delph, with training either being received or given by most. For once, nobody was particularly late in arriving, and everyone was therefore in the water well before 11:00. After pleasant dives all round, the group freed themselves from suits (with some doing it in a more entertaining fashion than others Ariel!), and quickly made our way to the cafe, where all sorts awaited including hot chocolate and steak burgers! See? You don't know what you're missing! Anyway, after a debriefing, which, in James' case, resulted in him being signed off as an Ocean Diver (yey.!) the group split into two - Ariel and Wendy decided to spend the remainder of the day at the Delph for another dive, while the rest of the group headed down to Manchester to Airkix and the Chill Factor.

The remaining group, with the exception of Andy and family, went to Airkix, to experience jumping out of a plane, but without quite as many risks (especially straight after diving). We were assigned an instructor, so when we entered the wind tunnel, we didn't injure and generally make a fool of ourselves. We took turns, with everyone entering the tunnel twice, for two one minute sessions. Everyone's experience and opinion of it seemed to be slightly different, but the general consensus was that it was great fun, and we would gladly do it again.

We then all went over to the Chill Factor to watch Andy and co on the slopes, admiring both his skiing skills and the authenticity of the snow on the slopes. After becoming too cold for comfort in the -2 degree air inside the Chill Factor, we made our way to Costa coffee for a cup of coffee and a chat!

As usual, VRSAC's diving weekend was a success. Everyone enjoyed themselves, and are all ready for the next one! Photos of the Skydiving should be available soon, so watch this space!

JS

Another Visit to the Delph!

2010-02-01T12:11:00.000-08:00

Once again, the weekend came around, and once again, a select group of hardy divers braved the ice and snow to visit the Eccy Delph for a day of diving. We were in the water for our first chilling dive before 11:30. Not before, of course, Ernie decided to start a snowball fight, without realizing that his drysuit wasn't zipped up!

James was buddied with Andy for the first dive, with Dave G stalking us, and Ernie accompanied Clive into the water to continue his training. After the customary acclimatization in the 4 degree water, we finished crying and began the dive! James and Andy failed to find even one armored car, let alone the second like last time! However, we did manage to completely disorientate ourselves, and ended up ice diving underneath the frozen surface! Anyway, after reestablishing their position, found their way back, without feeling the effects of the cold too much. Ernie and Clive apparently had an equally, if not more successful dive, returning just as safely, but without the added disadvantage of getting lost. After de-kitting on the snow-covered benches, the heated interior of the cafe beckoned, and we soon treated ourselves to a hot cup of tea.

After warming up, we decided that while we were there we should do a second dive. After we played musical buddies, we all re-entered the frigid water again, and enjoyed a slightly shorter, slightly colder dive. James with Ernie and Andy, while Clive buddied with Dave. All went well and we all surfaced safely, if a little chilly, and proceeded once again to the cafe for a hot drink and a debrief.

Overall, I think that all would agree that it was another great day of diving, with lessons being learned by some, and fun being had by all. As mentioned in the last post, the next planned dive weekend for Vale Royal SAC is next Saturday at the Delph, and then on to skydiving! If you haven't already expressed interest, but would like to come, then speak to Dave G. a.s.a.p. to request a place.

Diving at the Delph

2010-01-23T12:22:00.000-08:00

Today saw the first dive of January, and indeed 2010, for Vale Royal Sub Aqua Club. Although it was planned that we go to the River Lune, due to the recent amount of good weather, or lack thereof, it was decided that the Delph would be a safer option for the brave few divers, being James, Ernie and Clive, that were still eager to brave the cold waters of the quarries during winter time. And when I say cold, I really mean cold. It was barely over a week ago when the Delph saw ice diving for the first time in years, and it didn't feel like the temperature had increased a great deal since then, with the water hovering around a not so toasty 4 degrees.

After making our way to the dive site, we kitted up after somewhat of a delay when booking in, and prepared ourselves for the chilling waters awaiting us. After making a few last minute additions to Clive's weight belt, we began our first dive of the day. It was at this point, just after I had submerged, that I asked myself "Why am I doing this? Is this my idea of fun?", due to the throbbing ice-cream head ache that soon arrived. However, the initial pains and silent screams quickly faded away, making way for what turned out to be quite a pleasant dive.

Pilotage and navigation were the focuses of the dive. All was going well until I realised that there is probably only one armoured car in the Delph, rather than two identical ones, and that we have gone round in a circle. However, thanks to a little nudge in the right direction from Ernie, we found our way back in the end.

After dekitting, we had lunch, and a nice hot cup of tea in the cafe, and started to prepare ourselves for dive number two. With navigation now sorted out, we headed back down to the water for our second dive. After Clive had the joys of spring fin straps explained to him by Ernie, we began our second and last dive of the day.

Now that I had reaslised that heading North East "or there abouts" wasn't quite accurate enough to be particularly helpful, we successfully made our way across the quarry without any of us becoming disorientated. However, due to some teething difficulties with Clive's weighting and buoyancy systems, the dive encountered a premature end, and we surfaced after around quarter of an hour of down time. Before exiting the water, Clive did a buoyancy check by the steps, which helped him to sort out his weighting.

Overall, it was a very enjoyable day for everyone there, and was well worth facing the cold to experience.

The more the merrier, so come along and join us next time at the next dive weekend, due to take place on February the 6th/7th, which will entail dives at the Delph/Capernwray, then on to Manchester for shopping at the Trafford Center and sky diving or skiing!

JS

Welcome to the new VRSAC Blog!

2010-01-12T05:10:00.000-08:00

Hi!

We'll be keeping you posted here on what we've been up to, where we've been diving, who with, what we saw and what you could be joining in with if you'd like to come along!

For more info see our website ~ http://www.vale-royal-divers.co.uk/