Mulberry Divers - Selsey Diving

New Location for Our Blog

2011-04-13T13:09:00.001-07:00

We've decided to integrate the Blog into the Mulberry Divers website..........it can now be found at www.mulberrydivers.co.uk/blog. The switch will happen over the next few days - the most recent blogs have been copied over and new posts will in future only appear in the new location.
Please let us know whether you find the Blog useful or have any other comments.

Regards
Steve

9th April - Lumpsuckers galore - Starfish under Lifeboat Station

2011-04-09T13:34:00.000-07:00

Blue sky but somewhat too much wind from the East - so we moved to Hillfield Rd (fortuitously this was the first day the car park re-opened after the beach shingle recharge that has been conducted over the winter)and ran three dives in Bracklesham Bay - much calmer water on this side as the day progressed. Whilst the first cuttlefish has yet to be seen under the Lifeboat Station, two divers did find three Starfish (two Common, third not determined); we haven't seen Starfish here before so wonder if they have migrated in.

The first dive on Hound Reef produced a profusion of Lumpsuckers - for at least one diver, they went from not having seen one before to finding five or six. Plenty of other marine life.........Lobsters in particular. Second dive was the Landing Craft - good 4-5m visibility with some drift. For the third dive, back to Hound Reef - notable here were reports of large Wrasse in some numbers.

The Selsey Lifeboat 150th Anniversary T-shirts are selling well - all money goes to the Selsey RNLI; we have most sizes in stock at £12.50

Sunday 27th March - Visibility again, plenty of Nudibranchs and both Lifeboats launch

2011-03-27T15:08:00.000-07:00

Some calmer weather and visibility has returned :-)

Reports from the Far Mulberry of 8m visibility this weekend - at least one report of the Lumpsucker returning and sitting at the shot line block again.

For Steve, this weekend was a case of diving the two moorings prior to Phoenix starting the 2011 programme next weekend (weather permitting). The beach mooring vanished in the last major storm (and also created a small cliff face of gravel) - however it was soon found yesterday and re-buoyed. The large squat lobster that lives under the block was not too amused - apart from that not much moving marine life to be seen. Vis was a good 4-5m with clear water. Today, I dived the main mooring - again not much moving marine life but some excellent dahlia anemones - with no weed at the moment, these anemones really stand out and make good photo subjects in macro mode. The wind had changed direction slightly so some slop onto the beach and small waves - visibility not good adjacent to beach but OK out level with the mooring.

Linda has dived the Lifeboat both days this weekend with the Open Water course - vis has been good and she's seen quite a few Nudibranchs (most of the reports to date have been white nudibranchs but Linda found a purple flabellina) - highlight was probabaly being alongside the boathouse today as the All Weather Lifeboat launched down the ramp (Selsey Lifeboat web site) shortly after the Inshore.

Looking ahead................we're hoping that the storm forecast for mid-week won't disturb the vis for next weekend which officially opens the season for us.

This year is Selsey RNLI's 150th Anniversary - we have some special T-shirts (all proceeds to RNLI) and we're encouraging everyone to donate; if you are feeling active the Sponsored Walk is in early May. Details of the special events planned for June are on the Selsey RNLI web site.

Thank you for the Feedback

2011-03-09T12:26:00.000-08:00

We recently sent out a short survey asking for Feedback on how we could improve the service we offer. We're grateful to everyone who took the time to reply - several people asked for the Dive Centre to be re-located closer to their home; regrettably we don't yet have a Tardis so we'll have to stay in Selsey. Many other suggestions will be adopted and some are already in place:
- the boat schedule can now be reached directly from the main page - select Dive Schedule and a Schedule option appears
- the website text is now Black - we hope this is more readable
- the link to the Blog has moved to the top menu; in due course, we'll migrate the Blog further into the website
- we've changed the deposit system for Phoenix and now simply require a £20 bond for the season; there has been a separate Newletter with more detail so please contact the Dive Centre for details

Please let us have any further suggestions - we'll try and make them work if possible.

Oceanic Seminar - February 2011

2011-03-09T12:07:00.000-08:00

Linda and I attended the annual Oceanic Seminar near Honiton in early February - two hectic days best characterised as too much alcohol and not enough sleep! The serious side of course was hearing about the new products that will shortly be available - in parallel we networked with all the other Oceanic dealers, caught up on the gossip and noted with regret that several Dive Centres we knew had closed during the year. The Seminar dinner featured a 7ft Drag Queen - pictures available upon request; donations to the RNLI for those who wish to keep the pictures out of public view!

As the new ranges come into stock, we will provide details in our Newsletter and I'll provide reports here as we use many of them ourselves. First up will be our experience as Linda and I train in Sidemount using the Hollis SMS100 (Hollis SMS 100 Wing).

30th January 2011 - Open Water and Marshalled Dive at Vobster Quay

2011-01-31T14:04:00.001-08:00

We congratulate Richard on achieving Master Scuba Diver
after completing Digital Underwater Photographer

With mainly experienced divers booked on the January marshalled dive, we opted for Vobster Quay. After we left home in the dark, the views across Salisbury Plan were very nice in the early morning sunshine - arrived earlier than usual and parked close to the water and the refreshment van! Linda continued with the Open Water course, Richard completed his second Speciality of the weekend and the Divemasters brushed up their Dive Marshalling skills by organising and running the Marshalled Dive whilst also getting wet themselves

Visibility can only be described as very good at 10-15m.........most people took advantage of the conditions to explore further and follow some of the new Jesters to the Wheelhouse for instance.

Maybe we should start a Caption competition?

29th January 2011 - Open Water and Specialities @ Wraysbury

2011-01-31T13:21:00.001-08:00

Much wind on Thursday from the East meant that visibility under the Lifeboat Station was not really suitable for Open Water training and hence the trip to Wraysbury. First in the car park, shortly joined by everyone else - we split into two groups - cloudy and a chilly wind meant that the water felt somewhat warmer even at 4C. The Specialities group (Dry Suit and Peak Performance Buoyancy) opted to dive at the back of the building aiming for the coach after skills on the platform. The Open Water group headed for the pontoon and a Giant Stride entry watched by a Wraysbury resident.

Visibility was somewhat murky at 2-3m which we hadn't expected......certainly the fingers were tingling as we emerged after 25 minutes.

Perfect Weather for Walking off the Turkey

2010-12-26T06:06:00.000-08:00

Blue sky and sunshine gave us perfect weather for Walking off the Turkey - the Treasure Hunt around Selsey that we organise in aid of Selsey RNLI........http://www.selseylifeboats.co.uk/. This year 81 people and dogs participated (including at least one of our trainee Divemasters) and the winning score was 91% - with additional donations, we raised £88. Thanks to everyone who braved the cold and enjoyed the excellent seaviews with snow on the South Downs forming the backdrop to Bognor Regis.

December 13th - Xmas dinner at The Seal; snow for the Rescue course?

2010-12-13T14:12:00.000-08:00

Saturday night we took over the back room at The Seal for the Mulberry Divers christmas meal....special mention to Jason for bringing along a selection of mind- twisting tricks (best to gloss over whether the boat skippers could undo that rope) which kept people amused between courses. The food and drink was of course excellent and the evening passed quickly in a relaxed atmosphere.

Next weekend sees our last course in 2010 - we're hoping to complete of the Rescue course under the Lifeboat station and run the planned Mixon dive on Sunday............but we're keeping a close eye on the weather.

December 7th - Steam at Vobster; snow in Selsey

2010-12-07T13:47:00.000-08:00

Frustratingly it looks like we will be stuck on 99 Phoenix trips this year - it would have been nice to have hit the century. However the weather since mid-October has been windy (usually from the wrong direction) and frequently with some swell - during this very cold spell, visibility has been non-existent under the Lifeboat Station. The November Social Evening gave an opportunity to review people's photo's from the Marsa Shagra trip and enjoy Linda's homemade curries. (We'll be going back to Marsa Shagra next September for more relaxed diving).

There is still plenty of training underway so at the end of November we went to Vobster - as we drove in (-6C temperature) there was steam rising from the water (water temperature 9C); visibility was excellent and the thermocline had vanished - some compensation for the cold air that stiffened BCD buckles and made my lead shot weight belt difficult to buckle up. There was a distinct reluctance on the part of some people to leave the water between dives since that was the warmest place.

We had hoped to attend the PADI TecRec day at Portland last Saturday - however the Selsey snow and resultant lingering ice meant that we decided discretion was the best policy - we plan to offer TecRec 40 and 45 next year; there are some excellent deeper wrecks off Selsey that will be atractive dives.

Date for the Diary - Boxing Day 'Walk Off the Turkey' Treasure Hunt for the RNLI - starts 1030 at the Inshore Boathouse next to the RNLI shop. Entrance £1 per person / four legged creatures............approx length one hour and finishes at the Lifeboat Inn.

October 17th - Super Sussex Diving

2010-10-18T12:36:00.000-07:00

At last the weather calmed down and we were able to resume trips; since there was still some noticeable slop onto the beach early Sunday morning, we ran the first trip from Hillfield Rd and went to Hound Reef - visibility was about 5-6m.

Second dive was the Mixon - still a noticeable swell from the South East, but ebbing tide and forecast general reduction in wind meant that we were able to leave from East Beach. A few waves at the Mixon especially at the ledge edge. Visibility very good with everyone reporting that they could see the bottom from the ledge at 5/6m..............plenty of marine life (although no big shoals of fish this time) and one diver saw what appears to have been a triggerfish. Dogfish in abundance.

Final dive was the Far Milberry - by now, the wind had lessened and we had a smooth ride out..........visibility good (6-9m); blue sky meant that the light was good.

Overall three good dives ........definitely Dry Suit diving weather with some of the best visibility we have had so far this year; fingers crossed that we have a few more days like it before Christmas.

Marsa Shagra Holiday - Sept / Oct 2010

2010-10-10T10:23:00.000-07:00

For the second year running, a group of us went to Marsa Shagra Eco-Lodge / Village (just north of Marsa Alam) for a week of very relaxed diving. Having survived the Thomson Airline flight (the re-fitted 757 interior looked nice but had a fundamental weakness - the redesigned seat backs gave an extra inch of legroom by moving the storage area to the top of the seat - however there wasn't even enough room for a small paperback so essentially everything had to kept around you :-(.......we also have a sneaking idea that the aircraft was responsible for the colds that a few of us developed at the end of the holiday) we arrived in the early evening and had a smooth trip down to the village.

The new diving shade is very impressive (details here http://www.redsea-divingsafari.com/index.php?p=61) with plenty of space, dunk pools and shade...........the relaxation area has also been rebuilt and there is now a Bubbles tent for inhaling aromatic oxygen post dive :-).

The wind was kind to us all week - in particular we had a very smooth trip out to Elphinstone and a relaxing dive along the wall,spending some time hovering over the Southern Plateau. No big pelagics or even Napoleon Wrasse..................overall , our impression was that the number of fish was lower than previously and even the anthias clouds didn't seem so dense.

Other highlights included sightings of a black tip shark along the House Reef by several group members, a few sightings of a turtle....no dolphins :-(.............many sightings of free swimming morays.....very large Napoleon Wrasse on the House Reef...........many Octopus sightings (including some free swimming). Most people managed to spend more than 24 bours underwater during the week; it was very hot on the surface (upper 30sC most days) so it was nice to have the freedom to plan your own dives at times to suit you. For me, the Scribbled Filefish remains a favourite along with the shrimps to be found in the coral at night.

We'll review the photos at our November social event (October's being focussed on Selsey Fireworks).

September 19th - Competition results - Lifeboat DIve

2010-09-19T11:17:00.000-07:00

Given the forecast we decided not to run Phoenix today; however the Dry Suit course went ahead under the Lifeboat since that was sheltered from the SW wind, Visibility was about 4m with not too much slop onto the beach.

We managed to persuade a few more divers to enter the Beachwatch competition and the final total raised was £175 - thanks to everyone who contributed; £135 will go to Selsey RNLI and the rest to Project Aware. The answers to the competition were that Phoenix made 84 trips in the period specified and 442 divers travelled..............the closest guess was 80 dives and 400 divers; whilst several guesses had been the subject of fevered calculator work yesterday, there were also a few that can only be described as wishful thinking! Three people won a trip to the Far Mulberry for themselves and a buddy.

September 18th - Beachwatch, Rays on the Drift Dive and Sunshine

2010-09-18T12:19:00.000-07:00

Although slightly chilly, blue sky and sunshine gave us perfect weather for Beachwatch 2010. This year, some 36 divers carried out the underwater cleaning whilst approximately 60 people took care of the beach itself. A total of 160kg of litter was assembled in the familiar Chichester District Council bags - underwater there was the usual BBQ grills, some gun cartridge cases, a very large bolt and lots of fishing line. The event finished with a BBQ organised by the Selsey Lions. It looks like we raised some £140 - we donated 50% of any equipment hire today, plus the competition to win a free Far Mulberry trip and several generous donations for tea and coffee.

Boat dives today included the local drift (rays. dogfish all seen), Mixon (approx 6m visibility here with 3-4m reported by others on the Teapot) and finally the Far Mulberry - it was noticeable by the end of the afternoon that the wind had freshened and moved to SW resulting in a distinct chop in the water.

5th September - Easterly winds and not so good visibility

2010-09-08T14:10:00.000-07:00

An 'interesting' weekend............the wind stayed firmly in the East so we had some waves; we managed to run two dives on Friday (Mulberry - 5m vis and Landing Craft - lots of surge and no vis under 5m) although care was needed with loading / unloading at EastBeach. Tone was somewhat disconcerted at the end of the afternoon to find that our morring appeared to have vanished. The mystery was solved when some of the local fishermen handed over the top part of the mooring that they had found - I plan to dive the bottom half this week and determine exactly what happened - in the meantime we're grateful to everyone who has lent us moorings:-)

Saturday - the Ocean Diver course went to Wraysbury and I fitted in two Hounds Reef trips with Phoenix - regrettably there was plenty of surge and average visibility; not many fish seen but plenty of crabs. Decided not to run any dive trips on Sunday.

Sunday -we all went to Vobster; it rained hard in the morning (I was surface cover and had not thought to take a dry suit) but brightened up for the afternoon. The thermocline surprised the Ocean Divers and visibility varied reflecting how busy it was. Everyone passed and the trip back was occupied looking at the old tractors and steam engines coming away from the Dorset Steam Fair.

August 28th - Inner Mulberry for a change

2010-08-28T13:49:00.000-07:00

It was nice to have blue sky this morning as we launched Pheonix very early at Itchenor- Far Mulberry first and visibility approx 2-3m; not surprising given the wind of the past few days. Second dive was supposed to be the Landing Craft but a quick survey from Hillfield Rd suggested that visibility would be very limited. Instead, Tone took the divers to the Inner Mulberry and briefed on the swim-through and suggested finishing with a drift. Everyone appears to have enjoyed themselves with some opting for Tone's suggested dive plan and others simply staying on the Inner Mulberry itself - difficult to assess how the dive compares to the Far Mulberry on the basis of just one visit so we'll try and find other opportunities to include it on the schedule.

Not sure how the rest of the weekend will work out - there is obviously some more wind on the way and lurking in the background is Danielle - we're hoping that particular lady will decide not to pay us a visit.

August 22nd - Rock Appreciation at Vobster and Making a Fish!

2010-08-23T12:24:00.000-07:00

Open Water weekend on the Training Courses and this time the weather did not fully co-operate :-(

We managed to dive under the Lifeboat on Saturday; although breezy (SW F5) with some waves further out the low water slack had about 4m+ visibility. However with similar weather forecast the next day then we judged that the planned Advanced Open Water deep dive on the Brigitta (TeaPot) would not be feasible on Sunday morning and hence decided to go to Vobster.

Vobster proved to be a good choice from the point of view that we had sunshine and no rain: visibility was not that different from the Lifeboat Station and the students all found the thermocline at 12m that dropped the water temperature to 8/9C! We explored the Jaquin II, aircraft wrecks and admired the wizard exhibit!

Meanwhile Tone took Phoenix to the Mixon on Sunday afternoon; visibility about 6m and everyone seems to have really enjoyed the dive - given the forecast for today (and more importantly later this week), Phoenix then went around to Itchenor so she would be safe during the storms.

We also supported the Marine Display at the Selsey Centre organised by the Manhood Wildlife and Heritage Group http://www.mwhg.org.uk/ - the 'Make a Fish' activity went well. Over the weekend some 500 people visited the exhibition and we're grateful to everyone who came and spent time on the stand explaining Diving and Marine Life to the visitors.

And the Rock Appreciation at Vobster - that was the nickname one of the |DMs invented for the Underwater Naturalist Adventre Dive for the AOW course - we did find some underwater snails and a shrimp that had more than a passing resemblance to a wasp in body shape and colour.

15th August - Some wind, big Spring tides - successful BBQ

2010-08-16T12:01:00.000-07:00

Big Spring tides this last week - on Thursday, large sandbanks appeared off Pagham(the Inner Mulberry standing well clear of the water) and at East Beach; looked without success for the line we had laid to the sunken car. We ran two dives on Thursday with fossil teeth being very much the objective - several large teeth found on the Fossil Beds themselves whilst a few teeth also found at the Far Mulberry.

Saturday was overcast with a breeze - dives included a fast drift dive, some reasonable visibility on the Landing Craft. Nearly 30 people on the Marshalled Dive meant some careful logistics since slack was not until 1815 - we held the monthly BBQ afterwards and I perfected my skills at cooking in the dark!

By Sunday the wind had gone round to the North East with rather too much gusto - managed to fit in the local drift dive off Selsey but then moved to using Hillfield Rd - much more comfortable than East Beach. The sun came out but the wind stayed brisk - however the Britsum and Hound Reef all ran as planned. Enough wind remaining at the end of the day to making putting the cover on Pheonix something of a challenge.

1st August - Lifeboat Launch Day and Thornback Rays

2010-08-05T14:01:00.000-07:00

Still plenty of wind but the rain stayed away and it was quite warm; we managed to run all the planned dives over the weekend with a few white waves accompanying the return trips. On one of the Sunday drift dives, everyone saw Thornback Rays :-). Visibility has remained good.

Our stall on Lifeboat Green was busy throughout Sunday with Barrie's photos of the Leach's Spider Crab and Scorpion Fish from under the Lifeboat proving particularly popular. British Divers Marine Life Rescue (just down from us) were also busy and it was an opportunity for us to catch up on their recent work. Stephen who usually spends weekends making tea/coffee for everyone in the Dive Centre had an opportunity to demonstrate his acting skills as part of the Lifeboat demonstrations - there must be a demand somewhere for someone who can fight in a rowing boat and end up in the water! We're glad to say that his brother was one of the ILB crew that pulled him from the water.

29th July - belated post for last weekend

2010-07-29T14:12:00.000-07:00

Last weekend was very busy for us all and with Selsey Lifeboat week now well underway, I've only just found time to catch up with the Blog - the visibility continued to be good (8m+) under the Lifeboat providing you were diving on the low water slack (approx 1 m seems to be average vis on the 4 before slack at the moment) and plenty of marine life around. On Sunday I took the Advanced course to the TeaPot / Brigitta and we had about 3m visibility with plenty of light; barely needed the torches - after the skills swam around the winches. Finished the course with our local drift dive - some nice large dogfish and an excellent plaice were the highlights - still trying to work out how my buddy pair managed to overtake the others (we were not finning); can only assume we were more streamlined.

Monday night we went to Calshot RNLI to collect the Training D class Lifeboat which will feature on Launch Day next Sunday (it's speciality act is the capsize) and heard all about the Sunderland Flying Boat propeller that was recently recovered - the wreck must be relatively close to the shore but tidal conditions make it virtually undiveable. :-(

We were delighted that 102 people (including some Mulberry divers) turned up for the Walking Treasure Hunt on Tuesday night - last night was the Quiz team at The Seal; we joined a small team (13!!) and managed to come 3rd. Sunday (Launch Day) we will have our usual stand on the Lifeboat Green.

Next Friday is the 'friendly' cricket match against the Lifeboat team - this is the first time we've done this so we're not quite sure what to expect :-) - everyone is welcome to come and watch / support - we have a team of mixed ages and cricket knowledge so feel certain we might manage at least a respectable performance.

Selsey Lifeboat week - preview of our Competition

2010-07-22T14:01:00.000-07:00

Selsey RNLI Lifeboat week starts this Sunday with Launch day on Sunday 1st August - please make a note to avoid diving the Lifeboat Station that day as there will be the Raft Race and lots of Lifeboats providing displays.

We have a competition to raise funds for Selsey RNLI; here's some brief details:

win a free trip on Phoenix to the Far Mulberry for you and your buddy - 3 prizes to be won with a value of £42 each
win by guessing the number of trips completed in 2010 by Phoenix and the number of divers carried in the period January 1st to and including August 31st.
entry fee per guess (trips and divers) £2.50 - 5 guesses for £10...............all entry fees will be donated to Selsey Lifeboat week fundraising
in the event of a tie, we will ask each entrant to complete the PADI Open Water Exam - highest score wins

Interested?
Entry by cash / cheque only please since the money will be handled separately and not through Mulberry Divers.

16th July - WIND!

2010-07-16T13:15:00.000-07:00

We expected some wind last night but the forecast didn't quite match what arrived on Wednesday night - 50knot SW winds for most of the night meant adrift boats, some small boats underwater and Phoenix's cover not quite as we left it! Swam out to Phoenix and removed cover since I had insufficient strength to wrestle the cover back in place against the still strong wind - on the way helped with the recovery of one sunken boat :-)
Restored cover yesterday evening with additional bungees and rope and glad to say it survived the night OK - pulled the remains of a very battered punt out of the water as well. The wind is still quite strong and we've decided to cancel tomorrow's boats given the forecast, the lack of visibility next to the beach and the expected sea state. Hopefully normal service will be resumed on Sunday.

11th July - Initial wind, very slight drizzle then blue sky and sunshine - good visibility still

2010-07-11T12:05:00.000-07:00

Rather strong SW F5 early this morning with some very slight drizzle (barely enough to dampen the ground) and grey skies - obviously our divers have foresight as no-one had booked on the first Landing Craft dive (it would have been cancelled due to the wind and expectations of low vis) but by the time we opened this morning the blue sky and sunshine had arrived. The second dive, our local drift dive provided a nice fast drift (approx a knot), plenty of dogfish, a ray and smiling faces :-). Stormforce arrived at East Beach as Phoenix prepared to depart and reported 8m+ vis on the Northcotes. Final dive was the Far Mulberry - vis still good although the continuing SW breeze meant a modest swell.

10th July - Seamist /Fog - Lots and Lots of Dogfish - Good Visibility

2010-07-10T13:37:00.000-07:00

First planned dive today (Brigitta / Teapot) was cancelled since no-one had booked on - not sure since we would have expected good visibility despite the SW wind - maybe it's the relatively early start since tomorrow's first dive has also had no bookings (Landingcraft at 0915 although I suspect that this vis might not be so good) - so I spent the early morning in the pool helping with our second Open Water course of the month.

Seamist (fog!) appeared mid-morning and led me to consider whether it would be safe for the drift dive - luckily blue sky re-appeared at the planned departure time so we left for the local site; water slightly cooler than under the Lifeboat (17/18 against 19/20) and wind over tide so some chop to the waves. As now normal for this dive,plenty of dogfish and what sounds like a large plaice all seen on the fairly fast drift. Quick turn-around at the beach, and a careful eye on the transitory seamist before departing for the Mulberry. Definite swell out here now and Pagham not visible due to the seamist - briefed the divers to take account of the conditions and what to do if they planned to leave the Mulberry. Shoals of pollack and bib with many lobsters (ncluding one very large) all seen and a particularly friendly tompot blenny (sounds as if Phil's blenny from four years ago has moved from the corner across the bow face - wonder how long they live?). Just before the divers surfaced blue sky and brilliant sunshine returned although still a slightly wet trip back into the wind.

4th July - Rays, good vis and some breeze!

2010-07-04T11:52:00.000-07:00

Our rescheduling of the planned dives paid off and we managed to fit all three dives in despite the rising wind.

Early this morning, a nice Slight sea state for the Mixon - 10m visibility; plenty of crabs and lobsters and the ledge full of life. A quick turn-around and then out for our local drift - visibility about 6m and Thornback Rays seen by nearly all the divers - by now the wind had picked up but stayed SW - WSW- the trip back was bracing shall we say. Another quick turn-around and together with Stormforce off to the Mulberry. The divers that followed the line out to the Cuckoo saw a large Ray (ungulate maybe?) beside the line - visibility again good despite the increasing wind - a slightly smoother trip back this time following Stormforce.

3rd July - Thornback Rays, Dogfish - 5m vis

2010-07-03T14:00:00.000-07:00

Last night we had a staff dive on the Mulberry - visibility was easily 5m although a torch was essential to see any detail - several young dogfish watched us swim past and at the end as we came along the NW / SW side we were delighted to see that the shoal of bib was back in its usual position near the shotline. There were several shoals of juvenile bib as we circumnavigated, some large wrasse and a few lobsters - the others had found several nudibranchs but I think it was too dark by the time we got in. Pleasant cruise back with a glorious red sunset.

First dive today was the Selsey drift; West to East today and finishing about 300m short of the Mulberry - thornback rays, many dogfish, crabs, flatfish all seen - speed estimated at approx 1 knot. The wind had picked up somewhat by the time of the Far Mulberry dive - good vis again; back against the wind so rather wet! No-one had booked on the planned Landing Craft dive at the end of the day - obviously good foresight since by then the W F5 would have made the trip round uncomfortable and probably also worsened the vis.

Much debate this afternoon about tomorrow's forecast and how best to reschedule - settled for bringing forward the second dive and replacing the planned Britsum with the Mulberry since it should be more sheltered. (the Britsum is proving popular this year - plenty of metal (well spread out) and good marine life).

June 26th and 27th - blue skies, little wind and good visibility :-)

2010-06-27T14:21:00.000-07:00

A somewhat belated blog for this weekend reflecting the late slack water times. Visibility today seems to have been somewhat less than yesterday although still good - this was particularly noticeable on the Mixon this afternoon where at the bottom 2-3m was about the limit with a distinct improvement as you ascended the wall - on the ledge, at least 10m in brillant sunshine. Plenty of crabs and lobsters but not lucky enough to see the large shoal of fish on last week's video.

Over the weekend, Mulberry visibility was approx 8m - still many reports of nudibranchs; under the Lifeboat yesterday it was typically around 3-4m under the Boathouse but further out at the Landing Craft it was easily nearer 10m; I particularly liked the shoals of juvenile bib and the conger sun-bathing nearby. Plenty of marine life in the Draft dive today with rays,dogfish and plaice all seen.

20th June - Good visibility at Mixon Hole and Mulberry - Smiling divers!

2010-06-20T11:22:00.000-07:00

Less wind this morning so flatter sea and much smoother ride out to the Mixon; like yesterday only dive boat on site although Wight Diver went past at one stage heading offshore. Moved slightly further West for the drop-off point today since two of the divers had dived yesterday and reported that cliff was as sheer as they had seen before...........30m W gave them the nice drop into 21/22m and levelling out to 25m; this pair also reported coming up onto a nice overhang with plentifull sponges............the second pair went further West and found themselves in the middle of a large shoal of young fish (possibly pollack or poor cod)........Red Gurnard on a stately walk seen by both pairs. Peter Cox has kindly given us the link to his video from the dive.......Mixon Hole Sunday 20th June 2010. (now I'm jealous at having to just sit on the boat!)

Second dive was the Far Mulberry and by this time, wind had dropped to a pleasant NE F3.........joined on the site by the repaired Bristol BSAC RHB (huge thanks to J Craft who had worked hard overnight to make their second day diving possible; the RHB had been damaged yesterday whilst trying to help another dive boat that had formed a permanent bond between itself, it's shot and the target wreck!). Excellent visibility at 5m+ and plenty to see - many comments on the large lobsters that seem to thrive in this voluntary conservation zone. Wind had freshened to a brisk NW F3 for the return as tide battled wind.

One of those days when driving the boat is a real pleasure as everyone comes up smiling and having seen some great marine life............

19th June - good visibility, offshore wind - enjoyable diving

2010-06-19T11:01:00.000-07:00

Offshore wind (N-NE with some occasional excursions to NW) at a consistent F4 meant that whilst it was flat calm next to the beach, it was somewhat livelier further out. First dive today was the Mixon - some reasonable swells here over the hole; followed my usual practice of dropping the divers just on the ledge so a simple swim forward brings them over the wall. Visibility at least 10m with most of the divers reporting looking upto the ledge from 20m and seeing plenty of life. Second dive was the Mulberry drift - essentially moor upto the Mulberry and let the divers decide whether to explore the sheltered side or drift - 8m visibility here and whilst there don't seem to be quite as many fish as last year (colder winter still delaying the build-up in numbers?) there are plenty of juveniles to see; nudibranchs also still plentiful (definitely feels as if there are more than in previous years or are divers better at spotting them now?). Final dive on the Mulberry - wet trip out into the consistent NE; this trip timed for the HW slack - visibility still 8m and the colourful marine life delighted those divers on their first UK Boat dive. Spent much of the day listening to a very busy Coastguard - Selsey lifeboat launched to assist several boats with engine failure (Selsey Lifeboat), unexploded ordnance somewhere near France and people stranded on a sandbank somewhere else.

Chris Woods personally delivered the Seasearch Marine Guides we needed last night (our last stock went very quickly) and confirmed that the new Guide to Seaweeds will be published shortly - looking forward to this as we have a prolific selection of weeds, sponges and squirts under the Lifeboat but most guides only cover a limited range.

12th June - blue sky again, offshore wind and Tope

2010-06-12T12:35:00.000-07:00

Blue skies with a strong offshore wind so nice and calm next to the beach (very clear water here) whilst some swell and slightly more waves further out. First dive today was the Britsum drift - good vis at 4m; we followed this with the Selsey local drift - to the long list of marine life seen on this dive, we now add Tope which was seen not just by our divers but also by those on Renegade (the visiting Triton RHIB) -a number of the usual suspects also showed; dogfishand plaice in particular. Visibility on the Mulberry at the end of the afternoon however was best described as variable- partly due to the sheer number of divers on the site (4 RHIBS) but also because there is still some plankton in the water - vis seemed to vary between 1-2m. At the end of the day it was very peaceful at East Beach - flat calm water and just a local tree/log floating past! (reported to the Coastguard as a potential hazard to boats). Earlier in the afternoon, a seal had been seen fishing whilst the mackerel were inshore.

If you follow our Twitter comments then you will get out upto date information on visibility and other items of interest - timing and frequency depends on the time available between dives. Please let us know if there is any information you would like to see us include in the Blog or Twitter :-)

6th June - Rather too much wind after midday at Selsey - Exhausting day at Springwatch

2010-06-06T13:08:00.000-07:00

The forecast had been for increasing wind later in the day but it arrived rather earlier than expected at 8am this morning - luckily it decreased after high tide and we were able to dive the Mixon with only a light chop on the water. No diving terns today and the plankton remains (however those diving the Basil this morning reported good visibility and less plankton so perhaps we are starting to see the end of the bloom). However shortly after midday the wind shifted SW and freshend so the local drift dive had some swell and consequently reduced visibility - the trip back into the wind was wet and so we decided that was enough fun for today and cancelled the last dive, Far Mulberry. Unlike yesterday, not so many fish seen on the drift today - it was as usual at a nice pace and certainly fins are almost an optional extra. We look forward to next weekend and hopefully, less plankton and wind!

Linda, Jo and Tone returned from Springwatch (at Brighton today) exhausted having spent all day answering non-stop questions on diving, marine conservation, shipwrecks and underwater photography. Tone was able to renew his aquaintance with David Bellamy and Linda inadvertently delayed the Mayor of Brighton's tour when he turned out to have been a diver. Countless children created their own fantasy fish.

5th June - Warm,blue skies however plankton still with us

2010-06-05T13:27:00.000-07:00

Nice cruise out to the Mixon this morning and both buddy pairs in on slack - spent a pleasant 45 minutes watching terns diving into the water off the Mixon basket: plankton still with us so visibility averaged 2-3m. Second dive was a drift off Selsey - visbility on this much better at 4m+ - the drift direction changed midway which made life more interesting. Plenty of fish seen - nice shark's tooth found by one buddy pair and nudibranchs still very much in evidence. Final dive was the Mulberry - visibility here again 2-3m - with the site to ourselves, everyone could have a nice leisurely dive - again plenty of fish (cuttlefish, pollock and bib) and more multi-coloured slugs!

Monday 31st May - Much less wind, 2m visibility and flat sea

2010-06-01T13:58:00.000-07:00

Again the forecast was right and the wind dropped overnight although it went more to the NE initially than anticipated - the big swell that had been evident on Sunday was significantly reduced; by the end of the day,the sea was completely flat. The first two dives went ahead as planned (Mulberry, TeaPot) and we switched the last dive from Hound Reef to a local drift dive to get the best visibility - consistently, visibility was approx 2m with the TeaPot also being dark at the bottom. There is still plankton in the water and Saturday's storm also added some stirred-up silt - however cuttlefish, thornback rays, dogfish and nudibranchs were all seen.

29th and 30th May - too much wind so no Diving :-(, our new Twitter name and Selsey Lifeboat celebrations

2010-05-29T13:02:00.000-07:00

The forecast turned out to be right and rather too much wind arrived from the wrong direction (South) so all dive trips cancelled on Saturday / Sunday - the weather potentially looks better on Monday so we will have to keep our fingers crossed. Late in the afternoon got some exercise by swimming out to Phoenix to adjust the cover and ensure that all was well.

This morning's Discover Scubas and children's Tommi's club went well in the pool and another Seal Team member completed. However, suspect that the planned Digital Underwater Photography course tomorrow will have to defer until slightly better visibility.

We've decided to adopt Twitter as one means of highlighting spare places on Phoenix or other dive opportunities - mulberrydiver is our Twitter name so please follow us if you would like to get details of not only dive opportunities but also vis reports from Phoenix each weekend.

Finally - if you take underwater photographs then you might be interested in entering the Selsey RNLI Photo competition with a first prize of £100 - run by Selsey Camera Club http://www.selseycameraclub.co.uk/ - this year entries can be made digitally and there will slideshows rather than the viewing sessions at Manhood school. Details of Selsey Lifeboat week are here http://www.selseylifeboats.co.uk/and if you want to plan ahead then look at http://www.selseylifeboats150.co.uk/ which has all the details of plans to celebrate 150 years of Selsey Lifeboats next year.

22nd and 23rd May - Sunshine, Blue Sky, Plankton and More Nudibranchs

2010-05-29T12:36:00.000-07:00

Three visits to the Mulberry over the weekend with a Local Drift on the Saturday and the Mixon on Sunday - plankton much in evidence so although the water was clear it wasn't possible to see very far. Saturday midday, fog appeared very suddenly and meant that the drift divers had to amend their dive plan to enable each pair to be tracked. Dogfish, Smoothhounds, Plaice, Cuttlefish all spotted - Nudibranchs again much in evidence with one pair finding 20+ Janus on one dive. The Mulberry on Sunday afternoon was one of those dives where, although the dive was plankton affected and there was some current, everything went well and we enjoyed a hot drink on Phoenix before heading back under blue skies with a flat calm sea.

Reflections on Oban and Scapa

2010-05-16T12:20:00.000-07:00

Two days diving in Oban preceded the Scapa trip - water temperature noticeably colder here (7-8C) and a chilly wind so that the RHIB rides meant windproof clothing was essential. Outstanding dive was the Rondo (vertical wreck with bow buried in the bottom at 52m) where superb visibility gave some classic views looking towards the surface with divers silhouetted against the remains of the rudder. We used the Puffin RHIBS which are fast but present something of a challenge as the tubes loom over you at the end of the dive - luckily Ian the skipper is used to pulling people in although there would not be many points for style. Two dives on the Breda ( one in very nice 10m+ visibility) and on the Thesis where I was able to photograph Linda inside the wreck against the exposed framework of the boat. Our favourite fish restaurant (Ee-Usk) again gave us an excellent meal whilst overlooking the Bay - finding that the local fish and chip shop had an eating area and offered more than the standard menu was an unexpected bonus.

In Scapa, we dived from the John L and had a relaxing week giving everyone the opportunity to experience Scapa diving - three people completed the Deep Speciality during the week and enjoyed kneeling on the bottom besides the Karlsruhe whilst scallops jumped around them (good but not quite as good as our last Deep course in Scapa when guillemots dived amongst us on the long safety stop). We dived the cruisers (Coln and Dresden twice) plus F2 + Barge (the second time in very good visibility when we were the only divers) and the V83 (first time in low visiblity when I was somewhat bemused by the rebreather diver tryng tro give me photographic tips first in sign language and then by writing on a slate).Visibility was consistently 10-15m, water temperature of 8C and whilst the wind was a cold North-Easterly, we had plenty of sunshine (the trip back to Scrabster was on a flat calm sea with excellent surface visibility) and opportunities to admire the Orkney landscape. The home-made soup at the Lyness museum cafe was a daily highlight - evening meals were frequently in the Stromness Hotel (excellent real ale) although we did take the minibus to Kirkwall for a chinese one evening. One member of the group succumbed and bought themselves a Tigger hood which we look forward to seeing shortly...............On the final day, in brilliant sunshine, most of us took the opportunity to snorkel around the Barrel of Butter and watch the seals............this crowned an excellent week....thanks to James, Steven and Dougie who looked after us well all week.

Next year we plan to visit St Abbs and the Farne Islands so the return to Scapa will have to wait until 2012.

16th May - Back from Scapa to Cuttlefish and Birthday Cake

2010-05-16T10:50:00.000-07:00

Just about recovered from the long drive back from Scapa and nice to have warmer water (8C in Oban and Scapa - see separate blog for more on our two weeks away). Wind has finally migrated back to the West although rather stronger than originally forecast. Over the weekend, twice to the Far Mulberry and a fast drift off Pagham; visibility consistently 2-3m since the plankton bloom has arrived - plenty of Cuttlefish sightings including a very large specimen this morning at the Mulberry; (high embarassment factor for the divemaster celebrating their (18th + x) birthday as we sang Happy Birthday - post dive we sampled the very excellent Lemon Drizzle and Carrot cake baked by the same divemaster). Yesterday was the monthly Marshalled Lifeboat dive followed by BBQ (nice new shiny BBQ for me to use :-) ) - flatfish, cuttlefish, pipefish, dahlia anemones. pink sea lemons and flabellinas. This afternoon recovered Phoenix for a well earned scrub (Barnacle city after 4 weeks in the water) and brush-up.

24th April - Good visibility and first Cuttlefish sighting

2010-04-25T14:19:00.000-07:00

Rather more wind than we would have liked from our least favourite Easterly direction.........consequently some waves for each of the dives but not enough to deter us from staying round Sesley where the visibility was consistently good. Early morning drift offshore found lots of dahlia anemones and plaice but no rays on this occasion. Next to the Mixon.............excellent vis here (7-9m) and I was able to drop off the divers and watch them swim over the ledge - those who traversed west found lots of smoothhounds on the bottom whilst those who stayed closer to the Beacon saw a Cuttlefish and a nice Lumpsucker on the edge of the ledge. Finally the Far Mulberry.............good 5-6m visibility and plenty to see.

18th April - Nudibranchs, SeaSearch and Thornback Rays

2010-04-22T13:46:00.000-07:00

Blue skies again, minimal wind and smooth sea although the Easterly wind still had a chill to it. Visibility on the Far Mulberry was excellent (7m+) and the SeaSearch (SeaSearch Organisation) group were able to enjoy themselves identfying the hard coral on the Northern face (three of the five UK species to be found here with the Southern Cup Coral and Weymouth Carpet Cup Corals classified as nationally rare) as well as this being the most Easterly site for Jewel Anemones. No sign of a Lumpsucker on the Mulberry itself but there is a juvenile in the bow of the nearby Cuckoo rescue craft - regrettably not in a good position for photographs.

Second dive was on the Landing Craft; visibility not so good (2-3m) but plenty of marine life including Nudibranchs. Final dive was a drift off Selsey - on the way out, there was a solitary small cuttlefish bone in the water indicating that as the water temperatuer starts to go above 10C, the fish are returning. First group drifted straight off from the Mulberry and were rewarded with half a dozen Thornback Rays and large Plaice. Second group followed the line to the Cuckoo and spent time looking at the Lumpsucker and Nudibranchs before drifting for the last 15 minutes - visibility again good. The Dredger that has been replenishing Pagham beach sailed past having completed it's High Water rainbowing of the beach - the good news is the activity is planned to finish within the next few days.

The SeaSearch group visited us last October and a comprehensive report of their findings for the Far Mulberry can be found at SeaSearch Far Mulberry report - the report shows that the site has grown in conservation value and illustrates how the marine life has changed since the 1983 survey.

17th April - Octopus, Lumpsuckers and good visibility

2010-04-17T13:56:00.000-07:00

Started the day on the Far Mulberry - very popular with 5 boats = 50 divers. Good visibility (5m) and plenty to see although water temperature means that not all the fish have returned - however the Lumpsuckers are definitely back with one reported on the Cuckoo and another on the far side of the Mulberry itself. The midday dive was the Landing Craft - 2m visibility here although still plenty to see. Finally a drift off Selsey - excellent visibility here (10m with the divers being able to watch boats, pots markers etc from the bottom) - thornback rays and dogfish all seen. The marshalled dive on the Lifeboat Station found visibility of only 2m as a result of the sand pumping at Pagham - however the buddy pair that made it to the reef further out, found 5m visibility and plenty of nudibranchs - all the divers saw many anenomes and plenty of smaller fish.

And the Octopus? The Chichester Observer reports that an Curled Octopus was recently donated to the Portsmouth Blue Reef aquarium after it was lifted in a pot by one of the Selsey Fishermen.......something else to add to the list of marine life potentially to be seen.

10th April - Good visibility, flat seas, blue skies...............where is everyone?

2010-04-10T11:55:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we put Phoenix in the water and brought her round from Itchenor stopping at various pot markers in Bracklesham Bay on the way to check visibility - our guess was approx 2-3m. We then spent an enjoyable couple of hours putting a new chain on the mooring.

Occupied myself in the pool first thing providing a scuba party - they hadn't realised how much fun somersaults were underwater. Today, for once the forecast held true and by mid-morning we had blue skies, hardly any wind and excellent surface visibility........................off to the Far Mulberry at midday for Phoenix's first excursion of 2010. Little surface chop on the way so cruised out at 18 knots...........the marker buoy needs a good scrub but has survived the winter. Watched the divers go down the shot line and and could see them quite a way - both pairs managed 50 + minutes with 8C water...........visibility reported at 3-4m; plenty of nudibranchs and a reasonable number of fish.

Unfortunately we've don't have enough bookings on the boat to be able to run the planned dives tomorrow......it's clear that other boats have also cancelled some or all of their dives this weekend so obviously not many people diving at the moment however the current weather is perfect dry suit diving and there is an opportunity to see marine life such as dahlia anemones before they disappear under weed.

Monday 5th April - Have you seen our Dunk tank?

2010-04-05T11:20:00.000-07:00

Started the day by visiting Hillfield Rd car park to be greeted by a two tone seascape - immediately in front of us was thick cappuchino coffee with a streak of blue where the Looe Channel runs with slighty lighter latte behind - the impact of the last few days of high winds only too obvious in the lack of visibility. The sandbank visible at low tide has grown over the winter and looks as if the tail has curved further in towards the shore which might further restrict safe passage times - on the other hand, cricket would certainly be feasible on it at Springs Low Water.

Arrived at the Dive Centre to find that someone had helped themselves to our water butt dunk tank overnight; since it was full yesterday, it must have taken some time to empty and carry away :-(
In between the Equipment course we were running, spent time comtemplating various high security measures to protect the dunk tank in future.

Friday 2nd April - No diving :-(

2010-04-02T14:25:00.000-07:00

Well the weather has beaten us - lots of wind today and big waves so all diving cancelled. The rest of the weekend is not looking that brilliant with winds consistently at the F4/5+ level. Consoled myself with the very nice chocolate banana cake from last week's Open Water student 'fine' (Thanks Kate :-)) and the thought that Easter is very early this year.

Sunday 14th March - Selsey Lifeboat - 3 to 5m visibility, lots of anemones and scorpion fish.......

2010-03-14T10:54:00.000-07:00

At last the winds have dropped and moved away from the East - although visibility under the Lifeboat was offically classified as soup last Wednesday, by this weekend things had settled down to give 3-5m visibility. Water temperature is still low (5-7C depending on computer make) and the marine life is limited to the smaller fish, anenomes and squirts. Fish seen this weekend included plenty of scorpion fish, butterfish and blennies but no wrasse / bass; it seems that the large fish are still further offshore. Lots of dahlia anenomes and easy to see at the moment with little weed to obscure the bottom.

Teddington BSAC dived the Far Mulberry today with Stormforce and also reported 3m + visibility. Phoenix will be operating again from Easter Weekend and in the meantime, Stormforce is running...........see southerncoastcharters.com.

30th October - Giant Polo Tubes, miles of sand and the ASSET course

2009-10-30T11:22:00.000-07:00

In Morecame this week on the ASSET course learning how to service and maintain diving equipment - one of the local landmarks is a tall tube painted to look like a tube of POLO mints...........left over from a fairground that closed some time ago. All along the promenade are works of art ranging from a giant picture frame looking out over the Lake District to cormarants in steel..........further along is Eric Morecambe's statue complete with flashing blue lights. Also neaby is a very smart RNLI station for the hovercraft..........it's obvious why it's needed when you see the miles of sand and mud; I haven't yet seen the water actually come up to the promenade, it's usually somewhere in the distance.

18th October - Sunshine, blue skies and good visibility.

2009-10-18T13:00:00.000-07:00

(a new kitten has arrived and already edited my initial draft to oblivion - more frequent saving needed to ensure it doesn't take me a week to write this!)

After a great week at Marsa Shagra (22 dives - no dugong unfortunately but a good wreck, plenty of relaxed diving, turtles, dolphins, squid - we plan to return next year - come to the 17th November social event to see the photos) and three weeks of poor weather, at last a weekend when we can operate Phoenix - offshore winds of declining strength during the last few days meant visibility had much improved. First dive today was the Landing Craft - I was rather too accurate with the shot - directly on the hull and must have slipped through as I couldn't retrieve it at the end - for the two early divers, plenty of fish and good visibility. Then the Seahorse Drift - fast at a knot and a half - rays, dogfish, plaice, sea hares and cod - one diver said they could see the surface from the seabed at 8m. Finally, the Mulberry - although the wind freshened initially it died away - the Seasearch survey group found plenty to record including possible early indications of some hard coral forming and I learnt that it was acceptable to say I had seen shredded carrot on a dive :-) - visibility estimated at 5-6m.

13th September - Mixon, Rays and very large Conger

2009-09-16T13:08:00.000-07:00

Wind still from the North East and initially at a reduced level - water immediately in front of the Mixon slightly choppy - everyone reported good visibility (5m+) and lots of dogfish seen. Second dive was The Park / Seahorse Drift - wind had picked up a bit with some consequent swell - visibiliy still good though and most divers saw Thornback Rays and dogfish with one large Turbot also spotted. Since the wind was still increasing, switched the planned Far Mulberry to Hound Reef - much flatter round the corner and slow drift enjoyed by all - one diver looked under the rocks into one large hole and found a very big Conger staring back!

12th September - NE wind, Bracklesham Bay and a Red Gurnard

2009-09-12T13:39:00.000-07:00

Plenty of wind this week - unfortunately from the North East so the little visibility we gained last weekend was quickly lost. Today's schedule already featured Fossil Beds and the Landing CraftBased so based on the forecast and the swell onto the beach last night, opted to move the Far Mulberry dive also round the corner and consequently spent all day operating from Hillfield Rd car park.

Good (4-5m) visibility on the Fossil Bed dive and a respectable number of fossil teeth found, a distinct chop on the water and heading into the wind guaranteed to produce lots of spray............crept in and out of Hillfield Rd (glad it was a neap tide) and off to the Landing Craft.............lots of fish, multitude of crabs and a manageable drift. Visibility slightly reduced on the second Landing Craft dive............a Red Gurnard proving the most unusual sighting. Somewhat less wind by the end of the day although still quite a lot of swell.

24th August - Vulcan Bomber, possible Seahorse and plenty of sun!

2009-08-24T11:25:00.000-07:00

Although the wind shifted round to the South, we managed to complete all five planned weekend boat dives plus nearly 30 people dived under the Lifeboat station on our monthly marshalled dive. We held the August social BBQ at East Beach on Saturday although the evening wind was rather chillier than we would have wished - blue skies and sun during the day meant that I managed to top up the tan (however my unscheduled swim on Sunday when I overbalanced whilst mooring was not particularly helpful!).

Visibility on the Far Mulberry and surrounding area was consistently about 4-5m; we moved one dive from Bracklesham Bay on Saturday since the water looked green with limited visibilityas I brought Phoenix round from Itchenor. During the afternoons, the Far Mulberry provided an ideal location to benefit from the air displays at Shoreham and Bournemouth - the Vulcan bomber was impressive on both days although it turned right at Pagham and avoided Selsey - in contrast the Lancaster flew along the coast at low altitude and seemed determined to follow every indentation.

Plenty of dogfish and some rays on the High Water drift - one diver thought he had seen a seahorse swimming past him with the characteristic 'nodding' action - no pictures this time though.

Plenty of wind forecast this week - perhaps it will settle for the weekend and not disturb the visibility too much.

20th August - Whither next?

2009-08-20T14:22:00.000-07:00

It's that time when we start to think about holidays next year..............more difficult this time as we try to gauge economic conditions and what aspirations people will have; we'd like to include a Scapa Flow trip (would be the perfect chance to exercise the new Oceanic OC-1 dive computer that a very nice dive centre manager has bought me - features dual algorithms and upto three wireless transmitters) - there is debate as well about the best Red Sea location; should we return to Safaga or Marsa Alam or possibly try Dahab instead. We'll try and canvass views at the weekend BBQ and each time we see people.........................

20th August - Busy, busy, busy............

2009-08-20T13:37:00.000-07:00

July finished with a run of poor weather and a couple of weekends when we didn't run the boat - then the initial weekend in August was OK-ish - the wind and wave combination gave a pitch and yaw motion............visibility though was good but we cancelled two dives on Saturday when the rain arrived and closed down surface visibility. Then an almost perfect day on 8th August - calm, flat sea and good visibility. Sunday saw equally good conditions and Linda was able to complete an Open Water course on the Landing Craft and Mulberry. Last weekend the weather was borderline and in the end we opted for a couple of dives along the reef off the end of the Lifeboat - plenty of fish and visibility quite reasonable until the tide flooded.

Last night we gave our Selsey Festival presentation; 78 people turned up this year and we showed various video clips and photographs (thanks to Robert Walker, Dory Productions, Richard Scales and Jo Clark) showing marine life Underneath the Lifeboat Station throughout the year. This completes the August non-diving activities - we organised the Walking Treasure Hunt for Lifeboat (99 people took part although not everyone collected their results as the Fireworks had moved to Saturday) and just about managed to complete our share of the house-to-house collections (heard today that we raised just over £205 from our four roads alone) - overall Lifeboat week seems to have gone very well this year. Now a few weeks of concentrating on the diving before the Red Sea holiday.

11th July - Continued visibility but rather too much wind.

2009-07-11T14:34:00.000-07:00

Visibility under the Lifeboat was good last night despite the wind over the past few days - unfortunately we didn't get to see the eel that features in the latest YouTube video - see http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vVDtBYUahQY and watch until the end.

Managed to fit in an early boat trip this mmorning to the Far Mulberry although the wind introduced some swell; visibility also good here and many lobsters seen with the usual shoals of fish. However that was the end of the scheduled boat diving as the wind increased but we did manage to fit in a drift dive with boat cover from East Beach down to the Lifeboat-fast and enjoyed by all. :-)

5th July - Drift Diving and Seahorses

2009-07-05T13:20:00.000-07:00

The weather was not so nice this weekend with wind of varying strength from the W / SW - however the visibility has remained consistently good throughout.

Yesterday saw an early start for Sea Selsey preparations followed by a Park Drift - decided to stay slightly closer and started not far from the Far Mulberry - since it was close to High Water then there was an appreciable current (just under 1 knot) - as normal, the four divers covered approx two-thirds or a mile back towards Selsey - I wasn't surprised at the reports of Thornback Rays but the news that one buddy pair had seen and photographed a seahorse was excellent news. Although seahorses were seen a few times on shore dives last year, this is the first time we have heard of a sighting during an offshore dive. The photos can be seen here http://www.dodgydivers.com/images/July%202009/index.html along with impressive pictures of the Thornback Ray.

For some time we have found that drift dives we offer on Phoenix tend not to fill up as easily as the Mulberry trips - we don't really understand why this is the case since from our perspective they offer the chance to cover a reasonably wide area of relatively unknown ground that may offer the chance of seeing something unusual - perhaps this seahorse will encourage more people to try this style of diving.

Consistently good visibility on the Mulberry over the weekend, particularly satisfying for the SeaSearch group from Lodge Scuba that were able to exercise their new surveying skills - large shoals of bib /poor cod and pollack.

28th June - Glorious visibility...........spider crabs and European cowries

2009-06-28T09:34:00.000-07:00

At last a perfect diving weekend...................low winds, excellent visibility underwater (8-10m at the Far Mulberry) and not too hot on the surface. Although we had programmed some dives in Bracklesham Bay we switched everything to the Mulberry to take advantage of the conditions and on Sunday I had the benefit of watching the air display over Pagham in the afternoon. Finished Sunday afternoon by 'rescuing' a visitor who had tried to swim out from East Beach at high tide - the existence of a strong current sweeping him towards the Lifeboat station seemed to be a complete surprise.

Friday evening we dived the Lifeboat Station; good visibility and many spider crabs - advancing over the sand they reminded me of the Martian machines from War of the Worlds. We drifted over to the second anchor (not the one with the line to the Lifeboat leg but the other nearby one - giving the exact position would remove one of my validity tests on Divemaster Trainee maps of the site :-)). Thence onto the Landing Craft which seems to be about a foot high at the moment before swimming alongside the Boathouse and then back to the beach against the slight current. I forgot to closely inspect the walkway legs - last weekend, Gavin had reported seeing many European Cowries feasting on the sea squirts - some books seem to think they are quite widespread and numerous - now all I need to do is get a photo of one locally.

12th June - catch-up...........

2009-06-12T12:28:00.000-07:00

Much has happened since my last entry although weatherwise the wind has stayed rather too firmly in the East for much of the time necessitating trips to Hound Reef rather than the Mulberry (one group were particularly disappointed not to be able to dive the Mulberry on the 65th anniversary of D-Day).

The East Beach proposals / concepts were potentially very good news for divers...............additional launch ramp and jetty coupled with dive centre on the water's edge. Additional sports facilities and retail outlets were also included in the area currently occupied by the toilet block and beach cafe...................much will depend on the what funding can be obtained and it was easy to forget that the concept will probably take several Phases to reach complete fruition. Meanwhile, Chichester Council removed some more gravel from the current East Beach ramp although the lower half remains covered.

Visibility is still impacted by the lingering elements of the plankton bloom but has varied from 2-5 m on different sites...........the moorings last night were about 2-3m on the low water slack; with little wind today I'm hoping it will have improved for tomorrow's marshalled dive before the monthly BBQ.

We're delighted to have received a grant from SEEDA (South East England Development Agency) which will enable us to make some changes to the physical shop front.............coupled with this we had a Customer Experience Enhancement Training afternoon (phew) from Metamorphosis which helped us identify a few changes that we plan to make inside the shop as well...............it will probably take a few weeks to fit everything in but amongst other things expect to see our Marine Life Reference Guides move to a more formal Resource Centre coupled with other information to help you plan dives beforehand and work out what you saw afterwards.

And finally..................last weekend saw Linda and Jo, one of our trainee divemasters, take advantage of an invitation for us attend the BBC Springwatch show near Brighton; it's never clear beforehand whether you are likely to be rushed off your feet or need a good book at these events - in this case, both Linda and Jo were busy all day explaining about diving and what can be seen in Sussex Diving -obviously the BBC has done well in creating a wide awareness.

After tomorrow's BBQ, our next event will Sea Selsey on 4th July - Jo has bravely volunteered to help to man a stand for us since Linda will be involved in the show overall............we're hoping for weather and attendance like last years.

Interested in SeaWeed...............not sure what you are looking at? Keen photographer? Try www.weedseen.co.uk - this is the basis for a new book to be published next year as a SeaSeach guide and photographs are sought :-).

25th May - Unexpected weather and Thornback Rays

2009-05-25T12:46:00.000-07:00

Getting ready for our first boat dive this morning, we weren't too dismayed when it started to rain -however the sudden severe increase in wind speed did catch our attention. Within a few minutes, the scene had changed dramatically - white horses all around and white surf onto the beach - the Lifeboat station recorded a maximum gust of 51 mph - trawlers started appearing from all directions and the divers under the Lifeboat reported a decrease in visibility.

By mid-morning the wind had died down although we were still left with big swells around High Water. Managed to get the second planned dive away to drift across the Parks - as yesterday, Thornback Rays, flatfish and lots of dogfish / smoothhounds. By the mid-afternoon, the water was completely flat with barely a breath of wind-the Far Mulberry was oily smooth and bubbles could be seen over the whole site. It seems that the plankton bloom has arrived and hence visibility was correspondingly variable. However there does seems to have been an late increase in cuttlefish - several large ones on the Mulberry this weekend.

This week sees the public consultation on the proposals to re-develop the East Beach area and we'll be looking to see whether there is any specific provision for divers; following the beachworks earlier in the year, the Council are also due to clear the East Beach ramp on Wednesday - this should again make it accessible for visiting Ribs.

23rd May - Better weather and visibility :-)

2009-05-23T12:41:00.000-07:00

As forecast, better winds today - visibility at the Far Mulberry was a good 4-5m with plenty of large wrasse in residence. The site was busy with Big Blue and two club boats in addition to Phoenix. Our Junior Open Water course reported equally good visibility under Selsey Lifeboat station.
I'm hoping that tomorrow we'll be able to accurately pinpoint the wrecked red speedboat location at East Beach as its Spring low water. Retrieval is unlikely and it won't be long before its colonised so we'll mark and use a night dive site near the existing VW Caddy 'donated' several years ago.

17th May - blown out :-(

2009-05-17T13:25:00.000-07:00

For the first time this season we cancelled all our boat dives - high winds from the wrong direction (S/SE) obliterated any visibility as well as making it impossible to get off the beach. However there was good news that the Council have agreed to move the gravel from the launch ramp at East Beach. Whilst we seem to be near the end of the cuttlefish season (and anecdotally there seem to have been fewer this year), there have been more nudibranch sightings including a few that required consulting reference books for identification.