Lyme Bay - June 04


It seemed like no time at all since our visit in October last year and it was very clear why Steve had set up another trip. The weather was glorious and the ice cream was excellent. We added the St Dunstan and Gibel Hamam to our log books as well as squeezing in another dive on the Bagitano and a drift along the Tesco ledges. I think the vis was better than last year and John Walker, the skipper of Miss Pattie, was just as helpful. Many, many thanks to Steve for setting the trip up, entirely hassle free - apart from David's kit decomposing! As usual click on the first thumbnail and then 'next preview' to step through the whole gallery. I think I may have overdone the Jewel Anemone pictures but hang on for the cuttlefish.

The Roman style toilet bench at the back of Miss Pattie was very popular just before dives
IMG_6323.JPG 		The St Dunstan was covered in Jewel anemones
IMG_6355.JPG 		The colonies are made up of single colours - they don't like to mix
IMG_6363.JPG 		Aren't they cute?
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More jewel anemones
IMG_6380.JPG 		They look very different under a white light
IMG_6383.JPG 		Plumose anemones seem very dull in comparison
IMG_6384.JPG 		The Bib around the wreck were out in force
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Dawn near the engine of the Bagitano
IMG_6439.JPG 		The shot is often dropped near the two boilers
IMG_6444.JPG 		Vivid orange fan worm
IMG_6450.JPG 		Like shaggy mushrooms aren't they?
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A Flabellina nudibranch
IMG_6488.JPG 		The polyps on a Dead Mans Finger
IMG_6492.JPG 		They're like minature, glassy anemones
IMG_6494.JPG 		These often look to be a delicate blue until you replace the ambient light
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Dead Mans Finger
IMG_6498.JPG 		Dawn's new gloves make all her signals much easier to understand
IMG_6502.JPG 		It was the sunniest weekend of the year so far
IMG_6503.JPG 		Sarah fell asleep guarding her kit from air thieves
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The spiralling filaments of fan worms
IMG_6511.JPG 		Fanworms
IMG_6517.JPG 		These little brown anemones looked liked they'd be more exciting under strobe light
IMG_6520.JPG 		These tiny worms were speckled amongst the sponges
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There were a good few Tompot Blennies on each site
IMG_6530.JPG 		Candy Striped Flatworms outnumbered nudibranches
IMG_6534.JPG 		We met up with Craig's cuttlefish from last year
IMG_6542.JPG 		He looked a bit sad
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and wouldn't play for us
IMG_6554.JPG 		At leat he didn't just bolt
IMG_6561.JPG 		This was a very sleepy dogfish
IMG_6578.JPG 		Who knew Rock Cooks had pearly teeth?
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A velvet crab doing a wheely!
IMG_6584.JPG 		Leopard Spotted Goby
IMG_6585.JPG 		A spider crab's face
IMG_6592.JPG 		Best nudibrach of the weekend - Limacia clavigera - I think
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Rob Spray.