Penlee Point, Plymouth

The plan was to dive the James Eagan Layne, but after a very bumpy ride out and finding heavy sea beyond Penlee Point, we returned to sheltered area inside Penlee Point and dived 50m or so from the rocky shore. I dived once again with Peter C. The deeper outcrops at 10-15 metres were nice and reefy, very pretty. Shallower, about 5-6m towards the end of the dive, there was a lot of kelp (to be expected) and it was not quite so nice.

Around the bouldery reefs there was a very pleasant variety of colourful seaweeds, and plant-like animinals, feathery sea-firs, sea-squirts etc. (unknown sponges). There were sea-cucumbers (cotton-spiners), snakelock anenomes, spiny starfish, purple starfish. Fish - there were lots of fry, especially goldsinny wrasse, as well as adult ballan wrasse, a wonderful group of cuckoo wrasse, a pollack (on every dive there seems to be a single large pollack), and a tompot blenny. It was a really good relaxed dive. Peter lugged the blob around, and found a fishing weight.

Galicia

Unfortunately it was too choppy with the tide, to get over to the Orestone, so the second wave went to the Galicia. Between waves Geoff did some rescue practise, Kevin instructing and Brian as casualty. Earlier on, Clint, Geoff H, Brian, and Kevin pulled a trailer out of the river that had gone off the end of the slip.

It was quite windy and we had a bumpy ride to the site; the transit marks were clear though and the wreck shotted accurately. The buddy pairs were Clint and Anne, Peter C and me. Kevin and Brian were boathandlers. Clint and Anne went in first, their plan was to deal with some of the gill net and line, then Peter and I for a swim round. I led in something like a circuit or (two) of the lumpier bits of the wreck and took some pictures.

Soon into the dive we found Clint and Anne. Peter was able to help Clint with some of the net and a big crab. Visibility wasn't great, I flicked up a bit of it myself at a few spots. I found a few bits of the wreck I hadn't seen before- where all the cement barrels are scattered about. Vis was up to 4m; not terrible but for pictures still quite bitty and difficult to get good scenic views.

Lots of fish, smallish silver fish and a few larger pollack. A few wrasse, also a few tompot blennies and long-spined scorpion fish. Amongst the now familiar sight of dead and dying animals, we found one of the cormorants; I was looking for its head - when I looked up Peter presented me with the skull.

Near the shot there was a lot of netting and line, and discovering that it was easily rolled up I did so; a dead dogfish tangled in it was a bit fiddly to cut out, but with Peter's help everything was sorted. A bit task-loading at one point, but all very good practise. We did a safety stop at six metres. Surface Air Consumption wasn't too bad in spite of all the faffing about etc,..

A good dive. Though I've been on the Galicia four times now, I find something new each time; I'm sure we'll be back so next time will look round another patch.

Exmouth Dock

After a dreary day, the sun got out for a fantastic evening. At the quay (made it though the rush-hour) I had a look around; the tide was still racing in and it was very choppy below the quayside, but the vis looked 'ok'. Diving were Clint and Hilary, Phil and Nik, Derek and Geoff, Kevin and me, with Brian shore cover.

We went in just after HW and did just over 30 minutes at an average depth of 11m. Jumped off the dock, and able to get back out on ladder (just). Current made it hard work here and there, but staying low and going steady we didn't have any problems. Vis was >4 metres.

Tompot blennies. They were everywhere -watching us from crevices and holes- it was blenny city. There were some shannies too in the shallows. There were ballan and goldsinny wrasse, and nice school of pollack. Near the cave, Kevin freed a small pollack caught on some abandoned line. A further on we saw a big fresh water eel. The terrain was varied (boulders, rocks, the cave, piles of shells, and mussels, and junk with plenty of hiding places).

Everyone had a really good time; Kevin and I had a good look round, Clint and Hilary fed the fish, Derek took some brilliant pictures of blennies and crab, Phil found a porthole, and Nik found some sort of gun. The coin I found turned out to be a 2p.

Galicia

A nice sunny day and the weather was far better than forecast; we arrived at Teignmouth as first wave (to the Bretagne) was putting out. Yas, Hilary and I went into town, to the dive shop, then round the back beach and seafront. Got a hood for Yas and we ate some pasties.

The second wave (switched to the Galicia) set off and were soon above the wreck. Geoff H and Nic got in first, then Geoff M and I, down the shot. We had good look round. The vis was not great, milky and snotty, but not too bad. It was far better and lighter than last time, the net was easily avoided. Usual encrusters: lots of light-bulbs, and white anenomes. There were a lot of smallish fish as well as larger pollock, bass, various wrasse, and a tompot blenny. I took some pictures and had a nice relaxed dive. We sent up the blob, and on the way up we found the shot.

There was time for a third wave and I was lucky enough to get on it and use Dave's spare nitrox. The wreck was slightly harder to find this time because looking into the sun and haze the transit at Holcombe above Smuggler's Cove was hard to see. I was first buddied with Dave, unfortunately he couldn't get down and I waited on the shot and joined Phil and Anne when they got in.

The dive itself was fine, relaxed and comfortable, it was also my first nitrox dive. Down we went into the gloom and at the bottom we all got our torches out. It was much darker now. Off we went, and in covering more ground, we saw how badly netted the Galicia is. There are several very large heavy nets that look like they've been there a long time; these don't seem to be a problem, but there is also lots of tangled monofilament net and line and animals caught in it. There were several dead cormorants, dead fish including a very large female ballan wrasse thrashing about, and a lobster [Clint and Helen found another tangled lobster on their dive], and sea fans amongst the rope. All awful.

Meadfoot

Good job I did that weight check on Thursday. If I hadn't, today wouldn't have been half as good. I added another 3kg [so 9kg] and was only then able to dive for very brief and shallow dives, 4 metres or so, before bouncing back up. Finning to stay down I used my air up pretty quick.

Weather fine, very calm and clear and getting out sunny. Vis varied, perhaps 3 to 4 metres. Bloom still here, and there was lots of green brown snot, but reasonable. Neap tide, very light winds, and lack of rain all helped. Wetsuit was very warm and comfortable. [Would like it like this one day to go a bit further round and see West Shag Rock or London Bridge].

I swam straight over to East Shag Rock. Lots of sponges like before, and the usual colonists, but couldn't see the round yellow ones or the green jewel anemones. This time however, I saw velvet swimmer crabs, a few very small edible crab, and a few large prawns. The starfish still there and seemed to be as plentiful, around the west side mainly, munching mussels.

Fishes, there were large ballan wrasse (among the kelpy bits and around the reefy bits between), goldsinny wrasse in the crevices, a large mullet, and a docile dogfish that followed me round the rock.

On the way back I picked up a few floating carrier bags and removed some tangling line. Lots of litter on the road, the lay-bys, and beach too. Otherwise a really good early morning swim.

Watcombe

The fine weather got me out after work for a short swim and weight check [note to self: need 8kg] with new wetsuit - should now be able to snorkel most of the year, if not all year. Unfortunately, just a very gentle easterly swell was enough to spoil the visibility here completely.

Anstey's Cove, Torbay

The weather on Saturday was much better than forecast so we decided to try Anstey's Cove. The sea at Dawlish on the drive over was choppy but we'd find somewhere sheltered around Torquay. Anstey's is very nice. The path down from the car park is steep, but not too bad if you're snorkelling. It stayed fine and visibility was better than expected too, despite the spring tide. It was a bit milky at low water but a good 2 to 3 metres.

Stupidly I'd left my snorkel at home. I'd collected it up but didn't go the distance and actually put it in the kit bag, so I went without (sensibly I ditched a few kilos). It was worth it, apart from the exercise, to discover that the May algae bloom might be clearing. There were small moon and compass jellyfish. Plenty of juvenile fish, and a large ballan wrasse lurking in the kelp, which there was a lot of; see the picture of the kelp zombie.

There were a few other bits and pieces, the usual stuff - but I seemed to get cold quickly and I didn't stay in very long or go over to Redgate Beach as planned and around the rocks there which in the past I've found a bit more interesting - next time.