SUNDAY 2 OCT 2022
DIVE REPORT by Paul Spence
This was a great day out. Alarms at 4am as Swanage Pier is 2H 45M drive from Stroud.
Rain greeted us as we arrived. Planned so that the tide was not flooding very much (2 metres maximum).
Flooding in all morning.
We boarded the ‘Mary Jo’ dive boat at 8am. Julian Day with Paul Spence and Tom Chinnick with Ben Davis ( a recently qualified Ocean Diver with 6 sea dives )
DIVE 1
The skipper, Brian, took us to the site of the Valentine Tanks (15m). A line was duly sent to the bottom – arriving there we discovered that the buoy rope was missing along with all ropes connecting the 2 tanks. However the shot was placed very accurately next to one of these historic wrecks. Lots of bib and pollock fish were colonising this tank, waiting for breakfast. On circling to the seabed we discovered amongst the rusting iron and shoals of fish a massive conger eel.
Julian got his camera going and I swam carefully round discovering not 1 … not 2 … not 3 … not 4 … but 5 congers(!) all parked neatly in between tank tracking. Feeling a little disappointed the rope wasn’t there to guide us to the second tank, we looked at each other when … woooooah! what was that?! One of the larger congers swam right past us! I had never seen this in the UK and was well pleased. Two more swam free during the course of the dive. We must go back to this site and take more photos. Excellent dive.
DIVE 2
Our newly qualified Ocean divers Torri Carver and Alfie Owen joined us for this one. A shallow dive to the far end of the pier and back to the wall for exit. Snakelock anemones, minnows and sand eels filled the dive. Fab dive.
DIVE 3
Back on the other Swanage Boat Charters boat, ‘Viper’, for the Peveril Ledges drift dive (19m). An easy, slow (2 knots) drift dive. Dogfish, bib and some snakelock anemones here. The ascent was ok until my DSMB got tangled with another diver’s. Note to self – get someone else to launch the DSMB! Awesome dive anyway.
DIVE 4
Back under the pier with the bright sun fully out and Torri and Alfie keenly pointing everything out to me. What a joy sea dives are! We saw some seagrass where the seahorses hide but no seahorses, though plenty of tompot blennys. Fantastic dive.
Altogether a great day’s diving with some very competent divers.
DETAILS FOR FUTURE TRIPS:
SWANAGE PIER BH19 2AR
CAR PARKING ON PIER £10
CAFE, TOILETS, DIVE SHOP AND AIR FILLS ALL ON THE PIER .
ACCESS TO WATER FROM THE PIER EASY STEPS OR STRIDE.
SWANAGE BOAT CHARTERS (BRYAN + MARTIN) £30 per person per dive
01929427064 / 07770478771
