Mark’s Diving Journal

Having a go at the Dive Show 2006 February 7, 2007

I have been meaning to post this on here for a while.  Scott, my 7 year old has been a regular at the dive show for the last 3 years and at this last one he was tall enough to reach the bottom of the try dive pool so he could have a go.  He had been gearing himself up for a year since being denied the year before for being a little too short. 

As we were helping out on the Diving Daisy Stand we arrived nice and early on the Saturday of the show.  Scott immediately wanted to go over and book on at the try dive pool.  He could have gone in at that moment but he wanted to book on and come back so we did. 

His first attempt wasn’t great as the mask supplied was far too big and so kept flooding.  So we went back for another attempt in the afternoon after buying him a mask that fitted.  As a keen snorkerler he already had one but we didn’t take it with us.  Oh well now he has a spare. 

With the new mask fitted he was much happier and shot off, he was disappointed that he didn’t get all the way around the pool because he kept falling through the Buddy Wing they were using.  He had set himself a very high standard.  (more…)

No trip to the Farnes or St Abbs for us this year July 10, 2006

Unfortunately, Lisa and I have had to cancel our places on the 4 day YD dive trip to St Abbs and the Farne Islands this September.  With the impending house move coming up we decided it was best to let our spaces go and see if anyone else can fill them.  As it stands at the moment I think one of our spaces for the Farnes section of the weekend is taken.

I went along last year and it was an excellent couple of days, first of all in St Abbs, and then a day in the Farnes with the seals.

So if you’re interested let me know, details are on Yorkshire Divers forum

here for St Abbs 

and here for Farnes

Getting closer to a return to Scapa Flow. June 28, 2006

Sorting through my blog this evening, I had the opportunity to read back through the Scapa thread from last year on YD and remembered what a good craic we had up there last year.  I’ve added all my dive reports to this blog now, they all appear in August 2005 Archive

Reading back through the dives again has wetted my appetite for returning and made me think what is on my to do list for the “Go with the Flow” YD gig this year.

• Having a look past the guns underneath Billy 38 - (of course finding them again first)
• The ladder on Dresden
• Staying with my buddy to explore the Koln this year
• Exploring more of the bow section of F2
• Explore some of those salvage holes on the Konig.

This should be a really excellent week again.  Can’t wait.

My 100th dive Basking in the Sun…….. May 15, 2006

They are back……   we were out on a rib down at Porthkerris in Falmouth bay off the Lizard in Cornwall this weekend when Andy the skipper spotted the dorsal fin of a basking Shark.   He cut the engines immediately and we drifted to a halt.   We then saw another fin coming breaking the water and so there were two.   One was extremely inquisitive and made a pass of the rib.  His mouth was wide open and we were treated to the characteristic image of the shark feeding.  He looked to be about 4m in length so probably a juvenile.   Finbar was straight in the water putting his mask on as he slipped off the tube of the rib.  Sitting in the water he had a couple of really close encounters as they swam alongside him.   It was all too tempting and so we all went in.  We all waited patiently in the water as they swam around us at a distance.  Simon got another shot when he was dropped a bit further up tide of the sharks and drifted along past them as we were all picked up.   And all this was before we had begun our dive. 

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Return to the U90… well maybe not.. March 24, 2006

I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised after last weekends YD trip to U90 was canned but I was really hopeful when the weather brightened up earlier this week. I was really looking forward to getting back onto U90 after a tremondously successful trip back in July last year as part of the YD selsey gig. (more…)

YD does Galapagos……..via Huddersfield.. March 12, 2006

Wasn’t diving this weekend as Saturday was the long awaited first Gos Crew 2007 social.  An opportunity to meet up, have some food and chat about the upcoming gig, sorry opportunity of a lifetime perhaps!!!   Due to my inability to read emails correctly we arrived an hour late.  I was under the very false impression that it was meet at 6.30 for 7pm type of thing, when in fact it was meet at 5.30 for 6  DOH!!! So at 6pm we get a call from Gary, where are you and whatcha want to eat?   So indian it is and the menu is chosen.  We arrive spot on 6.30pm, which would have been great planning!!!  BTW we were coming down from Lisa’s parents in Scotland.  Jules ordered the food and we were all introduced to those that we didn’t know.  Having been on dive trips with Lou, Caroline, Fiona, Jules, Kathy & Gary before, I knew most people there, having not met only Jenny & John before, whom it was a pleasure to finally meet.  Lisa had spoken to and met some of group before but it was her first opportunity to really chat and get to know people. 

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