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Friday - Suzanne
Friday was an early start, it seemed like everyone in London had the same idea for a lovely coastal trip on such a hot day. Paul and I spent the day with George learning coxing. Paul wanted to get hands-on after a couple of days of intensive Royal Yachting training, and George was interested to see if that training lived up to BSAC standards. There were a few pointers that hadn't been covered on the course, but George let us know we were both ready to get in a few solo hours' experience, so we didn't do too bad of a job!
Whilst Google told us Portland was much cooler than London before we arrived, our tan lines and red faces told a much different story! We watched the sun go down at the Cove Inn and enjoyed the sea air from our pre-booked table outside.
Saturday - Mark
The weather was hot and sunny on our first diving day; 25°C rising to 33°C throughout the day. Due to it being my first dive from the RIB, and winds blowing 20 knots from the east with gusts up to 30, we stayed in the harbour.
Donning a drysuit in this heat was a... experience, but getting under the cold shower on the marina and dousings of sea water whilst en route kept the heat manageable (top tip from George using a mask box as a water jug!).
Our first dive of the day was on the landing craft and Bombardon unit, located next to the Sir Tristram at approximately 16m. Visibility was good for the first 6–10 metres, but reduced as we approached the wreck to about 3m.
After getting settled, Paul and I made our way across the landing craft, keeping an eye out for the line leading to the Bombardon unit.
The unit was effectively a large "X" made of concrete and rebar (editor's note: they were all steel), intended to be dragged onto the D-Day landing beaches to help other craft access the beach. There was a small wreck resting against the side of the structure, which was the first thing to emerge from the gloom as we approached.
Visibility improved after ascending a few metres. We could easily make out the shape of the unit and made our way through the "valley" of the X, Paul leading the way and myself following close behind.
At this point I saw a flash down to my right. Initially I assumed it was my torch bouncing off the unit, however a moment later it appeared again. It was large, bigger than me, and incredibly nimble in the water.
It was a Grey Seal! And a big one at that.
I tried in vain to get Paul's attention, tugging at his fins, but he seemed more interested in the crabs next to him. The seal disappeared for a couple of minutes before a familiar grey head poked through a hole in the structure. Paul finally spotted our new friend. It kept its distance but appeared very curious about our presence, watching us for the rest of the dive.
Unfortunately, I started to have some concerns regarding my weighting, feeling a bit too floaty. I communicated this to Paul and we decided to put up the DSMB and end the dive, leaving the seal in peace once more.
Our second dive was on the Countess of Erne, next to the east entrance to the harbour. This was a much more relaxing dive, and we spent nearly 40 minutes swimming up and down the deck, inspecting the open cargo holds and the mast, which still stands upright at the midship.
Sunday - Suzanne
Sunday's dives were again limited to the harbour as the wind had picked up to around 28 knots. The Countess' visibility was definitely showing signs of the weather above water, although the water temperature was lovely, even in a semi-dry.
After a quick lunch back ashore we headed out to the Landing and followed the line to the Bombardon, where we were lucky enough to see another very playful grey seal swimming around us. It seems some have taken to hanging out there, so it's definitely one to visit if you're diving Portland.
Mark did an excellent job of driving us out and back safely and efficiently. All in all, a lovely weekend. Thank you to Paul for organising and dive managing, and to George for the coxswain training. It was an excellent first trip diving around Portland, and I look forward to returning. Hopefully we'll spot our curious grey seal friend again sometime soon.
