Apart from chatting to other traffic through the open side door on he M4 (walking would have been quicker in that particular traffic jam), the journey was uneventful, we even managed to avoid the new Severn bridge, though this was not deliberate...... The outward ferry journey involved formation dossing on floors, seats and even the larger window sills! Various methods of sleep inducement were tried, from testing Stavros'(Greek ferry!) Guinness in large quantities, to, rather more creatively, repeatedly visiting the Malt Whisky tasting in the duty free shop. We almost acquired another passenger at this point, she had struck upon the same ruse and when she recognised Ray, our party gained a member for the rest of the voyage.
We now had to travel part of the 'Ring of Kerry' to reach our destination, Caherdaniel. The Ring is a scenic road through the spectacular mountains of the region, and as with all mountain roads, there was much twiddling of the steering wheel and abuse of the gear box....next time we need a bus with at least power steering! The road surfaces left much to be desired, but the views and general scenery were well worth the effort. What a good job our driver did! (creep, creep!)
Caherdaniel, a thriving metropolis of three pubs, a fish and chip shop and a general store (actually Freddie's bar as well) also contains the Dive centre, Skellig Aquatics, an imposing building, opposite the Blind Piper pub, contained everything a dive group could desire, a compressor and a drying area. The shop part, selling a selection of dive goodies, including the amazing 'Force' fins, but more of them later.
The weather was beautiful, warm sun, no wind, boded well for the week, so after a tasting session of the local ales and stouts, we all went to bed early, to be ready for the off next morning.
With the poor weather mediocre viz and only fair choice of sites, the first day was not up to expectation. The choppy conditions lead to one or two of our number feeling a little queasy, so the skipper took us back into harbour for them to go ashore, imagine his surprise when they politely declined the offer, and stayed on board, to give us all an exhibition of colour changing, and stoical application of their own 'mal de mer' remedies. Everyone dived twice, so the remedies must work!
Back at base the housekeeping duties rota was in full swing, funny how certain characters had pressing engagements elsewhere, when their name came to the top of the list of duties! But an impromptu, unorthodox press gang soon solved the problem, threatening the food supply of certain individuals had rather more effect than might normally be expected! Let it be said that no food was ever left over at the end of any meal! The one man disposal unit could be relied upon to consume leftovers. (who was this mystery figure? Would Beachcomber be interested?)
This evening's entertainment consisted of listening to a local DJ / musician doing a one man show in the pub garden. Interested parties were wagering exactly how long it would be before his equipment blew up, in the frequent heavy showers. A further distraction being the gyrations of the local coleens, in short skirts and tight tops, who were attracting the attention of the more red blooded members of the party (was anyone not 'moved'?). Richard now cursing his damaged knee, following his fall earlier in the day, consoled himself with a local brew or two, and stimulating conversation!
If the morning was good, the afternoon, under the helipad on Skellig Michael was excellent. Hanging gardens, was one description, the steep walls were covered in life, patrolled by pollack, wrasse, dogfish, ling, and puffins overhead, nudibranchs feasting on whatever nudibranchs feast on, there were at least six different species in abundance, and the sight of a lobster and three large crawfish on one dive was a novelty for most of us from the South West these days! Good job there is a total ban on divers taking them. What of the islands themselves? Little Skellig (Sceilg Bheag) is strictly for the birds! Skellig Michael (Sceilg Mhichil) has an ancient monastic site, the famous 'Beehive' shaped oratory and monk's quarters are an important local tourist attraction, and are well visited. Some of our party went ashore and climbed up and back in an hour! This was done after lunch, and the view was apparently well worth the effort, there were Puffins galore in a breeding colony on the grassy cliffs, they seemed totally unmoved by the human presence, and were quite happy to sit on a rock with you!
Back ashore, Pam again did us proud, loads of food for our own gannets! Folk music night in the 'Blind Piper' next door, traditional Irish music, a lot of from '100 Irish party tunes', but 'The house of the rising sun' an Irish folk tune? Still we had a good time, getting into the spirit of the thing! When the band said 'Good night' as we eventually left, were they sorry to see their backing group leave, or relieved?
After a leisurely lunch lounging in the sunshine outside the pub back at Darrynane, our numbers were depleted for the afternoon's dive, the Smithwick's ale proving too attractive for some.
What a dive they missed! Moylaun gully. Best described as a wide fissure, it passes well into the island, in places no more than 6 feet wide, the bottom rising from 40 metres offshore, though it was only about 25 metres where we went in, this rose to about 16 metres in the heart of the island, where a pile of large boulders blocked further progress. The walls rise almost sheer through the surface, and are covered in sedentary life, many varied species of anemones, sponges and so on, a conger lurking in a hole, and yet again nudibranchs by the bucket full. The whole dive could have been spent on one square metre, but this dive was about scenery as well!
A night dive was planned for the late evening, and a group of intrepids decided to forgo the pleasures of the local brews for the sake of what promised to be a good dive. Lots to look at, and the Sepiola (little cuttlefish) were very entertaining, the expected Trigger fish were not in evidence, they were late this year, better luck next time. While the divers were down, the shore party was on the headland watching the torch beams, and having excitement of their own! The walk to the vantage point was through a graveyard, and if you went the wrong way, through the ruins of the abbey which gives the island its name, a moving experience, in the nicest possible way, tranquillity that was tangible in the nave of the tiny ruined abbey. All this, and the Northern lights overhead, what a special evening!
The afternoon dive was close by and created similar impressions, some said even better, though Mark's obvious enthusiasm for close examination of some lifeforms inhibited his buddy from sharing the experience! The return to harbour was made a little more interesting by the fog that enveloped us, the radar on the Wey Chieftain came into its own, and found our way back to Darrynane, trouble was the substitute skipper wasn't as confident, and we spent a while looking for the entrance in the murk dodging the rocks, which surround the harbour entrance.
The evening was spent at the 'Old School House' near Cahersiveen, a restaurant of some note, seafood a speciality. The location of a very pleasant evening. The journey home was less pleasant, the low cloud making driving over the Beenarourke pass very difficult, Allen doing a sterling job for us, getting us home safe and sound, full of good food.
The final dive was at Bolus head on the way back to Darrynane, if not saving the best till last this was at least one of the most enjoyable, drop off under the headland, with large tumbled boulders, big gullies and swim throughs under the boulders, a collection of real squeeze throughs, again the life was in abundance, including a monster lobster of about 6 inches in length, who just couldn't be persuaded to come out to play. Meanwhile others 'played' in the surge gullies, but were they meant to be mask clearing? It seems we missed the confrontation with the local fishermen, who were telling the skipper, what robbing b*******s divers are, and how they are ruining their livelihood, sounds familiar doesn't it!
The bad news was that we had to catch the 08:00 ferry the next morning, so the minibus had to be readied before the last night celebrations began. However, these were muted by the 02:30 start time for the journey back to Cork. The shorter route cut nearly an hour off the trip, not as pretty as the outward trip, but in the dark did it matter?!
On returning home tired but happy, some loose ends remained, next time can we please find a harbour where the boat can actually come alongside the jetty! That way we won't get so fit carrying the gear up and down the b***** beach, how did we all fit in the minibus? Why did Simon try to lose his drysuit? Does anyone have a recipe for nudibranchs, perhaps with white wine, garlic and butter........
As promised more of the Force fins, several of us tried them, the initial feeling was unrepeatable! However someone who had been practising with them thought they were superb! So try them yourselves, one day we'll all be using them(!!!?). Finally, advice to all those considering organising an expedition, great idea, where are you taking us? The Kingdom of Kerry again? Yes please!
No one did all thirteen dives.
The deepest dive of the week was to 33 metres. The average dive was in the 23 - 28 metre range.
Dive times ranged up to 71 minutes - (not including the night dive!)
A new range of dive gear was introduced, 'Skunk diver' undersuits, though some were more afflicted than others, but at least their 'friends' told them (repeatedly)!
The new generation of dive computers was represented, the micro bubble model, and caused a stir, giving at least twice the time to desaturation than the last generation. Something to consider on expeditions.
The Skellig Michael explorers carried their computers with them, and noted a slight reduction in 'time to fly'. Though this was done within BSAC 88 table recommendations.
Guinness, Murphy's, Beamish or Smithwick's? A difficult question that needs further research! The average pint took in excess of 5 minutes to pour!
Cast in order of appearance : Allen, Jim, Malcolm, Mark, Nick, Pam, Ray, Richard, Ruth, Sarah, Simon, Steve and Terry.
Special thanks to Pam for keeping us all fed throughout the week, and Allen for all his hard work, 'phoning, faxing and so on, that made the whole adventure actually happen.
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