Another weekend, another excuse for UBUC to drag themselves out of bed and head down to the coast for some diving. This time, we were off to Portland and Lyme Regis, with Luis taking charge of both trips as part of his Dive Leader qualification. Two days, two boats and plenty of diving adventures ahead!
Saturday 10th October – Portland
Saturday kicked off with a rather painful 5:45am start. We made our way down to Portland ready for a day out on the water.
Both boats were launched, and we headed into the harbour to explore two wrecks: Countess of Erne and Landing Croft. Despite the rather choppy conditions on the surface, we were rewarded with some surprisingly good visibility underwater. Both dives were thoroughly enjoyed, with plenty to explore and lots of happy divers!
We were even lucky enough to have a dolphin leap out of the water right beside one of the boats. A pretty incredible sight and definitely not something you get on every UBUC trip!
After two successful dives, it was time to head back to Bristol. Unfortunately, the day wasn’t quite over yet, as we still had a rather late wait before the cars could finally be packed. Not exactly ideal when another early alarm was waiting for us the next morning!
Sunday 11th October – Lyme Regis – The Baygitano
Sunday brought another early start. With everyone back on the road, we headed down to Lyme Regis to dive the Baygitano for round two of the weekend’s adventures.
Once we arrived, the boats were hauled down to the shore and packed with all the necessary kit. This time, we were greeted by beautifully calm water!
The first dive certainly didn’t disappoint. With fantastic visibility and plenty of marine life to admire, there was lots to keep everyone entertained underwater. The stars of the show were some absolutely enormous conger eels.
By the second dive, the sea had decided we’d had things a little too easy. Conditions became slightly choppier, with a stronger current adding an extra challenge. A few dives didn’t go quite as planned, but safety remained the priority throughout. Everyone was accounted for and returned safely to the boats, which is always the most important part of any dive.
With everyone back on dry land, the two boats and all the kit packed away, we made our way back to stores, bringing another busy UBUC weekend to a close.
Two days, two boats, four waves of divers, some brilliant underwater encounters, one lucky dolphin sighting and a lot of lifting later, Portland and Lyme Regis were officially ticked off!
A massive thank you to Luis for organising and leading both days as part of his LP2 + LP3 (which he passed yay!), to our boat handlers for giving up their time and keeping everyone safe, and to everyone who came along and made the weekend a great trip!
Yay diving!
Written By Marnie Bennett
Credit Emily Drappeau
Credit Emily Drappeau