Aberdaron 2007 (or The Trouble with Tractors II)
Well, despite the weather we managed a few cracking dives in Aberdaron over the bank holiday weekend. We got there on the Saturday morning after an early start to get the boats out at 07:45. We were originally going to dive a wreck off the North of the peninsula but the wind was blowing too much and we headed into Aberdaron to set up camp and discuss the options.
We decided to dive on Bardsey Island to get the weekend started, on the wreck of the Iiesha. With kit loaded into the boat, we hooked up to Chris’s tractor and we were on our way to the beach to launch. Unfortunately for us, over the winter the council had removed most of the sand from around the slip. So as the wheels of the heavy delta left the concrete and met the soft sand, the whole lot sank down and grounded the trailer on the slip! Going nowhere the only option was to go back to the campsite and collect the jack to lift the trailer up and put some wood underneath to enable us to slide it off. Heading back to camp on the tractor, we were just about to start moaning and complaining about the problem – when in the bay we saw about a dozen dolphins performing acrobatics! They must’ve been chasing a shoal of fish near the surface as the seagulls were circling and diving too. They were somersaulting, jumping and tail slapping & waving for ages (the dolphins, not the seagulls!). Its amazing how dolphins have the power to make you forget about all of your problems and make you smile like a 10 year old. The jack collected we were heading back to the slip when the tractor’s steering went a bit awry, leaving Chris & I carrying jack & wood the half a mile down the road on foot! (We could’ve done with the dolphins again at this point!).
Fortunately Chris knows everyone in Aberdaron, so it was only a few minutes before we had the trailer jacked up and his friends’ tractor hooked up. We had the boat in the water in no time, and were soon on our way to Bardsey. Martin expertly shotted the wreck (twice!) and we were in the water. Visibility was about 5/6 metres despite some of the stringy plankton in the water, and a cool 12c. We spent 40 minutes circling the wreck which was covered in life. Spiny spider and edible crabs, big wrasse, lobsters, sun stars and tompot blennies to name a few. The wreck is relatively flattened out, providing lots of places for things to hide, but you can still easily make out the (unreliable) Bolinder engines amongst the wreckage. Funniest sight was a spiny spider crab scratching its head sat on the stern of the ship! We were getting a bit cold by this point so it was time to head back up the shot before we ran up any decompression stops. Maximum depth was 24m. We put Martin & Jean into the water and then waited for almost an hour while they did there dive (and stops!). Time was getting on and as Chris’s friend was recovering for us we headed back into Aberdaron bay to recover the boat.
That night we had a BBQ at Chris’s caravan along with a few well deserved drinks. With Chris needing to check the tractor in the morning there was no need to get up too early, so we headed off to bed to catch up on some long overdue sleep. Well, that was the plan. The sheep had other ideas! Now I’m not sure what sheep talk about at midnight, but I’m sure they’re laughing and shouting about how easy it is to keep campers awake at night!? And there was at least one who was walking around the field next to us, getting as close as it could to each tent, and then shouting the loudest and longest “BAAAAAA” that it could. Still, we eventually got to sleep knowing we had a nice lie in to look forward to. Well, that was the plan… We were woken up early with the wind howling and buffeting the tent around us. Wide awake it was a shower and sort the kit out ready for the days diving. It’s worth noting the new facilities at the campsite too – the owners have spent a lot of money installing a new facility block on the site. There are now two kitchen rooms for washing your pots, three bathrooms with toilets/showers, and two separate toilets. There were rumours that at least one person who was staying for the whole week wasn’t going to have a shower at all! But she was that impressed with the facilities she changed her mind and went out and bought some shower gel!
Anyway, Chris returned on the repaired tractor, and we held our ‘morning meeting’. With the wind blowing and the intermittent heavy rain it was decided to take a day off from the diving. Our entertainment for the day was to visit the old manganese mines near Aberdaron. After a bit of a walk through a valley we went through a hole in the ground which opened up into a large cavern with two underground ponds/lakes. The water was crystal clear but the bottom was covered in silt. Probably not the best place for a dive! We then walked towards the coast and had a look at the old winching structures and the piles of ore that never made it to their final destination. We then headed to the pub to warm up and check that they had magners (which they did!). We tried to eat in the pub that evening but everyone had descended on the village to keep out of the rain and wind so we couldn’t get in. This is where someone with a caravan complete with oven comes in very handy! We headed off to the spa to grab some supplies and cobbled together some tea to eat back at Chris’s & Lesley’s. We stayed up chatting and had a look at Chris’s latest draft of his new book, before agreeing to meet up early to discuss Monday’s diving.
We woke up to wind, rain and hail stones. It wasn’t looking good for any diving and we starting to think of heading for home. We agreed to leave it an hour before making a decision. The rain/hail finally stopped, but it was still blowing and we were all undecided about what to do – that was until Toni decided we were going diving! Decision made, and with only 5 of us on the boat, we took the XS out and headed across to one of the small islands just outside of the bay. We dropped in on the sheltered side of the island and had a fantastic scenic reef dive. As we slowly drifted along we saw dogfish, lobsters, nudibranchs, some of the biggest spiny spider crabs I’ve ever seen, an old bomb casing, huge wrasse, and lots of different sponges. It was one of those silly little dives that reminds you why you get up at silly-o-clock in the morning and spend all day on a boat in the wind and rain. Everyone back on the boat we headed off to one of Chris’s scalloping spots and Jean/James went in to get our tea for the evening. With enough scallops for everyone collected, we hauled them back on board and headed home.
After sorting all our equipment we left those staying for the whole week cooking their scallops over their camping stoves. All in all, despite the weather we had a great time. Thanks to Chris for organising the diving (again!) and Lesley for her hospitality.
If you’re interested in getting down for a few dives this week give Chris a call on 07812-408215.
Justin.