Soudan

Arriving at a blustery North Sands on Saturday morning to boat handle for the 1st wave, the dark grey sea didn't look exactly inviting; pretty lumpy in fact as a fishing boat lolloped along over the infamous sand bar. It wasn't really too bad.

Once out of the river mouth we turned left and chugged along in the direction of Prawle Point where Geoff M and Sara, Terry and Bryan, Chris and Debbie dived a reef just east of Gammon Head. Tide, a couple of pots (and some crap steering) made it awkward to retrieve the shot. By the time Adrian hauled it aboard it was time to start picking up our divers. Return trip was a little bouncy and there was a bit more boat traffic off the beach. All good practise- and I needed the coaching- so thank you all for that (no one was 'actually' sick). Everyone enjoyed their dives, and the reef very pretty and full of life.

Back at base I put my stuff together, and got ready for the Soudan which I was diving with Anne. [I just checked and it was the one (a French steamship) loaded up with peanuts]. Adrian was diving in a three with former club members Mark and Cathy.

Adrian, Mark and Cathy went in first. And Anne and I stayed to assist Derek in the boat as it was quite choppy, and would make diver retrieval much easier. When it came to our turn Anne and I made our way down the shot into the current. Vis was a good 15m. We swam a short distance to the boilers where we found an old lobster (I also saw a squat lobster) and two conger. One of them was VERY big. Around and about pieces of heavily encrusted and broken wreck poking out of clean white sand. We followed a line of girders to section of hold covered with red weed and sea firs. Then went along some prop-shaft towards the stern where we found an upturned tender. We rounded the stern and made our way back swimming across the current.

Back at the boilers we begun our ascent up the shot. All was well, but I was to have some mask trouble. I was using an different mask as my usual Oceanic one had split, and it flooded each time I looked at my computer on our 6m stop (each time I'd thought I'd fixed it!). Quite glad when we'd done our time and could surface. Otherwise a great dive.