I had been to try and dive by the
suspension bridge in the Menai Strait before with little success. I went at low
water but the current was extremely strong and the area I was in composed of
thousands of tennis ball sized rocks covered in barnacles with little else.
This video shows that dive (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3At4Eq6CH1s).
However during Friday lunch break I went
there again with Ryan Mowat with much more success. Part of that success was
working out when slack water was, which is not the same as time of high or low
water in the Menai Strait. To over simplify it the time of lowest current
velocity is roughly 2 – 1 ½ hours before the time of High or Low water. This video shows some clips from that trip.
Going
at slack water is important for a safe dive where you’re not drifting away, visability
is likely to be better and it means less fining against the current potentially
giving longer dive times. Ryan suggested diving down a subtidal cliff on the
South side of the bridge and it was a great spot. The vis was about 3 m but we
had lots of amazing sessile epifaunal to look including incrusting and
branching sponges, large and abundant Dahlia anemones and deadman’s finger
colonies. Motile organisms included lots of common starfish, edible crabs,
velvet swimming crabs and small spider crabs amongst the sponges. There were no
doubt many other species which I did not observe. I always regret not staying
in one post and looking for smaller organisms, I so often pass over areas
looking more generally at what is there.
It was 5 – 6 degrees C probably and I reached a max depth of 7 metres
during my dives but depth was not the objective of the dives.
Dahlia anemones in the Menai Strait
Common starfish foraging among breadcrumb sponge in the Menai Strait
Common starfish, sponges and an edible crab in the Menai Strait
Dahlia anemones in the Menai Strait
Common starfish feeding amongst breadcrumb sponge with a velvet swimming crab at the bottom. Menai Strait
The finger like structure is either the sponge Haliclona oculata or the bryozoan Alcyonidium diaphanum.
When I got my nice new open cell wetsuit I was really paranoid about damaging it, so here is what I do to keep it in good condition after using it.
Rinsing your open cell wetsuit after use
If you have been using the suit in the sea, freshwater or pool it is always a good idea to wash it in freshwater afterwards. After a dive a put all my neoprene into a bin bag for the journey home. This keeps everything else form getting wet and helps protect the suit from damage. I fill my empty equipment box with freshwater in the bath and wash my wetsuit in it. I don't use soap or anything, just cold freshwater. make sure you fully soak the inside and outside so no salt water is left in the neoprene. Pouring water down the sleeves / legs helps reach all the suit.
Drying your open cell wetsuit after rinsing
I use a clothes horse placed in the bath to dry my wetsuit and equipment. I dry my open cell wetsuit and socks inside out, this is the best way to do it in my opinion. I never got the inside dry properly when just keeping it the right way round. The open cell inside will not take long to dry when inside out (e.g. overnight) and then you just turn the jacket and trousers the right way round to dry the outside which won't take long and won't be dripping water by then either. Water can pool in the hood so it is a good idea to tip the hood up a few times just after rinsing. Easy.
Drying an open cell spearfishing / freediving wetsuit
Storing your open cell wetsuit
Creasing, compressing and stretching your wetsuit all want to be avoided when drying and storing an open cell wetsuit. Hanging it up is not easy to do without avoiding these problems I have found and just laying it out takes up lots of room. Folding the wetsuit is best avoided because it will make permanent creases and compress the neoprene along these creases compromising its effectiveness and keeping you warm. What I find does the job is rolling up the trousers in the jacket and tucking the arms in. By rolling it you avoid making creases and it ends up not taking up much space for storing and transporting.
Spearfishing / freediving open wetsuit rolled up for storage
Let me know if you have any other methods which work for you.
A collection of recent highlights from my snorkelling and freediving around Anglesey in North Wales. Seeing the plumose anemones at St. George's pier was a real highlight for me. All the dives had very poor vis, maybe 1 - 2 metres. You can still see amazing marine life in poor vis if you are willing to give it a go, and go down into the murk.
Trying out my new mask at a small cove in Trearddur Bay, Anglesey. It was high tide so there was no that much life to see apart form plenty of Fucus. It was still a fun session. Here is a little video from it. I'll add some more but the editing takes ages on my laptop.
My old Tusa mask with the hyperdry purge valve that made equalising tricky
I previously
used a Tusa Liberator Plus mask with the Hyperdry purge valve for snorkeling. It
is great mask for scuba but the problem with the purge valve is it makes the
nose piece very rigid. This made equalising quite tricky. I have now bought a
black Beaver Odyssey Low volume mask from Anglesey Divers scuba shop in
Holyhead. I have only tried it once but I really like the mask. It fits my face
well and the silicone is very soft. It also has a frameless design. Not sure
why they call it ‘frameless’, as it still has a frame, but it basically means
the straps attach to the silicone skirt instead of the plastic frame like most
masks. The lenses are smaller than my old mask but I can probably see more. I
guess the low volume design bringing the lenses closer to the eyes keeps a good
field of view. The straps adjust really easily by pushing some buttons on the
buckles which will make adjustments easy, even with gloves on. Anyway I have
only done one session with the mask within an hour of buying so I’ll see how I
get on with it. Equalising is much much easier thanks to the soft nose piece. It comes with a box as well which is good.
Beaver Odyssey Low volume mask (Suitable for Spearfishing / Freediving)
Buckle attached to the silicone that makes it a 'frameless' mask
Beaver Odyssey Low volume mask (Suitable for Spearfishing / Freediving)
Here are some clips of the only real
glimpses I got of some fish whilst snorkelling off Anglesey last Sunday in some
rough weather. I saw mainly wrasse but also a few Pollock, and a school of sprat
and adult sandeels.
I bought a JB Esclapez Torpedo Buoy SMB (Surface Marker Buoy) (http://www.esclapezdiving.com/en/article-fiche-89-Torpedo_buoy.html) for snorkelling. I wanted one for safety to alert boaters that I'm in the water. I don't want to be hit by a propeller. It is also very handy for attaching stuff to like my car keys, mesh bag etc. I put some stones in the mesh bag to weigh the buoy down which helps it stay upright and makes the flag as visible as possible. The SMB will take my weight so I do use it to rest on sometimes.
The Buoy is well made and has two air bladders which is a nice feature. It has lots of attachment loops and the flag rotates with the wind. It comes with a long nylon line which is very thin and has frayed slightly but does the job well. I attach it to my weight belt at one side to help stop it getting wrapped round my fins. I tie it up with a figure of 8 and tie each end off with a double clove hitch which makes adjusting the length fairly easy. This is a great SMB for the price but a small weight is needed to keep it upright.
Some footage of from my GoPro Hero HD 2 with the dive housing. I used the head strap which felt secure and seemed to work well. I may think about holding it next time as I move my head all the time which makes the footage vomit inducing to watch. I went off the West Coast of Anglesey but cut it short as the wind, waves and swell was picking up.
I had a fairly large tear in my Mares open cell neoprene sock caused by slipping in the car park after a snorkel. I thought I would have to buy another pair. However I thought I would try glueing it as the glue is cheaper than new socks and people seem to find it very effective. Well I can confirm it works! McNett Black Witch neoprene adhesive (http://www.wiggle.co.uk/mcnett-black-witch-adhesive-28g/) is really really effective at repairing an open cell or standard wetsuit. It is very noxious and sticky stuff and I found a cotton bud was the best way to apply it. But it really works as after drying the repair is very string and still has some elasticity. I recommend this 100% if you need to repair your spearfishing, freediving or surfing wetsuit.
I decided to have the matching open cell Mares camo brown booties/socks to go with my wetsuit. This will prevent rubbing from the fins and keep my feet warm. The camo pattern matches the Mares camo brown wetsuit perfectly, although with the fins on not much of the sock is really visible anyway. I'm UK 9 shoe size so the size 6/XL seemed to match up best. I could have done with a size smaller though as it is not really a close fit and bunches up when i put the fins on, and is like having two buckets on my feet when getting out the water. However in the water I have had no rubbing and my feet have kept warm which is what they are supposed to do. I went for the 3mm which I think is the thickest they come in which has felt fine so far in the British waters as most of your foot has the fin as an extra layer of insulation. The sole is not really protected form rough or sharp surfaces which you may walk on, but it does have a grip coating on the outside similar to what you find on diving gloves to help prevent slipping.
Overall I'm pleased with these socks and would recommend them as long as you can get the right size of course.
Mares Camo brown 3mm Open cell neoprene socks (Size 6/XL)
I use Mares instinct pro green camo fins (http://pureinstinct.mares.com/products/fins/fins/instinct-pro/34/?region=us) for my snorkelling. They are longer than scuba fins and are designed for freediving or spearfishing. The green camo design is great for British waters as they blend in well with the often green water. They seem a good match with my Mares camo brown wetsuit. They do seem to scratch and chip fairly easily but Mares say they does not affect their performance.
I have found it easiest to put them on when in couple of feet of water when shore diving, walking in them (even backwards) is not an option.
I have only done 6 or so dives in them but I would recommend them due to their reasonable price and good performance so far. You really feel like you are flying through the water with very little effort, which is the whole point of fins like this. One disadvantage is that when using a SMB (Surface Marker Buoy) it is quite easy to get the line wrapped around a fin. And because the fins are so long it is not easy to get the line off when stationary. You have sort of swim out of the tangle, which is not a real problem in practice. But illustrates the importance of always having a knife for any bad tangles or emergencies.
Mares instinct pro green camo freediving / spearfishing fins
Having a knife while snorkelling, freediving or spearfishing is important from safety point of view, as well as looking quite cool. Discarded fishing lines, ropes and seaweed are all hazards which can entangle a breath hold diver while underwater. A knife will help reduce this danger as long as it is sharp, secure and quick to access when needed. I bought a Cressi-sub Super Totem knife which comes with a plastic sheath and rubber straps.
cressi-sub supertotem knife and sheath
The knife is very robust and is actually quite a bit larger than I expected at 23.3 cm. This makes it too large to wear on the biceps or forearm for me. The knife and sheath is designed really for wearing on the lower leg and the relatively long and different size straps are suited to this. This knife therefore is probably not very suitable for spearfishing due to the leg mount. An important thing to remember (which only found out through google searching) is that a knife should be worn on the inside of your leg. This prevents your weight belt catching on the knife handle if you have to dump your weight belt in an emergency.
Cressi-sub supertotem knife in its sheath
I have read that some people do not like the rubber band that holds the knife in the sheath because it prevents single hand use. I disagree with this as you can remove and reinstall this knife into its sheath with one hand if you practice. I use my thumb on the top of the handle and my 1st and index finger to remove/reinstall the retaining rubber band. The back of the rubber band does create a lump on the back of the sheath which is a design flaw, but this can be mitigated by positioning it the strap over it which is no problem. So far the knife has remained secure on my leg during snorkelling and was comfortable to wear. The blades are sharp and I like that fact that you have a plain and serrated blade at your disposal with an ergonomic an sturdy handle.
So for £15 this seems like a good dive knife, but time and use will tell its true worth and value.
I was thinking of getting a 'made to measure' wetsuit after several people recommended it. However I went for an off the shelf wetsuit because of the price and because my measurements matched well with Mares size 3. It was a bit of a risk but the wetsuit fits really well and keeps me very warm.
The Mares instinct camo brown wetsuit comes in two pieces of high waist trouser and a jacket with integrated hood.
The wetsuit seems to be really well made and the outer camo finish is really nice. I went for the brown camo because I hope it well hide me well against the kelp, Fucus and sand of North Wales so that fish will swim past me unaware (I hope). The inside of the suit is open cell which means it is bare rubber and so very sticky and warm suit also very delicate. It seems the main danger is cutting it with toe and finger nails when taking it on and off. So keeping nails trim and smooth and using a lubricant is needed to stop damaging the inside. I have made up a 50/50 solution of hair conditioner and water in a sprayer which is working well to help the trousers and jacket slip on and off. Getting in and out of the suit was a bit of a mission the first time, mainly because I was paranoid about damaging it, but the is a technique which makes it easier. The below videos were helpful in finding the right on and off technique, the wetsuit came with no instructions on putting it on or off and how to care for the wetsuit.
I decided I wanted to get into the sea more and observe our local marine life here in North Wales. I always see it all at low tide or on the deck of a ship and so wanted to see underwater life in its most natural state. Before I have done this with a snorkel and swimming shorts (which can be a bit chilly), but I have now invested in some more suitable equipment. It seems that getting spearfishing kit is the best approach for doing snorkelling and freediving around here. I do not really have an interest in catching fish but the camo suit and good kit will make spearfishing equipment ideal for observing underwater life. This is a list of the kit I have bought.
Mares instinct camo brown 55 (5.5mm) 2 piece open cell wetsuit.
Mares camo brown open cell 3mm socks/booties
Mares instinct pro camo green freediving fins
Cressi 3.5 neoprene gloves
Cressi super totem dive knife
Spettoa rubber dive belt
5 x 1kg Beuchasub weights 1 x Esclapez Single Bladder Torpedo Bouy Float including a line
and I already had a Tusa Liberator plus hyperdry mask and imprex snorkel.
I will describe and review the kit in separate posts in case it is of any use to anyone else.
