Diving Today

I was supposed to be in Ullapool diving this weekend, bu weather forced us to cancel. Instead we took a day trip, so I was diving in Loch Fyne with B, S, and sailfish came along to supervise and give us easter eggs (see her blip!)

Didn't get any great pics so I thought I'd post a selection to give you a feel for what you see - check it out in large for the full effect!

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1) A long-clawed squat lobster. You see lots of these in among rocks defending the hole they live in. This one has claws about 6 inches long.

2) Sea Loch Anemones, usually found in slightly deeper water (maybe 15m or more) these are about 1 or 2 inches across and are very beautiful in your torch light

3) A sea mouse - this is actually a type of worm! Today was the first time I ahve seen one so I was quite excited, especially since their underside is so flourescent!

4) A common sea urchin. In UK waters these are everywhere, grazing algae off the rocks. This one is a little one, maybe 3 inches across, but they grow to many times that size in some areas.

5) Me! The water behind me looks green because it is thick with organic matter (plankton) which reduces visibility underwater.

6) A spiny starfish. This one has arms about 8 inches long, but you can't really tell because it is wrapped around a clump of mussels it is eating.

7) A hermit crab. These crabs live in empty whelk shells to protect themselces, and this one has a beautiful cloak anemone living on the shell and obscuring it completely. He is about they size of my thumb, and they are full of character.

8) Underwater I use a computer on my wrist to monitor my dive. When I took this, I was at 15.6m and I could safely stay underwater for another 35 minutes. I was 22 minutes in to the dive. I also have an air guage (not pictured) to see how much air I have left!

9) A dogfish lurking in the rocks. These are a member of the shark family common in UK waters, but only growing up to about 3 feet long. This one has a head the size of a fist.

So there you have it - some snapshots from my day of diving!

It was great to get out on such a beautiful day with good company and relaxing diving. I'm all ready for the first big trip of the season now!