Six divers arrived at a wet and windy Swanage pier on Saturday morning. The plan for the day was a pier dive in the morning, followed by a drift dive in the afternoon. Questions surfaced as to whether the drift dive would go ahead due to the weather conditions reducing surface visibility, however it was soon confirmed that the dive would go ahead – fantastic news!
The divers set off in pairs, stepping off the pontoon and making their way under then pier. Visibility was reportedly better in the early morning but, due to the weather, had deteriorated by the time we took to the water. Despite the poor visibility some wildlife was spotted, including a crab, a lobster, and a rather large fish guarding its eggs. And, after a tip from another diver, Sam K and Ben were able to spot some shrimp hiding out in some anemone. It’s just a shame the poor vis meant we kept suddenly coming face-to-face with pier supports!
Credit: Tanya Wang
After a spot of lunch and a brief violent downpour, the UBUC divers loaded their kit onto the boat and headed round to Old Harrys Rocks to complete a drift dive. For some of our divers, this was their first ever dive of this type – and what a dive it was! Virtually no effort required! It was to a maximum depth of approximately 15m and was surprisingly fast – a bit like being on travelator. Again, visibility was poor, so it was hard to see much other than the seabed. Once everyone was back onboard (via a diver lift – exciting!), we all headed back to the pier, complimentary hot chocolate in hand.
All-in-all a fun day of diving, even if hard boat diving is a little pricey!
Written by Sam Norrington