Diving Reports 2025
Sunday 29th June 2025
Outer Mulberry and Bognor rocks
It seems like an age since my last dive, weather stopped us going out, fine during the week, but come the weekend rubbish. Anyway, my golf is getting better. Who am I kidding its rubbish.
We met at 9 expecting to deal with a flat tyre only to find it was perfectly inflated, even though there is a nail or something in it. It will get replaced before we head off home at the end of the season.There were 7 of us who met up and stand around until time for our rib to be launched, Keith, Beth, Sam, Matt, Nick, Thibaut our newest member and for this trip crew member and myself.11:40 and just about enough water to launch and we were off.
Strange dive, didn’t seem to have good buoyancy, saw my favourite fish, a Blenny not really hiding and happy for me and Nick to stare at him. Next came a spider crab and then a very well hidden Conga. Clockwise we went, the current was beginning to run, but not too much. Round to the other side I started to have a uncontrolled ascent, dumped all the air out of my dry-suit, the tried my Wing and found there was air in there that shouldn’t be. That was the reason for my strange buoyancy and with that in mind that there was a bleed of air into the Wing we continued with me dumping air occasionally. If you get to this point in the article, let me know what I should have done and I will buy the first 2 people a pint. Even stranger was that I got back to the chain, with Nick on 100 bar and off we went to make our ascent up to the Buoy and then back on board. Keith was next in with Matt, whose first action was to get his weight correct. After one or two attempts he had the weight right and off they went. Matt, I hope you have recorded your setup in your log book. There was no doubt in my mind that Keith would get back to the Buoy and low and behold 40 minutes later there they were.
Down the river and on to the Outer Mulberry. Spring tides and we even had a chance to have two waves, Beth and Sam went in first followed by Nick and myself. On the way down the chain, we literally bumped into some unknown person hanging on the chain at about 5m, I wonder where their buddy was? perhaps Solo diving, any way, we never saw them.Once on the bottom we adjusted buoyancy and off we headed to the Mulberry, going clockwise. I had warned Nick I was rubbish at navigation and it was likely we would have to put up a DSMB.
Once they had let go and drifted away from the buoy I could pick them up. Who was up for a second dive, drift on the Bognor rocks, that would be Beth and Sam, and Nick and me. Nick and me were ready first so in we went. Down at about 3m Nick indicated his ears weren’t clearing, and after several attempts including coming up and down we decided enough was enough and called it a day. Back on the surface we saw that Beth and Sam were still on the boat. Keith saw us and headed over to pick us up. We then said, go get them in the water and come back for us, we don’t mind floating about for a few minutes, and that is exactly what happened.
Back on the boat, I am thinking of a new inflator valve, now on order and also a strip down of the existing one to see what was going on. Its on the workbench and seem to work ok, but now I have a tool on order to take it apart and investigate.30 minutes later Beth and Sam were up and soon back on board, lots of biscuits were handed out and sips of water had, then headed back for 5pm at the marina. Just finished putting the boat to bed before the gate was shut at 6pm. Some headed off for a well deserved pint and I was off to walk the dog.
Safe Diving Steve
Sunday 25th May 2025 Wraysbury
What a great day, off to the Muddy Puddle (Wraysbury Dive Lake), to have a start of season check of weights and balance in a semi-dry. It’s not really that bad as it has all the facilities you need. Just need to stay clear of the trainees kicking the silt up.
Two dives with mixed visibility. Starting at the ramp you head left keeping an eye on the vegetation, and you should come across the Cargo container, Spitfire (no, not the plane), Scimitar, (avoid the pit on your right), The lightning, then on to the cave system at 7m with 3-4m vis. We came across a large pike, and I mean large. He was looking at me to say, what are you doing yoyoing up and down,(I can't be that scary as you are bigger) and surely you are better than that, or was that Keith. Anyway, that is what the early season dive is for, sorting this sort of thing out. Lots of Perch and Crayfish. Thanks to Wraysbury dive centre for pictures of the Pike, Perch and Cave system.
Safe Diving, Nick & Keith
While waiting to fuel up we were listening to channel 16 and hear there is a boat in distress, can only hear half the conversation, the Coast Guard half, can’t hear the boat half. Soon we were fuelled up and off we went.
Whilst traveling down the River Arun to get out to sea we are keep listening to channel 16 and can see the Littlehampton lifeboat getting ready to launch. There we are, at the river mouth when the lifeboat passes us. On the way to rescue someone.
Now, going full pelt, we can begin to pick up the boat in distress and hear there are divers in the water. That piques our interest. Halfway to our dive site we can see the lifeboats, one from Selsey and the other from Littlehampton near the coast. Looking further out to sea we can see what looks like a rib, so off we head to see what they are all about. Low and behold we see the lifeboats turning around and heading in the same direction. I am happy to say they are faster than us and get to the divers in the water about 2 minutes before we arrived on the scene, having said hello and could see they were in good hands we headed off to our first dive of the season, leaving the lifeboat trying to get the divers in their RIB, I guess they were exhausted and cold having been of the surface for an hour or so.
Dive time. And running behind schedule, Keith our Diving Officer and Paul went in first while we poodled about with Mat taking the helm, 40 mins later they were back on the surface having come back up the shot line. A few minutes later they were back on board with tales of what they saw. Mainly the exceptional vis being in excess of 6m.
Second wave, there we are getting ready, and just starting our buddy check when I realise, I hadn’t put my weight belt on first. No, No, No, I don’t qualify for the Ethelberga award. Anyway, after a bit of flaffing we were in the water and swimming to the shot. They could have put us in closer, or at least upstream.
Back to the shot, safety stop and finally back on the surface. Weight belt off and then the rest of the kit. Now for a quick bite to eat and kip while being driven back the marina. It doesn’t end there, we fuelled up, were retrieved and parked up, tyre still inflated. Rinsed the engines, and put the boat to bed, connected the solar panels, well only one as the one I had fixed now had another broken wire, so back in the car for me to repair. You couldn’t make it up.
Safe Diving
Steve
Sunday 18th May 2025 Outer Mulberry
First dive of the season so got my kit ready the night before having reworked my check list. Then checked again in the morning before setting off, having walked the dog.
Arrived on site just after 10.00 to find we had a flat tyre on our 4-wheel trailer. No problem, with the help of the marina, Keith and Mat, we had the wheel off and Mat drove to Kwik Fit to get a new valve fitted, the old one had pulled out of the rubber, can you believe it? Anyway, Mat came back with the duly inflated wheel, cost us nothing, thanks to kindness of Kwik Fit. While waiting we had put our kit onboard so advised the marina we were ready to launch. Unfortunately, we were about 4th in the queue. 5 of us were onboard, Mat, our Cox, Keith, Sam, Paul and myself.
So here we are, launched and ready to go. No wait. We have to fill up as this is the first dive of the season and have a half empty tank.
Down we went realising the tide had turned and was now building up. Sam was leading and I had the camera. Once on the bottom we went clockwise around, well along the northern side then a bit south and up and over ending back at our start point, picking some litter and a fallen weight pouch on the way, with plenty of time we headed the opposite way and around the block that looks to have fallen off with the mooring points. Good reference for where the chain is to get back to the shot. Once around this and staying stationary for a bit you can see quite a lot, So we saw a couple of Congas, Lobster which tried to bite the camera, velvet swimming crab which wasn’t swimming, female wrasse followed by a mail wrasse, whatever were they up to? And somewhere I got a video of a lesser spotted Sam.
