SCUBA Feb 2021 Issue 111 | Page 54

A pre-Lockdown Andy Torbet squeezes in a cheeky snorkel dive against the spectacular backdrop of wintry Cornwall
TORBET ON THE TUBE

A Winter ’ s Tale

A pre-Lockdown Andy Torbet squeezes in a cheeky snorkel dive against the spectacular backdrop of wintry Cornwall

Well … it ’ s still winter . But this is Britain in January – what did you expect ? However , although they are less numerous and predictable than those in July , good days do happen even in winter . And when they do , they can be spectacular . Not only because of the conditions they offer , but because of the stark contrast to the less favourable conditions we get for the majority of the darkest time of the year . Which means there ’ s all the more reason , when the weather is easing and the season is more pleasin ’ to dive in …. which is exactly what I did ( apologies , I couldn ’ t get that last bit to rhyme ). I was down in Cornwall on a work trip late last year . I was due to perform an all

too common long , late-night drive back home when I spotted the weather for the following morning was , by UK winter standards , looking pretty good . A bit of winter sun , no wind , flat-ish seas . Not perfect but definitely very good for the time of year . So , I decided to stay on and meet up with my friend Daan Verhoeven who , quite sensibly , lives about 100 metres from a small bay on the South Coast . The coastline near Daan ’ s house is shallow , strewn with cracks and crevices perfect for exploring with snorkelling kit . There are even some old arches created by underwater sections of old walls , built by a quarry many years ago and since lost to the sea . The visibility was maybe four metres
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