Now this was a nice dive but I had aspirations for a great dive!
This type of dive is only organised, to my knowledge, by Mulberry Divers, where we are set down on the far Mulberry with the tide running and then it is up to the diver whether or not they stay on the Mulberry or at the time of their choosing drift off. Our plan was to have a nice quiet dive around the Far Mulberry and then drift off.
The time around the Mulberry was very good then after circumnavigating about three quarters of the Mulberry we drifted off.
This was Will’s fourth dive and his first drift dive. The SMB deployment went very well and Will was to have the SMB. I was worried that if we became separated I could deploy my SMB but I could not let a complete novice with an SMB need to deploy on his own. Will managed the handling of the SMB very well, he was a little tense holding it so did get shoulder ache but he’ll get better at it.
There is an interesting scene in the video when Will comes out from the shelter of the Mulberry and is ‘hit’ by the tide and he is rolled over.
The drift was the ‘hunter gatherer’ part of the dive to locate and catch flatfish or what ever was fair game. Will had made a spike to that end.
Sadly the word was out that there were ‘hunters’ out on the prowl and there were no fish to be seen!
The Far Mulberry is a fantastic dive site and I have lost count on the number of times I have been there. I have even done two night dives!
Sadly I know the site so well that on one occasion there was only a 1.5 m viz and I still made it all the way around and back up the shot line. Still there are new things to find and see so I keep coming back.
Or go to the link A Far Mulberry drift 31st July 2010
Thursday 9 September 2010
Diving at Babbacombe Bay 24th July 2010
I am lucky as my wife Shelagh supports my diving, which is the only reason we would get to Babbacombe bay by 08:30!
I teamed up with Dave for the two dives and as Dave is also into taking underwater pictures that was good for me.
The two dives were the best diving I have dad at Babbacombe. Ok the viz was poor, well not that good, but it was the sea life that was there to be seen. Equally my underwater navigation worked well, a mix of a working compass as well as a bit of local knowledge recognising some of the underwater landmarks.
The large wrasse that liked to use ‘mushroom rock’ as a shelter as well as the two large lobsters that did not stay completely in their holes. That amazingly large crab one could play with without hurting it. I still cannot understand why the dogfish I picked up whould not uncoil itself and swim off, as they usually do!
The shot at the end with the pile of spider crabs was a sight to remember, not for the diver who has a thing about crabs!!
Was that a spider crab mating frenzy or am I showing my ignorance of crustacean behaviour?
Or link to video site Babbacombe Bay 24th July 2010
I teamed up with Dave for the two dives and as Dave is also into taking underwater pictures that was good for me.
The two dives were the best diving I have dad at Babbacombe. Ok the viz was poor, well not that good, but it was the sea life that was there to be seen. Equally my underwater navigation worked well, a mix of a working compass as well as a bit of local knowledge recognising some of the underwater landmarks.
The large wrasse that liked to use ‘mushroom rock’ as a shelter as well as the two large lobsters that did not stay completely in their holes. That amazingly large crab one could play with without hurting it. I still cannot understand why the dogfish I picked up whould not uncoil itself and swim off, as they usually do!
The shot at the end with the pile of spider crabs was a sight to remember, not for the diver who has a thing about crabs!!
Was that a spider crab mating frenzy or am I showing my ignorance of crustacean behaviour?
Or link to video site Babbacombe Bay 24th July 2010
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