Ray of Hope - 30/03/2016

Tonight Jester, legendary vintage clothing blogger Frocktasia, Mad Marx and I had raced the spring showers to St Catherines, Loch Fyne for an evening plunge. Our plan as always was to go down find stuff and come back, but Mad Marx was desiring to break his depth record of 31.2m and get a little more experience of being south of 30. Or, to put it in Mad Marx speak, go beyond the Thunderdome. Meanwhile coughing fits had meant that Frocktasia was just planning on providing some shore cover.

Now, I had been here at St Catherines just a couple of days before and the site had been entirely unimpressive, but tonight as we kitted up I had the feeling that it was going to be good. The others will testify to this fact. I had a little ray of hope that I'd see some good, if not unusual. My assumption was that I'd perhaps see some dogfish, cuttlefish or some other more fun regular. What I saw even surprised me even more than Jester's line in witty bants*.

We kitted up, buddy checked and headed in. It was at 10m and about two minutes into the dive when something unusual appeared. I almost passed over the top of it at first - its camouflage was very nearly perfect, but I've seen its cousin, the cuckoo ray, before. So tonight, a glimmer of recognition occurred in me before I realised I was looking at a Thornback Ray.

I've met divers who've seen them here before, but not recently or often. I grabbed my camera and couldn't get it to work. As it swam away I switched to video mode, hoping to grab a few frames. I got it - it happened.

Then we went on to the meat of the dive - a little bounce down to 35m and slow journey back. Success for Mad Marx who broke his own personal depth record.

On the way back up, Jester felt like he was at the Playboy Mansion as we spotted nudi after nudi and...... easter eggs!

My hope was rewarded.

The Sun Sets

Sea cucumber

Whelk

Lounging starfish

Scuba Easter egg

Jester & Egg

Flabellina Lineata

Cadlina Laevis

* Bants  noun

1. 1.

   the playful and friendly exchange of teasing remarks, an abbreviation of banter.

Testing Times - 27/03/2015

Not every dive is amazing. It's just a fact. Sometimes being a decent buddy is just about helping your pals get back in the water or being there when they test out new gear. Today was that kind of day. I was diving the Announcer who was making a return to SCUBA after a few hectic months and Cardio Jim who was looking to test a new dive computer. 

We went in, the dive was at best below average and uneventful we came out mission accomplished - everything worked.  I never took any photographs. 

I needn't say more.

Milestones - 21/03/2015

When I first met Jester he'd done just 15 dives. Tonight, he was doing his 200th. Quite an achievement. It would be tough to top the fun of his 199th. We joked about poor vis and seeing nothing - perhaps we should have resisted. 

Entering Seal Reef in daylight at low flood, the viz was about 1m, hoping for better we kept going down expecting to pass through into clearer water. 10m, 15m, 20m, 25m - nothing. Then at 27m it opened up to 2-3m.

We passed lots of sea cucumbers, langostine, but nothing great. On the way back up, the viz was improving. The tidal flood sweeping the particles back up to the head of the loch.

We had fun without seeing muchand celebrated with a sugary overdose at the Malt & Myre. 

Scorpionfish

Sea Cucumber

The Dive That Never Happened - 18/03/2016

As we often say, "if you didn't get photograph it never happened", but there are other proofs.

Jester's 199th dive at Conger Alley was memorable without any photographs. I had left my camera at home and Jester's GoPro decided to shut up shop just when things kicked off.

It started well enough - bloody Henry, catshark, firework anemone - then we weren't alone.

Now Jester keeps a reasonable distance underwater - for sake of argument about two metres. However, after Beryl's first pass I felt like I was diving up the aisle arm and arm with my buddy. Jester was like a limpit. Not surprising, everyone's first date with Beryl the Seal is a little fraught.

Of course, with no photographs, it never happened....