Flats are in

Oh yeah,
Its so nice when the fish are in, and we hit it at the right time.
Today with some of the west coast boys, they were in pretty thick. Nothing huge, but lots of em. 

 

 I need to go fishing. I have only a bag of turbot, and two bags of scallops in the freezer that will be something delicious by the end of the week. This is getting serious....The good news is that we are getting into prime turbot time...

Fun Day Thursday

Waiting for the epic forecast to arrive but it had other plans. Wind was very on shore and the swell was small crumbly wind swell. Managed a few DTL rides but it was super tweaked out and hard work. Got some nice backside rides and the odd lofty jump. Desperate times at Outside Centres with the crew trying to remember how it all worked...

DTL

Headed home at 4pm to catch an afternoon sail but wind seemed to have gone. 5pm wind appeared to have returned.
 Didn't look like much all day, tide changed and some swell popped up for a little bit but it was small and kinda frustrating having to chase it around.  
A patchy start the cloud burnt off the sun shone and it blew! WNW with fairly tame surf but ended up having a damn good session with plenty of Horse power on tap!
Despite the very tame almost lame conditions still managed to work a few waves.

Spankaroonie

 

Freestyle

Double Dip

Got the call late Saturday, get your full dive kit and meet 9am
Just another wet Sunday
Raining all day so may as well get really wet.
1st dive scalloping Anfre
2nd dive Cement wreck

Bubbles form rings around the boat lazily, as exhaled gasses reach the surface - the noise is eerily relaxing. While scuba diving is peaceful and serene, it's not always quiet, If you have ever had a mosquito buzzing around your ear, you know sort of what a small outboard motor sounds like. Big ships are a different matter. They sound like a low deep rumble that has another low pulsing sound mixed in with it. You almost feel the noise. “It was like being in a nightclub” tonight, noise pollution... Try wreck diving at 30 metres with two of these bad boys going over head. It's like living near an airport. It's bloody loud down there.

Getting wrecked

The Ocean is beckoning again..
Getting wrecked in Guernsey has a whole new meaning when you’re talking about SCUBA diving. Even though throughout the winter months it can get a little frigid, divers still enjoy diving when the weather is, well not snowing outside.
 The original plan had been to head out of Grandharve for a dive but a combination of a very stiff westerly breeze and rolling seas soon put paid to this plan.
Instead, after a quick revision of plan, I headed to the other side of the island to meet up with Matt and the crew to find the wreck of the 400-tonne Oost Vlaanderen. Some 30 minutes later, I was geared up in a hefty dry suit to keep out the Guernsey chill (it was about 8 degrees at 30 metres). The shot was duly dropped with a fair old current evidently dropping. Descending down the shot line it was evident that visibility was looking poor the deck of this small wreck loomed out of the gloom and the shot was located securely into the wreck.
 It is possible to swim inside parts of this wreckage although some caution is advised as the structure is clearly deteriorating as a result of the corrosion of  60+ years of seawater and winter storms. Even after 60 years under the sea she still offers a fantastic dive. Part of me hopes we'll find something new!!!. Feeling our way around the bow recognizing other parts in the murk, 30 minutes was enough, blob deployed, safety stop then back on board for the trip back to port in time for a beer and bar lunch... How civilized!     
Here's a short vid that Matt took on his Gopro

Good dive, good bar lunch. Perfect end to the day....

Hard Work

'It's a dirty job, but somebody has to do it'.
Successful deployment of a new mooring dead man
1500kg dead weight.

Weather sunny and calm. We had seen the forecast the day before and decided to take on the task of re-newing a mooring.
 We marked the mooring position and I kitted up. So began the drawn out process of diving to move a lump of concrete, filling the lifting bag, towing it out to the mooring, sinking it, diving to get the lifting bag, repeat, repeat with chain, shackle chain to blocks, repeat all of the above to remove old mooring. Eventually, we got it all done. I was very weary, exhausted, worn-out, drained, bushed, sleepy, beat, wiped out, dog-tired, all in, done in, tired out, spent, shattered. Took three hours in all, ably helped by Paul. Time for a beer.

Relaxing paddle

Switched to another system of water propelled craft

 

Wow, it's good to see the sun back in Guernsey. I just had to get out there and do something last weekend I needed my fix of outdoors. Haven’t been kayaking for ages.  Saturday’s kayaking was the only option to combine a sunny day with water activities. Even had time to check out the surf on the south coast.

Not too many sports put you in as direct of contact with Mother Earth as water sports. Whatever your discipline, be it surfing, diving, sea kayaking or windsurfing, the sport’s medium is water, the most important ingredient for life on Mother Earth.