The day had finally arrived for our diving trip to Pembrokeshire. The Dive Right crew set out from all corners of the globe – well, London, Bristol and Taunton! – and took the long journey down the M4 to the most westerly point of Wales. Our meeting point was the youth hostel at Strumble Head with its glorious views across the local coast and views of far away Ireland. It was a shock to many of the Dive Right crew to actually have to make their own bed although the accommodation was clean, comfortable and beautifully positioned. The first evening was spent exploring the local hostelry and a big thanks to the Hope and Anchor Inn, who looked after us well, particularly the chef.
Saturday morning broke with bright sunshine and little wind so the intrepid Dive Right crew set off from the youth hostel to meet other members at the dive centre in the local harbour. After kitting up, we were given a brief by the skipper – Paul – and we left the harbour in a RIB which was somewhat full of dive gear and divers! The trip to the first dive sight took about 30 minutes past beautiful coast line on relatively calm seas. We were attempting to come around the head land although currents and swell picked up just past Strumble Head and we were forced to turn back into a smaller more secluded area. Diving Strumble Head was a pleasant enough experience with a reef featuring many soft corals and areas of kelp. Visibility was sadly not brilliant although most managed dives in excess of 30 minutes. Once everyone was safely back on board, tanks were changed and we headed around the coast to a beautiful secluded bay of Carregwastad. The excitement mounted when many grey seals were spotted on adjacent rocks and indeed in the water. Large bull seals came close to the boat to see what the commotion was in their bay!
Upon entering the water it was clear that the visibility in this sandy bottomed bay was even worse than Strumble Head with two metres vis the maximum we achieved. It was particularly important that buddies stuck together as it was easy to suddenly go out view. Remarkably, most buddy pairs got to dive with the grey seals which was an unforgettable experience! They appeared on the sandy bottom particularly inquisitive and certainly not scared of the divers. Fins were pulled on many occasions and all they appeared to want to do was play. The seals themselves looked much larger under water although their beautiful eyes resembled those of a puppy dog! Back on the RIB every one was full of their tales of the encounters with the juvenile grey seals – who cared about the vis!
Upon arriving back at the harbour, the tide had come out significantly which meant exiting the boat via a precarious set of steps on the harbour wall. A chain system was used by the Dive Right crew to unload the boat and everybody arrived back at the dive centre intact. The decision was then taken to abort the following days dive due to changing weather conditions.
The Hope and Anchor was again visited that evening by the Dive Right team with great food and beer consumed before some of us headed back to the youth hostel. Others had decided that the accommodation was far below their standards (!) and booked into the Hope and Anchor accommodation for a more relaxing night, only to be kept awake briefly by the party happening below their room :o)
Upon waking the next morning it was clear to see that the weather conditions had deteriorated significantly and it was clear that any diving done that day would have been particularly hairy. The divers then said their farewells to Wales and headed back down the M4 to their homes.
A great weekend was had by all – looking forward to the next trip – watch the website for details.
