Diving
St Abbs Dives
I've dived at St Abbs 35 times:
Dive number | Date | Site | Location | Area | Country | Wreck | Freshwater | Depth (m) | Bottom time (min) | Total time (min) | Divers | Quality | Summary | Equipment |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 |
24 Feb 1980 | St Abbs | South side of the Firth of Forth | Forth | Scotland | 12 | 20 | 20 | Iain Hosking, Derek Borthwick | Dived with Derek Borthwick. Used Susan's valve after problems with club one. Water temp warm. Saw masses of sea urchins, starfish, crabs, squat lobsters & other smaller invertebrates. | Draeger (45 cu ft), Susan's Sportsways valve, & weight belt | |||
9 |
27 Apr 1980 | St Abbs | South side of the Firth of Forth | Forth | Scotland | 12 | 20 | 20 | Iain Hosking, Mike Malone | A very interesting dive, with Mike Malone. Snorkelled out to Cathedral Rock, examined anemones, starfish & found a (small) lobster. Played football & swam through the arches. Vis good, about 15 feet. Weather bright and sunny and hot. Did some snorkelling afterwards. | Own dv, ABLJ 6 | |||
33 |
29 Mar 1981 | St Abbs | South side of the Firth of Forth | Forth | Scotland | 10 | 25 | 25 | Iain Hosking, Malcolm Gauld | Cold & choppy. Down immediately and out to left of harbour. Found a tunnel. Strong wave action and I repeat, very cold. OK, I enjoyed myself. | ABLJ 3, steel 69 | |||
34 |
5 Apr 1981 | St Abbs | South side of the Firth of Forth | Forth | Scotland | 17 | 30 | 30 | Iain Hosking, Eric Franz | Followed same gully as last time but missed the tunnel. Found two spider crabs making friends. Not so cold as last time but a slight current. | ABLJ 3, steel 69 | |||
55 |
14 Jun 1981 | St Abbs | South side of the Firth of Forth | Forth | Scotland | 13 | 25 | 25 | Iain Hosking, Malcolm Gauld | Took dry suit for its first outing, inaugurating a new period of comfort and warmth. Swam around Cathedral and studied squidgy things. | Dry suit, twin Draegers, SLJ, extra 8lbs weight. | |||
59 |
19 Jul 1981 | St Abbs | South side of the Firth of Forth | Forth | Scotland | 15 | 25 | 25 | Iain Hosking, Eric Franz | 2nd dive of the day. Didn't find Cathedral probably due to current but good fun anyway. Darker, almost monochromatic, and poorer vis: 7m or so. | Steel 69 | |||
64 |
13 Sep 1981 | St Abbs | South side of the Firth of Forth | Forth | Scotland | 13 | 40 | 40 | Iain Hosking, Eric Franz | Had difficulty finding Cathedral at first but found it at the second attempt. Far more fish than before - two wrasse (very curious), shoal of pollack or saithe + one larger one. Many smaller fish. Also large lobster sharing crevice with squat lobster and crab. Breathed from air bubble in arch using snorkel. Vis 8m. Very warm (new woolly bear). | Own tank: 82 cu ft. 150 ats used. | |||
72 |
18 Oct 1981 | St Abbs | South side of the Firth of Forth | Forth | Scotland | 9 | 40 | 40 | Iain Hosking, Eric Franz | Very low tide so Cathedral Rock easy to find. Usual pollack etc, pair of wrasse and sea-scorpions. Vis 3-4m. A little chilly. | own | |||
73 |
24 Jan 1982 | St Abbs | South side of the Firth of Forth | Forth | Scotland | 13 | 30 | 30 | Iain Hosking, Dougie McEwan | Very good to get back in the water again. Sea calm but very murky - archway in Cathedral barely visible. Followed Dougie around rocks SE of Cathedral and found another tunnel. Day notable for the reappearance of Susan (and Dougie!) on the diving scene. No wrasse, or any other fish. Resident lobster pinched by an English club. | own | |||
82 |
4 Apr 1982 | St Abbs | South side of the Firth of Forth | Forth | Scotland | 14 | 20 | 20 | Iain Hosking, Susan Playfair | Excellent dive - good u/w communication. | own | |||
104 |
30 May 1982 | St Abbs | South side of the Firth of Forth | Forth | Scotland | 12 | 30 | 30 | Iain Hosking, Ceri Reid, Susan Playfair | Low tide, good vis (10m). Wrasse, flounder and smaller fish, squat lobsters etc. Swam around Cathedral and elsewhere. Suit dry again after repairs. So was Susan's (much appreciated). | own | |||
108 |
18 Jul 1982 | St Abbs | South side of the Firth of Forth | Forth | Scotland | 15 | 60 | 60 | Iain Hosking, Dougie McEwan, Mike Malone | Ace dive, with Dougie and Mike. Visibility exceptional - 60 feet at least, and bright sunlight. Long, leisurely dive. Saw conger in crevice - bluish-grey, and 5 or 6 feet long, judging from the size of its head. Hundreds of saithe, several wrasse (one of which Mike hand-fed) and a butterfish - not brown but pink, same colour as seaweed. Sinuses OK at last! | own | |||
109 |
25 Jul 1982 | St Abbs | South side of the Firth of Forth | Forth | Scotland | 13 | 45 | 45 | Iain Hosking, Ceri Reid, Susan Playfair | Fed wrasse, made much use of underwater communications system. | own | |||
124 |
19 Sep 1982 | St Abbs | South side of the Firth of Forth | Forth | Scotland | 14 | 50 | 50 | Iain Hosking, Dougie McEwan, Eric Franz, Grace Franz | Dived with Dougie, Eric and Grace. Swam to Cathedral via gully. Wrasse, pollack, nudibranchs, lobsters (one of which we caught, but returned of course, being conservation-minded divers). Vis crap. Current. | own | |||
128 |
28 Nov 1982 | St Abbs | South side of the Firth of Forth | Forth | Scotland | 15 | 20 | 20 | Iain Hosking, Grace Franz, Julian Fuchs | Dived with Grace (because Eric's suit sprang a leak) and Julian Fuchs. Vis very poor, strong swell and current. Not ideal. Swam out to Cathedral underwater. Saw nothing. Swam back against current. | own | |||
129 |
13 Feb 1983 | St Abbs | South side of the Firth of Forth | Forth | Scotland | 12 | 20 | 20 | Iain Hosking, Grace Franz | Bloody awful. Vis less than 1 metre. Freezing cold, sea life all gone south for the winter, suit leaked. | own | |||
134 |
19 Jun 1983 | St Abbs | South side of the Firth of Forth | Forth | Scotland | 10 | 40 | 40 | Iain Hosking, Eric Franz | Salvaged something from the day with an excellent dive at Cathedral. Good vis. Tame wrasse back, bolder than ever. 4 boats off Cathedral! | own | |||
161 |
12 Feb 1984 | St Abbs | South side of the Firth of Forth | Forth | Scotland | 10 | 15 | 15 | Iain Hosking, Paul Faccenda | Took Paul Faccenda for his first dive, in the gully. Found one crab, one squat lobster, one fish and some anemones. Cold. Vis 15 ft. Dry suit almost dry. | own | |||
198 |
12 Aug 1984 | St Abbs | South side of the Firth of Forth | Forth | Scotland | 13 | 60 | 60 | Iain Hosking, Mike Weitzner | Second dive at St Abbs this year, and the first decent one. Fed the wrasse (4 now), and saw a plaice, sea-scorpion, sea-squirts and pollack. | own | |||
203 |
30 Sep 1984 | St Abbs | South side of the Firth of Forth | Forth | Scotland | 10 | 50 | 50 | Iain Hosking, Jenny Clough | Sunny, windy day. Jenny led the way out to Cathedral underwater. Saw wrasse and school of saithe, then headed in towards harbour wall down a series of gullies. Four large lobsters, squat lobsters, various types of anemone. Noticed small shells on kelp with iridescent stripes. Vis good - about 30 feet. Did roped tender. | own | |||
207 |
14 Oct 1984 | St Abbs | South side of the Firth of Forth | Forth | Scotland | 12 | 20 | 20 | Iain Hosking, Alida Bundy | Took Alida for her 4th dive. Through gullies to Cathedral. Saw wrasse, pollack, sea-scorpion, several lobsters. Vis not too brilliant - 20 feet. Got slightly lost on the way back. | own | |||
210 |
10 Mar 1985 | St Abbs | South side of the Firth of Forth | Forth | Scotland | 13 | 33 | 33 | Iain Hosking, Al Rankin, Paul Raisbeck | Out to Cathedral as usual. Somewhat murky and little life but very good to get back in the water. | own | |||
211 |
10 Mar 1985 | St Abbs | South side of the Firth of Forth | Forth | Scotland | 15 | 22 | 22 | Iain Hosking, Derek Borthwick | Second dive of the day, with Derek Borthwick behind rock at opposite side of channel. Better vis and very nice underwater scenery - cliffs and dead men's fingers. Quite unexpected at St Abbs. Worth a return visit. | own | |||
246 |
25 Aug 1985 | St Abbs | South side of the Firth of Forth | Forth | Scotland | 12 | 30 | 30 | Iain Hosking, Kenny Jack | Coastguard at Crail promised us a gale so we cancelled the 'Glanmire'. At St Abbs the water was flat calm. Bah! Took Kenny for a dive leader/SMB practice. Out to Cathedral via gullies. Saw the wrasse again. Kenny navigated us successfully round Cathedral and back to base. | own | |||
247 |
25 Aug 1985 | St Abbs | South side of the Firth of Forth | Forth | Scotland | 11 | 32 | 35 | Iain Hosking, Sarah McCracken | Second dive of the day. Round behind rock parallel to the harbour wall, but didn't find the same spot as I dived with Derek in March. Still, good gullies and masses of life. Dozens of silicone/yellow nudibranchs, squat lobsters, saithe, corkwing wrasse, lobsters (shy), seasquirts, controversial small fish [drawing in logbook]. Pretty clear, no current, very relaxed. Dry suit held out (phew!). | own | |||
249 |
8 Sep 1985 | St Abbs | South side of the Firth of Forth | Forth | Scotland | 16 | 55 | 55 | Iain Hosking, Sarah McCracken | The Not the HF because Malc's landrover was MOTless. Weather - scotch mist. Sea conditions - swell (and I don't mean good). Vis not bad if you looked up. Life: lobsters, squatties, flatfish, shrimps, wellington boots, dead men's fingers. | own | |||
297 |
23 Aug 1986 | St Abbs | South side of the Firth of Forth | Forth | Scotland | 15 | 45 | 45 | Iain Hosking, Mark Inall, Simon Nash | A swell dive! HW springs. Strong wave action and poor vis. Shoal of pollack or saithe and wrasse. Getting out was somewhat interesting. (Snash: 'EUSAC White Water Boys!') | ||||
309 |
5 Oct 1986 | St Abbs | South side of the Firth of Forth | Forth | Scotland | 15 | 45 | 45 | Iain Hosking, Simon Nash | EUSAC lemming-like St Abbs trip - 18 people, including 3 from Fettes. Yo-yo dive - swim out, surface, look around, find Cathedral, dive it, turn round to come back, get lost, surface, look around, down again, etc etc. The wrasse found us and demanded to be fed, and we attempted to use the underwater communication system. | Mark's suit + most of his kit. Malcolm's woolly bear and mask. A little wet. | |||
318 |
15 Feb 1987 | St Abbs | South side of the Firth of Forth | Forth | Scotland | 12 | 30 | 32 | Iain Hosking, Helen Jones | Second training dive of 1987. Six trainees in the water. I took Helen through the eastern gully and through a succession of gullies and bouldery bits with plenty of dahlia anemones, sea urchins and dead men's fingers. Several squat lobsters. Beautiful day, though cold. Helen managed fine. | Fenzy 4 | |||
319 |
15 Feb 1987 | St Abbs | South side of the Firth of Forth | Forth | Scotland | 12 | 15 | 17 | Iain Hosking, Helen Jones, James Traenor | Took James in for his first dive. Found a starfish tackling a mussel and crinoids (brittle stars), as well as dahlia anemones, sea urchins, dead mens' fingers and squat lobsters. The dive was short only because I was finishing off the tank from the previous dive. Heavier swell. | Fenzy 4 | |||
324 |
23 Mar 1987 | St Abbs | South side of the Firth of Forth | Forth | Scotland | 12 | 20 | 20 | Iain Hosking, Craig McQueenie | Very cold, very clear. Found Cathedral Rock quickly, but got lost on the way back. Long snorkel. Life - lobster, squatties, plumose anemones, dahlias, sponges of various kinds. | Mended leak in back of knee. Dry! Brilliant! | |||
325 |
23 Mar 1987 | St Abbs | South side of the Firth of Forth | Forth | Scotland | 12 | 15 | 15 | Iain Hosking, Jason Bryans | Took Jason Bryans in for his first dive. Again, out to Cathedral no bother, got lost on the way back. Still dry. Very pleasant to be the only divers there. | ||||
326 |
24 Mar 1987 | St Abbs | South side of the Firth of Forth | Forth | Scotland | 12 | 25 | 25 | Iain Hosking, Jason Bryans | Dived Big Green Carr. Round left hand side of t he rock past cliffs with crevices full of squat lobsters and crabs. Found a large (10 inch long) sea scorpion which allowed me to pick it up and carry it over to Malcolm. Very pale colouration, very lethargic. Also noticed limpet-like, flattened molluscs and very small anemones. Beautiful overhangs with wall-to-wall dead men's fingers and plumose anemones. No big green cars at all. | ||||
327 |
24 Mar 1987 | St Abbs | South side of the Firth of Forth | Forth | Scotland | 12 | 20 | 20 | Iain Hosking, Paul Mullan | Dived Big Green Carr again. Didn't see the seascorpion (must be lying low) but saw greyish, smooth nudibranch and crabs camouflaged in purple seaweed. | ||||
411 |
13 Jul 1990 | St Abbs | South side of the Firth of Forth | Forth | Scotland | 14 | 38 | 38 | Iain Hosking, Cathy Humphries | Acclimatisation dive for spoilt expats, plus test run for £1200-worth of new dive gear. Pleasant day, though hazy. St Abbs very quiet, water calm, but murky. Found Cathedral without problems - saw saithe plus the usual three ballan wrasse. Did not find our way back so easily, and ended with a hefty snorkel back. Luca's ice-cream in Craigmillar. | All-new: Typhoon Hi-spec drysuit, Thinsulate woolly bear, Spiro Supra DV, Aladin Pro, EUSAC 78, borrowed weights (about 28lbs - too heavy). |