Guides
Farne Island Guide - Part IV
Snowdonia (Snowden)
This guide is number four in the series and concentrates on the dive
sites rather than cover the generalities covered in Guide I.
{mosmap lat='55.629144'|lon='-1.631295' }
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Latest Photographs
A Red Cushion Star (Porania pulvillus) this one was half on/half off a hatch so made quite a nice subject as there was access to the top as per this shot.
I am somewhat adept at finding taps which are then cleaned and nailed onto the shed-wall! This one was on Yewglen and all that was showing was a small bit of the handle and outlet, it came out of the iron crud really easily.
A Long Legged Spider Crab (Macropodia rostrata) there are loads on all or most sites, this is the most common 'camouflage'.
And after half an hour the pile of scrap iron had grown significantly!
The rock face on 'The Hopper', its a straight drop into about 18m of water, with little or no weed, only a little kelp near the top of the face and then some filter feeders lower down. A lovely little site!
The ships were built for speed, with plates rivetted together, the rivets will have been made from a softer material with less cobalt/manganese so have rotted away leaving rows of holes and allowing the paltes to start slipping.
A female Common Dragonet (Callionymus lyra), this one didn't want to move and simply shuffled deeper into the sand as the lens got closer.
The inside or West side of the boiler with fire hole etc on show
And the third anchor, I am not sure why she would carry three anchors, there would be one on each side of the bows, I am guessing that there was a spare somewhere on the foredeck.
The head of a Greater Pipefish (Syngnathus acus)
This is the bottom pivot point of the portside rudder which is in remarkable condition considering that the prop shaft was blown through with explosives maybe two yards away.
A view of the business end of an Angler-fish (Lophius piscatorious) there are loads about the sites and once you've spotted one they become easier to see.
Winter 2019 and a young pup that went the wrong direction and hauled out at Beadnell Haven, not an issue in these enlightened times but twenty years ago it would have been one foot of a fluffy pair of slippers!
This one has only recently been 'ditched' by it's mother so is learning to fend for itself and looking around for some space and food!
I also like Hermit Crabs (Pagurus bernhardus) and try to get a photo of them wherever I dive!
Pretty sure that this is a Shanny (Lipophrys phalis) that had set up shop in the cut off end of the pier hand rail. This 'dries out' at low water so either the hole has water inside or the fish darts out and waits until the tide comes up again!
Dropping into the main gully one of the first things that you notice is the rust stained sand.
A typical north east wreck dive, plates, boilers n bits. In this case probably Jan Van Ryswyck although a few vessels have foundered so the bits are somehwhat mixed!
Iron pieces in some of the gullys that have been scoured out since last winter, they could have been virtually anything
A grey seal (Halichoerus grypus) the reason loads of divers visit the islands
The northern, vertical rock face is smothered in hydroids, sea-squirts and boring corals but no dead mans fingers, it's still nice and pretty in bright conditions
Think that this is a Montagus Blenny (Coryphoblennius galerita) there were always plenty warming themselves on the steps. The fact that the seals are fed fish there and there will be 'bits' also probably attracts them!
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