QLeft : Deco-stops were never dull with
photographic opportunity all around – the mauve stingers holding a particular allure
PRight : A diver gives the jellyfish ,
Aequorea vitrina , a close inspection during deco time
UBelow right : The caves of Sula Sgeir
and their inhabitants provided many photographic opportunities
the atmosphere on the boat began to buzz
operating out of Stromness in Orkney . Despite having Scapa Flow on the doorstep , Bob frequently seeks adventures further afield and is a veteran of these waters . North Rona and Sula Sgeir are even more remote than St Kilda : they certainly fitted the bill .
On leaving Stromness we fitted in a couple of warm-up dives at Nipple Rock and Sule Skerry before making overnight passage to North Rona . Both sites hinted at the quality of the diving to come , their clear oceanic waters teeming with life and with spectacular scenery to boot . The kelp extended to depths way beyond those we are used to when diving on the mainland . These undersea forests , together with walls of dead men ’ s fingers , supported thousands of juvenile fish , all taking advantage of the shelter offered to them from would-be predators .
30 metre viz !
The next morning North Rona revealed itself on the horizon . With the prospect of exceptional diving conditions the atmosphere on the boat began to buzz with excitement as Bob divulged more details about the sites that awaited us . Gullies , caves , crawfish and puffins could all be expected … not to mention viz in excess of 30 metres .
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