We were a little down on numbers this year due to a variety of circumstances but invited a couple of guests to join us & so it all worked out well 🙂

Members of the party travelled down to our base camp at Little Trevothan caravan & camping on various dates, we did Thursday to Monday, others Friday to Monday, Saturday to Monday or Friday to Friday – that last one was Neil & Kath who unfortunately had vehicle issues barely after they started & had to abandon the trip –  so we ended up with 4 divers Saturday & 3 partners (Claire, Vicki, Theresa) plus 1 dog (Bounty) with a friend & his mates joining us Sunday

Saturday – Carn-Dhu (21 metres 50 minutes)

We’d had quite a lot of rain over the last few days & repeatedly checked the wind forecast as strong easterlies (the only direction that will blow out Porthkerris) turned up in every second forecast.

Fortunately we were on & with a later start (12:30) a few of the party, well my partner Vicki & our dog Bounty took the opportunity for a swim – 9/10 I was told on coldness (from Vicki not Bounty he didn’t seem to mind at all!)

So sunshine & cloud was the forecast at a not too busy Porthkerris & with a few hours before ropes off Geoff persuaded Nigel & myself into a bacon sarnie – he’s a bad sort!

Bounty had a great time figuring everything in a black suit was a friend and we’d kindly parked near a nice big puddle so that was a bonus and along with another collie & lab to play with his day was sorted and he managed to explore everywhere including the compressor room, the new snack shack & the Kitten a couple of times!

Dave brought the Celtic Kitten up & kitted up we 4 plus a photographer buddy pair & another pair boarded and Dave offered us the options of which we chose Carn-Dhu for it’s scenic possibilities.

Turned out it was a nice dive but not really sunny enough to show off the underwater colours & the dead mans’ fingers & pink sea fans scattered across the walls & outcroppings only gave their best in the beam of a strong torch. We did get what seemed like more than our fair share of cuckoo wrasse (one of whom took a nibble on Russell & then decided to move on) along with a smattering of other wrasse a crayfish and a lobster hiding well down the wall (Geoff spotted a second one later).

Saturday – Mohegan (SS) (21 metres, 37 minutes)

With our next trip on the Kitten at 3:30 it was time for a spot of lunch either brought with us or from the cafe, the spicy beanburger & chips was recommended by Vicki but I opted for a halloumi burger & really good chips washed down with a nice cuppa.

Suitably refreshed we headed out again this time for a bit of rust & that old faithful the Mohegan which sits on the opposite side of the Manacles to where we’d dived earlier.

The forecast rain had started before we went out (& would be heavier on the way back) but suited we weren’t really bothered. The mishap on this one was I forgot my computer so relied on Geoff to call the shots, speaking of which Dave put the shot very close to the always impressive clump of boilers where we found a nice collection of bib & wrasse using it as shelter.

In the surrounding sea of ribs & plate there were spider crabs & lobster along with a variety of wrasse in the 4-6 metre visibility. There was also an annoying rope that floated ominously around as a tangle hazard that could do with being removed.

Geoff moved the shot so it would be easy to pull up & reaching our no deco limit we went back up it saving the need for a DSMB

Our meal was in the Paris Hotel at 7:30 to allow plenty of showering & faffing (we’ve previously had to send an advance party to hold the table as our dive was later & the booking earlier) & with the weather not looking too friendly we drove down & grabbed the last few parking spaces – the pub was packed, seems there was a function on but our table was there just to the right inside the door & we proceeded to have a very nice meal with some welcome beers etc. before an early night as it was 9am ropes off tomorrow.

Sunday – The Outer Bizzies ( 24m 45 minutes)

We had heavy rain overnight & our awning (& little caravan) suffered a few leaks, Russell meanwhile in his very old tent said he had a dry (but noisy) night!

We had a chat with Jo from Porthkerris Divers about the fact that though it looked calm in the bay further out it was up to 25 mph & we might only be able to do local sites (the same as the Kitten) on the Cat & offered us the choice of going on the Kitten instead & get a partial refund but having tried to get a day on the Cat for many years we chanced it & as it was we managed two nice sites most of us hadn’t dived before.

Geoff wasn’t joining us today, his meal last night hadn’t agreed with him so Nigel Russell & myself joined Tim & his two friends a a photographer couple on the ramp with our two cylinders each for the day. A conga line helped load the kit & we set ourselves up.

Our skipper Mike (ably assisted by his son) offered us a wide choice of sites and with the weather not as bad as predicted we went for The Outer Bizzies which were described as having some amazing Merle beds which apparently are generating a lot of interest as the dependent source for a lot of things

The Outer Bizzies were scenic but again suffered a bit without bright sunshine to bring out the fields of colour with the merle or te glow of the white dead mans’ figers. Still it was pleasant enough with slightly better viz than Saturday and the cuckoo wrasse were again very much present along with nudibrancs & a couple of lobster in plain view.

Sunday – Not the Hera & then The Hera (17 metres, 37 minutes)

What’s with the title?  Well our photographer pair went down the shot first followed in by Nigel, Russell & myself. Russell had a (self-inflicted) leak so Nigel & I continued & reaching the sandy bottom we saw the shot fly over us clearly having been pulled. Following the trail NE through the shells & pebbles in the hope of a wreck & though I found a piece of old rusted pipe the trail eventually petered out & checking our gas (150 bar) & time (15 minutes) I signalled we’d go up & down a re-shot wreck & so we did.

This time there was no mistaking the wreck, though covered in profuse kelp & weed & rather indistinguishable as a ship (it was a 4 masted barge previously called the Richard Wagner, renamed in 1910 as the Hera & sank in 1912) not even any boilers (it was pre-steam) but there were 4 huge hollow masts lying at right angles to the bulk of the wreck & towards the front an increasing amount of raised superstructure that seemed to be offering a fine home to some larger fish (Cod?) a a big one just sitting opening & closing its mouth at us (?)

The sandy bottom meant everything was much clearer, I reckon 10 metres viz at least & despite only having 150 bar we did it justice – definitely the best dive of the weekend!

Vicki had brought Claire down & Geoff (feeling much better) & Theresa were there to greet our return. We grabbed some lunch & relaxed for a bit in the slowly appearing sunshine.

And that was pretty much it, Russell departed Sunday afternoon & everyone else we bade goodbye on Monday morning (under nice blue skies!)

The cafe had indicated they’d have a bar next year & a BBQ & pizzas so there’s a bunch of reasons for going back as well as to get another go on the Cat for more new sites.

My thanks to all those who joined us (& those who tried!) I think we had a good time & hopefully without other clashes we’ll get a few more next year!