Lundy Dives
So this is the Lundy Island dive, weather is crap the rain hasn’t stopped falling but today the weather is good enough to get out there, so i sponge a lift from on of the charters that takes people out for bird watching and pile my kit on to the disgust of the twitchers,
The plan is to drop in the water and the Skipper will go off and drop the party and then come back and pick me up run time agreed, the weather has dropped to a force 4 but there is good shelter in the bay, i drop in negative and drop down i slow the decent and come up on the first sight for the Bottom of Jenny’s cove a granite formation with good wildlife and crustaceans.
The dive is good vis isn’t to bad and there is plenty to see, i have a quick look for some crabs that would want to come back with me, but they elude me, i notice the current picking up and a change in the silt movement and the vis starts to close down. The reason for this is the winds have changed and now this side is getting the worst of the winter weather, i decide to finish the dive there and surface at 3 meters the current is throwing you around and i hit the surface in a swell that the perfect storm would be proud of.
i Look around and see no sign of the boat i then look back at my watch and notice i have surfaced a good 10 minutes before he is due here, due to the current i am getting pulled around and further away from the bay, and still no boat, even on the top of the swell i still cant see the boat, another look at the watch, mmmm OK i am drifting further away so quick compass heading for the bay and dump the air from my wing again back down to the bed.
Once on the bottom i check the bearing and move off against the current for the bay i use the bottom to move faster than swimming and the breathing is slowed by using the rocks to move along, after about 8 minutes i look at the watch and and push it out for a few more minutes i want the boat there when i surface, depth has slowly been getting shallower so i know i am heading for the bay, at about the 13/14 minutes i leave the bottom and gently come to the surface,
the swell is really bad but there is the boat he starts to come over, but i can see him signalling for me to swim out and parallel to the bay, (later find this was due to the current in that point and he didnt want the boat caught in it). so i swim towards the boat really hard work in the kit, only one thing for it ditch the kit attach a spool and swim for the boat, with out the kit the swim is easier and i make it to the boat, i pass the spool to the skipper and climb up the ladder, once on board i pull in the gear nothing lost great tie it down and we head off for the red lion at clovelly.
In all a good day diving i sacked the second dive, Knackered from the swimming but the pub beckons and so does the lobster lunch. one down side there were no seals today properly taking shelter from the weather
Graham