Kicking off UBUC’s 2025 with a winter dive! 6 divers made the trek to Baddacombe, to brave the cold water conditions, despite the air temperature being relatively mild. The plan was to conduct a single dive in the day in order to introduce some rookie members to the necessary dry suit. Of course, being winter, a night dive was also very much on the cards from the outset, in order to take advantage of the better visibility and increased abundance of weird and wonderful wildlife.
The divers set off in buddy pairs, wading into the water from the rocky shore. The visibility wasn’t brilliant nor bad for the opening dive, settling at a ‘mildly murky’. Wildlife was spotted in the form of lobsters, crabs (both velvet swimming and hermits) and some small unidentified fish. An adequately successful first dive.
The night dive in contrast had greater visibility although it was also arguably colder too – leaking dry suits definitely don’t help with that! Some of the wildlife each pair saw was incredible. Not only did we all see a pair of seals bobbing along in the water as we entered, but squid, crabs, lobster, teeming purple anemones and a small plaice/flounder -ish thing (some serious academic debate was held over that one).
We only dived to a shallow 7 metres, but a great day/night of diving nonetheless. Time to race back to Bristol in time for the diving social and a well earned pint at the White Harte!
Written by Eli Benson