[Lou]

30th of September 2006. Snap. Knee shagged.

Apart from a short, but slightly sore, trial dive on Easter Monday I haven't dived since rupturing my cruciate ligament in Dover back in the autumn. Recently, after a few setbacks, however, my physio has been going well, and with the weather this weekend turning out better than forecast, and the view from the surface looking pretty reasonable when we took our kayaks out near Falmouth yesterday, today the drysuit and kit got dusted down and a truly frontier-pushing dive was attempted - we did a shore dive of Drawna Rock from Porthkerris beach!

Now, it may not sound much, and indeed it wasn't, but it was bloody brilliant. Back in the water again, knee felt reasonable, even climbing the steep rock off the beach, viz was a creditable 3m and the sea was flat and sun shining. We got in almost spot on low water after a leisurely morning at home. It now takes us just an hour to drive to Porthkerris and although there are undoubtedly closer dives, this was one we knew and I wanted ground i felt comfortable on to calm the nerves.

Nothing to worry about really as we drifted with a slight current up north of the reef, and then ferretted along the bottom south and west back to the start point. Lots of kelp, spider crabs - large and the true, tiny spider crabs. Cuckoo wrasse, goldsinny and corkwing wrasse, along with the bruiser ballan wrasse. A school of young pollack off the southern tip were slihoutted by bright sunlight to finish the dive. It was perfect. Can't wait to do it all again. Might try and get a couple of spots on Baymarine's Friday nighter this week - after work dive anyone?



Thankyou for reading the dullest trip report in history....transmission ends.

 

[Lou]

Never mind the dive...
What flavour Roskilly's did you have to celebrate???

Ahh - a double tub, green plastic spoon - my traditional favourite of Hokey pokey on Ginger Fairing. Caroline went for the radical Tiramisu on Cheery and Marzipan.

Howard - you are so right. I apologise for the gaps. We decided to take a risk with the END and take it all the way up to 10m. All deco was done at 10m or less. Hmmm. As was the dive, now I come to think of it

 

[Lou]

Glad to hear you are back in the water Lou, come play on Friday evenings (although I will get as close to the water as tea monitor this week).

How do you book them? (and mine's white, no sugar)

Thanks to everyone for the wishes. Mike, any time I make it as far east as you we will come and plunder..

 

[Lou]

Roskilly's - Just to rub it in then - we took a couple of litre tubs home - the hour long drive isn't long enough for it to have melted

Steve - it were a nekkid dive. I haven't used support at all - my surgeon and physio are both "anti-support" so I had no option. Caroline did carry my tank up the rock slope back to the car, bless her. She is a star.

 

[Lou]

We are on the gig in June. Of course, we will be going home to sleep in our own bed of an evening, but we shall be up for a BBQ again

Neil - where have the Baskers been seen? - only heard of 2 so far, and one of them needed cutting free from nets! If they are about we need to ge the kayaks out in that vicinity. It is my sworn aim to see them and get up close this year.

 

[Lou]

Lou,

I understand that a couple have been seen off Porthleven earlier in the month, a couple off Manacles 2 weekends ago too.

Last year in Falmouth Bay was the place to be if you like them - my partner snorkelled out one evening from Pendennis point into the bay as there were about 3 or four there in shallow water. They were there for a couple of days, weekday evenings.

I was in the Chainlocker........................................

We heard about one off Porthleven, and I think it was one off the Manacles that got tangled. Here's hoping they come in over the next few weeks then. we took the kayaks off Swanpool beach on Saturday and kept our eyes peeled for any sign, but nothing. At least we know Swanpool is a good launch spot for when they do arrive, as is Maenporth apparantly.

My fingers are firmly crossed!