Sheephaven divers took every opportunity to dive last week, despite the weather turning back into wind and rain to keep them off the better sites.
Wednesday evenings dive, led by Siobhan Coll, started out for Black Rock but turned to the Werrymen instead when the dive party encountered the deteriorating sea conditions on the way out to the site.
The dive was conducted from two boats and one stick with John Rowland providing dry coxswain duties.
In-water visibility conditions were less than optimum down to no greater than a metre horizontally as result of the significant plankton bloom that as grown recently.
However the water had warmed considerably, up to 12 degrees Celsius in the upper reaches of the water column.
The poor visibility limited the divers’ opportunity to observe marine life, but what was evident was the numbers of Deadman’s Fingers with their polyps out in full feeding mode. Dive times of over 30 minutes were recorded to depths of nearly 20 metres.
Due to better sea conditions Saturday mornings dive party, led by Kevin Boylan, made it to the Black Rock and conducted a 35 minute dive to over 25 metres.
Once again in-water visibility was not great, with the plankton forming globules throughout the water column.
Lobsters and Ling were the most notable large marine species observed, which would be in keeping with what was normally seen on this site.
Sunday mornings dive moved to Rathmullan, due to access to the clubhouse being restricted as a result of the car rally.
The two boat dive was conducted in one stick thanks to Joe Neely and John Joe Rowland who provided dry coxswain duties, while another dive pair conducted a shore-dive near to the pier.
In keeping with the previous two dives last week in-water visibility was poor again on Sunday morning, but the water was even warmer at 14 degrees Celsius.
The sea bed at this location is mainly fine gravel with large numbers of dead shells apparent, along with occasional rocks that provides cover for species such as Deadmans Fingers to adhere too.
Dive times of 45 minutes to a depth of nearly 20 metres were achieved, conducted as a drift dive in a 3 knot ebbing tide though out the site.
Marine life was very interesting, with Thornback Rays observed and the prize for some time when a Pipefish appeared briefly. These are always a joy to find, with a thin elongated body about nine inches long and no more than a half inch wide they look like an eel, but incredibly with a Seahorses head.
They have a modified armoured body and a very fine dorsal fin that runs the length of their bodies, which beats incredibly fast and looks like an electric wave going down their back.
They belong to the same scientific family as Seahorses, Syngnathidae, and the more common type in Irish waters are known as Syngnathus acus. Like their relatives male Pipefish take on the parenting duties, it incubates its offspring in a brood pouch, into which the female deposits the eggs, where he then supplies them with nutrients and oxygen until the baby Pipefish hatch free swimming.
This is after a lengthy and complicated courtship when the female Pipefish transfers the fertilised eggs to the males’ brood pouch and then quite possibly goes off and finds another male to persuade to look after her family. There is so much that could be said about this but political correctness would suggest best not go there.
As always these Sheephaven dives happened as result of extra effort by some club members, in particular the two people who towed boats to and from the dive sites, Kieran Doherty and Damien Kelly, thanks lads.
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