Trip Report - Click here for images

Although Valentia Island was pencilled in for the Easter trip away, a last minute problem with accommodation necessitated a change of venue. Dingle / Daingean Uí Chúis was the perfectly acceptable alternative for all bar Mike “Diving in Dingle / Daingean Uí Chúis is crap” Whitty. With memories of Kilkee still fresh in the mind, a sit-down with Lugh and his people took place prior to the trip south. After some tough negotiations, a deal was hammered out guaranteeing excellent weather for the weekend. The club did have to make some concessions to secure this deal – more on these later. In order to alleviate traffic congestion on the N7, arrivals in Dingle / Daingean Uí Chúis were staggered. Martello I arrived on Thursday evening, Martello II arrived on Friday morning and Mandy I and Mandy II arrived down Friday evening. If we name the boats, why not name the compressors? The rather mellow Blue Zone was the venue for a few beers on Thursday night. Accommodations for regular club members were at Radharc Na Mara while the club glitterati resided at the exclusive enclave of Ard Na Mara which was to be found higher up the hill. In all six houses were rented and the only complaint was that the upstairs bedroom in each house was a little claustrophobic.

On Friday morning, a snorkel off the beach adjacent to the harbour entrance provided an opportunity for some dolphin-spotting - an activity that was to be repeated a number of times over the weekend. In the afternoon, both RIBs were launched from the slip in the marina. A second attempt to launch Martello II (into orbit) was made a little later at Crow Rock by Harvey Weinstein. Fortunately this launch attempt was abandoned much to the relief of those on board….not to mention our insurance company. Diving over the weekend took place mostly around Crow Rock and the imposing, Sphinx-like Stack to be found to the east of the harbour entrance. In general, diving conditions were fine with good visibility to be had throughout the weekend. On Good Friday evening, members convened at House #20 for a short prayer service followed by a light meal of water and unleavened bread. We then returned to our own houses for some quite meditation on the true meaning of Easter.

On Saturday morning both RIBs headed for the Stack while Crow Rock was the destination for the afternoon dive. For those wise enough to book in advance (and those who mooched their way in), an excellent meal was to be had at the delightful Out Of The Blue seafood restaurant opposite the marina on Saturday evening. The food was excellent, the service attentive and the Ann Summers party at the adjacent table was quite a turn-on. We dropped into Paudi’s Bar in the nearby Dingle (Daingean Uí Chúis) Bay Hotel for a few beers and the presentation of a brand spanking new dry suit to birthday-girl Louise. My birthday is in late January and a 6m RIB and trailer would be a perfectly acceptable gift.

On Sunday morning a trip to the Blasket Islands for a dive off the Great Blasket was arranged for 0730 hours. Surprisingly only one RIB was required for this trip. In the afternoon, the club made another attempt to gain an entry in the Guinness Book Of Records. Not content with our exploits at the 10Km Underwater record in 2000, the club attempted to beat the “How Many People Can We Cram Onto A RIB Without It Sinking” record. Alas despite a concerted effort, both RIBs remained afloat and our record-breaking attempt came unstuck. After a trip around the town that evening to locate a restaurant that wasn’t fully booked, we converged on O’Flaherty’s for a few pints and a session.

On Monday, the last dive of the weekend took place at Crow Rock before both RIBs were taken from the water, hosed down and hoisted on their trailers for the trip home. Thanks to Leah for arranging a great alternative to Valentia at such short notice and to Mike et al for their DO endeavours. Thanks too to Pat Mc, Peter F and John G for towing. As indicated previously, some concessions had to be made in our negotiations with Lugh in order to guarantee fine weather for Easter. Alas weather for the May Bank Holiday in Donegal will consist of wintry showers of sleet and snow, sub-zero temperatures and a plague of locusts. Weather in Egypt will be warm and sunny with temperatures reaching a balmy 30C.

15th April, 2007

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