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My car was giving me gyp starting earlier in the week, so I drove Edinburgh to the Corran Ferry in one go. I had visions of it not starting when we arrived, and having to keep paying my £6.20 ferry fare to travel back and forth until the RAC turned up!
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It was a lovely sunny evening as we crossed Loch Linnhe.
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Bright sunshine, blue sky, and still some snow on the peaks in the distance. What more could you ask for other than a reliable car...
...fortunately it didn't let me down this time!
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The next day dive 1 was on the Rondo but I didn't take my camera as my buddy hadn't dived for a while and it's a deepish dive. This is Derek on our second dive, on the Thesis.
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Looking out from the forward section through the frames of the hull. The plates are mostly long gone, rusted away.
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Phil popping up to deck level.
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The Thesis seems to be covered with these this year - not quite sure what they are!
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Basking in sunshine during a surface interval - time for a bite of lunch too!
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The third dive of the day was with Paul, on a rocky reef. Some folks went off to bag some scallops but we dived it as a scenic. This starfish looks like it isn't touching the bottom - in fact the hundreds of small legs underneath were propelling it at high speed!
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A minescule hermit crab in a shell only about 5mm in diameter.
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This squat lobster appears to be eating a dead fish - I can't imagine it caught it for itself though!
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Dead mens fingers.
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Burrowing anemone on a sandy patch, just waiting for something tasty to drift past.
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A queen scallop quietly going about its own business. Sad to say this specimen ended up in Pauls goody bag after I snapped it.
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This velvet swimming crab seemed to be kicking up a sandstorm to disguise itself.
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We got back quite early, so I decided to go for a bit of a walk before dinner. Here are some logs on the commercial pier at Lochaline.
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Ardtornish Castle, just across Loch Aline from our accomodation.
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We were staying in the Old Post Office self catering accomodation, supplied by Lochaline Dive Centre
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The Old Post Office with the sun behind.
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In remote places like Lochaline, scrappies and breakers yards are a long way away. Old vehicles and trailers are often just abandoned.
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View across to Mull from a small beach near the Old Post Office. With the sun out it looks very Mediterranean!
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Another sunny view, this time across the beach.
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My wanderings next took me along to Lochaline ferry terminal, where the "Loch Fyne" was just coming in from Mull.
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The two boats of Lochaline Boat Charters, Brendan and Peregrine. I've been on the Brendan about 3 or 4 times now, but for this trip we were on the Peregrine. Both make great diving platforms.
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A leaking tap on the pier sprays water in the sunshine.
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The ferry loading vehicles for its return trip across to Mull.
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Just up the coast from the ferry terminal is a Silica Sand Mine, first opened in WWII to supply high quality optical equipment manufacturers. Some of the old machinery has been left out as an informal exhibit.
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Entrance to one of the mine tunnels.
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A much smaller, and presumably older, tunnel entrance.
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Sand waiting to be loaded onto a ship for transport to its destination.
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Large blocks of raw material waiting to go through the grinders.
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Walking up a zig-zagging track toward some of the modern tunnels, I saw movement on the hill above me and saw a couple of Deer.
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The larger one was watching me intently, and made a few loud barking noises - I'm not sure if it was trying to frighten me...
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When I came round the corner in the track, there were 8 deer just standing there facing me. They didn't seem fazed by my presence at all.
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In fact, they stood their ground and as I got closer I started to feel a little intimidated...
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Back down the hill there were sand storage areas with small leaks of sand flowing between the panels.
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The sun setting behind the trees was my cue to return to the accomdation for dinner.
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A final snap on the way back - a Mini headlamp cluster catching the light (I might have enhanced this just a little...)
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Day two starts with a beautiful wall dive where there were plenty of these football sea squirts.
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These wee squatties are so bold, this guy was waving claws and antennae at me very threateningly!
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There were a few of these peacock worms on the wall, one of the more spectacularly beautiful creatures to my eye.
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A little sea scorpion resting on a piece of seaweed isn't as well camoflaged as he might like to think!
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A little nudibranch (sea slug, white blob!) grazing on some algae.
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A close up of a dead mans finger, the macarbre name of these soft corals.
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More dead mens fingers, orange and white growing alongside each other.
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I love these little green and pink Devonshire Cup Corals with their crowns of tentacles, but they are really hard to photograph. Must try harder next time!
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Sea Pens wave gently in the current along the wall.
6 dives in two days, great weather, congenial company, all the food you could possibly eat and the odd pint. What a fab weekend.
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