Forecast was 45mph WSW, and not looking great, but decided to have a look - and it turned out well. Shoalstone Point sheltered; it was also neapy. Vis was ~3 metres. So had a very good dive of 67min (max 10m) with Derek and Geoff. Headed out from near the swimming pool 330° (then left) and explored the low reefy and bouldery stuff. Derek and Geoff got a few scallops, but they were sparse and of these not many were big enough. I concentrated on photography.
Quickly the kelp thinned out and there was good weedy turf, and lots of trumpet anemones. Apart from the gobies there didn't seem to be any fish around, but found there to be amazing variety of crabs: harbour, long-legged spider, hermit (in whelk, top, and tower shells) velvet swimmer, angular, and a particularly interesting spot - a Bryer's nut crab (above).
I took quite a few pictures. I use the custom settings on my camera to allow me to switch between close-up mode (where I need, and it's ok, to use flash) and general shooting. It was made more of a challenge as Derek's new flexible split fins wafted the silt from the bottom most effectively.
Started to feel quite cool after 40-60 minutes but was nice and light when the sun was out. No headache or anything - drinking plenty before the dive seems to be working well. All in all a very interesting and enjoyable dive.
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