2013.06.10 22:28:53

Seawolf

An update on events within Limerick sub aqua is long overdue, alas, work commitments have distracted my activities on the Club Blogs.

Finally, Limerick Sub aqua have use of it’s boat once again, after a rather long and tedious battle to sort repairs with the insurance company.  The delay was further compounded with the falilure of the Engine’s Air compressor during the sea trial phase. Alas, as the failure was in it’s infancy prior to the Mutton Island incident, there was a delay in authorizing completion of repairs. A long painful and costly failure for the Club. At least, we can learn to interrogate  engine cut  off while idling failure symptom with a bit more caution. A small leak to the piston head allowed corrosion to build up leading to the Air compressor failure.

2012 ended with 6 new persons joining the Club to learn to Scuba, Sebastian K, Eoin, Darragh, John, guys prep for open with Kevin and Brian to begin Open Water work.

Portroe kick started the open water work, such that the guys are logging 15 and 20meter dives at the moment. Well done on their progress so far. Time to focus on Brian and Kevin now.

Since the boat has returned, the boat has been kept busy running dives out of Kilkee. The DOD’s are now running Dive sticks with dry coxswains in order to accommodate the numbers.

The weather has finally smiled on Limsac, now that the boat is back. The Club’s away trips were been curtailed, times are tough, recession is biting, seen in the number willing to travel and participate on courses.

Portmagee 2013 was a No show for Limsac. The numbers available to travel were down and it was felt that it was better to keep the boat in Kilkee to support local Club Dive operations. However,  myself and Emma still ventured there, too many great memories and attractive diving options to avail of. We dived with GSAC for the weekend and Inbher Sceine and Dalkey were also on site.   

Sites like Long Island, the Cus, the Bull, the Helipad on the Skelligs with the south side of Skellig beag been the major treat for the weekend. A large seal decided to visit each of the diving pair,  I was delighted to kneel down facing this local, as “she” decided whether I had anything to nibble on, I was watching her as she kept an eye on the other  “Finners” and then off “she” went. There was a definite attraction to yellow fins…  We bumped into her again later on, but, as she motioned to come nose to nose with me.  I had to resist a  strong urge to stick out my hand and pet "Her", but, something told me She could take a bite, stopped me in my tracks. something else distracted “her” and off she went again., It allowed us to investigate the gully’s, the swim throughs, the visibility was very good, the deadmans fingers and eninimees plastered every available rock wall funnelling a current. A great dive making up for the gloom of the Skellig Helipdap dive.

The sun blasted out on Monday and through the week. We had our last dive of the long weekend with GSAC in the Cus, I dived with Thomas, Kevin and Elaine, A nice dive but yet that local seal wanted to avoid our visit. Tuesday was a chill out day, availing of the opportunity to sun worship.

We had an uneventful night dive out of the Glen on Wednesday night, getting out of the water at 12.30 after an hour's diving was a surprise, where did the time go. I got a request to help a local fisherman recover some lobster pots on thursday. A couple of pots got jammed under rocks,  I managed to free them all, recovering 7 pots in all, and a dive in some rocky gully’s to boot.

Friday was arranged to use Local Willie Kennedy to support diving. We were very lucky to dive on the north west side of Puffin. A rare chance to dive there was availed of. Great dive, despite the poor vis, the plankton bloom was still holding tough. The shelves the on North side of Puffin are simply spectacular, every nook and gully full of dead man’s finger, eninimee, the colors are amazing and Nudibranc littered the shelves. Great variety and colors. Willie then took us on a tour of Puffin and Ballinskelligs afterwards. A great day finished off in the Moorings. Happy Days….  Thanks again Willie. A great option to call upon for Boat advice, diving and Bottle fills.

We found a slip on north side of Valentia near Lighthouse so used it to do a recce dive, I enjoyed the dive despite the lack of Fish Life. Great dive for trainees if conditions suit, It was only after we got out of the water did we spot a seal checking the area out, maybe he was going after the mullet and Spider crabs that were near the slipway steps... 

Sunday seen us dive with InbherSceine. We had 2 great dives - One off Gallauniller Rock - Lovely dive, would love to and hope to dive there again, the Gullies, a huge deep swim through that my torch could not penetrate. The 2nd dive was on Illaunanesk, great dive despite the Vis been a pain... I had the pleasure of diving with Pascal and Paul.

Last word of thanks is to Gearoid Moran, great advice on the dive sites, always great to get advice on the local spots and the locals always welcome us and dive Dive Clubs working out of the Portmagee slip and moorings.Diving Portmagee is always a pleasure and already I look forward to returning there once again...

Alas, I hope the Club will be encouraged to avail of Portmagee diving again as soon as possible. August perhaps????

The boat is busy in Kilkee on Sunday 9^th June. 18 persons came forward for diving, so great to see the numbers coming forward to dive despite the tough financial times.

 

We wish best of luck to Stephen in Leading Diver Preparation and Brian Donnelly in M3 week of assessment.

2013.04.30 12:23:04

FrogmanEamonn

See attached interviews :

Ronnie Hurley's interview, going out on NearDublin FM on Wednesday. He is in conversation about Saturday's charity abseil with Ger Leddin who is a former member of Limerick SAC http://snd.sc/12bFPwR 

Interview with online newspaper thejournal.ie - the club gets a nice shout out too. http://www.thejournal.ie/ronnie-hurley-abseil-limerick-888962-Apr2013/

Thanks to Ronnie Hurley, Tom McDonnell and Mike Hynes for participating and roping in friends and family to abseil Irelands tallest hotel last Saturday, all told we raised €1,502 for good causes Milford Hospice and Age Action. the video of Ronnies adventure is on my youtube channel

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fHez9sTk-F4

and I'll post photos later on. great day.

2013.04.26 18:50:56

DAVID

Hi guys .I am in the process of getting club gear organize [jackets teeshirts and hoodies]with our club crest if anyone is interested we can meet up in the next couple of days and get an order together,.We have used a local company for the last of couple of years and has worked out very well.david ryan

2013.04.11 10:28:26

Keano

Hi guys,

We have finally gotten back into the open ocean, unfortunately without our own boat, but thankfully our good friends in Aughinish supported our dives as well as the visiting Hook SAC.

A bit windy and the visabilty left a bit to be desired but it was still good to get back in the sea.

A couple of trainee’s got their first boat dive, no hassle there.

First dive was in Chimmney Bay, wishy-washy and only a few golf balls found, who found the most, well there is still a debate about that, but I heard someone had two BCD pockets full!!!

Second dive was in Bishops, not as rough, but no life to mention really. Spray on the way back was wild, coming in hard sideways! Not nice.

The club has 110 dives already this season (that I know about) excluding KBSR and foreign dives. A cumulative depth of 1981 metres and a total time of 57hours (3422 mins) spent underwater. We currently have 21 active divers within the club and I would hope to increase these stats during the year, well, what are you waiting for?

 

2012.10.31 21:29:45

Keano

Hi guys,

 

Just a quick blog to let all know what is happening in the near future.

As we all should know now, the pool training is starting next week, I’ll try and work off some of the condition that I have acquired over the last year. Over the last number of years, I have seen the previous DO’s trying to keep a handle on the pool tests, with snorkel and scuba training and the odd rogue swimmer, it can be a bit of a dilemma. So this year, I hope to do the pool test on the last evening before Christmas, basically, everyone does the test and carries on as usual after that, another pool test will be held two weeks before the end of the pool session. Hopefully everyone will have completed their tests by then.

 

I am also in the process of setting out next seasons dive plan, I am looking for some new dive sites to add to our usual spots this year, O’Leary’s leap off Mutton island has been suggested a few times, sorry Brian, I couldn’t resist. Seriously though, Doonbeg has a few nice sites, also mentioned is Kinvarra, Lough Hyne, Castlegregory/the Maheree’s and a few more, I am also looking for some more shore dive sites, not dive hikes like Cameron creek. If you know of a good site within 90mins of Limerick and would like to dive it, drop me a line.

 

I hope that I can follow in our previous DO’s footsteps by having a safe and thoroughly enjoyable dive season. I have being sending a lot of dive notices in the past few weeks, if you have not gotten any notification from me, please let me know your preferred contact details, text, email etc.

 

When the quarry opens next season, there will be a standing dive there on Thursdays and Sundays, I will not be sending out teamer notifications for this, as we are limited on the number of texts we can send and I would rather hold them for sea diving. If you are diving there and hold suitable qualifications, work away. If you want to find out what’s happening, just contact me.

 

For all diving activities, please inform me in advance (this is due to CFT rules regarding insurance) and I would consider it a courtesy if you would let me know your depth and times afterwards.

 

I would also like to welcome any prospective members to the club and also say a fond farewell to John Hassett, a stalwart of the club and he will be sorely missed.

 

There are a few new club rules:

1              Enjoy diving

2              Don’t take risks

3              Enjoy diving

 

See you next week in the pool.

2012.10.25 22:50:24

Seawolf

Alas, I am somewhat incorrect as I should be saying.. There goes Johnny..

 I must pay homage to a member of Limerick Sub Aqua. John Hassett is leaving Ireland for warmer climates and hopefully to get a break from these sad and demoralizing times. It’s getting increasing tougher to stay in this country. The Celtic tiger has left a legacy of troubled times in its aftermath and while some of us bear it because we have no choice, others have to consider alternate options. John and Shelly have bravely made that call.

However, that decision leaves the membership of Limerick sub Aqua sad and despondent, as John has been an extremely good servant to Limerick Sub Aqua and Killaloe Ballina S&R.

John and Shelly have endeared themselves to Limerick sub aqua and KBSR while John served on Limerick and KBSR committee’s and served to support both groups with his equipment expertise.

What can I say about Johnny… Dependable, keen to point out how best to resolve problem, make improvements and advise where required. Members of the Committees were always reminded to be exact with details and communication and safety were always to the fore of any activity.

John provided shelter for the Club boat, equipment and compressor, his house was the core of any equipment related endeavours over the last few years.

Words will not express the debt of thanks the membership of Limerick Sub Aqua and KBSR owe to John and Shelly. He has supported both organizations and John can always be associated with someone you can depend and rely upon.

An event in tribute to Johnny and Shelly was recently held in Killaloe. I believe the tributes and  comments of Richard and Ciaran and many other were deeply profound and reinforced the respect that Johnny has attained over the recent years.

In the interest of keeping this blog short, I am going to finish this by saying…

John and Shelly… On behalf of Limsac and KBSR, We wish you all the best for your future over the next year. I hope things work out, but we all hope ye will return.

Be happy… Be safe and have a great time.

2012.10.08 18:58:19

Keano

Ah Brian, you got there before me!

I was delighted to get a text about a night dive in Portroe, I was only asking Peter about one on Sunday. I need to brush up on my night dive skills, with only a few under the belt, the only previous time was at the scubathon in Kilkee  at ridiculous o clock (3am, I think). We were so eager to dive, that we were banging on the gate to get in, then some dodgy guy in a white Passat pulled in, I thought the cops will not be far behind! It turned out to be Noel though.

A little wait for the DO, it’s like a game of where’s wally, a bit of good natured bantering, a brief briefing and  myself and my buddy for the evening Eamon discussed night dive etiquette, basically don’t shine the light in my eyes and you’ll be fine.

In we got, heading for the winch, but we got distracted by a rather large bright green eel, we followed it until we spotted another one coming out of a small hole, after a few minutes of this, we headed on towards the winch, then heading towards the boat, we spotted a light coming around a point of rock, I thought “It’s wally, I found him” It later turned out to be Martin. We continued along the left wall of the pit towards the boat, up and over the edge and got a bit turned around, I really should buy a compass, or just listen to Eamon!!

Pottering around for a while, we (ahem) got low on air and decided to head up to the deco stop, we ended up on the far wall at the back of the boat, watching the trout and eels slowly go by, the boulders seem to be more colourful in the dark as well, maybe it’s just the torch I have, ha ha.

At this stage, I should say that my suit had been leaking a bit from the start of the dive and I was now wet down to my waist and starting to get cold, so heading back to the ramp in an anticlockwise direction, found the ramp and we had to do another deco stop, wet to my knees now, I’d normally wait around and bring my dive up to the nearest five minutes, no way, slightly shivering after 43 minutes, we got out, socks are wet now.

I really enjoyed the dive with Eamon, I was surprised with the amount of life in the quarry, I dive there a bit and have seen the odd eel and trout, nothing like Thursday. Thanked Peter. Had a bit of a slag with the lads, got into warm dry clothes, turned the heat up to the last and headed home. Cold for about an hour or two after, but worth it, great dive, no issues at all, can’t wait till next time.

2012.10.05 14:07:27

Seawolf

At long last I managed to get in a night dive in Portroe. As I have been forced to retire from Indoor Soccer; Alas my injuries and age are catching up on me.  Thursday evenings has been free to participate in Diving Portroe.

So last night, I finally got a chance to avail of a decent night dive. Thanks again to Peter for opening up to allow Limsac members to invade Portroe in the dark…

Eight volunteers came forward, and before I forget, best wishes and a speedy recover to Bill’s dad who was undergoing an op to sort broken femur and hip yesterday.

As Martin, briefed the crew on night diving requirements, mandated depth and time guidelines and sorted out the pairings, I was buddied with Marcin.

So, as I went through some things to bear in mind.

Use of torches practices. Do’s and don’ts. Checking gauges, depth perception, What is going to be seen and not seen for that matter…

With the 1:1 brief over, we kitted up, did the buddy checks and headed down and into the water.

Magicshine ruled the night, forget the pretenders Kowalski’s and UW kinetics.

We dropped in off the deck and dropped down near the shaft area. Marcin was excellent and very confident for his 1^st night dive. We ventured off toward the boat and began a complete circuit of the Quarry in a clockwise direction. We initially dropped to 25meters and maintained a 15M to 18M depth for the rest of the dive. It’s amazing to see the torch light up the boulder area, the torches penetrated the depth and often allowed more to be defined in the torch light compared to a day dive. Another thing was to see the rainbow trout, which were rarely see during the day, amazingly plentiful… as well as the eels.  The 1^st trout we spotted was asleep on a rock, we woke it, obviously woke it, frightened and dazzled it so that it ran smack bang into a rock.. tut, tut, so cruel… so funny..

The 1^st eel, we spotted him hiding away in the boulder area near the boat. As we completed the circuit, we did not see any more eels until we came back to the ramp area, but we did see lots of trout as we went on our tour. I enjoy night dives, Marcin was spot on through out the dive, and we had fun playing with our light sabres tracking the trout.

When we completed the circuit, we had time and air to play some more, so we ventured around the ramp and again spotted at least 4 eels of different sizes. One light green fellow. My attempts to catch one failed, but yet, again, the smack bang of the near by rocks made me laugh.

As we headed up and settled at 4meters for the Deco stop, we could see the array of torch light heading back and beginning to log theirs deco stops.

Thanks again to Peter for opening up and giving myself, Marcin and the rest of Limsac attendees a chance to avail of a night diving opportunity in Portroe.  Looking forward to another one.

2012.09.03 11:33:23

Seawolf

Alas, not too far into the distant past, a honourable Knight, man travelled on(in) his trusty White steed all the way from the wilds of Portroe. It was actually a VW Passat.  Go along with the fairy tale side of this blog for the moment…  Get with the programme!!!

Anyway, this honourable knight, was most cruelly & suddenly savagely attacked by a “stone” that indeed, caused severe damage to his trusty steed’s shoes. Keeping to the fairy tale theme. Well, actually, a stone actually manage to puncture and destroy not , just one tyre, but cruelly two…

The weeping and gnashing of teeth began and Sodom and Gomorrah would not have got a look in on the aftermath of such a cruel attack. Fate played a trick, such a lovely day ruined by a fecking stone.

Let’s not mention the cost…  No, to spare the blushes of this honourable knight….. We will not go there.

Fortunately, for this knight, there was rescue at hand, Peter – the great of Portroe happended along in his trusty black “Audi” Steed and loaned him a “Shoe”  ok, a spare tyre… keep with the theme.

So our White knight was able to venture off into the sunset and meet his bank manager to sort out repair costs.

There is no Happily ever after. Grow up readers….. Fairy tales are a thing of the past.

Stand by for more juicy gossip in the next blog…

BTW ALL CRIED OUT LYRICS - ALISON MOYET

2012.08.15 17:40:42

Seawolf

Folks,

As far as I am aware, 519 Dives have been logged by 32 members of the Club.  The average dives per person across the Club membership is 14. The info is based on Club based organized outings and Reports  to D.O.. outside of Club organized events.

These stats, for the most part, do not include S&R dive activity of members of the Club.

The most active divers are ranging dives logged from 64 to 49, 37, 30 and then bulk of dives logged are in 15-20 dive range.

New trainee grades for 2012 have logged 82 dives in Irish waters between the 6 divers :-). Well done to all. All Divers proving to be very capable and skilled divers.

Welcome back to Bill who is playing catch up with his Dives. Richie is now coming back on line with his Diving after his term working on the ships. The focus will be on Bill, Eamonn, Richard and David to consider prepping for their Club Diver tests in the near future. Alma is off travelling the wilds of South America and we look forward to her return to try the diving again in the west of Ireland again pretty soon.

 

 

 

2012.08.13 09:53:46

Seawolf

I was really looking forward to a weekend of diving in Quilty. The weather leading up the weekend was poor with reports of a strong swell on Thursday. Early feedback on availability of divers for diving over weekend was suggesting Saturday –Monday. In saying that, Club Diving was arranged for Monday.

However, I managed to dive with Burren SAC on Sunday and benefitted from some great dives on Brandon reef and Seal cave.

Quilty offers some amazing diving, the reef walls are amazing, the life is stunning, it’s reefs are typically littered with crab, lobster and congers. The amount of Wrasse, that I came across that appear to be sleeping in the nooks. I still find myself, anxious to dive there every time I drop into a dive in the vicinity of Brandon Reef, Seal Rock, Seal Cave, and Lime Rock. Many dive options are, as yet to be discovered.

Quilty offers challenges, and much to my dismay, more than I bargained for…..  The challenge of Quilty is the shallow slip where tides play havoc. It dries out quickly.   It is recommended that boat is launched on high springs, so need to be careful with timing. The outer slip is cover in weed, making it very dangerous when loading/unloading boat. All leading to a little more effort to run dive operations and a little more physical effort from all concerned. Indeed, Monday required the boat to be on site at 9am.  With 14 persons expected to dive, it was going to be a demanding day.

3 dive outings were conducted on Branding Reef –Seal Rock and Seal Cave. Indeed, the slagging re the need to lift and lower bottles to the boat between dives 2&3. It was indeed fortunate to escape with the boat out of quilty and the comments about the gel coat raised its head once again.

As we exited, the conditions started to deteriorate, visibility dropped, wind picked up dramatically, knowing that it would, but, not to the degree that it did…. But, diving lee side of Seal Rock, through the gully was the last request of the day.

It was decided earlier to recover boat in Doonbeg, easier on towing vehicle and future dive ops would be out of Kilkee.

It’s out a habit that the boat is recovered in Doonbeg when tides are low in Quilty. In previous years, a lot of negativity has been attributed to trying to recover the club boat off the beach. Conditions and visibility were poor and frankly not good but, manageable.

Little did I know, what was ahead of me…. I went out and was checking some areas around lime rock, but popped back to Quilty to get a finbag just in case I needed it for Doonbeg to learn everyone had left. Going back out, I noted,   It’s was very rough as I neared Brandon Rock, in fact, throttling up and down as the waves climbed and dropped away under the boat.

I rounded the West side of Mutton only to start heading for Doonbeg, as visibility dropped, I took a moment to clean my glasses, only to drop them, instinctively bending over to the side to pick them up, I was suddenly thrown over the tubes and into the water.

Shock, my glasses gone, I’m in the water, the boat stops about 10 yards away. Relief, Deadman’s did the trick, I start to swim. Aaagh, I’m not getting anywhere, the wind is pushing the boat away. I need fins, It’s rough, what do I do now, I have to give up chasing the boat, I am expending too much energy. I emit a flurry of curses, I set my lifejacket off, cursing, even more buoyant now, I wrestle with it as I deal with the bags at either side of my head. I close off the valve on my drysuit. Now, what do I do? I was a cork floating on the water, not able to do a thing, helpless to the mercy of the sea and winds and boat gone. I lost sight of it, blinded by waves, wind and no glasses.

All I could do was lie there and pray the “folks awaiting my return at Doonbeg” would make that “call” when I would not show up. Indeed, as I came to terms with the situation, I calmed down and started to consider my options. I spent ages “ admiring” the tower on the south side of Mutton. I was heading towards some rough water but, fortunately, I managed to paddle and pull myself such that I was carried more easterly. I began to look at my watch, Time passed away and I was getting closer to a pinnacle formation east of the tower. Both my legs cramped from paddling, but really getting nowhere. Then the Helicopter came from East side of Mutton, crossing to south and West side.. Hurray, rescue!!!, but alas no, they did not see me, but now I knew, only a matter of time.  I said thanks to the guys at Doonbeg for making that call. I have a better chance of rescue now.

Curses and yet again that pinnacle formation, a possible exit both tempted and caused me concern, would I get bashed about, but, yet again my efforts to get near it failed. The helicopter was around again, I realized, I had my torch, I shone it at the helicopter, it still did not see me, I was to try to attract it’s attention a few more times. I was insulated in my suit, I was not in a boat, and as it turned out, the boat was hidden away from viewing eyes.

It was close to high tide now, the pinnacle loomed closer, I said to myself, I’ve got a better chance of getting help if I can get out, it was slack enough to risk climbing onto the rock. I paddled, I pulled my myself through the water, I, finally got within reach of the pinnacle, I turned to face it, I let the wave catch me and push me onto it. I got a grip hold with my left hand and planted my knees, the wave abated, I stayed holding on. Yes, relief, I waited for the next wave, I was lifted up further, the wave abated, I stayed on and I clambered up further, I was safe, out of the water. I sat down, my legs like jelly and got my breath back. Safety  at long last. I got my life jacket off, Opened my drysuit, got rid of some fluids and cooled down…Refreshed, I sealed myself up and walked about to see what to do next. My chances of rescue increased a 100 fold now. I could hear the Coast guard off to the west side of Mutton searching…  Then I spotted a boat coming around Mutton in my direction, I picked up my lifejacket, waved it, and shone my torch in their direction. Rescue at last!!

So I informed them, that I was ok. Did they recover the Club boat?  No…. Perplexed, they did not know. I was confused, where was it? Attention was focus on my rescue, I was winched off and then requested that my club mates be informed of my rescue. I was medically assessed, however, I was fine, tired, but relieved to be back in contact with the world once again. I relayed that I was toppled from the boat and advised that I believe that craft must surely be in some cove on the south side of Mutton.

As I landed in Shannon, I learned that a passing fisherman had spotted the boat in a cave, it’s Nav light attracted attention. Alas, the craft is damaged, the prop and skeg bore the brunt of the damage as well as the hull shoe, it suffered the ravages of the cave.

I made a call to Emma as soon as I landed, all was ok and I re assured the Helicopter crew that I was fine and transfer to hospital was not required. I had tea and sat down for the debrief and awaited collection from the rescue centre. Once meeting Mike and Emma, the barrage of calls and chat began, while all who had been waiting at Quaysides returned home at long last. Rescue complete.

I can only say thanks and incalculable gratitude to all those who were involved, worried and stressed by this emergency situation. I owe so much to the “Daves”, Mike, Richard, Emma, Noel, Martin, Doolin Coast guard, Kilkee Rescue and the Shannon based helicopter crew for my speedy rescue.

Thought’s of what if’s,  plague me afterwards for a while, I note learning about a lot of negativity re my situation, something that really did not concern me while buoyant off Mutton. I was warm in my drysuit, overly buoyant with the aid of the lifejacket and with a torch, all good to increase my chances of survival.

Lessons learned will forge changes club policy going forward, in the meantime, the boat is now undergoing repairs. Hopefully, we can get back up and running quickly. In the meantime, I look forward to my next dive.

 

Please note Boat was not capsized despite some amazing Media articles.

I took some time quite recently to convey some lessons learned to a leading diver candidate. Especially, to consider some "what if"  risks if been alone on a boat in rough seas. 

Discussion on Never travel Alone

Wearing a Fin bag on Coxswain back if alone

Investigate a harness for Coxswain

Purchase the "Foldable fins"

Funny options.. Wipers for glasses, Get a neck cord for my specs, Get laser treatment now. 

The list of options and the slagging will no doubt go on..  All deserved :-)

http://www.doolincoastguard.com/man-rescued-off-mutton-island

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2012/0807/1224321631143.html

 

2012.08.04 13:19:13

SilverFazer2000

The Coast Guard set an exclusion zone, while the Superintendent summonsed the Garda Dive Unit from Dublin, this is not unusual.

They arrived late morning and stood down late afternoon, but before they left they briefed us on the areas they covered, the exclusion had been lifted.

 

Read more...

2012.07.03 16:39:52

Seawolf

Ok, you all know, I am pulling your leg, so let me explain my blog.

 

 

I have dived Portroe a lot. So while I often vary the routes I travel out and back on, I was up to a bit of mischief with our dive group of Eamonn, Marcin and Noel as well as myself of course.

So, I dropped down to in an around the Shaft area, and travelled out towards the gully for the Winch area, but, hey, instead, of that, I turned back down, off to the left and went to the area where the old huts used to be.

 

Before the comment start....

I know Profile is not exactly ideal, but I was also testing buoyancy control of our 2 trainees. So overlook that one !!

 

So really.. in my usual round about way, I was messing at the start of the dive, by coming to the base of the cliff wall/ridge that sat at about 18meters and climbed up the wall to the 7 meter peak. Hence, Noel's photos of us at the peak, chilling out after the “arduous Climb”

 

I know the guys thought I was off my trolly, Climb up the wall. Honest, I'm not mad!!

 

Was I narked?

Was I temporarily insane?

Well, as I still want to dive, please overlook this moment of madness and don’t tell anyone from the CFT medical council.  5B does not need the pleasure of my company, just yet!!

 

 

Refer to Photo page for better pics of Profile

 

I enjoyed the dive, bit of messing, visibility was very good and it was a dive on a miserable day at sea, and at least Noel gets to test him camera skills some more.

 

2012.06.20 13:43:27

ronnie

2012.06.18 17:26:52

Seawolf

 

 

From Portmagee 2012

 The Annual trip to Portmagee was again a great success, Members logged over 90 Dives through out the week. I guess the Sunday and Monday were the peak days for members to dive as numbers dwindled as the week wore on. 

 

The South Westerly Swell as opposed to the weather was the only drawback of the week, which directed diving to occur on the Knight’s town side of Valentia.  In a way, no harm as the Club have not had the opportunity to focus in diving there in recent years.

Bassalt Cliffs wooed many a diver into having big fat happy grins on their faces after completing their dives on Sunday and Wednesday.  It was great to spot Craw, lobster and indeed Donal and Robyn wowed the boat with a feast of Mackerel caught near Bassalt. 53 Mackerel caught.  Where are the pictures of the gutting exercise afterwards during the SI. What a feast we had later for supper.

Saturday Morning Day 1. unveiled the numbers using Portmagee as a base for Diving operations. Portmagee was thronged with Divers from Limerick, Galway, University of Limerick and Ocean  Divers. Dalkey divers also worked out of the Glen with Willie Kennedy and Inbher Sceine also worked out of the Glen over the weekend also.  With all these Dive crews, the Moorings was yet again taken over with the chatter and “tall Tales” of the various Diving experience.

I must personally thank GSAC for allowing to tag along for 2 dives over the course of my stay in Portmagee.  Friday night Dive in Echalla was amazing. What a drift, with some amazing life.  I also must mention our buddies in UL who invited me for a dive on Bassalt, leading the way to the Club dives on Sunday in the same region.

Lemantaugher, the Coos and the lee side of Long Island and  the min channel got a visit on Saturday/Monday. Never a disappointing dive, especially with you can spot the nudibranchs and the odd Craw fish looking at you.

The BBQ was held on Satuday evening, thanks again to Teresa and Co., very enjoyable and more so after the dive with the UL guys in Bassalt.  I had worked up a good appetite for it. The chat and tales from diving were great as well as the UL guys popping in a drink and a chat.  Memories of Egypt came flooding back as the Sisha Pipe was lit and the aroma of the apple flavour wafted around the conservatory area.  Some retired to the Moorings for a chat to hear Aoife recant her dives with Seals on Little Skelligs.

 

Sunday’s dives out of Knightstown were fab, Bassalt Dives were very enjoyable and especially the recess of the caves/overhangs at the end of that gully. All I need was a buddy with more air.

Tuesday was chosen to catch up on my sleep with opting for coxswain duty.  I ventured to the North Puffin with our divers. Not a bad dive by all account.  Alas, the only diving out of the Glen by the Club was a night dive on Thursday night.  Loads of small stuff out, but, still a 48min dive was a nice bit of exercise for the evening.

Wednesday        Club worked out of Knightstown, a glorious days diving on Dolus and Bassalt. Thursday  Night Dive out of “the Glen”

Friday                    Day Off J  Relax and chill. Chat and haggle with Michael in the Antiques shop in Cahirciveen, where Teresa picked up Ronnie’s present at Martin’s suggestion. 

 

Saturday             

A new dive spot “the Bull” has now been added to the selection of dive options(thanks gearoid ) , a number of Craw spotted , Loads of nooks to inspect and great fish life up along the northern wall. When we dropped on top of the pinnacle @15m, myself and Mike headed to the drop off only to see a craw ambling through the kelp. That was just the start of a number spotted throughout the dive. I ended going back for another later dive with Emma on it later that evening,  J Great diving, another dive limited only to, the Dive time limit of 40mins and I suppose I should mention the cold

Sunday

Outside of Lemantaugher – Great wall dive, Lots to see. Load of Eninimee, Small fish, nooks to check out, great visibility – a bit of a drift also to make it effortless.  I showed Mike Nudibranchs, now he sees them on his dives since?  Our stated dive time ran out of 40mins , as opposed to Deco or air limitations. Great diving with Mike.

 

So another Portmagee trip comes to an end, I regret missing the opportunity to dive out of the Glen, South Puffin, Lemon Rock and the Skelligs. That south westerly did not stop us, thankfully.

 

Aside from that, we missed some of the usual trippers to Portmagee, time, other factors and commitments are having their impact.

The Fisherman's and the Moorings always attracts our company. Great food and the craic is mighty.  However, Mike still would need a translator for the Fisherman's.

 

Will it be Portmagee next year… We ask every year, but, it too easy and enjoyable to consider anywhere else other than Portmagee. I already miss it. Still over 90 dives were logged by 17 members of the club in Portmagee. For those who did not avail.. You missed some great diving and experiences, but, there’s always next year… 

2012.05.16 08:20:17

MikeO

From Regional Weekend Cahirciveen

Recently I was asked why the South West Regional Weekend is hosted in Cahirciveen every year, “Why Doesn’t it travel around instead?”. On the face of it, the question is sensible enough sure, but in reality when something isn’t broken there is no need to fix it. Not only is this a brilliant event every year, well attended by many clubs in and out of the region, it is expertly run without a hitch. The team at Inbhear Sceine make hosting look easy.

 

Hoping that our club might show in numbers this year, Brian Kearney and myself worked on recruiting members for several weeks. It falls so close to our annual trip to Portmagee on June weekend that it just wasn’t to be. I contacted Ray ahead of time to offer at least a compressor, but he was already sorted he told me. “Just let me know numbers expected and arrive early Saturday to register, dive brief at half ten” , the rest was taken care of he told me. Indeed it was.

 

Driving down from Limerick in a short 2 hour spin I began to wonder why we don’t head here more often. Once you hit the corner with the Donkey posing for tourists, you begin to realize you are not far now. When the road goes under the railway bridge, the next few turns provide incredible views of Dingle Bay. Passing Kells Bay you might be tempted to turn off and just jump in the gorgeous waters below – but we are close now so foot down, next stop the marina.

 

The village of Cahirciveen appears to be sleeping peacefully the hour we arrive, until we make sight of the camp forming near rivers edge. Sure enough the crowds were building and familiar faces were appearing all round. Just enough time to grab a coffee and start enquiring about boat space. We were made feel very welcome as were all stragglers – I think everyone had a spot before the dive brief was even finished. I was fortunate enough to get a spot on our friends from Aughinish’ boat – and headed out to Illaunnanask (Doulous Head) with a spirited crew.

 

Sun was shining brightly on our Dive spot and the water was calm enough that 3 boats operated easily from the one place, we were joined by Loch Derg and ULSAC as well. The sea swell normally present was absent this morning making attempts to swim through the backside of the small island feasible. I saw Paddy from ULSAC manage it and Aoife declared “Best Dive ever” upon surfacing the other side of sunlit jewel anemone walls. My buddy and I managed to enter the underwater valley, but at depth we missed the turn left. I think Dave was more interested in the incredible perfectly formed holes in the seabed, littered with broken mussel shells. Occasional crab nooks could be seen that were just big enough to house a single occupant. In the end we turned back to the South and did a very long stop right up against the rock face examining the tiny life present – plenty of evidence of nudi branch but none spotted by me.

 

Lunch was a homemade meal at a genuine Italian Restaurant in a surprising place, opposite the Super Market at the edge of town.  The Cappuccino with hot milk to start was a good sign of things to come and the Mozzarella Pork with Red Sauce proved a huge hit – will definitely head back to La Dolce Vita.

 

Back on site we negotiated spots with Loch Derg who were happy to have us on-board. They were heading to Basalt Cliffs to look for the promise of a cave located somewhere along the cliffs edge, possible on the left side. We were dropped mid wall about 50m from the Basalt and took a heading of almost due south. I had an idea that the sharp corner on the left side my yield a result. This dive, unlike the mornings, was chock full of life. As we swam across a sparse Kelp forest, we were often rewarded with drop offs. Here under the overhangs we found Pollock, Wrasse, Dogfish. Tucked into every crevice was a community of common crab, squat lobster, prawn and blennie and every wall was spotted with Devonshire Cup Coral. The final pay off came nearly too late, at 35 minutes we encountered a massive gully, narrow enough for single file and running the entire height of the 17m depth available. I could tell from Dave’s thumbs up the distance travelled was well worth it and we both knew we had to try to reach the end. Alas, the end of dive came too soon , we will have to try that again. Thanks to Loch Derg for being so welcoming. A tighter group of diving friends you won’t find on any dive slip and I look forward to their company again someday.

 

With a solid days diving under our belts it was time to sample what else was on offer in Cahirciveen. It has been a few years since I sat down for a meal there, but I knew from the passing talk that day – QC’s is still the best spot in town for seafood. In fact, if you don’t believe me, head over to their website at www.qcbar.com and you can read for yourself the numerous awards that have been heaped upon them recently, including the 100 Best Places to Stay in Ireland! I knew from previous meals here I wanted to return, but I also knew from previous regionals that so did everyone else. This was THE spot and it was buzzing with a real New York vibe. Top divers from all across Ireland were dining here all night, tables of good diving friends filled the place. With no reservation in our possession we staked out two spots at the bar and arrived early enough to beat the crowds. It took longer for us to argue on what to order than to have it all arrive dish after dish. Sizzling Chilli Prawns, Crab Bisque, Calamari Frito and Scallops delicious with the Hunky Dory White. Desert? Why another share of Pan Fried Squid with Caramelized Onions, pint of Guinness to wash it all down.

 

We chatted to the locals all night long and were told every time how delighted they were to see people visiting the place and using the marina. It made us think about convincing our own club to trek down here more often if we could. It really is a spot you want to return to. Thanks to all at Inbhear Sceine for making it at least possible to do so every year in May, see you soon!

2012.05.14 13:21:20

Seawolf

It’s truly a magnificent day when one can get an opportunity to wish Happy Birthday to Ronnie Hurley.  It’s some achievement for a person to be connected with Limerick Sub Aqua since 1960. Ronnie, who is currently off in Gran Canaria celebrating his 80^th birthday today.  Have a great celebration, enjoy the diving and all the membership of Limerick sub aqua wish you a very happy celebration on this very special day.

 

I am somewhat at a loss for words, as I not in a position to cover, in a blog, the achievements, stories, contribution and Support that Ronnie has handed down and shared over the years as a member of Limerick Sub Aqua.

 

Ronnie, has always down through the years, been a credit to Limerick Sub Aqua, he still is a beacon and a role model to the membership and the benefits of enjoying a sport like diving obviously contribute to the resilience of Ronnie.  His appearance on a dive boat for Club diving is always a pleasure and we look forward to his visits again.

Ronnie, has contributed to the Club Archives, that may be viewed on the website. I would urge visitors to review the material and get a taste of the development, fun and enjoyment that has been shared by so many people over the years.Ronnie has been a mentor to the Club’s committee’s over the years.

 

On behalf of the committee, I want to thank Ronnie most sincerely for the contribution, advice, support that he has offered throughout the years.

 

In Short...

Ronnie enjoy your day in the sun. Happy days to you and yours. You are the lighthouse of Limerick Sub Aqua, whose light and protection will never dwindle.  See you soon "Buddy" 

2012.05.08 13:49:17

Seawolf

 

Club News Updates

 

May Bank Holiday Summary

 

Kilkee turned out to be the location for Diving on Sunday. The boat and trailer performed very well. Mr. Ryan reported no issues will the transit of the boat to Kilkee

And I note that post the service of the Boat, the boat behaved flawlessly.

 

Thanks to Mr Ryan who towed and dropped boat in water and moored boat to be available for Sunday morning diving.  Great job!!!

 

The Club Boat, It started, ran very well, did not cut out and indeed looked well after it overhaul by the Equipment officers.

Access to Henry Street is now also restored to normality and those on the authorized user list should be the only persons availing of the Garda Station compressor.

Thanks to Dave and Noel for sorting new hoses, fittings and gauges for it...  :-) 

Thus far 134 Dives have been logged by members of the Club. While Boat diving at sea has been slow to take off, it was great to get diving in Kilkee on Sunday where

Conditions were excellent. At long last, we’re off and running. :-)

 

Weather has not been kind to us, it waited for the boat repairs to be completed, but Sunday unveiled itself as the day for diving over this Bank holiday weekend.

Conditions were generally favourable for diving over the weekend, but, the surge of diving interest was for Sunday. Indeed, 12 persons turned up to avail of the boat diving.

 

Martin selected Middle Rock for 1^st dive with George’s head for the 2^nd. Both great dives where visibility was excellent. The usual Sea life have yet to make an appearance, but,

Nevertheless, a large number of Pollock, Wrasse and Spider crab were on display for all divers to see. The extreme of the Spring tides made for an interesting day

and we had a further walk out to get gear on the boat for 1^st dive.

 

Thankfully, no incidents to report, a few divers,  a little more buoyant after the winter fattening period, and a drysuit set of boots needed a repair in between dives.

 

6 trainee’s now are eligible for their 1^st CFT grading as all have completed their first 5 open water dives now. So Martin, is now arranging for application of their Trainee 1star certs.

 

Well done to Marcin, Anthony, Robyn, Jack, John, and Leo for the great progress and commitment to getting the open water dives out of the way.

 

Phew, great to be back, slowly, but, surely, we’ll be back to normal routines and disciplines.  Sunday’s dives gave an opportunity to safely sort diving for the forthcoming dives.

 

The Regional dive weekend is next weekend, I believe the boat will not be travelling, but the Club compressor will, so I suspect diving for the rest of the Club will be in Kilkee, weather permitting of course.

Not looking good at the moment. :-( 

 

Fancy a dive tomorrow??

 

In other news...  Portmagee for June Bank Holiday...

 

Lough Derg, UL SAC, GSAC and ourselves are in Portmagee for the June BH weekend. It is also likely that at least another 2 clubs will avail of the location also, so accommodation will be difficult to get, so, members are advised to get something sorted ASAP.

 

A Blub BBQ will be held on Sunday at one of the houses, It is generally billed as a great week of diving, so if you have the time, it is worth your while to avail of it. Most members are availing of the self catering houses in Ocean view. Contact members of the committee if you need info... 

 

Houses/cottages to rent:

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Ocean View Houses –

These houses are only a small walk form the pier.  

On the Glen pier road from Portmagee about 200 meters form the pier (& pub)

There is a 6 bedroom &  3 bedroom house available

 

6 bedrooms

http://www.rentacottage.ie/self-catering/Kerry/Portmagee/Ocean_View_Holiday_Homes___6_Bed_(Type_A)-59.html

 

 

 

 

 

 

2012.05.04 10:32:53

Liam

2012.04.26 00:05:24

MikeO

From Port Magee Wildlife

Join us in Kerry for this pre-portmagee dive weekend - always well run and very well attended. Contact Mike Orth or Brian Kearney if you are interested. 0879514973

 

2012.04.02 20:50:11

Seawolf

Dive - Bridges of Ross

What a Lovely day for Diving. Neap tides, Sun shining and a light SW breeze... Perfect

As, the boat is undergoing repairs. Boat and trailer are getting a major overhaul
at the moment, thanks to the Equipment team.

It was decided by Martin, to divert to the brideges for some shore diving. As the Coxswain course

was been run out of Kilkee, and other Club clubs diving out of Newfy, we could not pass up

the opportunity to Dive the Bridges. I think this was certainly the 1st large scale outing the Club has
had at the Bridges in years.

13 members turned up to dive, So all took the time to venture out to the outer shelf
to drop gear and then we headed back up and got changed for diving.

Martin gave the brief and buddy pairs and off we ventured to a lovely dive, thankfully
entries and exits were simple. The visibility was very good and was a great introduction
for a first sea dive for our new trainees. 
The benefits of the dive that is offered, is that
It is sheltered
Shallow
Lots of areas to look for the interesting sealife.

I was able to show John, my buddy, Urchins, sea cucumber, we spotted a number of Lobster and

had fun showing John how to encourage a Lobster to nip at my fingers instead of frightening it off.
At the second attempt, I also managed to show John Shrimp and a Conger eel aswell as handling a
large Spider crab.
The temptempation to go further along the wall to the right side was strong, however,
I had to be patient and make way back to keep to the agreed dive time.

In between dives, we returned to a feast, the aroma of the BBQ feeding the queue for sausage
sandwiches that Christine served up :-) a lovely post dive treat.
The debrief continued and then the dolphins were breeching out to sea as they were chasing
mackerel. Wow...
The 2nd dive beckoned with the hope that the dolphin would be attracted in to our group of
divers, Alas, it was not to be.... The Visibilityv was poorer on the second dive but, nevertheless it was

a pleasure to get in another dive in, on the Bridges.
It's certainly a way to get you fit. Put's the yearly fitness regime to the test.
Portroe thursday night for a dive, however, I dare say we won't spot any ballan wrasse
and lobster on that dive.

2012.03.30 22:47:10

Eimhear

From Drop Box

2012.03.26 18:10:25

FaoiDiver

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PN_59n3bM0o

2012.03.26 11:51:35

Seawolf

Well, at long last, Limerick Sub Aqua got its trainee Divers for 2012 off to a glorious start yesterday.

With the last open water snorkels out of the way, Marcin Ludzik, Roybn Gleeson, Jack Ryan, John Moloney, Leo Taylor, Anthony Wiseman. We were also joined by Richard Ryan, and David O’Rourke as well as the seasoned veterans of Dave Ryan, "Heston" and Martin Bowes.

Martin Directed operations for the day, giving the Dive Brief to us all and with me, adding the usual reminders about Equalizing, and putting on and sorting weight belt for the dive.

What a lovely day, and with the appearance of Peter, Amy and Liam made it a great occasion and great turn out at Portroe from the Club.

With that in mind, please note Portroe will re start it’s thurdays evening openings on 5^th April.

The sun beamed down and punched through the water to make it very attractive for a 1^st open water dive. Visibility was great. Hee hee, until three sets of buddy pairs went ploughing... We were afterall diving around the Car, van, and canoe area as such, so some did really stir it up…  J

But, all had a great intro, safe, enjoyable dive, the water temps made it easy. Everyone benefitted from a great day’s diving. Hopefully, all the photos will be added up later. I think there were some lesson learned, but, must say overall, impressed and happy with how this year’s group have progressed from Pool to open water.

Loads of Photo's taken.. Even Amy’s phone got in on, the act; it was hard to avoid the “Rabbits ears”.

“Heston” had a great day and even managed to drop Noel off the Dive. More ear trouble… I don’t think Martin is going to count that as an attempted dive Noel… aaaahhhhh…. LOL.. To cap it all off, there was no money back from Peter also. Aaahhh Poor Noel….

Nevertheless, the weekend also proved to produce some qualified Gas Blenders from the Blenders course on Saturday. It turned out to be a longer than planned day with the Exam paper posing a challenge to all attendees. I also managed to finally get my Gas Blending Instructor certification, so at least I can run and assist with courses in future if required.

It was great to see the Burren Membrane compressor and see it in operation. Thanks to Cormac and Alex and Pat for running and supporting the course.

Congrats to John Hassett, “Heston”, Emma Sheehan, Noel Hickey, & Paul Doherty.

2012.03.12 11:18:03

Seawolf

That was the question, I bet some of our trainee's were asking themselves as they viewed the waters of Portroe yesterday.

 

Yesterday unveiled itself as the day in which the trainees for 2012 would start their open water training. While sea conditions are inviting normally to do this, last weekend was out. So Portroe was selected to start our new eager beavers off.

 

Portroe waters have been traditionally cold in recent years, but fortunately, it was a lot milder than previous years. A reported 8degree temperature were mentioned, and while I can’t say preach much about the cold from languishing in my snug O3 drysuit, I think as the introduction to open water progressed all the folks enjoyed the experience after the initial shock of the cold water hitting their backs.

 

 

The group assembled at 10.40am in Killaloe and then we moved in convoy to Portroe.  Our 1^st task was to talk about the layout and facilities at Portroe. We registered all the crew and then back to the cars to get changed.

Some had more “fun” than other trying to get into suits...

 

Sorting out weight belts then became next task and making sure all had gloves to stave of the bite of the waters of Portroe.

 

So, came the squeels of shock as the trainees entered the water. All settled, took some breaths to get used to the water, sensation of floating and getting the splash of water on their faces. All, eventually got settled and we snorkelled around to get used to the suit and buoyancy J.

 

A few duck dives complete, the folks then headed back to the platform where we practiced our entries. This became fun and the all relaxed now and had warmed into their suits to somewhat enjoy the event.. Yes, even Leo got into the madness of it all with the top half of suit unzipped… Hard man, Well done.!!!

 

2 snorkels now out of the way and so a hearty congrats to all who took part, and conquered the cold.  The 1^st open water dives are not far away now. Will tomorrow’s session at the warm pool be a welcome return J

2012.03.09 17:28:28

FaoiDiver

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qfDKEzPxhzQ Check out this trailer as the oceans future depends on humans!

2012.03.02 22:35:32

Seawolf

As the Club nears the phase for open water diving once again, the weekend boat handling sessions are now over. certainly, an interesting time and challenges for those who took part. The exercises under the bridge in Killaloe and the entry to Ballina slip posed the most interesting challenges :-)

Alas, the boat did not come away unscathed, but, at least, the club may hopefully develop a few more qualified coxswains this year. Congrats to Noel, Anthony, Eimhear, Dave, kate, and Frank.

So, now the task of prepping the boat and trailer for the season. Again, john hassett has supported the club by allowing his premises to be used to refurb the boat. We met up on saturday to extract the boat from the water and we gave it a good clean and checked out what needed to be done. The boat was stripped, even the instruments, windsreen &hand rails were removed. Next, the engine service, and an impeller change :-). meanwhile we awaiting the parts to over haul the trailer. That is going to be some job. Still, very necessary. Help will be needed. All voluteers welcome, that means You, members...  :-)

 

Aside from that, Pool training is coming to an end, the trainees are been pushed through the Pool scuba tests and been coached on the last elements of scuba before the inevitable move to open water. It all begins in two weeks time, so the last of the equipment is been searched for from all sources at the moment. Francis Jenkins dropped by to service the compressors and drop back and pick up equipment for service.

 

Martin continues his prep work for the Mon1. Busy times all round!!

 

So, that's it.. Help out and if anyone knows where there is a few euro's, we could do with a few of them right now. 

 

At least the weather is calming, Open Water sea diving not far away. 

 

This year's CFT Dive conference will be welcoming the University of Limerick offically to CFT. Looking forward to the year ahead.

 

 

 

 

 

2012.02.21 12:24:15

SilverFazer2000

I arrived to find Richard trying to enter the code for the fob in reverse, he then mentioned to me privately that he saw the northern lights about 20 min ago. This was not good and things began to get worse as

Johnny appeared to be suffering from man flu but someone said they smelt a whiff of drink....

Read more...

2012.02.13 12:44:55

FaoiDiver

It was great to see both our Chairman and DO braving the elements in Portroe Quarry on Sunday for our first official Open Water Freediving session. Training in a colder environment has many benefits and the main one is to stimulate the human "Mammalian Dive Reflex" which all humans are born with but only very few get to re-awaken in adult life. This Reflex allows humans to dive deeper and longer on breathold with less effort and more ease. I found it facinating watching both Mike and Martin hanging around at 6 metres with such ease especially as both are only 12 months or so at this sport. Martin was returning slowly up the rope using his finger tips as if he was threading a needle and Mike was counting under water with an interesting technique "Missisipi 1,Missisipi 2 etc, etc" for seconds.(Martin did suggest he try Limerick City 1,Limerick City 2 etc,etc but Mike was in the zone). I believe Freedivers training in cold water is similar to a runner training with a parachute attached, once the parachute is removed the runner can run faster and once the freediver hits the warm water after training in cold is a heavenly feeling that has to be experienced to be believed. Well done again guys!

2012.02.12 18:12:43

Bravo

Hi guys,

Now since the Christmas is only a distant memory, and we are three quarters of the way through our pool training, I am glad to say that the new trainees have come on in leaps and bounds, and we have a fantastic bunch of new divers this year.  Also the trainee coxswains have participated in practical training every sunday in lough derg run by our training officer Brian O'Leary.  I have seen these potential coxswains going from strength to strength as the weeks go by, and I am delighted that we will also have a very efficient group of new coxswains this year to add to the clubs skill set.  I am also in the process of putting together a new dive plan for this season, and hopefully we will be able to get away for more long weekends and some new locations, weather permitting of course.  We had a large amount of dives in portroe last year, although there is nothing wrong with that, I would prefer we aim for more sea diving this year.

There is some excellent work going on with the trailer at the moment, and I have been told that new axils and a flush kit are being fitted in the coming weeks.  I never knew the equipment officer was such a good story teller, but he is more like walter mitty instead of charles dickens.

Free diving training started this Sunday in portroe quarry, three hardy members of the club showed up.  Mike Orth, Peter Walsh and myself.  Even though the water was only 7 degrees, we didn't find it so bad with our new apena suits, which make a great seal to the body and I find are a lot warmer than semidrys.  Our training regime was breath holding at 6m and working up bottom times from 35 seconds to 2 minutes, which was achieved by Peter Walsh.  This cold water training is very important to keep the mammalian dive reflex over the winter months, so we will be prepared for the warmer free diving and spear fishing which will be carried out in the summer which we're all looking forward to.  It is great to see that there is a renewed interest in free diving and spear fishing, under the expert guidance of our guru Peter.

See you all in the pool!

Yours in water and out,

Bravo