Porthkerris - July 2010

Here are a few notes about July’s trip to Porthkerris. This was the first summer trip using out own boats for a couple years. In 2008 and 2009 we dived later in the year and used their boat – the terrific Celtic Cat.









Porthkerris Bay

We stayed at the Gallen-Treath Guest House again this year which is becoming something of a tradition. Clive and Alicia and friendly and patient hosts and have a such a large and eclectic range of egg cups and salt and pepper pots it will take many more years before we’ve worked our way through them all.



View from Gallen-Treath




The trip started with a very slow start, we were not on the ball at all on our first morning ( Sunday 4th July ). Happily, the tides were in our favour with the only useable slack of the day being at midday.
We picked Vase Rock, a favourite pinnacle dive in the middle of the Manacles and it didn’t disappoint. The good early summer weather meant we found the visibility better than the previous few visits. The anemone, coral and fish life looked particularly healthy in the clear water. It is a great dive and it continues to reveal more little caves and tunnels, all lined with plumose anemones like a divers soft play area!






Vase Rock Resident


In the Five Pilchards, Porthallow


On the Monday we tried to get moving earlier and used a trip to the wreck of the Volnay as the first dive. Being in Porthallow bay The Volnay can be dived at any state of the tide. It also has the advantage of being 3 minutes around the corner from the Porthkerris Bay launch site. Again the visibility was better than usual with quite a lot of fish around. The afternoon dive was a gentle drift in the shelter of Pencra Head with it’s interesting granite block sea bed. In some places it looks as if prepared blocks from the local quarry might have fallen off a coaster they are so regular – or it may just be the true site of Atlantis?













On The Volnay

On Tuesday, the morning slack was still a bit early so we were lazy and did The Volnay again. This was bad, you should only do The Volnay when the weather is bad but we had fun with a sort out the transits game between the two boats. Our old transits for the wreck included a pattern of three telephone/power line poles on the hill behind Porthkerris. Shockingly, in the last few years these have been moved – BT must be asked to write to BSAC whenever they move things on the coast!

In the afternoon, we got our act together and used the slack to visit Raglan Reef out on the Manacles Reef. This is another great scenic dive, with life of all sorts and again superb visibility.


On Raglan Reef


On Wednesday, the day’s diving was planned by Jackie who was taking us to the wreck of the Hera, a steel four masted sailing ship that was wrecked in January 1914. We had done this dive in 2008 from the Porthkerris boat so this was our first attempt to find it on our own. Needless to say Jackie pumped Mike from Porthkerris for as much local knowledge as she could get!
The boats were lightly loaded with four divers each. However, Jonathan’s arithmetic is not what it once was and on his pre-passage call he informed Falmouth Coastguard that there were nine of us; this gaff has since been immortalised by Dave Worthy in the form of a tee-shirt, so if you see one…………
The Hera lies in around 15m between the shore North of Falmouth and a small island known as Gull Rock. The latter can be seen for many miles and makes the initial navigation to the site pretty easy. That morning the sea was slight and the 10 mile, 30 minute voyage was uneventful.
On arriving between Gull Rock and the shore, those of us on Scuba Doo started looking for the transits we had acquired plus the usual discussions around interpreting them. Our attention was then dawn to the outbreak of a yelling and a waving that had broken out on Tigger Too.
Their engine was doing a passable impression of drying pieces of scrap metal in a tumble dryer and it was obvious to even the least mechanically minded that something had gone seriously wrong. It was also obvious that going diving now came a poor second to getting the boat safely back to shore.
After a short period of nautical cursing, it was decided to tow Tigger back to either Falmouth or Porthkerris. The latter was favourite as that was where the trailer was, but Falmouth was closer and it’s always good to have a fallback plan. An attempt was made to tell Falmouth CG our troubles, but they were busy dealing with an emergency so as we were now steadily underway we decided not to pester them.

Tigger Under Tow


I could tell you that we endured mountainous seas and untold privations on the return journey, but apart from the sea being a bit choppy in the middle of Falmouth Bay and everyone’s bladder being severely tested we were fine; apart from it taking two and a half hours that is. In my own experience, it was also the best example of why it’s good to have two boats at sea at the same time.


Wednesday’s shenanigans meant that on Thursday we were down to one boat; poor Scuba who had manfully towed Tigger the 10 miles back from the other side of Falmouth. I went off to break the bad news to Ian and then went off sightseeing and visiting an old college friend.
With Rob in charge and with Jackie navigating, Scuba and crew set off to find Pen Vin, one of our big favourites. This is a tricky site to find; it is a short sheer walled pinnacle with rather awkward transits, but they found it and triumphantly reported the fact that they had a brilliant dive when I returned from my wanderings.


Postcards from Porthkerris!




Oi Keith, leave us some chips!


On Friday morning, our last day of diving, I suggested that as I had missed Pen Win the previous day it might be nice to go back there. Much to my relief everyone immediately agreed. However, another fly alighted in the ointment in the form of Scuba’s GPS/Sounder unit being accidently dropped. We now had one working boat without a working sounder. Undaunted, we set out to find Pen Win entirely via the transits Jackie was sure were burned into her memory. We also had a promise from Mike to run over the area in the Cat to check our position. There followed and absolutely legendary piece of location when Jackie ordered the shot overboard in exactly the right position, without the use of any electronics or visible sacrifice to any deity. Mike pottered over a few minutes later and confirmed the direct hit and in we went. Needless to say it was a great dive.

on Pen Win
















In the afternoon we went North and dived the mouth of the Helford River in the hope of finding some seahorses in the seagrass. Only a 50% hit rate this time – we found the river, no seahorses but take a look at this Wrasse courtship dance!.


The week was finished with a very nice meal in the Paris Hotel in Coverack and a feeling that we might be back next year! Fancy coming with us?

Now that's what I call a different dive!

We spend years diving. Most of the dives we do are fun, relaxing but don’t necessarily stand out as memorable. After a lengthy period of working away from home it was time for some R&R and a last minute holiday in Lanzarote. This was not our first time, Natalie and I have had a number of holidays in Puerto Del Carmen. Each time we migrate closer to the old town for its vibrant atmosphere and great restaurants. I always dive with Safari Diving, the diving is good, easy and the shop is right on the beach. It is now owned by Steve and Wendy, but previously by Rene van Leeuwen, who is a bit of a character.

I’ve dived here so many times that I know what to expect. Over the years I have seen three Grouper that hang out around Cathedral Cave grow up and the old Wrecks disintegrate into a scrap yard. This year I was surprised to see they have extended the harbour wall; building right over the top of one of the old wrecks!











Today I dived the Blue Hole. There are blue holes all over the world. They aren’t necessarily blue, but are often caves where the roof has fallen in creating a nice swim-through. This blue hole is exactly that. You enter on top of the reef and exit through the cave entrance.

Dropping down we exited the cave and turned to the right. In 30m is a second cave, much smaller. You need a torch. Inside was the first surprise of the day. The cave roof was a mass of shrimps, plus a solitary grouper swam by no doubt enjoying a feast! I have seen many times one or two shrimps in rocky cracks but never a carpet such as this.











Leaving the cave we swam further around and up over the reef and back into shallow water, heading back to the dive shop. In 15m of water an Eagle ray swam by. Then surprise number two, introduced with a mass of bubbles, a lot of noise and kicking up the sand. A submarine hove into sight. Imagine the surprise.












This is Nemo, a wet sub and a new tourist attraction owned by the one and only Rene! Now that’s different I thought. Anyway I snapped a load of pictures, which for once came out alright, and met up with Rene in the café on the quay. It is his first week operating the sub and he had yet to sort any promotional material. So for the cost of copies of my photos I got a ride.

The ride was shared with a local police officer. Rene knows which side his bread should be buttered! To get in it you duck dive and enter a hole in the bottom. The pilot and policeman got in alright. My first mistake was I went into the wrong hole and surfaced in the sub’s ballast tank in the nose looking at the others through a Perspex window. After frantic signals from the others I found myself seated in the cramped cabin.

The pilot adjusts the ballast tanks for neutral buoyancy and then dials into the controls the desired depth. At this point the computer control activates the vertical propeller drives and the sub dives to, and maintains the required depth. Throughout all of this air is injected into the cabin at a pressure so the cabin water level is maintained at hip height. Excess gas is automatically vented and any build up of CO2 is avoided. Throughout this process the cabin goes through various temperature changes as the pressure changes. Condensation builds up on the windows so visibility is not always that good.

What can I say of my experience? It was an experience but will never replace diving. I didn’t feel that comfortable inside.

Now here’s my question. Can I legitimately log 8.4m for 25 minutes if I’m inside a wet sub? I think so……the training officer is not so sure!

Our well another enjoyable holiday in Lanzarote!

Nigel Ealand

The AGM

The AGM will be held at the Northolt Community Centre on Sunday 30th November at 6.45pm, ready for a prompt 7pm start.

Club members should have been sent a full Agenda and other details by email. The two key points are:

• The club needs volunteers to work on the committee. Please, please please consider standing for a post and put your name forward.

• The committee have proposed a motion, driven by the difficult situation of the last year:

Section 5 (“Management”)of the by-laws states in clause iv

(iv) The minimum status of a Branch Officer is a Full Diving Member

The motion proposes to amend this, to read:

(iv) The minimum status of a Branch Officer is a Club Member and considered to be competent for the post.

Also remember nominations for....

• The Tim Biglin Award is for the person who you feel has done the most for the club over the past year.

• The Funniest Moment Award is for exactly what it says it is.

Please let Angela know by November 16th

The accounts are circulated to members.

Special thanks to Tony Quish for the massive reduction in insurance he negotiated!

So where are we now?

A question that has been asked of me many times this year and is especially pertinent now we are coming up to the AGM.

This is perhaps one of the worst years the Club has ever experienced. Most of you probably can’t remember when once before the Swimerama closed and we had to move to Acton pool for six months. The effect was devastating to the Club membership numbers and it took a few years to recover. Knowing this, I for one was expecting the worst.

One of the difficulties was to find an alternative pool that was suitable for teaching diving, that had a manageable time slots, and that we could afford. In addition, when the Club was surveyed, another “must have” came to light – a decent pub nearby.

By the time we seriously negotiated with Ealing Council, the options were very limited and hence we moved to Gurnell and then shortly after to Highgrove. This pool is even better than the Swimerama ever was; it’s cleaner, has better lighting, it’s deeper and longer – and the staff are friendly with good management. Once established, I successfully re-negotiated our time slot on the basis that we believed that this pool would be our home for years to come. Of course, the added advantage of this is that we now regularly frequent The Case is Altered – a pub with character, good beer and room to move (plus the chance that kids will be accepted).

So that’s the good news. On the down side, it’s been a lousy summer, lots of rain and not much diving. Scuba suffered engine damage on an early trip and is still under repair. The membership is down with just over 40 members, but I can confirm that the Club is financially sound and capable of weathering a downturn in numbers and fortune.

We do, however, have some areas of concern and I need your input:

1. The Club’s boats are a financial drain if they are not in constant use. Should we consider selling one or more of them?
2. If we sell, should we replace with something smaller, more cost-effective and easier to transport?
3. Should we give up RIBs altogether – or would the dynamics of the Club unacceptably change if we were to become a ‘hardboat only’ outfit
   

Clearly we need to recruit new members in order to establish stability in the Club and generate that enthusiasm to go diving again in UK waters. This means, at the very outset, making an effort to come down to the pool regularly. We also need you to talk to your friends and work colleagues and suggest a Try Dive. Try Dives bring in useful money and are a lot of fun.

Something else worth thinking about is that Harrow and Rickmansworth both operate with about 15 members. Should we consider an approach to merge or do we feel confident enough to go it alone?

We can survive this but only if we build on the desire to survive.

Nigel Ealand

Chairman ESAC

PS Did you hear the one about the two divers who watched the entire sea-rescue power of the south coast circle around their DSMB, whilst they comfortably got dry on the pier at Swanage? What’s Bubbling is still awaiting the article . . .

CastleGregory, Ireland, August 10-15th

Talk about bad luck with the weather. The Saturday when most of us set off had to be about the foulest August day in living memory. For those who took the catamaran to Rosslare on the Saturday, the storm made for a terrifying experience. For those following on the Sunday cat, a long wait for the conventional ferry (rough enough) following the cancellation, and arrival in Kerry at 1.00am Monday.

Prawn From Ireland

Red Fingers Sponge From Ireland

Squat Lobster From Ireland

Lobster From Ireland

Lion's Mane Jellyfish From Ireland

Home for the week was the Harbour House Hotel. Situated on the end of Maharee, a long sand spit sticking out into the Atlantic, with a fantastic panorama of the Dingle Peninsula mountains and a dog, Pip, that you could not help liking.

Outside the hotel From Ireland

View from the hotel From Ireland

Large Irish breakfasts, a bar that got well used – especially because of the weather – and good food. The quay for the boats is about 200m further on at a small jetty, surrounded by huge wooden crated for transporting spider crabs. A group of islands, the Maharee Islands, sits just offshore

The divers L-R Ian O, Trevor, Les (at front), Dave B, Tirath, Ian McE, Ronnie FitzGibbon, Margarita, Keith From Ireland

Scraggane Quay From Ireland

From Ireland

View east from the hotel From Ireland

First day, Monday, it was decided it was too rough to get in or out of the hardboat, so into a RIB. Its stability compared to Scooby and Tigger was fantastic, but at 9m we'd have big towing problems. Rapidly out to a site just off the Maharees, but when we looked at the swell we wimped out (except Keith who said he was willing to dive). A return to shore, misplaced optimism that there would be a second dive and a day of rain. The non-divers had made their escapes by car, so there was not much for it except to drink in the bar and for Trevor to try out dry suit diving in the training pool.

The naked mystery man made his first appearance. A man of about 65, he would walk in and out by the quay's second, narrow slipway and stand not quite waist deep in the water and swing both his arms round as though he was limbering up for a stretch of fast bowling.

Mysterious Bather From Ireland

Ronnie, who runs the dive centre, thought he was from ESAC.

Day two, much better weather and the swell had dropped somewhat, but still left us with a very limited choice. Back out to the same place with the hardboat. Before the dive we saw a seal. Two dives in fairly shallow water were possible, but it was like being in a washing machine as the swell pulled you around. A lot of kelp, one swim through. Still Darren and Padraig who were cox and crew made sure we had hot drinks and biscuits to recover.

From Ireland

From Ireland

Keith and Margarita From Ireland

Tuesday night it blew up a treat. Wednesday had gusts of up to 45knots. No chance of going out, with yachts being forced on to shore.

Washed up overnight From Ireland

Good for surfing, though. We all made for the bright lights of Castlegregory, the main local village and watched Irish folk music. None of us quite got why one of the musicians was dressed up as a green Santa Claus.

From Ireland

Emerald Elvis From Ireland

Thursday it calmed down and though the day before had been stormy there was no big swell, so we were able to dive twice and with more interesting sites,. However most of us contrived to miss the hole in the rock and swimthrough that got one dive called the Letterbox – I suppose we should have called that dive “Missed Delivery”.

Sunset from the front of the hotel From Ireland

The village pub had its Elvis night with the Emerald Elvis and a hen party, whose members were very amply proportioned, skimpily dressed and completely bladdered.

Friday was calm again and the sea much smoother and at long last we had a decent choice of sites. The boat crossed Brandon Bay and we got two dives in near Sauce Creek, at the foot of Mount Brandon, Ireland's 9^th highest mountain. It's a dramatic bay that looks like it is only visited by sheep overland, so steep are the grassy slopes.

Ready to go From Ireland

Start of the last and best dive From Ireland

Two really excellent dives in good visibility. One following the current along the rocks just outside the bay, with a a final swim out away from the shore so the boat could pick up. Around the 20m mark, with enormous boulders and a profusion of fish, lobsters and jewel anemones. The second dive was even better. Dropped just inside the bay into a boulder field that was confusing to navigate and full of fish. A swim through of over 12m between two huge boulders and then around the rocks at about 20m, with ledges full of lobsters, crab and prawn. At long last what we'd come for.

Tompot Blenny From Ireland

Edible Crab From Ireland

Leopard Spotted Goby From Ireland

Meanwhile there had been excitement on the boat as the people left on board had spotted a Sunfish. No photo's mind you, but we believed them.

The Three Tenors From Ireland

Returning from Sauce Bay From Ireland

The vista of the Dingle Peninsula From Ireland

From Ireland

Just after we got back to shore, it began to rain and blow again.

Rain, Again From Ireland

Talk about good luck with the weather.

With thanks to all for the great photo's