Dive trip to Buckland Lake,
 
Just south of the Dartford crossing is Buckland Nature reserve which is home to southern scuba, a small dive centre on a big lake and last Sunday a number of the dive club’s members headed down there to check out what the scuba diving was like in the lake.
With the centre opening at 10 am it was a relatively late start for us, which I think was appreciated by most of us heading down there on a Sunday Morning, and bot, what a lovely day we picked. There were only around 6 other divers there for the day which was good as even with the group from underwater adventures dive club, there was plenty of room in the small kitting up area for everyone.

                                                                 

We split into two groups with the first group arriving a little earlier for breakfast and being able to get in the water around 10:30 am. The Viz was pretty good at around 4metres and the surface temp around 13 degrees which is not bad for this time of year especially with the cold winter we had. Once in they headed west and followed the ropes around some of the sunken wrecks specially placed int eh lake for us to take a look around. Just as they finished their scuba dive, the second group went in and this time they went east to look for the fabled Great White Shark this lake is famous for. We found just after we jumped in and despite being covered in growth, you could still make out the shape of the plastic Shark. They carried on around to the large boat wreck and airplane on that side of the lake. Even with the water warming up nicely most of the fish life we still resting at the bottom as they do over winter, so we didn’t get to see much fish life but the wrecks and the good viz ability made up for that.

                                                                      

For the second dives of the day, the two groups swapped directions. So, after a lovely cup of tea and a bit of a sit in the sun enjoying the weather, we jumped in for out second scuba dives. The Viz was just as good as the first dives and there is a lot of really interesting wrecks in the lake which I’m sure will be made all the better when the fish wake up and come and join us for our scuba dives. This is a really nice setup and being so close and easy to get too, I’m sure we will be popping down there again for another scuba dive at some point this year.

                                                         
 
If you would like to know more about scuba diving with the underwater adventures dive club, please click here.
 

Dive club trip to Porthkerris, Cornwall
 
Last weekend 8 members of the dive club headed down to Porthkerris in Cornwall for a weekends diving with Porthkerris divers and the wonderful facilities they have on offer.
On Friday 11^th May we set off just after 9 am with the plan to stop at Vobster Quay inland dive site for a couple of scuba dives to help break up the long journey. Vobster is a well set out dive site with excellent facilities and although the water temp dropped down to single figures below 10 metres it was still a bearable 11 degrees in the shallows which is not bad for this time of year and with viz of between 3 and 4 metres, it was a really pleasant couple of scuba dives and a good chance to wash off the cobwebs from the winter season for those who’ve not dived in a while.
That evening we arrived at Porthkerris, at least most of us didn’t as without phone signals a few of us had a little trouble finding the log cabin we were staying in. The log cabin itself is a nice set up with plenty of room for all 8 of us and a log burner in the corner of the living room to add to the comfort. After a lovely meal of chili and jackets prepared by Steve and washed down with a couple of beers, we all had a relatively early night to be ready for the next morning’s diving.

                                                                                                   

Saturday arrived and with 5 scuba divers booked to head out on the Celtic Kitten, one of the dive boats which launch from the cove and the remaining 3 scuba divers choosing to start the day scuba diving the local reef, we were up bright and early and with a nice fry up inside of us we headed down the 200 metres to the beach from which we would be diving.
The visibility on both dives down to around 3 metres with the plankton bloom starting, it took a little while to get settled but the water was calm and there was loads of life both on the reef and the wreck on which the dive boat had dropped the scuba divers on top off. With both dives done it was time for refills at the air filling station and a bite of lunch and with the café and air filling station both just off the beach, the set up here for scuba divers is excellent.
With both scuba divers and the dive tanks refilled, it was time for the second dive of the day. Everyone was diving as two groups off the beach this time with the plan to swim around the rocks to the Drawna reef, keeping an eye out for all the local fish life with finger crossed we might come across some of the giant cuttlefish which come in close this time of year to breed. We saw loads of life including some beautiful jellies and loads of fish but unfortunately, no cuttlefish this time. With the scuba diving finished for the day, 8 happy divers headed back up to the log cabin for a chat about everything we had seen over another lovely meal and a couple of beers.

                                                                    

Sunday arrived with some lovely looking sun outside and after breakfast, we headed down to the beach for another days diving. Although the diving was really good the biggest talking point was the 3 basking sharks (Cetorhinus maximus) which came in close to the shore. The second largest fish in the sea, this is truly an amazing experience. These gentle giants which can reach up to 8 metres in length are a sight to behold and the UK coastline is one of the best places in the world to see them and swim with them. All in all, this topped off a great weekends scuba diving with a great bunch of people. I would just like to take this chance to thank all my dive buddies on this trip for making it memorable.

                                                                                    
 
If you would like to learn more about the underwater adventures scuba diving club please click here.