Buoyant Babe
26-04-2006, 17:19
Not exactly a 'trip', but I thought I'd share with you all my most excellent weekend...
Last Saturday I went for a dive with my mate Jim Bute from Sunderland SAC. We went to Howick, on the Northumberland Coast. Jim is a dab hand at tides and winds as he sailed for years (I have so much to learn from him) and the prospects were looking good. He checked the viz out a few days before and from the surface it promised a respectable 5m.
To catch slack water we reckoned we had better be tipping in at about 9.30-10.00am, so it was an early, if somewhat bleary eyed, start for me as I got up at 6.15am on Saturday morning. I had prepared all my kit the night before so only a few final checks were needed. Jim rolled up at about 7.15am and we were off. It was a gloriously sunny day and the drive was a pleasant one as the roads were quiet at that time on a Saturday morning.
We arrived at Howick and walked along the little dirt road that leads to the dive site. The first time I tried to dive Howick a few years ago I was still a very new and keen diver. My buddy and I kitted up and walked along this dirt track only to find the trek in vain as the sea was too rough to get in. Lessons learnt though – I now never kit up before checking the water first!
It’s a long walk to the entry point at Rumbling Kern, so we did take our weight harnesses with us so we could leave them if it looked like we were going to get in. And we were…the tide was in and the sea was very calm. The viz didn’t look as good as when Jim had last seen it, but we were definitely going to get a dive. We headed back to the car to kit up.
I decided to try a 10 litre cylinder for the first time and was mightily impressed at how much easier it was to carry. To get to where we intended to do our giant-stride entry you have to climb a rock face higher than my 5’2”. I managed this with my kit on and was just remarking how much easier everything is with a 10 litre tank when Jim reminded me that I was missing the 11 kilos of lead from my weight harness which was still by the water waiting for me – doh!
There were some seals in the distance, alas nowhere near where we were, but the sun was shining, the water looked clear enough and I was a happy bunny. We jumped in and started the dive.
The viz ranged between 1-3 metres and we managed to cover two of the reefs which run parallel to the rocky shore. There wasn’t much ‘big’ life but plenty of little hermit crabs, blue sea urchins and purple sunstars…and lots of kelp. We stayed under for 37 minutes, with a maximum depth of 10.2m and an average of 6.6m. The water was 7.4 degrees, which felt positively tropical compared to the 6.2 degrees at St Abbs a few weeks back. Up to the point of surfacing I had used 70 bar.
On surfacing, the sun was still shining brightly but the gentle 2ft swell was now over a metre high and I was being thrown around like washing on a spin cycle. It wouldn’t have been so bad if I’d been in deeper water, but there was flat rock immediately below me and I could neither stand up nor float with the swell. We intended to make an exit at a point slightly north of where we entered, crawling up the sloping rocks on our hands and knees (so dignified, this sport). We had a bit of a swim for it and I ended up holding Jim’s hand for most of the way as the swell and surge were so strong.
Getting out was a bit of an ordeal, but I managed it in the end. A check of my gauge on exit showed I’d used 35 bar on the surface just trying to get out! Once out though, and I was grinning like a Cheshire Cat. We still had to negotiate climbing back down the rock face onto the sand. Jim went first and was on the point of telling me to lean forwards to take the weight of my tank when he missed the last foothold down and fell over into the sand. All his kit was covered! I managed the climb down, and Jim went to a shallow bay just north to wash all the sand off.
All this fun and it was only 10.30am! On the way back we called into Cormeton in Seaton Deleval. These guys do all the tank testing in the area and have recently opened up a dive shop. For some weeks now I have been amusing my self making endless DIY retainers and lanyards with a length of bungee, so I bought some more to make a torch lanyard for my recently acquired Fa&Mi 50. Then it was back home and a cup of coffee while Jim and Mr Helen drooled over Mr Helen’s new bike.
For anyone who doesn’t know Howick, more information can be found here (http://www.dcordes.freeuk.com/howick.htm). We went in behind the rocks at the back of the sandy bay to the right of this picture. http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d2/helen2525/Howick.jpg
On Sunday I was up early again and off to Sunderland Marina to do some boat handling on the Club rib. Jim was out again (his wife is studying so he gets a pass out), as was Brian our Dive Officer, Dave and Tracy. Tracy didn't fare well on the boat during a recent St Abbs trip, so she took some Boots travel tablets and she was much better on the rib for it.
As we were preparing to get in, another group turned up in a rib ready for a dive – they hadn’t even checked the viz! We had, and we knew it was a metre or less, so we suspect they weren’t in for much of a treat.
We took the rib out into the harbour and practiced tight turns and ‘man overboard’ procedures. I then steered the boat out of the piers and north towards Seaburn, where we learnt about lay lines and how to line up landmarks to position the boat over a wreck.
On the way back past the marina, some guys in a big yacht asked if we were divers as they had dropped a number of items in the marina next to the ladders on the wall. Jim had his kit in the car so we dropped Brian at the slipway so he could go home and get his kit. The rest of us took the rib up the river and I steered it back down while we waited for Brian.
Jim and Brian went in at the marina to look for a toolbox, a bag of rope and a dangly metal thing which I am sure will have some technical name but I know not what. All items were recovered, despite zero viz on the bottom, and they even found a length of stainless steel rigging cable someone else had dropped. Word soon spread and someone turned up in a dinghy to ask if we could recover and oar from another set of steps, then someone else asked if we could find another steel cable that had been dropped elsewhere mid-week. Brian found the cable, but the oar was nowhere to be seen.
After this it was back out via the slipway and all hands together to put the boat away. Another cracking day, made even better by the fact that the temperature was almost 70 degrees and the sun shone continuously. My little face was all red (must remember sun cream next time) especially my cheeks where I’d been grinning from ear to ear all weekend! :D
In’t diving great? :D
Last Saturday I went for a dive with my mate Jim Bute from Sunderland SAC. We went to Howick, on the Northumberland Coast. Jim is a dab hand at tides and winds as he sailed for years (I have so much to learn from him) and the prospects were looking good. He checked the viz out a few days before and from the surface it promised a respectable 5m.
To catch slack water we reckoned we had better be tipping in at about 9.30-10.00am, so it was an early, if somewhat bleary eyed, start for me as I got up at 6.15am on Saturday morning. I had prepared all my kit the night before so only a few final checks were needed. Jim rolled up at about 7.15am and we were off. It was a gloriously sunny day and the drive was a pleasant one as the roads were quiet at that time on a Saturday morning.
We arrived at Howick and walked along the little dirt road that leads to the dive site. The first time I tried to dive Howick a few years ago I was still a very new and keen diver. My buddy and I kitted up and walked along this dirt track only to find the trek in vain as the sea was too rough to get in. Lessons learnt though – I now never kit up before checking the water first!
It’s a long walk to the entry point at Rumbling Kern, so we did take our weight harnesses with us so we could leave them if it looked like we were going to get in. And we were…the tide was in and the sea was very calm. The viz didn’t look as good as when Jim had last seen it, but we were definitely going to get a dive. We headed back to the car to kit up.
I decided to try a 10 litre cylinder for the first time and was mightily impressed at how much easier it was to carry. To get to where we intended to do our giant-stride entry you have to climb a rock face higher than my 5’2”. I managed this with my kit on and was just remarking how much easier everything is with a 10 litre tank when Jim reminded me that I was missing the 11 kilos of lead from my weight harness which was still by the water waiting for me – doh!
There were some seals in the distance, alas nowhere near where we were, but the sun was shining, the water looked clear enough and I was a happy bunny. We jumped in and started the dive.
The viz ranged between 1-3 metres and we managed to cover two of the reefs which run parallel to the rocky shore. There wasn’t much ‘big’ life but plenty of little hermit crabs, blue sea urchins and purple sunstars…and lots of kelp. We stayed under for 37 minutes, with a maximum depth of 10.2m and an average of 6.6m. The water was 7.4 degrees, which felt positively tropical compared to the 6.2 degrees at St Abbs a few weeks back. Up to the point of surfacing I had used 70 bar.
On surfacing, the sun was still shining brightly but the gentle 2ft swell was now over a metre high and I was being thrown around like washing on a spin cycle. It wouldn’t have been so bad if I’d been in deeper water, but there was flat rock immediately below me and I could neither stand up nor float with the swell. We intended to make an exit at a point slightly north of where we entered, crawling up the sloping rocks on our hands and knees (so dignified, this sport). We had a bit of a swim for it and I ended up holding Jim’s hand for most of the way as the swell and surge were so strong.
Getting out was a bit of an ordeal, but I managed it in the end. A check of my gauge on exit showed I’d used 35 bar on the surface just trying to get out! Once out though, and I was grinning like a Cheshire Cat. We still had to negotiate climbing back down the rock face onto the sand. Jim went first and was on the point of telling me to lean forwards to take the weight of my tank when he missed the last foothold down and fell over into the sand. All his kit was covered! I managed the climb down, and Jim went to a shallow bay just north to wash all the sand off.
All this fun and it was only 10.30am! On the way back we called into Cormeton in Seaton Deleval. These guys do all the tank testing in the area and have recently opened up a dive shop. For some weeks now I have been amusing my self making endless DIY retainers and lanyards with a length of bungee, so I bought some more to make a torch lanyard for my recently acquired Fa&Mi 50. Then it was back home and a cup of coffee while Jim and Mr Helen drooled over Mr Helen’s new bike.
For anyone who doesn’t know Howick, more information can be found here (http://www.dcordes.freeuk.com/howick.htm). We went in behind the rocks at the back of the sandy bay to the right of this picture. http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d2/helen2525/Howick.jpg
On Sunday I was up early again and off to Sunderland Marina to do some boat handling on the Club rib. Jim was out again (his wife is studying so he gets a pass out), as was Brian our Dive Officer, Dave and Tracy. Tracy didn't fare well on the boat during a recent St Abbs trip, so she took some Boots travel tablets and she was much better on the rib for it.
As we were preparing to get in, another group turned up in a rib ready for a dive – they hadn’t even checked the viz! We had, and we knew it was a metre or less, so we suspect they weren’t in for much of a treat.
We took the rib out into the harbour and practiced tight turns and ‘man overboard’ procedures. I then steered the boat out of the piers and north towards Seaburn, where we learnt about lay lines and how to line up landmarks to position the boat over a wreck.
On the way back past the marina, some guys in a big yacht asked if we were divers as they had dropped a number of items in the marina next to the ladders on the wall. Jim had his kit in the car so we dropped Brian at the slipway so he could go home and get his kit. The rest of us took the rib up the river and I steered it back down while we waited for Brian.
Jim and Brian went in at the marina to look for a toolbox, a bag of rope and a dangly metal thing which I am sure will have some technical name but I know not what. All items were recovered, despite zero viz on the bottom, and they even found a length of stainless steel rigging cable someone else had dropped. Word soon spread and someone turned up in a dinghy to ask if we could recover and oar from another set of steps, then someone else asked if we could find another steel cable that had been dropped elsewhere mid-week. Brian found the cable, but the oar was nowhere to be seen.
After this it was back out via the slipway and all hands together to put the boat away. Another cracking day, made even better by the fact that the temperature was almost 70 degrees and the sun shone continuously. My little face was all red (must remember sun cream next time) especially my cheeks where I’d been grinning from ear to ear all weekend! :D
In’t diving great? :D