Report by Steve Burgess Photos
After hearing the UB1195 dive was called off. Mark and I decided to do a last minute.com trip to Swanage. E mail notice to all went out but sadly no takers. Some BSAC members from Wakefield had booked up with divers down and a few spaces on the boat were left. We got there for 7.30 and after a quick breki that’s how Yorkshire folk talk! We kit up and had a quick dive under the pier. Viz was 5mtrs we see lots of life as usual for under the pier notable was a pair of Tompot blennys guarding their eggs which were inside a large clam. See pic.
We then load up onto the Spike for the 1st main dive the lighthouse drift.
Lighthouse Drift
Viz 6-8 Mtrs
Water temp 17c
Depth 17.5
Dive time 45 mins
Nice pacy drift we were bombing along to be fair. Lots of nice rocks and reef with sandy areas between. Well over 10 large Rays were seen on the sandy areas with some big spider crabs dotted about. A few bass were seen and lots of colourful wrass.
A lot of anemonies on the rocks with lots of colour but too fast to get a good pic.
Great dive sadly came to an end as we were told we would eventually stop as we got around the corner to slack water so up we came from a fantastic drift dive.
Back in port we has a quick butty as they say in Yorkshire, the leader of Wakefield club is a Yorkshire version of Paul so no guessing how potty he was.
Back on the boat and off for 3rd dive of the day ,
The Venezuela.
Viz 8-10
Water temp 15c
Depth 29 Mtrs
Dive time 40 mins
Drop down the shot and straight away I know this is going to be good viz as I can see the line going way down . Got to bottom and worked our way around the very Broken up wreck. Its teaming with life a large shole of cod quite literally hundreds of them came past us, quite a sight. Lots of big conger in all the Holes also.
Not a regular dive done by divers down but all really enjoy it. .
The ship was sunk by a WW1 U boat on 14th March 1918. The boilers are still there and most of the sides of the hull are visible. We spent all the dive at around 27 Mtrs so bottom time came up so we pop up a DSMB and came back up.
Great day with the Yorkies was had so we said our goodbyes. Nice fish n chips on the wall in harbour and a drive home in a little over two hours. Well worth going .
Steve & Mark the Diving bagel
