Hi all, I have some plans gelling for a trip to the U.K. this summer, and thought I might describe them here in case you might have any advice, suggestions, warnings, etc.
My wife, son and I have booked a cottage just outside Penzance in Cornwall for the first week of August. Since we will be going on to London and Paris, I don't want to drag my entire scuba kit along. My thought was to pack my 7mm wetsuit (which keeps me comfortable at water temperatures down to ~13 C), mask, snorkel, gloves/boots and fins. In addition I'd bring along my Olympus 5050/PT-015, one external strobe and lenses.
Since we like to keep our family schedule relatively loose and not take up too much time with extended scuba outings, I reckon that most of my time in the water would be in the form of snorkeling or relatively shallow freediving from beaches. It sounds as though we're only 2-3 miles from Lamorna Cove, which I understand is a popular training spot. I see that Diver magazine had a piece in one of the issues last fall itled "The Top 10 U.K. Ultra-Shallow Shore Dives." Besides Lamorna Cove, their list also included Porthkerris at the Lizard in Cornwall. I thought I'd rent a weightbelt for the week to facilitate freediving descents (I've trained with Performance Freediving, but prefer puttering around in the shallows at depths of perhaps 5-8 meters).
A lot of people have told me not to have too high of expectations of vis, but since it can range anywhere from 6 inches to 25 feet on Southern California shore dives, we're not too easy to shock.
For one morning of our visit, I was thinking of signing up with one of the scuba operators for something like a two-dive boat outing. Although I dive a backplate/wing at home, I understand that chances are slim to nonexistent of finding such a kit to rent there, so I'll have to reach back in my mind five years to refamiliarize myself with a jacket BC and short-hose reg. However, I didn't want to get into a whole lot of scuba, because as noted on these family trips my wife and son don't like me going off on my own for too long at a stretch. I should also mention that I'd be looking only at dives within recreational limits -- no deco.
Here are some questions I'm mulling:
-- Any suggestions for other shore spots in the area apart from those mentioned above that might be promising for snorkel/shallow freedive with camera?
-- Any recommendations on photo-friendly scuba operators thereabouts? I've heard some comments (not photo-related) about an outfit in Penzance.
-- Given limitations on vis, should I leave my wide-angle at home and concentrate on macro?
-- Any other general thoughts?
Thanks in advance for any input!
Frank in Los Angeles
My wife, son and I have booked a cottage just outside Penzance in Cornwall for the first week of August. Since we will be going on to London and Paris, I don't want to drag my entire scuba kit along. My thought was to pack my 7mm wetsuit (which keeps me comfortable at water temperatures down to ~13 C), mask, snorkel, gloves/boots and fins. In addition I'd bring along my Olympus 5050/PT-015, one external strobe and lenses.
Since we like to keep our family schedule relatively loose and not take up too much time with extended scuba outings, I reckon that most of my time in the water would be in the form of snorkeling or relatively shallow freediving from beaches. It sounds as though we're only 2-3 miles from Lamorna Cove, which I understand is a popular training spot. I see that Diver magazine had a piece in one of the issues last fall itled "The Top 10 U.K. Ultra-Shallow Shore Dives." Besides Lamorna Cove, their list also included Porthkerris at the Lizard in Cornwall. I thought I'd rent a weightbelt for the week to facilitate freediving descents (I've trained with Performance Freediving, but prefer puttering around in the shallows at depths of perhaps 5-8 meters).
A lot of people have told me not to have too high of expectations of vis, but since it can range anywhere from 6 inches to 25 feet on Southern California shore dives, we're not too easy to shock.
For one morning of our visit, I was thinking of signing up with one of the scuba operators for something like a two-dive boat outing. Although I dive a backplate/wing at home, I understand that chances are slim to nonexistent of finding such a kit to rent there, so I'll have to reach back in my mind five years to refamiliarize myself with a jacket BC and short-hose reg. However, I didn't want to get into a whole lot of scuba, because as noted on these family trips my wife and son don't like me going off on my own for too long at a stretch. I should also mention that I'd be looking only at dives within recreational limits -- no deco.
Here are some questions I'm mulling:
-- Any suggestions for other shore spots in the area apart from those mentioned above that might be promising for snorkel/shallow freedive with camera?
-- Any recommendations on photo-friendly scuba operators thereabouts? I've heard some comments (not photo-related) about an outfit in Penzance.
-- Given limitations on vis, should I leave my wide-angle at home and concentrate on macro?
-- Any other general thoughts?
Thanks in advance for any input!
Frank in Los Angeles