Purge The Soul In Ireland

Loose Planning

Ever since Tim moved over to Ireland for work it's been on the cards that I'd go over there some time to do some diving. He popped over here last month and we had some lovely zero viz diving in Anglesey so we decided it was about time we sampled Ireland's west coast and made a commitment. We'd both had a dreadful run of bad luck with our diving (hasn't everyone?) so were desperate for some good dives. To gives us the best chance we settled on a neap tide weekend, that happily coincided with me having some days off work.

The date was set, just had to get the travel arrangements sorted. I wanted to get my own kit over there so it was the ferry for me. I happened to have a friend going over to Ireland that same weekend so originally we planned to go together. But then we couldn't decide whose car to take as we both wanted to drive on the other side (and in completely different directions!). In the end, I got the ferry on my own and he flew. This was going to make it a particulary expensive weekend for me, but frankly, at the promise of some decent dives I would have paid any money!

So the final plan. Tim had arranged our weekend's diving with Scubadive West at Renvyle, Co. Galway. I was going to get the ferry and then drive over to Dublin airport where I was going to leave my car for the weekend. Tim was going to pick me up, coming from work in Dublin, and we were going to head straight across country.

Different Worlds

So, the Thursday night before departure I was working. I often do this - it means I can make the most of the three days off after my run of night shifts. But it means working all night and then getting straight on the road. Sounds tough, but you get used to it.

Well, what a night at work! It deserved to have a full moon but didn't. Almost everyone I spoke to I ended up detaining to go and be assessed by a psychiatrist. That's all except the lad going on a rampage with a chainsaw - but he got away with it as he was only 10 years old! I think I'm getting too old for this shit!

Anyway, shift over. Back home for a shower and change of clothes and then the car was packed and I was off on the two hour drive down to Holyhead. An easy journey and then the wait for the ferry.

It was over 30 minutes late arriving. The sea was a bit choppy and it was running one engine short. It was a lumpy crossing but I managed to doze for a few minutes being gently rocked by the swell.

As we came into Dublin Bay my phone went. It was Tim wondering where I was - I was now two hours late. We had to make a quick change of plan. I was now arriving in the middle of Dublin's rush hour so getting to the airport was out of the question. We arranged a new rendezvous and crossed our fingers that I could find it. I'd never been to Dublin before, let alone driven around it.

Irish Drivers - A World Of Their Own!

Never seen anything like it! Not the amount of traffic - I live in Manchester after all - just the way they drive. Clueless! I came out of the port heading for the M50, the only motorway in Ireland. It goes nowhere, just circles the city of Dublin. Before long the signs dissappeared. Tim had warned me this might happen. I asked three people how to get to it and none of them knew!

A phone call later with the concierge at a hotel where Tim was waiting and I was on track and on my way. Eventually, about two and a half hours late I met up with Tim. We decided to leave my car in the poshest hotel in Dublin (at least it would fit in!) and hope that it didn't get clamped over the weekend.

Finally we were off!

Big Country

You never realise just how big Ireland is until you try to drive across it. It doesn't help that there are no decent roads and everyone drives as if they've nowhere in particular to go! It was a long journey, but through some beautiful countryside. We knew we were going to be arriving late, so Tim phoned the dive centre and asked them to tell the B&B (right next door) that we wouldn't be there until about midnight. Unfortunately, we could only leave a message on the answer phone.

We stopped off in Galway to get some food. Very lively on a Friday night - friendly crowds in the street with lots of buskers and entertainers giving the place a real buzz. Looks like it's well worth a visit. Fuelled up with fish and chips we set off on the final leg.

It was late and dark by now. It was a reasonably clear night, the light of the moon reflecting off wisps of clouds. In the dim light we could see the dark shapes of hills around us, hinting a promise of some spectacular scenery.

The dive centre and our B&B were stuck out in the middle of nowhere, so in the dark we had trouble finding it. Eventually we arrived, on midnight as predicted, and were met at the door by the landlady in her pyjamas. The message hadn't got through to her from the dive centre but she graciously accepted our apologies and showed us to our room. I'd been up for 35 hours and had been travelling for the last 15. Needless to say I was asleep the moment my head hit the pillow!

And in the morning, we'd be diving!

Early Morning Spectacular

We'd arrived in the dark so had no idea what the place was like where we'd spent the night. We woke to bright sunshine and looking out of the window saw that we were right on the edge of a beautiful sandy beach overlooking the mouth of a fjord.

The sea was flat clam. Happy days!

We went downstairs for a fantastic breakfast. We were the only guests but the place, which seems newly built and very pleasant, has five rooms - so quite capable of catering for a full dive trip. Then we drove the couple of hundred yards to the dive centre - we could have walked if we didn't have kit to carry.

The scenery was just spectacular! For those who have dived in Mull you would see the comparison just as I did. It is very similar in look and feel. It's no wonder the west coast of Ireland is full of spiritual retreats. It must be one of the most beautiful locations in the world.

And sat in the heart of this was the dive centre. It is a very squared-away operation. It is a PADI dive school. All their hire kit is of excellent quality - mostly Scubapro kit and decent Hydrotech drysuits. There's a small shop with all those last minute gadgets, male and female changing rooms and showers, a classroom and viewing area (and what views!) and two hard boats. The only let down with the place is that the boats have to moor out in the bay, so there is a short RIB transfer to load up. Apparently they are having a floating pontoon delivered next week, so soon enough this place will have nothing to fault it. Really good.

Let's Get In The Water!


Tim and I, in our eagerness (and still operating on UK time - not Ireland time) had been the first to arrive - at 9.30 as advised. Of course, no-one else arrived until after 10.00! Our group was soon gathered. There were 12 of us in all, mostly young diviers from various parts of Ireland, but also a young American student studying in Dublin and an older guy, also American, who was a photographer on the hunt for nudibranchs.

Talking of cameras, Tim had a heart stopping moment when he took out his trusty Olympus and found that somewhere on the journey the LCD screen had got broken. Gutted! However, he had also brought along his Nikon D70 and it's brand new housing. All together, the price of a small car, so understandably Tim was a little hesitant to take it in. He decided not to chance it.

Come To Daddy!

So we transferred to the boat ready to set off. The enthusiasm of this young set of exclusively PADI divers was so refreshing. Full of excitement about the coming dive - rather than a bunch of grumpy UK divers either moaning or talking about kit! Our first site was the Julie T - a 30m island transport vessel that had rather conveniently sunk whilst under tow for decommissioning. Conveniently, because it went down in the perfect 25m of water on a clear sandy bottom right in the shallow bay just near the dive centre. Hmmmm. Apparently, that's the luck of the Irish. (Or maybe luck had nothing to do with it.)

We got a typically comprehensive PADI style site briefing and then over the side. In we went and down - and thank you God! - it was clear! We had 10m viz and we were happy! It had been May last year since I'd last done a UK dive with viz over 1m - this was long overdue.

The wreck was nice enough. Plenty of life on it. Apparently a conger, but we didn't see it. But we did see flat fish, a giant spider crab and the biggest starfish either of us had ever seen. This became characteristic of our dives. With a no-take policy everything gets the chance to grow, and they abuse the privilage!

But not everything was big. Nudis could be found aplenty - much to the pleasure of the American photographer.

All too soon we came up with big smiles. Life was good!

We then took the short trip back to the dive centre for a surface interval on land. This is typical of the operation. All the sites are in the sheltered fjord, so it's never very far to go to dive and just as easy to get back.

Giant Scallops and Practical Jokes

The afternoon's dive was to be on a reef. In the blazing sunshine we cruised around and into the fjord. Tim had decided to bring his camera, having done a leak test in the rinse tank at the centre, but he was obviuosly nervous. So much so, that he came in without his weight belt. I'll put his failing down to his camera-stress, but to be honest it's not the first time!

We finally went down to find the sea bed littered with the giggest scallops I've ever seen. Plus, every kind of anenome you could think of. This was a real garden - absoulutely beautiful.

At this kind of place, dive with a photographer and you might as well dive solo. Tim had forgotten all about me while he was busy poking his new camera at all the macro life. I never had the heart to tell him about the basking shark (only kidding!).

Again the viz was 10m and we had a wonderful time. In all 70 minutes in the water - a little chilled at the end but we just didn't want to come up. I'll let Tim's pictures tell the story of the dive.

At the end I suggested that Tim bag-off and got him to pass me his camera while he did this. My mind was at work. Up went the SMB and so did Tim! He was diving on one of my single tanks for the weekend so he found he hadn't quite got his weighting right. It was an ideal opportunity. I ascended slowly to give Tim a bit of time. By the time I hit the surface he was round the back of the boat climbing on board. I quickly passed his camera up the side of the boat where he couldn't see and then made my way around to the ladder. Tim was halfway up when he saw me coming round empty handed. He searched around me to see if I had his pride and joy clipped off, but he couldn't see it.

" Sorry mate, I dropped it."

Thousands of pounds of kit, only used once and then gone! Even in his mask you could see his eyes popping out on stalks. Perhaps I couldn't torture him further, or more likely I just couldn't keep a straight face, but his fear turned to confusion as I and the skipper burst out laughing! He was mightily relieved to hear the camera was safely on the boat.

The Craic - Well, Almost.

We got to shore, leaving the kit on board over night and ready for a good night out. And here the only true failing of the set-up emerged. The dive cntre and B&B are miles away rom the nearest pub - a drive is essential. So it was one pint of Guiness only - oh, but what a pint of Guiness! We ended up in Clifden, about half an hour away. A lovely little town that seems to consist of nothing but pubs and restaurants. As nice as the B&B was I think if I came again I'd have to consider staying in Clifden instead, just to get a decent night out.

We had a good meal and then back to bed, contented with a fantastic day's diving. The weather was due to turn the next day, but we didn't care. Just those two dives were enough for me - worth the trip on their own.

Windy Weather

We woke in the morning to hear a gale blowing over the roof top. With hesitation we looked out, but in the bay the sea was still completely flat! There's no doubt, they picked their location well. Diving is guaranteed!

So, another great breakfast and down to the centre. Not so many of us diving today. A bit of drizzle at first but it seemed to be clearing. It certainly wasn't going to be enough to dampen our spirits.

Our third dive was to be a wall of an island in the mouth of the fjord. The most amazing thing about this site was it's colony of brittlestars. I have never seen them in such abundance. They covered the sea bed like a lawn! Everywhere you looked it was thick with them. But plenty more to see - again, Tim's pictures (when they come) will tell the story.

We decided to bag-off and it was my turn. I unrolled the SMB and cracked the bottle. Nothing! I'd been sure I'd filled it, but apparently not. Couldn't manage to get any air into it manually either, so I gave up. But there was no way I was going to surface with a floppy SMB giving away my incompetence, so I neatly rolled it up and stowed it away. No-one would ever know!

When we got to the surface the sun was breaking through. Nothing was going to mar this trip - not even the weather!

Last Dive

The final dive was again a reef, just off an island with a shipping beacon on it.

We dropped in with plenty of surge, but soon got down below it. This site was perhaps not as plentiful with anenomes and urchins, though there was still more than enough of them. We'd been spoilt before now. But there were dogfish everywhere and towards the end of the dive I spotted what at first I though was a cuttlefish swimming towards me. It settled as I approached and then seemed to change colour from a pure white to a mottled brown. So by now I was sure it was a cutlefish and was exstatic. But as I sat and watched it and it moved I saw that I had been mistaken. It was some kind of large nudibranch, probably about 4" long and similar to a spanish dancer. No idea what it was, but eventually Tim caught up with me and took some pictures, so perhaps someone can identify it for us.

We then came up, fianlly feeling the cold a bit. We'd had some cracking dives and were well pleased with ourselves.

Tim's wrist seals had been leaking all weekend and back at the dive centre we found out they did suit repairs. Tim decided to leave the suit behind to get new seals. It would be a perfect excuse to come back again. He also forgot his weight belt, but he has a habit of doing that!

We packed up and were soon on the road to Kilkenny and Tim's house. With the advantage of daylight we were treated to the sights we had missed in the dark on the way out. Absolutely beautiful country that just has to be seen to be appreciated.

A World Apart

I had left Manchester full of the stresses of work and the angst of personal problems. After two days in this idyllic place with fantastic diving thrown in I returned home totally refreshed. After a night at Ingmire Mansions (the place is huge!) we made the hour long trip back to Dublin. I found my car wonderfully unmolested and unclamped where we'd left it (without charge!) and I said my goodbyes and headed back for the ferry. I'd been booked to leave late in the afternoon to give me time to look around Dublin, but given the trouble I'd had navigating around on Friday I decided to save it for another trip. Just as I dropped down into the port the morning HSS was arriving. I got on it just by the skin of my teeth, the last car to be loaded. By tea time I was home - happy and contented.

So, another 'must do' to be added to my annual diving calender. It did work out expensive. The dive centre wasn't cheap - charged in euros, but it works out at about £50 per day! But, the diving is great and is guaranteed. Given our experiences over the last year I'd be happy to pay the extra. The B&B was cheap - less than £20 per night - but as I say, I might go elsewhere next time, just to be near a pub.