Guides
Ten UK dives you might just manage
I wrote this article following on from the social media lists of 'must do' dives, I hope you enjoy reading it and look forward to your feedback on your favourite UK dives!
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Latest Photographs
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.
Arty-farty shot of a pinnacle
Leopard Spotted Goby (thorogobius ephippiatus) the knack is getting them to stay still, lots of phtographs come out as a puff of silt and a tail.
A common starfish (Asterias rubens) attempting to open a small scallop, one of my mates Hud, is so bad at scalloping he looks for starfish feeding and then steals the scallop!
A winch which is located on the flat seabed in about 14m, well on a flat area of ship! Take care swimming around this lump as it is festooned with rope, some maybe from attempted lifts whilst others are probably from lost lobster pots.
The tosheroon just after I have started scratting, you can see some scrap iron in the foreground, no interest to me!
This is the remains of the wooden salvage dock that sank during operations, it's even less photogenic than the ship and connected via a length of blue poly-prop rope so that divers can go from one to the other in a single dive
Bollards! I don't know if these are solid, I suspect not but they are one of the parts of the wreck that can be positively identified.
Some details on the boat
A bit of a Dahlia Anemone (Urticina urbina) they come in many clours and always make nice photographic subjects!
Toby and Lucy starting to surface, it was 'odd' to do a three minute safety stop.......
Again the spindle to reel shaft was a chew and again I resorted to soldering in place, looks ok and seems quite 'tight'
The underside of SS Rondo is covered with Peacock Worms Sabella pavonina) get too close and they 'snap' closed so approach very....very....very slowly and start snapping when you are in range and still moving forward.
The deeper gullies have a thick layer of grit and sand on the bottom, possibly concealing 'goodies'
And closer.......
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!
Wrecky bits against the reef- face
Storm Emma or the Beast from the East, arguably the worst conditions I have witnessed at Beadnell, I was cut off for 3 days!
The propellor from SS Abessinia, due to the absence of a shaft was it lost 'mid-salvage' or was this the spare cast iron part?
The top of the Point is battered with wave and tide which makes it attractive for filter feeders such as barnacles which are securely anchored but weeds, well it is difficult but there are plenty of the 'bootlace' weeds which I guess are ideally shaped to apply minimal forces to the roots.
A pair of breeding Edible Crabs (Cancer pagurus) The male will carry around the female until she sheds to make sure that it's his sperm that is used to fertilise the eggs.
Another 'arty-farty' this time in black and white to try and go all atmospheric
The size of the scrap-field gives some indication of how large the vessel was but every year more of it is bashed, pulverised and washed away in winter storms....
A scenic of some of the ribs, again plates missing and loads of brittle stars and 'poor cod'
Starting near the stern, this is the top of the steering assembly and the guy here is thinking 'how do I get in?'
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