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DIVE CLUB -
Swanage Pier |
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Great ! Another month rolls around (all
too slowly) and its time for another “Doing It …” weekend. The
chosen location for this month, after much deliberation, was
Swanage Pier,
our old favourite. As the dives there last year were so good, we
simply had to go back for another slice of the action.
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So down to the day, which for some
(generally the more sensible ones) it started pretty gently with
a nice “fry-up” and chat over breakfast, the rest of us of
course were busy tearing down the motorway (one day we’ll learn
!). Once assembled on
Swanage Pier at about 7am, the
bedraggled (Oops, I mean superbly professional and devastatingly
handsome) bunch of 16 divers were ready to begin their day of
exploration. Of course with it being a south coast dive, there
could be only one pair to lead it, the famous or rather infamous
Dave and Barrie. |
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Although the
initial talk was all very ‘English’ (i.e. all about the
weather), which was a little misty and drizzly, a quick cuppa
and all was well with the world. Dave then completed his brief,
covering all the relevant safety aspects, potential marine life
and of course the best way to dive the site, to ensure the best
results. It was by now approaching 8am, so with a quick check on
the buddy pairs, and all details recorded on the Dive Log, it
was off off and away (or rather down down and away!). |
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Once all the
buddy pairs had scurried off grab their kit, and buddy checks
were completed, it was like a scene from the ‘ark’. Two by two,
by two by two etc etc, in we went, with a short surface swim to
the pier and down we went, ready to see what marine wonders were
waiting for us below.
With a split of abilities, from
Open Water
Diver to Divemaster
Dave and Barrie led a group of four out along the
Swanage Pier
while the remaining “Doing It’ers …” went off on their own
travels. Descending down we were immediately surprised at the
visibility 4-5 meters, which after about 10 minutes into the
dive (on reaching the mid to far section of the pier) opened up
to 8-10 meters. This made it really easy to spot the marine
life, such as the large Ballan and Corking Wrasse, feeding in
the sand and not paying any attention at all to our happy band
of divers drifting past them.
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 As
the dive progressed there were small Lizard Fish darting across
the sandy bottom, Velvet Swimming Crabs hiding under rocky
ledges, and larger and bolder Spider Crabs marching around at
will, with an almost defiant stance. Those with a good eye also
spotted the many Tompot Blennies hiding in every nook and
cranny. Dave of course, with his X-Ray Vision spotted two
perfectly camouflaged Scorpion fish, sitting no more than a
meter apart. The difficult bit then was trying to show them to
everyone else, who we’re sure thought he was mad pointing out
two boring little rocks (oh well at least we know now what he
was pointing out so feverishly – sorry Dave !).
The legs of
Swanage Pier
made excellent underwater
photo opportunities for those with
cameras with Dead Mans Fingers (no not the mafia victim type)
feeding in the very gentle current, and Boreing Sponges in vivid
bright yellow providing the colour.
Once out and
tucking into an early lunch (well diving does make you hungry,
you know !) the general consensus was the same. You know its a
good dive when time goes so quickly, and that it was all too
short a time before had needed to head back in. The good news
though was that someone had flicked the switch and turned the
sun on, just especially for our surface interval.
With a UN
style pow-wow we made a group decision to make the second dive
back in the same area. After all with the sun bow overhead, and
so much more to explore it seemed a shame to move on. We had an
excellent surface interval sitting in the local cafe with our
bacon sandwich (yes its true, that really is all we ever eat)
and cup of tea, chatting about all the marine life we has seen.
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 Ok
surface interval complete, and tanks filled, it was time for the
second dive. Again briefs completed by Dave, and buddy pairs
checked, it was away again. The visibility was still good and
the overhead sun made the light down there superb. Our
highlights on this dive included a myriad of tiny Silversides,
glinting in the sunlight just off the edge of pier; a shoal of
Baby Bib, which is quite rare as these fish grow quite large and
can generally be found on deep water wrecks; and an assortment
of Pollock; Bass; Nudibranch; Snakelock Anemones and Sea
Squirts. |
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The far end of
the pier was very atmospheric, as this area is quite dark but
with the sun high in the sky shafts of light were piercing
through the pier structure creating a stunning visual effect.
Again another superb photo opportunity for the budding David
Bailey's among us.
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before too long it was time to end the dive. So with everyone
out, and kits stripped down it was time to go to the pub for a
‘cold one’ and a very vocal talk about two great dives and the
marine life that hides under Swanage pier. So apologies to any
‘non-divers’ that got a bit bored of our incessant chat about
all things wet, but hey we were excited !!
See you
next time ! |
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