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Activities > Trip Reports > Farne Islands Trip
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FARNE ISLANDS TRIP
This was a fantastic trip and was enjoyed by club members Jonathan, Joan, Steve, Sarah,
Tim, Nigel, Simon, Malc, Owen (more later!), Bev, Chas, Bill, Vicky and family,
plus some friends of Bill's.
It was a real boatfull but "Glad Tidings VII" was a huge boat complete with lift.
On Sunday we even attracted some extra divers and a dog (no, Bev dived Saturday as well).
The weather was perfect and on Saturday there was hardly a ripple on the water.
The first dive was just off Longstone Island and we dropped in beside rocks
covered with seals. A few people saw the odd seal but they weren't in playful mood.
The average depth was about 22m and temperature a heady 10 degrees.
Dry suits performed as expected, including wet crotches and squeaky voices.
Steve glowed warmly in his wetsuit while the fairer sex shivered throughout
the surface interval.
The second dive was also on a wall with lots of sponges, crabs, lobsters and
urchins (which Joan was fascinated by!) This over-enthusiasm wore off on
Malc who then started collecting them like crazy. Sarah did a grand job recording
the dive details of everyone on board but had run out of steam by Sunday
- so no-one did it!!! Jonathan had by then become his normal shade of green and
had lost his rousing leadership skills. Simon was strangely quiet- I think "Babs" is
no more! The boat returned to shore by 1.OOpm and was met by Owen who had spent
the morning outside his tent munching on biscuits and drinking coffee.
We all met up again around tea time for the start of an "early session", leaving
Bill to fill ALL the tanks. The old codgers were in bed by 10.00pm but Tim,
as baby of the club, carried on in to the early hours.
The following morning he looked much healthier than the "early nighters"
- although Jonathan felt much better after a double purging due to an over-tight neck seal.
Early breakfasts are unheard of in Seahouses. Despite paying £80 per night
for a family room. Bill still had to cook breakfast on his trusty stove outside his van.
Owen was the only one to have a comfortable leisurely breakfast ......
but he did miss the boat ....... AGAIN!
The first dive was the "Abysinian", a shallow wreck just off Longstone Island.
Bev and Nigel landed straight on the boilers and spent most of the dive at 8m around these.
Bev was so pleased to have found them she was scared to let go.
Nigel ended up being a seal's plaything. Jonathan and Joan found a lot of wreckage at 15m
but the 2 keen wreck hunters, Steve and Tim, only found crabs in rocks.
It was then full pelt across the bay towards Holy Island. Sea spray was bucketing down
everywhere - even the dry "bags" got wet!
The final dive was the "Coryton" wreck in about lOm of water.
It was a lovely relaxing dive and a good end to an excellent weekend.
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