YD Ireland Laurentic gig!

[The Penguin]

Yes, after much calming thinking on Saturday night it was a Laurentic trip after all today! Here's my report of the weekend...

Arrived last on Friday night, to find the others comfortably ensconced in the pub. Some new faces from England (sorry i haven't quite matched all the faces with names yet!), and some old ones too. After much banter we wandered back through the rain and gales to our B&B. Hoping that we would get out to the Laurentic on Saturday...

But the weather was against us. Showery and very windy. So we headed to Mulroy Bay, and i wasn't really hoping for much with all the negative talk that was going round the others who'd dived it before. Ok, there was no metal but it was a dive and i'd driven a fair bit so i was going in.

Actually it was a great dive! On the way down we saw baby dogfish, a big daddy dogfish, starfish, brittlestars and lots more. Dark but clear at depth. Liamm and i swam gently down a shallow slope of mud and sand and occassional bouldery areas to 42m, got happily narked, made Liamm's computer throw a hissy fit and switch to guage mode, ascended to 37m or so where we nearly wet ourselves looking at a spider crab which appeared to be giving us the fingers and saying f-off.

We survived to dive again, also in Mulroy Bay (but a different part). A descent to 22m was followed by a swift ascent to 10m in a current, then a gentle drift in circles around a sandy bay. Lots of dogfish that were very playful, and also a friendly cuttlefish, flashing as much as Peter's 'breather... After an hour we came back.

This was followed by a dive to 1.5m for 2 minutes on Peter's Sentinel in the harbour... The high work of breathing was due to suit squeeze... Thanks Peter!

Then some decompression fluid and a big meal.

Today the plan was to do two dives on the Laurentic and for the smaller boat to do two shallowers dives elsewhere, as the weather was to improve. We did make it out to Lough Swilly and the others in the smaller boat also got a dive in (not sure where).

Midnight was my buddy this time, having got special a dispensation from Mick to accompany me. Figuring it would be quite nice to be led by someone on trimix i happily jumped in (though a little queasy) and we descended. A great view of the wreck opened out at 27m when we dropped out of the algae. The shot was on the boilers and we'd planned to headed for the stern and return to shot as the sea was too big for safe SMB use. Happily narked i signed for Midnight to lead on, only to find that he wanted me to lead. After a rather one sided argument i set off for the stern, nursing my Kowalski which had decided not to take a full charge the night before. A gentle drift, seasickness seemingly gone, over the wreckage took us to a spectacular break in the ship, a cross-section through the keel. Then a return against the current back to shot. Seasickness also started to return. I tried to indicate that i was feeling sick to Midnight when we reached the shotline again (not very well) but that i'd do the remaining 5 minutes or so of the plan around the boilers. Midnight turned around, and i started to retch. Got Midnight's attention and we headed up. Bit of a bumpy (and lumpy) ascent, but all got back on board safely decompressed.

After lunch in Port Salon we set out again but both boats had to can it as the sea had got worse...

A great trip!! Hopefully some others will add details of their dives!

Many many thanks again to Ken and Jane for organising the gig, and to Ken for being unanimously elected unopposed as YD Ireland DO again!! And thanks to Donald and everyone else for great craic and great diving!

Cheers, Al

[yazzyfooty]

Interesting report cheers. I have never heard of someone being sea sick once in the water and down at depth that must be a horrid feeling for you.

[The Penguin]

Originally Posted by yazzyfooty

Interesting report cheers. I have never heard of someone being sea sick once in the water and down at depth that must be a horrid feeling for you.

Yep. A first too for me. It helped though, and i felt better till i got to the surface. I think also having to concentrate on holding the stops took my mind of the sickness as well!

A.

[buchhawk]

Originally Posted by al kennedy

Yep. A first too for me. It helped though, and i felt better till i got to the surface. I think also having to concentrate on holding the stops took my mind of the sickness as well!

A.

Is that why you use a timer instead of a computer?

You can't bend a timer

Ken

Give me 5 & I will post your rebreather pics

[buchhawk]

You should know by now to get a good instructor,I don't think Peter is your man











I just hope you never spewed in the loop

Ken

[The Penguin]

Originally Posted by buchhawk

Is that why you use a timer instead of a computer?

You can't bend a timer

Ken

Give me 5 & I will post your rebreather pics

Yep!! It has logged an ascent rate violation though on the Laurentic dive! Surprise surprise...

And it doesn't throw a wobbly when you push the MOD...

A.

[The Penguin]

Great photos! Thanks!

Originally Posted by buchhawk

You should know by now to get a good instructor,I don't think Peter is your man

Well i dived and survived so he must have done something right!

I just hope you never spewed in the loop

Ken

That's why he had to clean it!

[buchhawk]

Originally Posted by al kennedy

Yep!! It has logged an ascent rate violation though on the Laurentic dive! Surprise surprise...

And it doesn't throw a wobbly when you push the MOD...

A.

What only 1.
I have 4 blue & 1 red triangle from Suunto, and every bone in my body hurts.
I think it is rib rash

Ken

[The Penguin]

Originally Posted by buchhawk

What only 1.
I have 4 blue & 1 red triangle from Suunto, and every bone in my body hurts.
I think it is rib rash

Ken

That's all it can show on the screen! But it was flashing high rates quite often...

What do the blue triangles mean?

Is it not rib bash? My lower back is still a bit tender.

[buchhawk]

Originally Posted by al kennedy

That's all it can show on the screen! But it was flashing high rates quite often...

What do the blue triangles mean? fcuk knows

Is it not rib bash? My lower back is still a bit tender.

As I said on the day, it could have being worse, It could be raining

Ken