Report from Derek Heath
Driving down from London in the dark through dense fog you wonder whether the dive boat might just miss you on the pick up and leave you floating in the English Channel. The fog was just as dense when we were down in Swanage Steve, Mark and Derek being the only foolhardy folk to venture out in the early hours.
A few photos (the first one being a picture of Mark on the wreck!)
Looking down in the water was totally the opposite with crystal clear water. First dive under the pier and good visibility to see the fish, crabs and anemones living there. Max depth 4m, time 22min, Water temp 13 degrees C, gas 32%. Next up a drift dive from Old Harry Rocks back towards Swanage. Good flow gave us a great flying feeling and the odd large spiny-backed ray added highlights. Max depth 17m, time 43 mins, Water temp 13 degrees C, gas 21%. The fog lifted and the sun was out warming us up when we sat drinking our hot chocolate.
Lunch snack on the promenade and then back to the boat for a final dive on the Kiarra. The tide was flowing still as we went down the buoy line into an increasingly gloomy sea. When we finally got down to the bottom the visibility had decreased to around 40cm. No good for Steve and Derek who decided to knock it on the head. Mark had taken a singleton also from London under his wing and persisted along the boat. Steve and I were covered in sea fleas as we did our safety stop at 6 metres. Max depth 28m, time 40 mins, Water temp 14 degrees C, gas 32%. At least I got three opportunities to work on adjusting my buoyancy on ascent and dumping air from my dry suit!
Visibility: Pier: 5m, Drift 3 to 4m, Kyarra 0 to 1m
I scooted off to get back to town for a dinner. Mark and Steve enjoyed fish and chips and a superb sunset.
