A swim through, 2001
UKDIVING in the Atlantic until the First World War, when it carried freight to aid the war effort, primarily coal from Wales to France. It was policy to hug the shallower waters off the coast where possible, to avoid attacks from U-boats. However, UC-77 commanded by Captain Ries, was lying in wait and attacked, firing a single torpedo that sank the ship with the loss of two lives. The new lifeboat in Lyme Regis rowed into the mist and rescued the survivors, watched by a crowd on the shore. Apparently, the U-boat surfaced, then the captain after learning the name of the ship sent his regards to the chef of the Alexandra hotel – a personal friend. The masts of the sunken ship had to be removed as a hazard to shipping but after some salvage work it was left to nature.
A Tadpole’ s progress
I continued to dive every year since, though my tally of logged dives is today a modest 1,500. Until the 1980s when my new wife took up the sport, my only qualification was as a‘ Tadpole’ which was what Trevor called anybody he trained under 16. Having joined my father’ s practice in 1979 I was able to
Jewel anemones, 2016 dive more regularly, and, by that time, there were skippers available who took out divers.
One memorable skipper, Dave Hull, was an ex-commercial diver and I spent many Tuesday evenings chugging out into the bay on his boat, the Amos John, visiting the many wrecks and reefs in the area. The Baygitano was popular, being in easy reach for an evening dive – other wrecks in deeper water required longer journeys with regular returns in darkness. The anchors draped over the wreck disappeared over the years, but fishing line could be a hazard at times. The most bizarre item I remember seeing was a folding panel advertising ice cream. Later, John Walker, another diver and fisherman, ran regular trips on his boat Miss Pattie.
My interest is mainly in marine life, so it was some years before I found the spare prop after expert guidance from my old friend Nick Chipchase, but I have seen its slow disintegration. The railings that used
Finding an angler, 2018
Disappearing Actinothe anemones, 2013
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