Brixham Breakwater

Derek and I dived Brixham on Sunday. Vis wasn't great - 3m - milky and snotty, and a bit gloomy. But it was worth it! Especially if you like crabs.

We went off the beach and had a look round the eel-grass. Not a lot here that we could see, then carried on eastwards along the edge of the reefy stuff where it turns into rock strewn silt, and I spotted a couple of cuttlefish. Saw the usual gobies (lots of 2-spots in the weedier places) and dragonets around, but little else I can remember- till we got to the 'nice' reefs with the trumpet anemones. We had a look around here then looped west back across the bay.

Before very long- about half way through the dive- we stumbled on a great horde of spiny spider crabs. We'd just seen one or two, then realised the crusty monsters were everywhere. Neither of us had seen so many in one place, and some were absolute giants. After a few snaps we let them think they'd seen us off and we carried on- over silt and spider crab remains. Around the derelicts, twiggy, long legged spider crabs scavenged.

Continuing our crab-fest, we enjoyed velvet swimmer crabs, harbour/swimmer crabs (I like how they swim!), and little angular crabs - scampering away, pincers out-stretched, saying 'I'm BIG'. There were a few edibles, and lots of hermit crabs - many of the larger ones weighed down with outsize parasitic anenomes.

Some other things live there too, like burrowing anemones, worms and brittlestars.

We surfaced at the beach, near the wall, after 86 minutes. Good plan of Derek's and navigation,.. and was pleased with him for zipping up my difficult drysuit.