Boat dive on the reef just South of Porth Ysgaden. A good evening dive. Dewi & Hugh, Peter and David, Irfon and Wyn. If I have the names wrong please let me know.
An earlyish start at Pendre by Robin (the non-diving organiser), Irfon (the diving now organiser) and eventually Malcolm (the Marshall) to get Sea Wasp ready for a days diving. We were met by Dewi, Mick and Paul at Porth Colmon to help us launch and to take the gear round to Aberdaron. Sea Wasp was taken in double quick time by Malcolm and Irfon to the aforementioned rendezvous point. All the gear was loaded up by Hugh and David whilst Paul, Dewi and Mick were “ahem” ‘kitting up at the car park’.
The first dive was to be at Pen Y Cil where the sea was slackish, Paul and Mick were the first in quickly followed by David and Dewi, maybe a new Buddy check is needed for this pair, (the BARF method (Buoyancy, Air, Releases, Fins) as both were about to roll off the side without the obvious. After picking the four divers up safely, David was kind enough to put Hugh, Malcolm and Irfon in on top of a docile octopus. This was a very colourful site with many ‘smaller’ critters in residence. Amongst the species seen were candy striped flatworm, nudibranches of varying sizes and colours as well as a lone conger eel.
It was then back to Aberdaron for lunch, cylinder change, to pick up Wyn and Peter and bid farewell to Paul. I was told by certain members of the club that there is an opening for a BSAC skills development course in the art of ‘closing a pee-zip whilst standing waist deep in water and balancing a cylinder on ones shoulder’. Any takers?
The second dive was to be at Ynysoedd y Gwylanod, a gentle drift. Dewi and David were the first in (obviously using BARF in their buddy check) followed by Mick, Wyn and Peter. Malcolm sat out which gave Irfon and Hugh the opportunity to go in soon after. A much more tidal site than the mornings which meant that larger, more robust critters were to be seen. The kit and divers were off-loaded at Aberdaron and then Sea Wasp was piloted expertly by Malcolm through perilous seas back to Porth Colmon. A good days diving.
(Irfon).
Low water and early slack in the Menai presented the first opportunity to get the boat out at Porth Ysgadarn. Although conditions were slightly choppy David & Carol had an excellent drift in the afternoon from just outside the bay on the outgoing tide, crossing three reefs, all interesting and each different, and ending up in a scallop bed. Viz. was variable averaging 10 m. Lots of fish and crabs. Even the shingle gullies were full of life with colonies of Gravel Sea Cucumber and the elusive Goosefoot Starfish (like a flattened cushion star, which the book says is rarely seen by divers) located.
The evening shift of Lee, Robin, Wyn, Irfon & Dewi were not quite so lucky, as the tide was only just picking up from slack, and they initially landed on sand (well it does make a change from brittle stars). Dewi & Irfon were lucky enough to locate a reef which was home to a couple of octopus. There were some totally unjustified mutterings about the boat recovery service, something about taking being easier to take the mountain to Mohammed! Tim completed his final Sports Diver certification dive in the Bay and now has just the exam to look forward to. An open committee meeting took place at the Pen y Bont to decide how to proceed with equipment purchase using the recently obtained grant.
Wyn was organizing to complete his Sports Diver. With a strongish wind forecast from the south he wisely chose to go north. A Morfa Nefyn launch was chosen, as the wind was due to veer to the west, which with an early high water slack favoured a first dive on the Gwenfaen. So it was that we (Hugh, Wyn, Irfon, Lee & David) found ourselves eyeball to eyeball with a number of impresssive congers, some cohabiting, and one decidedly skittish. The choppy sea, and a premature attempt to descend while it was still running, did for Neil, who valiantly helmed the rib. Viz. was about 15 m, and so much of the wreck, which appears to be rapidly diminishing, was visible from amidships. The bib were abundant and a few big pollack have returned. A brilliant dive.
The morning breeze turned into a very fresh blow in the afternoon, as forecast. Hugh & Wyn checked out Carreg y Llam for over an hour, on a shingle bed. Irfon, Peter & David took advantage of low water slack to dive the marked isolated submerged reef off Porth Dinllaen, which had been checked out and recommended by Neil in the morning. An extensive mussel bed, covered in masses of very fat starfish and crabs, was found. Both afternoon dives located strings of abandoned lobster pots, which were crammed with numerous wrasse, dogfish, & rockling, as well as crabs, lobsters & whelks. Two more good dives.
(David W Jones).
“The site was moved from Trefor to Porth Ysgaden to take advantage of the calm conditions and an outgoing tide to do a drift on the outer reef from the small bay to the north. Intelligence from Malcolm was of a rocky reef down to 15 -18 meters. So 6 divers (Lee, Wyn, Peter, Irfon, Carol & David) set out. (Robin & Dewi stayed in the bay as Dewi had forgotten his main regs.) Mick Griffith valiantly turned out to provide shore cover, which turned out to be very much needed.
The reality was a shallow reef covered in acres of kelp, so it was a long swim out to find the edge at 10-12 metres. There was, however, masses of life in and around the kelp. Numerous dogfish, some of whom needed censoring, many spider crabs, wrasse & pollack and a few crabs & lobsters. Thankfully the viz. was OK. The problem was that the current barely picked up so it proved to be a long swim. All but D & C made it all the way, albeit with an extended surface swim for some! D & C found that exiting over the reef was just a little tricky, and D was lucky to get off relatively unscathed when stepping down a small hole or crevasse and falling over. Fortunately though Mick was quickly on hand to save the day, retrieving fins and rescuing David, in about that order! All in all, a very interesting dive, although there were not too many takers for a repeat in the near future!!
It may now be necessary to have a word with Carys, Malcolm’s buddy on that previous dive, to check the accuracy of the intelligence. Wars have been fought over similar inaccurate reports!! Oh, and all enjoyed an excellent BBQ, including the family Calderwood and a couple of scruffy seadogs. Many thanks to Irfon for both the idea and the deluxe gas fired BBQ.”
Previous to the report below a letter had been received from Kattie Calderwood Age 4½.
In brilliant sunshine and a flat calm sea our convoy of Club Rib & Mike Dukes private launch slipped moorings at dawn (it felt like it) and headed west in search of the elusive Caswenan Rock. Entertained on the way be fascinating tells of daring-do from the club’s elders, time flew like an Air France Concorde until we reached the dive site just off Bardsey. Luckily Neil, resplendent skin-tight Speedos and dive boots, found the rock on first pass. Unluckily the shot was not deployed but it gave us the opportunity of playing the Club’s favourite past time, Hunt-the-Dive-Site, the only rule being “everyone on the boat is to crowd around the Cox and distract him with useful tips” just as the Rib passes over the likely area. Skill, cunning and experience enabled Hugh to throw the shot perfectly (what a tosser!) on his first attempt and we all enjoyed a leisurely kit up waiting for slack….
Descending the shot line brought us directly onto the top of Caswennan’s main peak around 25m, with good vis and very little current running. The pictures show the array of wild life (more species per inch than in Dave’s beard) crammed onto a surface ripped by fast currents. Dave, Robin, Hugh & Lee enjoyed a good 30 minute dive.
For Mick G, Dewi and Irfon the sights of Bardsey beckoned and they undertook a gentle drift around 15m in good vis.
Following lunch, the second dive just outside Porth Colmon was over a seabed apparently as barren as Dewi’s head, but closer inspection showed a variety of fans and large scallops (on the seabed not the head). Overall successful dives in sites worth revisiting.
(Lee Calderwood)
