It's funny how many dives I've had where there was a single defining moment that was subsequently indelibly imprinted on my psyche. In fact, it's scary just how much of each dive I seem to immediately forget upon surfacing. Is this due to nitrogen narcosis or just plain senility starting to take hold? Anyway, it often seems that there's a special event - whether it's an encounter with an unfamiliar species or spotting a particularly impressive underwater feature or even a mishap - that sticks in my mind for days to come.
Last night's dive was a case in point.
Sometimes it just feels as if something's destined to be good. I felt that last week when we visited Ness Ends, Eyemouth for a night dive but was bitterly disappointed that Murphy's Law kicked in: a buddy with kit problems , heavy swell, poor life & dodgy navigation... not the ideal combination. Our Hallowe'en dip in Loch Long fortunately redressed the balance this week: it felt like it was going to be good & it turned out to be even better!
Glen Douglas Road End is the kind of site that can offer a fantastic dive or alternatively it can sometimes be rather mediocre. All depends on the conditions, the path followed & the life seen. We followed a nice route down the scenic drop-offs to our maximum depth of 30m. The steady ascent beside the wall was great but the truly special moment was keeping itself for the safety stop. Frazer (who is becoming a bit of a genius at finding great fish) spotted an interesting specimen associated with a bit of seaweed passing by at 3m. He gently guided it towards gus & me. We were mesmerized by this vibrantly coloured podgy little fish no more than 5 cm in length. At one point, I gently cradled it in my hand & swam to an area of clear visibilty to photograph our new friend. Unfortunately, he had taken such a shine to us that he wouldn't stay still... instead he constantly swam towards my camera lens! Still, I managed to capture a couple of snaps of this captivating little critter.
Last night's dive was a case in point.
Sometimes it just feels as if something's destined to be good. I felt that last week when we visited Ness Ends, Eyemouth for a night dive but was bitterly disappointed that Murphy's Law kicked in: a buddy with kit problems , heavy swell, poor life & dodgy navigation... not the ideal combination. Our Hallowe'en dip in Loch Long fortunately redressed the balance this week: it felt like it was going to be good & it turned out to be even better!
Glen Douglas Road End is the kind of site that can offer a fantastic dive or alternatively it can sometimes be rather mediocre. All depends on the conditions, the path followed & the life seen. We followed a nice route down the scenic drop-offs to our maximum depth of 30m. The steady ascent beside the wall was great but the truly special moment was keeping itself for the safety stop. Frazer (who is becoming a bit of a genius at finding great fish) spotted an interesting specimen associated with a bit of seaweed passing by at 3m. He gently guided it towards gus & me. We were mesmerized by this vibrantly coloured podgy little fish no more than 5 cm in length. At one point, I gently cradled it in my hand & swam to an area of clear visibilty to photograph our new friend. Unfortunately, he had taken such a shine to us that he wouldn't stay still... instead he constantly swam towards my camera lens! Still, I managed to capture a couple of snaps of this captivating little critter.
juvenile lumpsucker Cyclopterus lumpus
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