New kid on the block from down south!

[Jackwabbit]

Hi folks I have just stumbled on your forum, looks good with lots of useful information.
I thought I would introduce myself,
My name is John & I’m too close to 50 for comfort, but hope to continue diving for as long as possible. I was introduced to the underwater world at the tender age of 12 by my father who used to dive in the navy.
I joined my local club (which my father was already a member) & went through the same training as the adults, by the age of 14 I was the first junior member of our club to start diving the south coast. At the age of 16 my father had to give up diving due to medical reasons & the only mode of transport I had was a motorcycle (not very practical for carrying dive gear around) so I had to give it up as well.
I never forgot the experiences I had from those early days, so when situations changed some 22 years later I found my way back to the same club & there were still some of the old members there. Training seemed a lot easer than I remembered from all those years a go, & I started diving again within 4 months of re-joining.
The dive sites on the south coast had changed a lot during that time off, I can remember seeing lobsters all over the place at Seaford & the Viz seemed a lot better in the good old days.
When I re-joined the club I was looking forward to plenty of wreck diving, but after a few 40m dives I soon lost interest & found I would rather spend a hour & a half on a reef at 12m than 15mins at 40m.
This bank holiday Sunday I spent an hour & a half at 12m watching the antics of a couple of trigger fish, (trigger fish? I here you say) YES TRIGGER FISH!
These were about 22” long, I wouldn’t have believed it myself a couple of years a go, then I saw a few small ones under Brighton pier. I then found an article on the web saying they had been spotted under Brighton & Worthing piers over the last couple of years.

[dave archer]

Welcome to YD Jack

I predict a rash of the old timers on here will be along to start banging on about ABLJs and living in cardbaord boxes in the street any time now...

Enjoy the boards,
Dave.

[divingniknaks]

Card board boxes, eeeee lad Luxury !

Seriously , welcome to YD, get stuck in

Most of 'em are alright

Nah , you'll have a ball, serious of you want it, frivolous if you want. Everything for everyone.

Cheers

[Mr T.]

Hey Jack,

welcome to the site! We have a fair few 'gentlemen of experienced years' here, so you're amongst friends mate

Please join us for a wet when you feel you're ready - see the Planned Trips section and get your name down for any which suit.

Cheers,

[Narked@50]

Hi-Jack (no joke - honest LOL)

Glad you joined YD, keep away from the trigger fish, 22" fellas will have your finger off if you get to close, I have scars on my equipment to prove it. (no, not that equipment!)

James

[Richie]

Originally Posted by dave archer

Welcome to YD Jack

I predict a rash of the old timers on here will be along to start banging on about ABLJs and living in cardbaord boxes in the street any time now...

Enjoy the boards,
Dave.

ABLJs pah new fangled things - won't catch on.

Negatively bouyant? Just fin harder!

Now I remember when...calor gas.......open cell....sorry need a little doze

[JonP]

Trigger fish can often be seen off Chesil Beach too. Wreck of the Royal Adelaide is a good spot. First time I saw a pair I went up and waggled my finger under their noses - not sure why really, just seemed like a good idea at the time. They took no notice of me at all. Learned later how lucky I was still to posess said digit. . They weren't 22" though...

[Adrian Kelland]

Swanley? Shudders....

Welcome to YD Jack. I also saw my first Triggerfish in the UK, off Shoreham in 1996.

Adrian

[Odin]

Still got my first depth gauge - Bourdon tube and marked in feet!
Welcome abaord mate.. swanley ! used to pass through it when I was at Uni in Greenwich

[Jackwabbit]

Thanks for the welcome, if we are talking old lets look at my first kit. The cylinder was known affectionately as a tadpole, made from a steel tube with the top & bottom welded on (these had the dubious reputation for exploding). The regulator was a Mistral twin hose single stage without any non-return valves, this took a lot of puff to clear after taking the mouthpiece out under water. My father made my first wetsuit while on holiday in Cornwall; I had to lie on a sheet of neoprene while he drew round me then cut it out & stick it together with Evo-Stick.
I later progress to twin 40cubic foot cylinders on a normal air harness with a Merlin regulator. With the cylinders inverted it was normal practice to dive on one cylinder until empty, then turn the other one on until it decanted equal amounts of air into both cylinders. We would then turn one cylinder off again, this would be what was used to surface after the other one was empty again. Contents gage! What’s a contents gage? Didn’t need them with this system) & does anyone remember the Aqualift ABLJ? This came with its own DIY fitting kit which was a ‘T’ piece with a large red tap, which connected to your high pressure feed to your gage. (How we managed to survive these early days is anyone’s guess)