Night Chills

Finally conditions look good for a night dive! I got my gear together and trekked out across the long expanse of sand exposed by the low tide, trying to ignore the wind biting through my wetsuit. Mask on, gun loaded camera running and I flop face down into the shallows and get under way. The first thing I notice is that it's very cold, and very clear which is a huge relief as this mark is often a real disappointment in terms of visibility. The second thing I notice is that there is a fish at the edge of my torch light, I freeze and slowly inch forward, it's a Bream, who unfortunately for him is coming home with me for dinner.

After a wrestle in the dark with the fish I realise it's a Gilthead Bream, I've never caught one before but have heard good things about them (and indeed when cooked the next day it was one of the tastiest bits of fish I've ever had, superb!).

It's a great start, followed by an hour of seeing very little, I head off around an island and see some mullet (which I leave to fight another day) but very little other life. In fact I start to get a little spooked out there alone in the dark. The human brain is a funny thing, despite knowing there is nothing to be scared of it still doesn't like being out in the sea in the dark :) At times like this I clamp down on those feelings and don't let them get the better of me.

When I come back into the shallows nearly where I started suddenly the sea comes alive again, in amongst the fields of sea grass, string weed and kelp I come across a fantastic cuttlefish, always one of my favourite creatures to encounter. As I was watching it I notice something big moving in the kelp underneath it and my adrenaline spikes, just for a second I think it's the mother of all Sea bass and I'll be eating well for a week. Then a big old Bull Huss emerges from the weed, certainly the biggest I've ever seen, about 3ft long. I'm torn for a moment between filming the fish or the cuttle, but in the end manage both. What a treat :)

On the final stretch, I encounter lots of crabs, also the area is dotted with mermaids Purses (dog fish eggs) and I also encounter a lovely shoal of Sea trout, rounding off a really fantastic night.

The Best Laid Plans.....

Well I got blind sided by work which has but the breaks on my fitness drive. A month without a proper day off has left me without much energy to run etc.

I have got in the sea a couple of times with mixed results. The good news is there are fish around and I got my first Mullet of the year, which went down a treat barbecued in foil with lemon, line, chilli and soy sauce. Sunshine and fresh fish!

On the down side, on the few shallow dives I tried I got terrible pain in my teeth, probably from sinus blockage or possibly tooth squeeze, a bit of googling informs me that sinus pain can often feel like tooth pain.. A trip to the dentist / doctors may be in order I will see how my next dive goes. I might try some decongestants and see if that makes any difference.

In the meantime I have put together a best of compilation of some of my spear fishing footage. I hope you enjoy it.

It begins....

My breathe holds are shocking. I'm currently struggling with a two minute dry static. However I've started running and today had my first (quick) dive of the year. The water felt freezing, the visibility was quite poor and my suit seems to have developed several leaks. It was great to get back in the water though and my friendly seal came to say hello. She seemed quite cagey probably because I have been away so long.

My gloves have no fingers (wear from loading my gun) and it turns out my boots have holes in the soles which I hadn't noticed. It's definitely time for some new gear. I'm looking at a 6mm Elios made to measure suit, new boots and new gloves. When I'm all wrapped up I might venture in for a night dive, but it will probably take a month or so for the suit to arrive.

In fact I've just ordered the suit ( from Spearo ). In the meantime I'm going to set about repairing my suit enough to get in for a night dive.... watch this space.

Resolutions

The last 6 months have been... up and down to say the least. I've let my training go and lost touch a little with the ocean. But it's a new year and a new start. It's going to be a tough start as I haven't been living the most healthy of lifestyles, worst of all I started smoking again so I have a tough road ahead of me. I went for my first surf in, well in about 6 months, last week and it was quickly evident how out of shape I am.

So – resolutions:

1st and most importantly stop smoking.

2nd cut down on my drinking.

3rd Get fit.

4th Get back in the sea.

5th Update this blog more often.

There is a danger this is going to turn into a fitness blog for a bit but I will try and keep it on topic.

Wish me luck!