Easter 2005 -Killary
My first weekend away with Curragh SAC
by Carina Girvan
My first dive trip, my first dive and my first time
to the west coast. Could I have asked for a better time?
My first open water adventure, or 'dive', took place in Little
Killary. It was a beautiful sunny day and as we swam out from
the shore the excitement in me grew. After some initial first
time nerves my dive buddy and I descended below the water line,
onto sand and into another world. A few moments and a lot of 'OK'
signals later, I was completely relaxed and started looking around
my new environment. At first I didn't really notice much, except
for how easily the sand moved when you touched it and killed the
immediate vis. But after my dive buddy had pointed out a hermit
crab or two, I found I couldn't stop noticing things, which as
a complete newbie, I had to share with someone (if you ever dive
with me and think there is a seal nibbling your fins, it's probably
me wanting to show you something).
During the two shore dives in Little Killary, I found it a wonderful
sensation when I got my buoyancy just right and I could just hang
in the water, completely relaxed. Turning over I looked up to
see the sun glinting on top of the water. Turning back I
began a close inspection of a very tiny starfish, only to have
a huge one come and attack me! Actually it was just John wanting
to show it to me and placing it so close to my mask that I got
a huge shock.
The second and third days of diving were off RIBs - a huge learning
curve for all trainees. Again the first of these had me feeling
somewhat nervous but again that quickly subsided and my fascination
with the life underwater resumed. Each of these dives were wall
dives at different locations, sometimes the walls would appear
to be a blanket of colourful anomies or brittle stars at other
times we had to search gaps with torches. With a greater variety
of life it was difficult to get bored but occasionally the cold
would cut a dive slightly short.
The final dive was agreed by many to be one of the best of the
weekend. While some saw shoals of Pollock, shrimp and edible crabs,
others got a first look at a conger looking out from its gap in
the rocks.
While a few pieces of lost gear were quickly remedied and the
hazards of handing weight belts into the boat will never be forgotten
by some, for everyone involved it was a very enjoyable weekend.
The weather was fantastic and the area surrounding Killary is
truly majestic, carved mountains reaching down to golden sands
and clear blue water. That combined with great company and great
dive sites, made the weekend unforgettable.
Photos of Killary
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