The oldest beginner in town

Burtonport August 2004

I got so fed up with people raving about diving off Donegal that I had to give it a go … could it be that good?! Up until now (apart from the trainees’Easter weekend, when I was too terrified to experience anything, and a couple of dives in Sardinia, which I won’t rave about, but I could!) my diving experience has been in Dublin Bay, where I’ve become a favourite source of merriment to all types of creatures that live deep in the kelp … they love watching someone who spends his time battling along the bottom, trying very hard to impress his buddy. I’ve become great friends with a seal, so much so that, when she gives me the odd gentle nudge, I’m not sure whether I’m onto something, or if she’s trying to tell me that anyone who is that bad in the water should really leave it to others!
Anyway, after an early start on Friday 6th August, with Jean leading the way and Venus shining brightly, we headed north in convoy. We arrived in Burtonport four hours later in plenty of time to recover from the long journey before diving. It was my first time to visit Burtonport, and it’s an absolutely beautiful place. The mountains, sea, scenery and sunsets are just spectacular.
We got a great welcome from Neill Bannon and the gang. Neill and his wife Peggy were excellent hosts – the door was always open for tea & sambos (or something stronger!), and I had my first experience of going to Aran in the boat for chips at lunchtime! Neill gave freely of his time to cox'n the boat and lead the dives (he has extensive knowledge of the local dive sites). He’s even prepared to share an opinion or two the odd time, without even being asked! Jean and I assumed compressor duty for the weekend … could that be why we got such a welcome?! All I can say is that if there is anywhere that filling bottles (or overfilling … sorry Paul!) is a pleasure, it’s at that beautiful little harbour in Burtonport.
As we were changing into our suits for our first dive disaster struck! A wetsuit longjohn seemed to have vanished from the boot of a car between Dublin & Donegal! Yes it was definitely packed … no it wasn't left on the line …why are you asking stupid questions?! An S.O.S. was immediately relayed to Dublin and, after a flurry of phone calls the suit was found, on the grass in a back garden in Dublin! It seemingly fell out of the box during the course of a hasty spot of packing.
Another flurry of phone calls and the longjohn was on McGeehan's bus bound for Dungloe thanks to the combined efforts of Sis & Spouse … brownie points leaking at a terrible rate in Donegal, but building up nicely in Dublin!
So, what to do in the meantime? The only spare wetsuit within 100 mile radius of Burtonport was kindly offered by Ray. Now the only problem was that Ray is over 6 ft tall, with shoulders (and waist!) to match, while our suitless diver is about 5’6”, with, well, shoulders (and waist!) to match! But what the hell, the water is warm (?), Ray threw in a body warmer for luck, and our diver (who would travel the world for a dive!) is delighted to get kitted out, even with about 6” of fresh air all round! So off we go after adding a bit of weight to compensate for the extra buoyancy. An interesting suggestion from Ray was that you could put on layer upon layer of tights as bottoms … this was our plan B!
We headed off from the harbour in Burtonport towards Aranmore, which is a divers paradise. Apart from the beauty and diversity of the sites, you are virtually guaranteed a calm sheltered spot by the island. Neill nursed the Northcraft through the shallow waters around the harbour, and we were off to Torneady Point, the best choice given the wind direction. The boat trip alone was worth the long drive from Dublin … the rugged landscape was awesome. I couldn’t help but think that, if the underwater scenery was half as spectacular as the landscape above, then we were in for a treat. And when you hear grown men (in diving terms, anyway!!!) raving about dives, then you know they are good. Although I was feeling a bit apprehensive, I couldn’t wait to get under the water. Once we reached the site, Neill as usual had everyone rock & roll smartly, so luckily there was no time to let my apprehension build up too much!
Neill led Jean and me on the first dive. The view was overwhelming as soon as we hit the water … we could see for miles under the crystal clear water from the surface … absolutely brilliant. My heart missed a beat or two when the signal from my eyes to the brain suggested that the bottom must surely be about 500 metres below!! I’m not much of a golfer, either, as you can imagine!
After another quick check that my brakes were working (I’m still not convinced we’re in only 25 metres of water!) we descend among the most breathtaking sights imaginable. The scenery under the water was magic … the sheer walls, valleys, ravines, drop-offs, caves, amphitheatres (!), all with millions of beautiful anemones covering the walls, simply awesome. Although there were complaints from more experienced divers that the anemones weren’t feeding, they made a spectacular splash of colour as far as the eye could see. The water was so clear the sunlight was clearly visible from down below, enhancing the beauty of the landscape. It was a new experience for me swimming through a valley with steep walls rising each side & beautiful colours everywhere (well I am a beginner, after all!). While there wasn’t an abundance of fish around, what was there was beautiful in the crystal clear water. We saw plenty of lobster, crab, mackerel … There was mention of a sunfish, but we weren’t lucky enough to spot it. There’s a strong suspicion that it may have been spotted closer to midnight than midday …!
Our ‘overdressed’ diver had a fantastic dive! Buoyancy was perfect, and no problem with the cold. However the second dive was to bring more misfortune for our intrepid diver.
After lunch we headed off again with even more enthusiasm than before. The lure of the deep blue sea was too strong … we were hooked! We were in the process of kitting up in the boat, with the usual hustle & bustle, grunting & groaning, when a shriek broke through the usual din … ‘oh sh-t, my weightbelt’! We all looked towards this distress call, and there was our diver with the oversize suit, standing, in a state of shock, fully kitted up except for a weightbelt, staring forlornly over the side of the Northcraft! Our gaze shifted to the water, where for a split second the weightbelt seemed to be suspended at about a metre, a final act of defiance! It then slowly disappeared to the bottom. Our diver was close to tears at this stage. It seems that because the suit was severely puckered around the waist it affected the snug fit of the belt. When our diver stood up to secure the BCD the puckered suit flicked the buckle, the belt slid down the bum, then over the pontoon into the water. After the initial shock our diver was very relieved that, if the belt is going to open, then it should happen in the boat rather than at 30 metres below. But a little bit of luck (which we all felt was overdue at this stage) would have had the belt sliding into the boat, not overboard!
Ray, in his absence, was once again to come to the rescue as his weightbelt was adjusted and used for this dive, but where would we get a belt for the rest of the weekend? Although there was a spare belt back in our diver’s house in Dublin, at this stage the missing longjohn was winging it's way cross country on the bus. There was a quick totting up of brownie points to see how things lay, but the ‘reserve’ signal should have been given ages ago … we were clean out of points! There was no way we would get away with another flurry of phone calls, another trip into town by Sis, & another trip to the bus station by Spouse! So much for that idea! Plan B was much better. Neill burrowed deep into the bowels of his car boot (with the help of Rex, I’d imagine!) and found a spare belt that was perfect.
The other dives (we had 5 in all) were as spectacular and enjoyable as before, each one full of wonderful surprises. I had to leave early on Sunday, so didn’t expect to dive, but Neill & Ray very kindly offered to take me out before I left (I was late, of course … apologies guys). With Ray doing dry cox’n, Neill led me on a wreck dive – the Skifjord – a trawler that went down in 1981 just outside the harbour. It’s sad to think that lives were lost when she struck rocks so close to land. The trawler is still intact, and makes for a fantastic dive. We went to a nearby reef as well. A perfect finish to the weekend’s diving, thanks to Neill & Ray.
I headed for Dublin as the others sped off for another fantastic dive. It was a brilliant weekend’s diving. If diving gets any better than this anywhere, then I want to go there! And we missed the most spectacular place of all because the winds were against us. It was named ‘Dickybirds Canyon’ as it was discovered by Peter & Paul! A brilliant name, for what is, we’re told, a brilliant dive. So that’s another excellent reason to go back to Burtonport.
I’ll be forever grateful to Neill & Peggy, Ray & Sarah, and Paul for their hospitality, generosity, & help with the diving over the weekend. I want to say a special thanks to Jean for her encouragement, and for her advice & guidance to help me to smooth out some of the rougher ‘rough edges’ from my diving!
I want to be a good diver, and, more importantly, I want to be a safe diver. I’m certain that I’m a better diver, and a safer diver, after the weekend, thanks to everybody. I know that with the help & encouragement that I get from everyone in the club (including Niall, Shane & all my buddies) I’ll get to the stage where buddies (young & old!!) will feel 100% confident with me leading the dive. They might even say “That guy dives like he’s been at it for the last 30 years, but he can’t be – he’s too young!!”
The one regret I have from the weekend is that when we stopped in Kincasslagh we didn’t have a cup of tea in you-know-who’s house! On second thoughts, the pints were lovely!
One final point … It would be very unfair to reveal the identity of the unfortunate diver was who lost wetsuit bottoms and a weightbelt in the one day! The wetsuit arrived ok (would you believe that a bus that was due to arrive in Dunloe from Dublin at 19:10 came in at …… 19:10?!). However the weightbelt is still lying in about 40 metres off Torneady Point, enjoying that little corner of paradise! If you happen to find it please contact our PRO, who would be more than delighted ….. to pass the word on, that is!!

And very finally … when is the next trip to the west?!!

Anon!!

Back to Newsletter