3 Novices Go Diving

A tongue in cheek look at our first trip to Brixham.

The reality struck home at Crystal Palace as Dave and Debi giggled as we failed to sink in our shiny new suits and more than 701b of weight between the 3 of us. (Most of it down to Mike).
We got our own back when Dave ran out of air though - he must drink the stuff - 50 bar should be enough to run a 1 hour training session shouldn't it? And he didn't even wait around to share our air - there's trust for you!
Heartfelt thanks to Dave, Debi and all the pool instructors for getting us this far, but the sea at Brixham in October is a very different place.

Day One - Fishcombe Cove Shore Dive

The hill. We had heard lots about it. It didn't really look that bad, but watching Joel suffer several near death experiences walking up to the tractor made us think differently. What an earth made Joel offer to carry Paul's rig will never become clear. Rumours about beans and snoring abound.

The man from Atlantis? Meeting at the bottom of the hill we started to wonder if we had the right gear. This apparition of tanks, hoses, lots of chrome and gadgets arrived. Were we off to 200m on day one? No, it was just Paul and all his kit. Allow plenty of time for buddy checks (and bring a notepad - you will never remember it all. Or you could ask Paul to write it on his slate!) On the other hand, if you ever need air from Paul you'll be spoilt for choice.

Floatin on air! Even with 30lbs of weight Mike needed several rocks in his pockets to even start sinking. Tony rather suspiciously some sheet lead to wrap around the amazingly buoyant aluminium tank but weighing in with an unbelievable 36lbs on his belt, Mike actually sunk. Gill on the other hand spent the first dive mask clearing whilst cuddling a rather nice huge rock to keep her down. Multi-talented or what?

Dry suits don't leak - do they? On day one it was a toss up as to who was wetter, Mike in a semi-dry or Gill in a dry. By day two Gill's wrist seals were significantly drier - either because they had shrunk or because her wrists had grown. All that lugging full kit down the hill really is good for you. James on the other hand was definitely looking forward to the time when he can get a dry suit without growing out of it.

Day Two - Fishcombe Cove Boat Dive

Paul displayed his sense of humour by pairing James and Mike together, leaving Gill to take him to the surface - talk of Mohammed going to the mountain! Towing him was also an experience. Don't flake out more than 20m from help Paul. Gill got to tow James who was shaking so much we couldn't work out whether it was fear or just the cold.

Navigation proved a challenge. When asked to identify North, whilst still in the boat, Paul received 5 different answers (and there were only 4 ofus). Several minutes later we sort of agreed where North was and went off to swim squares. This went very well (with a small detour to watch crabs at play) and we surfaced within a few feet of our proposed destination. A little confidence is a dangerous thing, and the following day, with zero visibility and a gentle current it proved impossible to follow a simple heading.

Day Three - Berry Head Boat Dive

If you're a mollusc - be afraid, be very afraid! Alan's approach to diving was very simple. Take a knife, spear, a great big hook and a goody bag big enough to store Devon's population of crustaceans and 'Go Kill!' However having novices to play with must have distracted him because the goody bag remained empty. According to James there are two very lucky lobsters out of reach in a wreck off Berry Head. Alan later pointed out it was the same lobster seen twice.

The Creatures of the Deep! We saw a number of crabs, a few baby fish, absolutely millions of starfish, some sponges, lobsters (actually just one) and the highlight was Gill spotting a stonefish. Alan advised Gill (using a number of dubious hand signals) that stonefish were soft, cuddly and very friendly. After the dive he explained he actually signalled they were poisonous and not to be touched. We now know why slates are such a good idea.

The Raging Sea!A warm sunny day, a nice gentle swell, the heady engine fumes and yes we all immediately felt seasick. There was then a general fight to be boat handler- anything to take your mind off the constant gentle rolling. Various remedies were suggested. Drink coffee, eat boiled sweets, and try pressure pads. We will try them all next time. (Any other foolproof suggestions greatly received).

Parking isn't all that easy! And that was the end of the diving for Gill and Mike. An enjoyable first experience met some new friends and we were just a little envious that James was staying the whole week. Just need to lug our kit up the hill - then Joel and Gill offered to take it all round to the harbour in the boat. Several hours later they turned up with odd stories about Gill having trouble parking in the marina - reversing round corners in a rib is apparently very tricky. No comments about women drivers please.

Thanks to Paul, Alan, Joel, Tony and John for looking after us, and even making it fun. We might even come again next April.
James. Gill and Mike PS.

It is possible to be too hot in a semi dry at Brixham in October. Mike must have anti-freeze in his blood.

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