The Portmagee Channel provided not only a scenic backdrop for our stay in Kerry this year, but also a convenient resting place for our RIBs, as the cottages came with two moorings out in the channel. This was a great convenience, as we could walk from our houses, down the beach, and straight out into the RIBs (apart from the cox’n who had to swim out into the channel first thing).
No trip down that part of the world would be complete without a trip to the Skelligs, and Willie Kennedy was on hand to lend his big RIB for the purpose. Even though the conditions weren’t ideal, the trip itself is always worthwhile, especially for those doing it for the first time. We dived on the North side of the small Skellig, in a sheltered cuas which gave ample protection against wind and tide, so that everybody, trainees included, was able to enjoy this spectacular offshore diving. Judging by some of the perma-grins coming back, this was well appreciated.
For most of the rest of the week, northerly winds – and maybe a slight lack of imagination – confined us to Cuas Diarmada, just outside the channel on the Valentia side. This small site gave us plenty of variety, and there were few complaints about coming back to it so often. The cave on the west end was quite spectacular, but there were plenty of other features; gullies, swim-throughs, and all the marine life you would expect from our Irish waters in Summer, as well as some specimens that had our experienced divers reaching for their encyclopedias.
The whole week went well, and was relatively incident free. Try telling that to our leading-diver candidates though! With the Baltimore weekend fast approaching, they were put through their paces on every dive, with an imaginative array of out-of-water incidents showcasing not only the medical knowledge and fast reactions of the DODs, but also the fabulous method-acting of some of our club members.
Some of us went on the Regional Weekend in Caherdaniel afterwards, but that’s another blog…
