So, I've bitten the bullet and turned soft and ordered one of Seaskin's finest drysuits (note the impending national membrane shortage). I also made the decision to pack the gear away until it arrived and the regs were sent off to be serviced.
Then Ratcliffe throws a spanner in the works, do I fancy a trip to St Abbs? The Leicester BSAC lot are going and have a couple of spare places. Well of course I do, after an aborted trip to Eastbourne and a 4.5 hour drive to get blown out at Trefor I'd love some salt on my kit this year and St Abbs in on my to-do list.
Thanks to Secondopsman calling into Divecellar to collect my regs I had the kit so I decided to go (much to Endomans annoyance he couldn't make it
). The BSAC crew were all in the pikey village, sorry caravan park
, but I decided to book us into Rockhouse diving, which luckily is who we are diving with.
So Ratty gets himself from Leicester to civilisation and I then take the 4 1/2 hour drive upto St Abbs on Friday night.
Saturday's first dive was pulled forward, but unfortunately we were just sitting down to breakfast, looking at the boat in the harbour and feeling relaxed knowing we have a good hour or so to get the car unpacked and kit setup, but ended up wolfing breakfast down, kit assembled and suits on then on the boat in about half an hour. It was a bit lumpy on the way out, not ideal having just wolfed sausage, bacon and eggs and a cup of coffee down.
First dive was off Black Carr, vis was around 3m and damn it was dark down there. Loads of anemones, starfish and dead mans fingers, but not much swimming in fact only Ratcliffe.
Back on board Wavedancer using the lift and while it was a bit lumpy still, the lift made it quite easy compared to bugger waves in the Red Sea and a damned ladder.
The second dive of the day was canned, I think the skipper felt it may get worse.
Sunday was a much nicer day, the sea looked much flatter and it was brighter. The dive was pulled forward again and we dived Wuddy Rocks this time, pretty much the same sights as the previous day though I did spot a few small crabs nipping under rocks as I got close and Ratcliffe found a single baby fish, god knows what it was though (lost perhaps?). I managed to lead us straight up a cravasse until I realised there was no way out having got to about 2m depth, so back we swim and had a bimble over the rocky bottom.
Sadly the pussies
with drysuits were too cold to do a second dive
and a few were bailing out to drive home. A shame, as it really seemed to brighten up later, but you have to do what you have to do.
So this viz wasn't great, didn't see a great deal of life and it's a long way, but I'm glad I went and I now really want to do it in the summer when there is life and viz.
Thanks to Ratcliffe for the invite and the Leicester BSAC for allowing me to come along on their trip and thanks to Billy and Alison. The inter agency piss taking was fun especially since the wetsuit clad padi diver managed 2 full length dives and was up for more.
Rock House B&B is spot on and worth the extra few quid compared to stopping in a tent or a caravan and Wavedancer is a great boat, loads of room for kitting up and the lift makes life so easy for fat blokes.
Here is a photo with Rockhouse on the left and his boat Wavedancer on the right. Now that's as close as you can get without a liveaboard.
A couple of shots of just outside the St Abbs harbour on Sun afternoon, looks crap doesn't it?
I'll stop boring you now
Though I have got a decent shot of Ratcliffe auditioning for the YD clothing catalogue if you want to see it
Arfie