Bluey Green Lagoon

[endoman]

Well we eventually arrived as tom tom was even spooked by the power cables!

Started to precipitate somewhat as we unpacked, so we went into the shop to sign in instead. Very friendly and helpful, Sharon booked us in, and gave us a run down of what to expect. We had a look at the map on the wall, wrote down some bearings and continued the unpacking.

Got fully kitted up on the benches outside when Arfie realised his mask was back in the car. Trip back to car for that then.

down to entry point which we were told is 1.5 m higher than normal due to flooding. In we popped and took a bearing to find the gun. Down to sandy bottom and even managed to stay off it, then headed for the gun which we quickly found. I managed to get snagged up in the thing, but Arfie was to hand to untangle my octo. Saw lots of miniscule creatures that I was told the name of but forgot, like underwater fly type things. Swarms of the buggers all over. Me kept thinking I'd arrived at the next attraction only to swim through the thing!

Took bearing from my slate for the plane, as Arfie's new slate proved to have a pencil with the function of a chocolate teapot. We figured on this being the longest swim between two ojects, and about 5 mins later we were at the plane with no problem. It was then that someone turned on the overhead power lines and rendered our compasses hopeless :-)

Plan was to swim along the west bank, no not that one, to eventually find a boat, having swum by a cave etc. Well after about 15 minutes gentle finning and reaching the depth of 7.6 metres we hit a training platform where I fiddled about swapping to Pony and back. More swimming found us at the cave, but I had one sore leg as I had been swimming in circles for about 10 minutes despite compass bearing being followed. After cave we found another platform but never the boat, so headed off to find the tank. More swimming and we gave up, surfaced and found us about 40 metres away in the middle of the quarry, 45 minutes total to here, and lots of swimming in the middle I reckon. Some nice weedy things to look at , but not really any visual clues!

We surface swam to the tank and dropped down to explore that, then took North heading to get back. I did a mid water blob, first one, and although a little limp it went without bother. Needs a lot of breaths into it from 5 metres depth when you miss with half of them. We then swam in circles a little more, both looking at compass needles that were spinning round like Pete Burns on acid. Slow to surface with the blob and we surface swam about 30 metres back in.

all in all a very nice evening, v friendly atmosphere, nice cafe and a huge dog keeping guard! Indoor changing rooms, wet cafe room, decent looking shop. A nice site for training or kit testing. Vis was around 4 -6 metres, better in some of the bits we were in, as no other bugger had got lost there before. Temp was a v pleasant 17 degrees and our dive time just over an hour.

[Arfie]

The small creatures were daphnia and there were millions of them in big "clouds" at times. I'm taking a jar next time, my tropical fish would love them

Watch for the bottom it is proper deep silt, I too got 7.6m on Suunto, but I have to be honest, I buried my hand in the silt to get it

The compass is not my friend at the best of times least of all when I've put it back in the housing the wrong way around but even that couldn't account for it swinging all over the place in mid water.

I'm not a fan of the use of ropes/chains/pipes to show the route from one attraction to another (like in Capernwray) as it leads to lazy navigation (by the likes of me), but in light of the power lines making your compass as useful as Captain Jack Sparrows, it would be a good idea here, though the silt will soon bury them anyway .

The other side of the lake with the mythical deep bit, is apparently closed off to allow the wildlife to flourish and once they feel it is doing well enough and moving into the rest of the lake they intend to open it up to divers

As Endoman said, nice cafe area (wet too) small changing rooms, but there none the less. Loads of sturdy tables all over the site which is handy for kitting up. Nice little shop, which is pretty well stocked, air fills available and Sharon was nice and friendly and helpful and not forgetting Scuba the dog, who is a cute little Newfoundland Dog (well maybe not little, a better description is HUGE).

Being as the water level was 1m-1.5m higher than usual you are talking about a normal 6m MAX depth so for now it's a great place to practice bouyancy as well as other skills etc or if you just wanna get wet. The info board said temp was 19C, but Suunto said 18C surface and 17C at depth, even so a few degrees warmer than most of the other puddles at present. They do have plans to improve it over time and if they do open up the deeper parts and throw the other plane and other attractions in it will become a very useful site, granted, not the 30 odd M of Stoney or even the 20 odd M of Capernwray but a damn site nearer for lots of us than either of them.

I'd be happy to go again.

Arfie

[Smarksmith]

Glad you both had fun, Quite agree with EVERYTHING you wrote especially the compass Vs Power lines, I kept saying it was the lines not the fact I am crap at navigation but their lies another story.

If you ever want a midweek dip at Blue Lagoon, let me know while I'm doing a lot of my DM training there I am starting to get to know it a BIT better, but still can't swim in a straight line!!! :-)

Mark

[endoman]

Cheers Mark

How's the strobe going?

Bill

[Smarksmith]

finding it a "Challenge" to get decent pics with it, took it to Cape Verde with me, but a lot of the time photoshop did a better job on the pictures than I could with a strobe, I will keep on trying!! Never one to be beaten!!

Sounds like you are knocking up the dives now, soon be at the century mark!!

Mark

[Anita Blake]

I'm doing my OW course there.

Smashing place for a beginner. Very friendly.

[endoman]

Originally Posted by Smarksmith

finding it a "Challenge" to get decent pics with it, took it to Cape Verde with me, but a lot of the time photoshop did a better job on the pictures than I could with a strobe, I will keep on trying!! Never one to be beaten!!

Sounds like you are knocking up the dives now, soon be at the century mark!!

Mark

I wish, just under the half century, but a week in Sharm will soon sort that out, with luck I may get to 50 before we go.

[Smarksmith]

Originally Posted by endoman

I wish, just under the half century, but a week in Sharm will soon sort that out, with luck I may get to 50 before we go.

We're off to sharm in November, Week on a liveaboard!! no rush to do anything, mind you I've got St.Abbs, Farne Islands and Portofino b4 Egypt what a busy person I is!!! (God that all sounds so pretencious!!)

Mark

[endoman]

Originally Posted by Smarksmith

We're off to sharm in November, Week on a liveaboard!! no rush to do anything, mind you I've got St.Abbs, Farne Islands and Portofino b4 Egypt what a busy person I is!!! (God that all sounds so pretencious!!)

Mark

So have you got Jo diving then? Is St Abbs the trips I saw advertised at Blue Lagoon? Arfie and I would be v interested especially if the boat has a lift. Ditto goes for Farne Islands, nice gentle stuff for us.

[Smarksmith]

Think it may be one organised by blue lagoon, the ones with SYDA I think are full, but at club meeting (piss up at pub) tonight so will find out and let u know if any spaces, better go and get smoke free pub clothes on and shoot off,

Speak to you later

Mark