A contest for the best seafaring/fishing story...
BBC NEWS | England | Cornwall | Seafarers' fishy tales are sought
BBC NEWS | England | Cornwall | Seafarers' fishy tales are sought
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Any good stories? (UK only)
- Thread starternaiad
- Start date
Thread Status: Hello
, There was no answer in this thread for more than 60 days.
It can take a long time to get an up-to-date response or contact with relevant users.
It can take a long time to get an up-to-date response or contact with relevant users.
Not exactly a story but...
Once I was walking past a dockyard on the south coast, on a very hot day. There was an area of water which was probably a mixture of sea and fresh water, cut off from the rest of the sea and about 2m deep. Not only was it very clear, but there were thousands of tiny fish of about 4cm long, shiny blue, red and green. They looked very much like Neon Tetras, but I knew that they could not be, as those are found in the Amazon, so would be a long way from home. Also they were not moving fast, just suspended in large shoals. Some were red and blue, and others brown and green. I eventually realised that they were Sticklebacks. They are common in the UK, but I have never seen so many at one time, and in breeding colours too.
Once I was walking past a dockyard on the south coast, on a very hot day. There was an area of water which was probably a mixture of sea and fresh water, cut off from the rest of the sea and about 2m deep. Not only was it very clear, but there were thousands of tiny fish of about 4cm long, shiny blue, red and green. They looked very much like Neon Tetras, but I knew that they could not be, as those are found in the Amazon, so would be a long way from home. Also they were not moving fast, just suspended in large shoals. Some were red and blue, and others brown and green. I eventually realised that they were Sticklebacks. They are common in the UK, but I have never seen so many at one time, and in breeding colours too.
Naiad I can remember the first time I cam across sticklebacks when I was a boy 7 I thought they were escaped tropical fish!
I have just remembered a story one member told recently I will be back if I can find it - found this by James T
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OK so now for a salutary tale of diving alone on the Gower.
After the last successful, if painful, trip to the Gower which Scottie and I took I decided to head out alone on Friday as my buddy was off working in Weymouth. I was working in Newbury and thought I would drive straight from there - past home in Bristol - down to the Gower for a couple of hours fishing.
Mistake # 1. Travelling light because of the long distance I decide against taking the kayak. (next time take the Kayak and anchor - so I can get back...)
Mistake # 2. I got down to the coast of choice at about 5pm after slack water with the promise of a 10m rising tide. I assumed the current would be pushing me on-shore... (next time dive on the slack and with small tides only - maybe take a look at the local currents - or talk to someone who knows what they are doing.)
Mistake # 3. I knew it was getting a bit late so took a torch in case it turned into a night dive. Also took a goody bag. Tied the whole works to my float - very heavy, lots of drag. (don't carry so much gear...)
Mistake # 4. The water looked a bit muddy in close but I thought it might get better further out. (it didn't)
Mistake # 5. I got in the water. (based on all the evidence only the most desperate loser would get into that soup.)
I swam out for about 500m passing clear patches of water diving occasionally and thinking I was going to be OK on the swim back in, but also thinking the swim out was easier than expected. I found my spot and started to dive. It was only when I stopped and tried to maintain my position I realised I was swimming in a bloody offshore river!!
It was hard to see this on the surface - but when I got down to the bottom the weed was horizontal on the bottom being blown flat - I had to hide in gullies to stay still - but my heavy float kept pulling me up!
The vis on the bottom changed from 3m to 1ft in the course of a single agachon - very spooky. (I need a few 'being manly' tips - foxfish if you have some that would be helpful.)
On the surface I couldn't stay over my spot - i was gradually being swept out to sea. I tried for a little while to swim against the current - but decided to swim at right angles to the cliffs and try to climb up.
This was good strategy - I clambered up in between the large swells that had started to crash on to the rocks - tearing the arse out of my wetsuit in the process.
I climbed up the shallow cliff to the woodland on top - Luckily for me I found a path through the woods back towards my car. By now it was getting dark - at last a reason for my huge C8 torch.
Unluckily for me the path had been designed to take in the most scenic of all possible routes across the headland, and with no choice but to stick to it. I clambered along in my new(ish) wetsuit socks stumbling over 'evil dead' style roots and through 'blair witch' style clearings until I emerged sweating into the deserted cemetary... Full moon, the works... Fortunately there were no red neck locals al la 'Deliverance' waiting to jump me from the shadows (I was the only red neck in the bushes.)
I e v e n t u a l l y got back to my car in the dark. With sole less wetsuit socks. A little more educated on the Gower, but probably none the wiser.
(FYI - The Bristol Channel has one of the greatest tidal ranges in the world)
I have just remembered a story one member told recently I will be back if I can find it - found this by James T
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
OK so now for a salutary tale of diving alone on the Gower.
After the last successful, if painful, trip to the Gower which Scottie and I took I decided to head out alone on Friday as my buddy was off working in Weymouth. I was working in Newbury and thought I would drive straight from there - past home in Bristol - down to the Gower for a couple of hours fishing.
Mistake # 1. Travelling light because of the long distance I decide against taking the kayak. (next time take the Kayak and anchor - so I can get back...)
Mistake # 2. I got down to the coast of choice at about 5pm after slack water with the promise of a 10m rising tide. I assumed the current would be pushing me on-shore... (next time dive on the slack and with small tides only - maybe take a look at the local currents - or talk to someone who knows what they are doing.)
Mistake # 3. I knew it was getting a bit late so took a torch in case it turned into a night dive. Also took a goody bag. Tied the whole works to my float - very heavy, lots of drag. (don't carry so much gear...)
Mistake # 4. The water looked a bit muddy in close but I thought it might get better further out. (it didn't)
Mistake # 5. I got in the water. (based on all the evidence only the most desperate loser would get into that soup.)
I swam out for about 500m passing clear patches of water diving occasionally and thinking I was going to be OK on the swim back in, but also thinking the swim out was easier than expected. I found my spot and started to dive. It was only when I stopped and tried to maintain my position I realised I was swimming in a bloody offshore river!!
It was hard to see this on the surface - but when I got down to the bottom the weed was horizontal on the bottom being blown flat - I had to hide in gullies to stay still - but my heavy float kept pulling me up!
The vis on the bottom changed from 3m to 1ft in the course of a single agachon - very spooky. (I need a few 'being manly' tips - foxfish if you have some that would be helpful.)
On the surface I couldn't stay over my spot - i was gradually being swept out to sea. I tried for a little while to swim against the current - but decided to swim at right angles to the cliffs and try to climb up.
This was good strategy - I clambered up in between the large swells that had started to crash on to the rocks - tearing the arse out of my wetsuit in the process.
I climbed up the shallow cliff to the woodland on top - Luckily for me I found a path through the woods back towards my car. By now it was getting dark - at last a reason for my huge C8 torch.
Unluckily for me the path had been designed to take in the most scenic of all possible routes across the headland, and with no choice but to stick to it. I clambered along in my new(ish) wetsuit socks stumbling over 'evil dead' style roots and through 'blair witch' style clearings until I emerged sweating into the deserted cemetary... Full moon, the works... Fortunately there were no red neck locals al la 'Deliverance' waiting to jump me from the shadows (I was the only red neck in the bushes.)
I e v e n t u a l l y got back to my car in the dark. With sole less wetsuit socks. A little more educated on the Gower, but probably none the wiser.
(FYI - The Bristol Channel has one of the greatest tidal ranges in the world)
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