Location: Chesil Cove

30th of May 1999 to 30th of May 1999

Keith Abbott organised this dive as a training dive and in order to catch the tide high and the car park low he requested a 7:30 am start. Naturally the car park was full and it was going to be a struggle to get 20 meters above our gauges. The beach was empty at our arrival, except for an elderly chap checking if I’d caught any mackerel! I politely told him that it was a bank holiday Sunday and that he’d probably not find any fishermen working there today. He walked off disappointed.

Getting all the gear to the beach meant a slippery slide down the steep cobbled bank but we managed that without any breakages. Keith briefly explained the dive plans for the day, and noticing the 1 meter drop in tide, requested we’d start immediately. Dave King was leading the first dive and Jack Wallace and me were to do a couple of exercises with Keith keeping an eye.

Conditions were perfect. A mild north-easterly with a slight swell and brilliant vis of about 10-15 m. Wrasse, spider crabs, large cuttle fish and lots of other life waited for us to play with them but unfortunately we had to ignore them in our attempt to gain some depth. Jack however could not resist their seduction, his face disappearing below various rocks and weeds. Dave’s only option was to stick several “OK’s” and “This Way, Now!” right in front of his mask. Exercises were (mostly) carried out and it was now a matter of completing a graceful exit.

Those who have already dived Chesil will either chuckle or curse their memories of this delightful spot. All of us, except perhaps for Keith, needed several clumsy attempts in extracting ourselves from the sea. And after having done four dives over two days I am now convinced that no method exists that is guaranteed to work. Once out of the water, knees bruised and lungs full of salt, we could only watch and laugh hilariously at 200 other divers undergoing the same routine. Although Dave very kindly helped one stranger who had lost her bottle (no pun intended!).

Our quiet spot of one hour earlier had filled up a bit by now. We where truly blessed with our instructor to pupil ratio. A group of 15 heads bobbing on the surface, intently listening to one chap as they slowly disappeared from view (…come to think of it, I can’t recall their return…)

The afternoon was pretty much the same. Richard Aston joining the slapstick in the surf, his family looking on bemused. Training for him, Jack and Keith. Keith successfully testing his continuous-loop SMB. Dave and I playing with pipe fish and being followed by a giant cuttle fish.

Everyone happy after a good day diving.

Print this report

• View all Dive Reports