[peter k]

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I'll make this a quick one as I'm still knackered, so I'll just get what we all dived out the way. I'm sure others will add;

Friday.
We all appeared at different times, some with good excuses and some without. Chris/Liz blew their radiator and Jules/Nick blew a tyre on the way up, but they got there in the end. I went in for a night dive with John M and got a magnificant 7mins TDT with the dizzying depth of 14mtrs to the top of the cliff. Looks like a cracking dive though I ended up solo(Johns reg was playing up, so he had headed back to shore) in a current taking me out into the Sound, looking down a 120mtr cliff. Decided the pub was a "MUCH" better option. Beers, banter and some Tequila shandies were consumed.

Saturday
Up for the first dive of the "weekend  proper". Jules and Nick were still building a little love nest in Tyndrum so they never made this one. Onto the SHUNA for a nice enough dive with Derry(Rasilon), though it was here I discovered just how much deco. I was in store for this weekend. Did the usual profile and ended up with about 15mins instead of the common 4-5. Surface interval then onto the THESIS. As usual loads of life. Pollock, M+F Cuckoo Wrasse, Ballan Wrasse, Conger. The soft corals on the bow ribs of this wreck get better every time I dive her(Rob Evans's avatar was the Thesis at the Bow). Nice easy swim through from the bow to the Stern and back up the deck structures.
Greay dive. Longish deco time again.
Back to the lodges for showers, shaves and shits, then we went to the Hotel(Basiiiil) for dinner. Few more beers and off to bed.

Sunday
Jules wanted to do a "deepie" so we went to the RONDO. Pleasant enough dive(47.5mtrs, Mucho deco.). Saw Jules'n'Nick on the bottom.
Second dive was a scenic that I can't actually remember the name of and the third was a Scallop hunt.

Monday
Onto the HISPANIA. As usual a great dive. I keep finding wee holes I never knew were there. loads of life, same types as the Thesis, only much more of it.
sat and watched the porpoises and seals during the surface interval then onto another scenic which I can't remember the name of either.
Then we all went home!
Best dive-Hispania
Worst dive-Either of the scenics. Not my cup of tea really.

Peter
ZZZzzzzzzzzzz

 

[Simon TW]

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<font color='#000080'>Sad that I couldn't come Pete,

 

[parahandy]

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Sounded like another good one Peter
When are we doing Coll, Tiree, Bo Fascadale, and Skerryvore?
 

Tony ( parahandy)

 

[peter k]

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The weekends are booked. I struggled through Alans diary to find free weekends for next year already. There's 4 I managed to find, including blagging one off the centre. The centre knows how popular he is, so they take X-amount to make sure the spaces are there for the SOMAP project.  As soon as I get recovered I'll put it out, so to speak! Next couple of days.

Great weekend though. Seals and Porpoises were a bit camera shy unfortunately. I got a pair of ears(Mr T, you're a fashion setter) which I've grown attached to. Viz wasn't as good as usual, I think we got av. 6mtrs on them all. Still, 'tis always fun. I prefered the pinnacle we did last time to either of the scenics we did this time, but they're new to me, so you live and learn. Water temp was 11 or 12 on all the dives.

I'll let you know before the next yin!!!!!!

Peter

 

[Jules]

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Thanks Peter it was a agreat trip, although we did have one or two mishaps...like a puncture on the way there and a two hour wait for the RAC, subsequently running low on fuel becuase scotland is shut in the winter, having to find a hotel a hundred mile short of our destination and subsequently missing the first dive on saturday (that's our excuse and we are sticking to it). The troup very kindly returned to Lochaline to pick us up at midday so we did manage to do the second dive. new for this trip was Jules using twin tens, a Nick modification to my cressi BCD to take them meant that i could try out the weight and balance without any financial investment. The thing we were all wondering about was whether i would make it up the ladder at the end of the dive?? Well i did, so the twin tanks are staying! (Nick has three sets so that's just greedy).underwater i found them so much more comfortable than the 12 and 15 i have been using. Nice to have loads of gas to go at. The dives were as listed above by peter. some more eventful than others. I went deep on the Rondo again to see if I could get over the narked feeling i had last time. Same problem though.... at 47m vision closing and in and a feeling of "i dont want to be here, hold my hand" which subsided at 40m into a lovely feeling of enjoying diving. interesting.
What else to say? somehow between the first and second dives on sunday Peter sprouted a pair of white rabbit ears, apparently it wasnt caused by excess of tequila shandies , and henceforth he was christened Tampon head or peter rabbit to his friends. I think the ears are here to stay.. We have the photos!
As usual we decided not to take the camera on a dive in order to provoke sods law and see something interesting. Last time it was pipe fish, this time it was a scorpian fish on the last dive just snoozing on a ledge (until Nick woke it up)
Another excellent Mull weekend , the diving great as usual and the threatened bad weather failed to materialise.
Roll on the next one,
Jules
I will try to work out how to post the pics and do so when i get a mo.