Hull of Kintyre - 08/09/2018

I have friends who consider me a depth junkie. I'm really not, but some of the best dives require deep training and a fair bit of commitment. Some time ago when chatting in the pub I had mentioned that the wreck of the SS Kintyre was one of my dive highlights. The Barrman was enthused. He wanted to dive it there and then. Shiny also decided it was special enough to lure him in for a dive.

I promised to keep my eyes peeled for suitable dates. In the end we plumped for Saturday 8th September. High tide was 12.16pm. As such if we entered the water at around 11.15am  we'd nail the tides. The weather forecast looked promising. It all came together as it had once before for Jester and I the previous year.

I was buddying Shiny, the Barrman was with the Wylie Fox and we were joined by one half of Das McLetchies and his buddy John. 

Shiny is always slow at kitting up. I mean, painfully slow. Although, he'll point  out that it means that he has everything just right. And he did, but it meant that we were last in the water and at the back of the queue.

We never saw the rest of the divers disappear down the pipe. Instead, we made our own way down and onto the wreck. Both qualified beyond recreational limits, we headed for the stern and ended up recording 49m. It was a pretty relaxed affair, but made me realise the best bit of the wreck is 40m on the deck. On the way back up along the famous jobby pipe we met the other divers. I was asked if we'd been to the boat. I signalled the affirmative. The rest, it seems, hadn't found it. I never said much about it the dive - nobody wants to be "that guy".

Eastbound And Down - 29/04/2018

Since the turn of the year I have been the "Expedition Officer" for my dive club. I'm selfish and like diving, so it is well suited to my interests. The better the diving, the better it is for me. So it was without hesitation that I booked Pathfinder for a few days throughout the year. This was the first of those days. 

Myself and Gill.I.Am had arrived the night before in the van to save me getting up too early in the morning. It's a pretty decent deal as you can park a campervan overnight for a £10 donation to the St Abbs Harbour Trust. 

In the morning I awoke to sunshine and an eerily quiet harbour. However, soon enough the troops had arrived along with groups of day trippers. I had agreed to take responsibility for a club Branch Diver and, if she felt comfortable after her first boat dive, a little instruction on the second. 

Once on the boat it all went swimmingly and the only thing that let us down was the visibility which was pretty poor (2m). However, we endured the cold for 41 minutes which meant Sarah could log her longest ever dive. 

After a quick trip back to shore for snacks and some chat we all headed out again. This time Sarah was going to finish her Sport Diver compass work before enjoying a little pootle around rocks.

It was reciprocal heading. Pretty basic stuff. It did mean that we were unlikely to get back to our starting point, but with improving visibility I could see the Black Carr Rock that was enough for a pass. From there, Sarah and I just went from rock to rock looking for the famous wolf fish residents of St Abbs. We never found any, but we did find a nice scorpionfish, beadlet anemones  colourful bloody henry starfish. Not bad for a training dive.

Parked up for the night

Setting up for the day

Add caption

My buddy

Pathfinder

Scorpionfish

The Cold Light of Day - 02/12/2017

After Monday's chilly 2.8c, I was keen to avoid Loch Long when Captain Al, Freeflow Bob, Fast Eddie and myself went diving on a frosty Saturday morning. The experience had taught me that it was worth taking the mobile food kitchen for half time bacon rolls.So when we trundled up to St Catherine's, Loch Fyne we were at least prepared for the cold.

It was Fast Ed's first dive back since he dived with me at Triple Reef in June, so an easy site was required and Seal Reef seemed ideal.

We weren't the only ones there, South Queensferry BSAC were across from the East Coast for some training. They seemed friendly enough despite being BSAC divers. ;)

We kitted up and split into buddy pairs of Captain Al and Fast Ed and Ol' Freeflow and me.

It was pretty uneventful but for a large school of pollack, a cushion star and some bloody Henry's. We swam back to the sure after the 35 minute announcement that Captain Al was feeling the cold. If he was feeling it then, it was about to get a whole lot worse. We swam back to the exit point. As the person leading the dive I noticed the thermocline at 4m and sat beneath it for 3 minutes. Then when the three minutes was up and everyone was clear, I turned and swam hard through the cold.

I could feel it biting at my exposed skin. We got out and I checked my computer... 2.2c!  Not the coldest I've ever experienced but getting down pretty low.

Still the promise of a roll and bacon was enough to get me back to the van. I had ear problems so I sat the second dive out and watched as my friends came back looking a little chilly. 

'S'no Laughing Matter - 17/01/2015

The drive to Loch Long

The weather so far this year has been a bit, erm, dismal. Add to that the fact that Turkish Airlines had the cheek to lose one of my suitcases containing my regulators and you'll understand why diving hasn't been that high on the agenda. However, my football team had a week off so I resolved to dive....no matter what.

Despite the snow we had swithered about heading across the Rest & Be Thankful to Loch Fyne, but some heavier snow overnight convinced us to stay local and visit Loch Long.

The route to Finnart took us over what is known locally as the Military Road. The road climbs a not insignificant height and by the time we reached the top, the road was a whiteout. Fast Ed led the way as he was the car most likely to have to turn back (Captain Al and I both have 4x4s). We made it safely to the site. Where all five of us (The Merrymaker and TDFKAMF were also there) kitted up.

I was using a makeshift kit of hire regs and a borrowed torch and to be honest I couldn't get comfy - it just wasn't my usual set up. Regardless, TDFKAMF and I buddied up and headed down. I won't lie, it was cold (head hurtingly so) and the visibility was pretty poor (1-3m). Despite that, we saw some nice things:

• Scorpion fish
• Bloody Henry
• Dragonet
• Macropedia rostrata
• Nudibranchs

On the way back up, the safety stop was grim. The temperature bottomed out at an optimistic 5c.

I decided to duck out of the second dive. Which, with hindsight, was a great decision. By the time we headed home, the roads had beenl ploughed and gritted - that made Ed's life easier.

Scorpion fish

Fan worm

Bloody Henry

Surfacing

The Lure of the Village Inn - 21/06/2014

Since discovering the pleasure of blue water diving in tropical climates, Gillian (my wife) has been reluctant to don a drysuit and plunge into the temperate waters of Scotland. However, with the six month sword of Damocles hanging over her head G had reluctantly agreed to go diving, but with the promise of 'lunner' (the combination of late lunch / early dinner) post dive at the Village Inn, Arrochar.

The dive venue was to be the A-Frames, as we knew Captain Al and his Something for the Weekend crew were going there for dives and a BBQ. We arrived just as the group were scoffing the last of their charred sausages and getting ready for the second dive. Deep Blue Scuba were also at the site, causing parking problems. 

G and I kitted up and went in on our own. It was to be a pretty standard dive down to the big frame, then a wee play in the shallows. The silt had been kicked up a little, but for the most part it was OK.

I found a nice wee sea cucumber introduced Gill to its amazing disappearing act. She was suitably impressed. On the frame itself I also spotted a nice Bloody Henry. 

Into the shallows and I handed the camera to Gill.

A dive to 18m for 35 minutes and then a trip up the road to the Inn for a chicken burger and beef burger. Each was halved and shared.

Starfish Orgy - Gill

Us Selfie

Gill

Bloody Henry 

Tiny starfish on seaweed - Gill

An Aladdin's Cave - 10/03/2014

View from Lomond Shores 

Recently, Laura has started a new job at the Sea Life Loch Lomond aquarium. So last night Big Al and I headed up to Lomond Shores to meet her after work go diving and receive details of out 'secret mission'. After parking up, enjoying the view and then heading to the aquarium we met Laura.

Our mission, should we choose to accept it, was to collect some mussels to feed the 'stars' of the rock pool exhibition. We accepted and headed a few miles up the road to the Caves at Loch Long. For me, this would be my third time in a row at the site, but I wasn't too bothered as I'm still mesmerised by the boulder wall and the myriad of life it contains.

While kitting up and buddy checking we joked about remembering everything before clambering down the rock face. As I plopped into the water I realised that I had forgotten my fins. So Big Al - who was at the back of the pack - very kindly climbed back up and got them for me. 

Once underwater we headed down to around 20m and began the critter search. There was some great life about including:

• large edible crabs
• lobster
• dahlia anemone
• wrasse
• cod
• bloody henry

Laura had quickly filled her little bag and we headed back enjoying the great visibility. Once at the surface the swag was transferred into a tub containing sea water and we headed back to aquarium.

Peacock worm

Dahlia anemone

Bloody henry

I should say that up until that point in my life I'd never been in the aquarium, though I'd been to its sister site in Oban. So upon arrival we were greeted at the trade entrance by Mark (the manager) who took us in and gave us a closed door tour of the facility. 

I was really impressed, the main tank is particularly good with a great selection of sharks, grouper, eels and a green turtle. Well worth a visit I'd say!

Dude!

Grouper

A Centurion Part 1 - 01/03/2014

Looking north-east up Loch Long

With my last dive outing taking me to 98 dives, a cancelled match and a rare free Saturday morning meant that I had the opportunity to dive with the "Something for the Weekend" posse. There is some crossover between the people in this group and my usual TNDC, so today saw me dive with Fast Ed, Big Mack, Matthew & Shafiq.

Meeting at 8:30 onsite at the A-Frames, I was diving with Big Mack and Fast Ed. I was elected to lead us down to the 'big frame' but at the start of the dive (3m) I looked down and saw a very nice (and expensive) Metalsub torch lying on the sea floor. In the excitement of finding the torch I began my northerly descent a little prematurely,ended up missing the frame and feeling a bit narc'd and confused at a mere 26m. A few signals to Big Mack and he got the message. We ascended to about 15m and began the hunt for life.

Now, since my very first dive I've been an echinoderm kind of guy - I love starfish and I was delighted to find a magnificent Bloody Henry, but what I found next was quite a surprise. I found.....a nudibranch!

When I first took up diving I used to wonder what the fuss was about when it came to 'noodeez'. I'm not even sure I understand to this day - they are sea slugs afterall. However, this one was special as it was the first one I ever found! White with orange dots. Then it happened again! I was a man on fire!!

However, at the surface Fast Ed ruined the dive completely by telling me the torch looked an awful lot like Matthew's who had entered 5 minutes before us. As I shouted to shore to see if anyone had lost anything, Matthew replied asking if I'd found 'it'. As I held it aloft, his joy was barely containable as he danced a jig.

Bloody Henry Starfish (1)

Bloody Henry Starfish (2)

Nudibranch

You Dive and Learn and Dive Again - 6/2/2014

It is clear that the lure of Glen Douglas Road End, Loch Long as a dive site is unequivocal. The troop consisted of Me, Laura Ed, Sergeant Chris, Ally, Pat G & Grant. We were kind of like a platoon of crack Navy Seals, without any discernible skillset. As Ally and Pat were both ScotSAC divers from my club they buddied up, as did Chris and Ed, while Laura and I double teamed Grant and went in as a three.

Glen Douglas Road End (yes, the site is at the end of the road through Glen Douglas from Loch Lomond to Loch Long, though technically it's called Tulloch Road) is an interesting site in that it is home to cuttlefish, firework anemones and scorpion fish. In addition, it benefits from a number of fairly steep drop-offs so divers can get a lot of depth very quickly in a pretty safe environment. The only real downside to the site is access. There is no Finstrokes guide.

Accessing the site begins with kitting up, crossing the road, climbing over a crash barrier, slipping on the muddy slope, descending an almost sheer drop, then, depending on the state of the tide, staggering across a rocky riverbed and into the water. In short, to even the most experienced of divers it can be pretty stressful. Before inviting Grant, a 12 dive PADI AOW veteran, I should have considered this. Another site with easier access would have reduced the stress of entry on what would be a prima nocta dive and first experience away from the safety of an instructor*. Lesson 1 - respect inexperience.

Upon entry the G-man was having trouble with some of his kit and was struggling to descend, so Laura and I took a bit of time to help him into the water. Fortunately, I had sensibly stuck an extra kilo of shot in each of my BC pockets.  Regardless, we went in sometime after the rest of the Scooby Gang which was to prove handy later on. 

Now, I still like seeing starfish and crabs, however I've lost my initial wonder, but as we finally got Grant down and under the water I watched as he started to take an  interest in things I now take for granted:

• hermit crabs
• the stickiness of starfish
• velvet swimming crabs
• squat lobsters
• comb jellyfish
• a barnacle encrusted Buckfast bottle

I started looking for things that I wouldn't normally bother with. I picked up a squat lobster to give him a closer look, I shone my torch through the jellyfish, I looked for painted gobies. All of which were fascinating to the newbie eye. Lesson 2 - what seems dull and commonplace to me may be a marvel to someone else.

On exit, the other guys who had entered the water earlier had finished up were starting to wonder why we'd been gone so long, so our return navigation was aided by torches being shone one the surface. This was handy as topographically there isn't much to guide you at GDRE.

We never saw the cuttlefish or scorpion fish we were looking for, but the highlight was a magnificent Bloody Henry starfish. They're not particularly rare, you can see four in a dive or none in the next 20 dives, but regardless their magnificent purple hue still makes me smile.

Bloody Henry infused with orange light

Grant's first underwater photo

* I say, away from the experience of an instructor, in our midst we had qualified BSAC, ScotSAC and PADI Openwater instructors and a PADI Divemaster, but tonight they were just divers.