The annual trip to St Abbs is a UoNSAC tradition. Every year on Halloween weekend 24 divers head off up to the east coast of Scotland. We pile the kit into the van and bundle eager divers into cars before trying to make last orders at the pub.
It was up early on the Saturday morning to scout out the dive sites before most of the group awoke. This early start was rewarded by a beautiful sunrise over the north sea.
Again, as tradition dictates, it is curry for dinner on the Saturday night and on our way back to the caravans we end up in a Halloween party in the centre of Eyemouth. UoNSAC did not disappoint in their enthusiasm for dancing whilst the locals wondered who were this bunch of people crashing their party.
On Sunday morning we were diving from two hard boats out of Eyemouth with DiveStay. After a day of shore diving the day before the more relaxed nature of hard boat diving – and the hot tea and cake – was much appreciated!
The first dive was West Hurker. A beautiful gulley covered pink and orange plumose anemones to swim through – or in our case squirted through with the surge. The rest of the dive was much more relaxing with lots of soft corals, crabs, pollack and Ballan wrasse. The second dive was Black Carrs. Lorna and I went hunting for wolf fish but had no luck. Instead we enjoyed a gentle drift with lots of lobsters and crabs.
St Abbs we’ll see you again in 2017!
