Sunday 2nd Nov. Club dive organised by Nikki, Sally and Stevie. In the end 11 divers got in at Brixham, though the viz was somewhat limited. 3 Sports Diver trainees did some rescue skills, and it’s far more realistic to do these in the sea. The morning was nicely finished with brunch at the Sloop.
Friday 31st October. Sally gave a talk on how to carefully collect underwater rubbish. She showed us safe ways to collect fishing tackle and some advice about dealing with any creatures that we find tangled up in fishing line.
Friday 24th Oct. A talk on octopii. Nik organised Keith Hiscox to give us a great talk on the recent increase in octopus numbers. About 30 club members were entertained for almost an hour. He gave a lot of information about the life cycle, and (as divers) how recording sightings can help us understand things.
Our thanks goes out to Keith for his time.
Sunday 5th October. A great club dive organised by Sally. Eight divers got up early to catch the last of the autumn dives. Considering storm Amy has just gone through, the viz was great, and well done to Charles for an excellent video.
Scylla Dive – two full boat loads went and dived the Scylla wreck (off Plymouth).
Porthkerris weekend – A great time down there, organised by Jane and Charles. Loads of great diving, not dampened by the occasional torrential downpour 🙁 The weather was slightly against us, but it didn’t stop lots of people getting in the water.
A photo star!!
Well done to Jane for her winning entry in the Torbay Splash Photo cometition.
Thoroughly deserved for all the hard work and practice that you’ve put in with a camera. Well done Jane 🙂
September 2025
Well done to Craig H. and Jordan M for passing their Sports Diver certifications.
It’s hard work getting there, but well done.
That qualification is a good standard in diving, and accepted all over the world.
Wednesday 10th September. A great night dive organised by Craig (supervised by Andy L). 10 divers got in just before dusk, and so gradually got used to dark conditions. Well done to Gina, Nikki and Sylvia for doing their first night dive ever, and to Ben, Gemma and Jake for doing their first UK night dive. Thanks to Paula for being Assistant Dive Manager, and for the photos. Then off to the chippy for some very well earned food. 🙂
Porthkerris. A quick weekend trip. A few pictures from a brief visit to Porthkerris over the bank holiday. This has been the year of the octopus and there are certainly still plenty about. I was thrilled when one reached out a tentacle and touched my hand! The cuttlefish were also very relaxed and friendly, one doing some synchronised swimming with my buddy. 😀 Jane.
Sunday 24th Aug St Dunstan. 30m, 6m viz, and 17C. Great dive organised by Pegs.
Massive boilers, lovely swim through...huge dredging gear...so many fish it was hard to see all the metal....oh... and the sea was flat...
none of those annoying dolphins ...always delays the day!
Thanks to Clint and Anne for getting boat ready and the fabulous buddies Martin and David.
Sunday 3rd August. Well done to Pegs for running a boat dive out to the wreck of the Emmstrom. 6 happy divers made their way out to this ‘newish’ wreck, and enjoyed reasonable viz on the dive. Hopefully we’ll have a full write up soon.
Sunday 3rd August. Club dive with 10 divers enjoying shore dive and and brunch at Babbacombe. Viz was somewhat variable, but people saw octopuses (octopii) and loads and loads of crab shells. Well done Henry for completing his first UK sea dive. Then off to Romany Jones for brunch.
Sunday 27th July. Morning dive …….Sadly, the wreck of the Boma was completely hidden in the murk, so the RIB diverted over to the Bretagne.
Saturday 26th July. James Eagan Layne dive organised by Anne and Clint. Six divers make the trip to Whitsand Bay, to dive this American Liberty ship that was sunk in March 1945. The viz was reasonable, and there was loads of life around.
There was one of the biggest congers that I’ve seen in a long time, and I can understand why this wreck is quite popular with fishermen. The wind was just about ok for getting out to the wreck, and we even saw dolphins on the way there. Well done to Clint for towing the boat to Mount Batten and back.
Sunday 20th July. Sadly Jane’s boat trip to the James Eagan Layne was postponed because of high winds. So 10 hardy divers coped with very challenging conditions at Brixham. Viz was less than 40cms for most of the dive so most buddy pairs only did 30 minutes then gave up. Only one pair found a clear’ish part and enjoyed a 60 minute dive. This certianly was a ‘character building’ dive!
Wednesday 16th July. Evening club dive organised by Nik. Even though the tides weren’t ideal, it was possible to get in off the breakwater steps and see the thousands of spider crabs that are in the bay at he moment. Viz wasn’t fantastic, because the spider crabs are active, but it’s a great sight to see 🙂
Sunday 13th July Hope Cove. A great day out organised by Nik. Some great dives on the Louis Shied, and additional excitement as numerous paddle boarders were blown out to sea in the offshore wind. Help was given by club members (well done you!), and the inshore lifeboat came and rescued the paddle boarders in distress.
Spider crab invasion 🙂
Thousands of spider crabs appeared at Babbacombe. The sea bed wasn’t visible because of so many crabs being there to moult and breed. Wow what a sight, and it’s a great way of keeping novice divers off the sea bed 🙂
Sunday 6th July. Ore Stone Boat Dive, organised by Jane – My First Octopus Encounter
I’ve always loved octopuses and have often chatted with other club members about their encounters with these amazing creatures – so I was beyond grateful to finally have my own! We dived at Ore Stone, and although the viz wasn’t great, but it gave the site a calm, atmospheric feel. I spotted the first octopus tucked between some rocks – just a glimpse of an arm and that unmistakable eye watching me. Not long after, I spotted a second!
One of the best things about octopuses is their striking orange, slit-shaped eyes – they look almost alien and are perfect for spotting movement in low-visibility UK waters. Seeing not just one, but two on a single dive was absolutely unforgettable. A truly magical experience, and one I’ll remember for a long time. Gemma.
Ore Stone Boat Dive, organised by Jane. With the planned trip to the James Egan Lane blown out, 10 brave souls dived the Orestone.
Sunday 6th July. Club shore dive organised by Sally. 10 divers spent an hour looking for life at Brixham, but there wasn’t as much around as normal. It’s possible that the octopii invasion has had a knock on effect to the food chain. It was lovely and warm in the water, and we have to applaud Simon, who travelled the furthest distance (from London) to come on a shore dive with us. At least it’s a change from the inland sites up there!
June 22nd Boat trip to Watcombe caves
Absolutely fabulous trip out to Watcombe Caves yesterday with the club.
It was my first boat dive as a newly qualified ocean diver and I’m already hooked! We saw a huge amount of life – colourful fish, sponges and snails but the highlight was definitely the two feisty lobsters! Already counting down the days to the next dive. Nikki
June 19 – 22nd Porthkerris weekend organised by Sally. Some great boat dives off the Celtic Kitten, plus easy shore dives round Drawna Rock. Porthkerris is a really lovely site to go and dive. Octopii were seen on most dives. Andy L.
Always amazing what you can discover just off the Devon coast. Gemma.
Sunday 15th June – Jason finished off his Sports Diver qualification, and there was practice of dSMB deployment for him and Ben. Evie saw her first UK octopus, and then we had bacon baps in glorious sunshine. Thank you to Derek for being shore cover, and what a fabulous morning.
6-8th June. Cornish diving weekend organised by Derek and Steve. Diving at Falmouth and Porthkerris, with some great dives seeing octopus, bob tail squid, cuttlefish and jellyfish. Various folk used caravans, camper vans, tents, and air b&b for their overnight stay. Thank you to the BBQ people who coped amazingly (in the rain) on the Saturday night 🙂
1st June A parallel club dive was run at Anstey’s Cove on Sunday. This is a small bay close to Babbacombe, accessed by foot, with the car park about 300 metres away uphill. Or the beach 300 metres away downhill, if you prefer… Viz was good: being shallow, the plankton bloom didn’t obscure much light. There were plenty of sand eels and some moon jellyfish in the water column. The sea bed is mostly gravel and boulders.
1st June 2025 Club dive in amongst hundreds of spider crabs that have suddenly appeared in the bay. Dive venue moved because of the air show, so there was a bit of rock climbing involved at Babbacombe, and the viz varied from 1 to 5 metres. Then off for a very good brunch! What a lovely way to start a Sunday.
Friday 30th May. Andy L showed a series of videos on how to improve buoyancy and trim. About 20 people watched a series of presentations on how to improve your diving position in the water. This covered different methods of checking you’ve got the correct amount of lead weight, plus also how to position it.