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Lotus in the Peak
28th - 30th June 2024

Any Other Scuba Divers On Here?


Simon Mac

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Went to Stoney Cove today, and actually had a really good dive for a change.

 

We got there late so it was rammed, but we waited until it died down a bit, and managed to jump in the water late on.  I was asked by a friend to take a qualified but slightly nervous lady out for a bit of a confidence booster. (She'd had a bit of a moment diving in Sydney Harbour, having only done tropical dives before)

 

First dive was a bit of a PITA, bumble around the shelf with my mate and this girl in tow.  Second dive he bailed just after jumping in because he wanted to go in without a hood, but soon changed his mind. 

 

We dropped down to the cockpit, and it started to click for this girl. We saw a really big pike, and carried on out along the shelf wall. I saw the biggest school of Perch I've ever seen, nicely silhouetted by the sun.

 

She was really enjoying it, and her air consumption was fairly good, so we carried on all the way out to the Bedford van, before turning back for a swim round the Wessex helicopter.  She hit 100 bar at that point, so nice gentle ascent back up the wall, round the Nautillus sub, to be greeted by another big pike as we did our safety stop.

 

Very relaxing dive, but also rewarding. It was great to hear how much she enjoyed the dive and how much better she felt about diving.

 

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I am a bit of a fair weather diver, but have done plenty of wrecks in the Red Sea.

 

Thistlegorm a highlight, like swimming through a museum, but my gear has been left unused for a couple of years.

 

Brothers can be choppy but I am sure it will be brilliant.

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I did a couple of dives in Malta last year, the Hms Mouri reck and Anchor bay, really enjoyed both :-)

 

My first open water dive was at Stoney late November 2002 in a very leaky dry suit, it took me 2 days to get warm again !

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Nice one.

 

Going to the brother islands (southern Red Sea) for a week next month. Can't wait. Might be a bit chilly, but nothing like diving in the UK :-)

 

Liveaboard I presume?

 

I went on one of the Blue02 boats Feb this year... I took my drysuit blush.png  I did get some looks to start with, but they were soon jealous coming back on the rib wink.png

I am a bit of a fair weather diver, but have done plenty of wrecks in the Red Sea.

 

Thistlegorm a highlight, like swimming through a museum, but my gear has been left unused for a couple of years.

 

Brothers can be choppy but I am sure it will be brilliant.

 

Yep Thistlegorm is absolutely fab, one of the best dives I've done. I managed 2 x 55 minutes dive on her earlier this year (15L Nitrox tanks are great) , still didn't feel like we'd scratched the surface of things to see!

I did a couple of dives in Malta last year, the Hms Mouri reck and Anchor bay, really enjoyed both :-)

 

My first open water dive was at Stoney late November 2002 in a very leaky dry suit, it took me 2 days to get warm again !

 

Malta is still on my diving bucket list.

 

Drysuit.. pah, lightweight, my crazy Dutch mate qualified in a wetsuit at Stoney around the same time of year!  wink.png

 

 

So far I've managed:

Red Sea

Maldives

Australia (Sydney + Great Barrier Reef)

Iceland

Fuerta Ventura

Cozomel

 

Places I'd still really like to go:

Malta

Scapa Flow

Truk

Phillipines

 

 

Have to say Egypt on a Liveaboard, is pretty hard to beat!  I was tempted to do another one this year, but my better half won't do a week on a boat, so I'm stuck doing shore based stuff out of Sharm/Hurghada.  

 

More than likely I'll try and get on a "reef clean up" early next year... exactly the same itinerary, just at a big discount cool.png

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Yeah, Egypt Liveaboard is outstanding value. About a grand for as much diving as you can take in a week.

 

I could spend a week at thistlegorm. Love the ride in a zodiac- makes me feel like James Bond:-)

 

Luckily my other half dives too, so we do a lot of Liveaboards.

 

But she won't contemplate cold water, so Northern Europe is out.

 

Did cocos island last year - just about doable in 5mm. Cold water has more oxygen and so more life.

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Warm water diving doesn't really count.

 

I do most of my dives in the UK with my club in Bromsgrove - and am a BSAC Open Water Instructor

 

I dived in Iceland this year - at Silfra.  In the crack were the 2 continental plates start - the Mid Atlantic Rift.  Touched Europe and America at the same time.  Clearest water ever - see https://www.flickr.com/photos/rocketian/collections/72157642902838724/ for some of my pictures.  Water temp was 2 deg. 

 

Simon, I see you have dived Iceland too - where did you go?  and you want to go to Scapa - my club is planning a trip there next year - do you want me to see if there are any spaces left.

 

and if we are into list of places we have dived - not in any particular order

 

England, Scotland, Wales

France

Canaries  -Fuerteventura, Grand Canaria, and Tenerife

Egypt - Southern Red Sea

India -  Goa and Andaman Islands

Sri Lanka

Thailand

Malaysia - Borneo, Lankayan and Tioman

S Africa Cage Diving with Gt Whites, Aliwal Shoals with Tigers, and Elephant Coast with Humpbacks

Tanzania, Pemba and Mafia

Tobago

Dominican Republic

Isle of Man

Iceland

Greece - Kefalonia

Chile

Maldives

Mexico

Mauritius

 

 

and finally I have dived 90 times at Stoney Cove

 

Favourite place to dive in the world is probably Lundy Island - it is magic there

 

and just in case you are wondering it is possible to get 2 tanks and all the dive kit into an Elise - as long as there is no passenger, for a day trip - but it does run out of space if you need camping stuff for a weekend trip, then I take my wife's "spam can"

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Yep I dived Silfra about 5 years ago... As you say beautiful viz!  Have to say I wasn't feeling too clever at the time after getting sucked into Reykjavik's nightlife! ( I know I should know better)

 

I gave up on the teaching side having got as far as PADI AI.  

 

I once pitched up at Stoney in my old S2 Exige... definitely got some strange looks as I pulled out all my dive kit biggrin.png

 

WRT To Scapa, yep could be interested. Might even consider driving there in the Lotus biggrin.png

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"Warm water diving doesn't really count" tsk!,

 

Nor' do cold water dives unless all your gear is black, you have triple redundancy, and a wing capable of re-floating the titanic...

 

At least that's what they told me on scubaboard :D

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Quite a few of us then - mine are mostly in Stoney / Dosthill together with Lanzarote.

 

Anyone recommend a local dive club - Used to go with the Dive Shop in Stourbridge but it's closed and the nearest I've found is Immerse in Telford.

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