"Life's a bitch"

The water is flat calm, it is slack water and there is hardly any wind. The inflatable is anchored and I am carrying out my last checks on my equipment before I start my dive. I check my air is turned on, give the OK signal to the cox'n and roll backwards into the water. I surface, give the OK signal and swim to the anchor line. I dump all the air out of my suit and ablj (alternative buoyancy life jacket), give the signal I'm going to descend then duck dive under the surface and follow the anchor line to the bottom. The water is quite murky, at first I can see for only about 6m due to the excessive amount of plankton in the water and hundreds of jelly fish of all shapes and sizes. From those that send lights flashing all along their sides, to the almost clear (except for four rings in their centre) compass jelly fish, to the large Lions Main with its long tentacles that stream out in all directions.

I carry on down the anchor line and at 10 meters the water suddenly clears as the temperature drops slightly and I can see the bottom. 1 clear my ears and carry on down, reaching the bottom at 30m, after checking my buoyancy I check that the anchor is secure and commence my dive. I can see for about 20m and the sand here is almost mud, I'll not find any scallops here although there are plenty of brown crabs. I swim on up the slope to 28m where the sand becomes more coarse, and there are star fish of different varieties scattered around. Unusual starfish, like sun dial or crown of thorn to the more common ones that you see on the rocks and beaches. I see my first scallop at 27m, a good size of 5-6 inches, I shake open my goodie bag and drop it in, the scallops are plentiful here, as it is too steep and close to rocks for the dredgers to get at them. I carry on up the slope and at 18m I hit the reef, it runs in at right angles to the shore, I follow the margin between sand and reef still collecting scallops. There is more life here as the creatures of the sea can hide among the rocks if they are threatened. A flat fish decides to follow me, but always just out of reach. As I start to ascend the rocks are covered with soft corals, sponges of all colours and dead mens fingers are a riot of colour in the sand. There are large plum rose anemones and even Fan shells that have not been seen anywhere, other than warm waters like the Mediterranean. As I start to swim over the rocks at 15m with my scallop bag full, the fish life is becoming more abundant, with shoals of whiting and pollock and even the odd dogfish here and there, but keeping safe close to the rocks are cuckoo wrass and sea cucumbers. The kelp forest starts at around this depth reaching up towards the surface, hiding the small fry and sea urchins of all sizes. Hermit crabs scurry away from me as I approach, but basking in the rocks, lie the squat lobsters, with their bright orange and electric blue colours shimmering in the sun light, as it filters down from the surface. I carry on up the slope to around 10m, it is time to go straight to the surface. I slightly inflate my ablj and head slowly to the surface. On breaking the surface I fully inflate my ablj to keep afloat, (much easier than treading water!!) give the O.K signal to the boat, lay back clutching my goodie bag of scallops and enjoy the peace and tranquillity while the boat motors along to pick me up out of the water. That's if the cox'n is awake! It's a hard life - but someone has to do it!!!

J.H.