Nerves of Steel - 04/08/2018

I always hate training. I get nervous performing even the most basic of tasks. As an instructor I thought I'd get over those nerves as all I'm doing is demonstrating and watching other perform the skills I've mastered over the years. However, I've come to realise that I now I get a little nervous for the student. I genuinely want them to succeed. Each move they make in a lift or sweep search or whatever skills - I'm rooting for them.

This weekend at Caolasnacon brought me three dives assessing four skills:

• Sweep search
• Aqualung removal
• Compass course
• 15m rescue lift

The Landlady was doing all the hardwork. I was just watching, nervously willing her to succeed. She did. I feel, because she's done it right. She went out and got over a hundred dives under her belt before attempting the skills. It seems to me that people skip the experience step between moving up the levels. It's the experience that makes the difference imho.

The wall itself was the same dark wall I'd experienced earlier in the year, but beneath the brown layer on the surface, it was dark but crystal clear. Fish had returned to it; ling, cuckoo wrasse, ballan wrasse, cod.

The good visibility also helped highlight the immensity of the wall. It's not the biggest, but at points it plunges almost 25m on a sheer drop. Really rather spectacular.

I also managed to sneak in a night dive. It was pretty good to be back in the dark.

The Crazies - 09/11/2014

I hadn't really planned on diving this weekend, but in an unusual combination of buddies today I dived with K-Pep and TDFKAMF. We met up with no idea of where we were heading only knowing we wanted to take our chances with Loch Fyne. In the end we plumped for the hotly disputed  Los Furnace (pronounced fur-nach-ay). Although, most divers simply call it Dogfish Reef.

"Hotly disputed?" I hear you ask. Yip, there is a crazy guy who lives next to the dive site who has been enraged by various groups of divers and fishermen - I suspect quite rightly. As a result, he has taken it upon himself to be the private guardian of the public car park blocking it off from everyone. "How do you know he's crazy?" Well, for one, he's got a flagpole erected in his garden. I mean, who puts a flagpole in their garden? Exactly, crazy folks. Secondly, he was animatedly bouncing around his window watching us like any normal crazy person would. Finally, when he did come out he had pretend conversations on his mobile phone. Exactly what you'd expect from a crazy person or indeed, an extra from The Crazies.

We arrived later in the day, taking considerable advantage of the improving weather and arrived in the late afternoon. Meaning our second dive would be a night dive. While kitting up I realised that I'd forgotten my thermal leggings - this was going to be cold.

Dive one was a plop down to 30m to the gnome garden before working our way back up. In all honesty other than a lot of cod and nudibranchs in the shallows there wasn't much happening. As a result, I only took a few pictures (below).

By the time the second dive came about I 'd decided I wasn't taking my camera in. In fact, as the chaps will testify, I wasn't even that keen on putting myself back in. However, I bravely struggled on. Thankfully, I did.

The second dive (a night dive) was a far more life filled affair. (They always are aren't they?) The site lived up to its name with a fairly impressive large female dogfish, two conger eels including one, which I almost rammed head first, which was a good 30cm outside of its hole. It was behaving far more like a garden eel if you've ever seen one. Add to that a nice sunstar and a wee scorpionfish and I'd say it was a much better dive. Curse my poor camera decision making!! At some point, I'll maybe share K-Pep's photos as he took a camera in and got a cracking shot of the curious conger.

For those who are wondering, yes it was cold. 9c with half an undersuit isn't too much fun. Some would say I'm crazy.

Cod

Sea Squirts

Bloody Henry

Nudibranch

After dive one

Caves 101 - 04/03/2014

I dived The Caves, Loch Long for the first time last night with Avril's 'West Coast Divers'. As always there is some cross pollination between dive groups, so I knew all the divers present and they included Avril, Fast Ed, Big Alan and Laura - who has decided she wants a nickname, suggestions on a postcard.

I've wanted to dive the Caves for some time, but wanted to do the site first during the day to acquaint myself with the difficult entry before attempting it at night. However, with my usual Tuesday night football training cancelled and I was presented with the opportunity to dive the site at night with experienced divers. So I took it.

The site itself is not a series of Caves as the name would suggest, but rather a steep wall dive with rocky overhangs, presenting the impression that you are, on occasion, in a cavern.

So to the entry, it goes like this:

1. a 5m clamber down a 70-80 degree incline 
2. a 5m clamber through a 1.5m high tunnel on a 20 degree incline with small river passing through
3. a 20m (at low tide) clamber down through seaweed covered rocks with flowing water with 45 degree incline

In short, it wasn't the worst entry I've ever encountered and, in fact, I enjoyed it. As a result, I was first in the water. 

Once in the water, the site is a wee bit silty until you encounter the main sections of the wall. I know this as Laura and I went at the back for two reasons:

1. I knew Laura would be taking photographs (I'd left my camera at home)
2. We both had mild colds and if we were going to have equalising problems we didn't want to hold up the group. Fortunately, neither of us had to call in Edward Woodward.

Remaining about 5m behind the main group we descended to around 22m and man I wish I'd brought my camera. Huge common lobsters and edible crabs that would grace any plate, large wrasse (ballan, goldsinny, corkwing), cod, big scorpion fish, bloody henry starfish, horse anemone, devonshire cup corals. However, I was most impressed  by the rock formations mohawked with plumose anemones. 

With 100 bar left I was still having, as we say in Scotland, a rare tear! I eventually popped up at the entry point with 50 bar left.

This dive was epic and I'd go as far to say that in my 101 dives it was right up there with Cenotes Chac Mool in Mexico and it cost me nothing to dive and it's right here in Scotland. I cannot wait to go back - difficult entry or not.

I've scraped a few of Laura and Avril's picture off Facebook as it would be a shame if you didn't see any of it. Shhh!

Cod by Laura

Horse Anemone by Laura

Scorpion fish by Laura

Devonshire Cup Coral by Avril

Edible Crab by Avril

Attacking Lobster by Laura