time for a shakedown dive , and I probably need to get a wiggle on , because with more light and warming seas the phytoplankton will soon be upon us .

I love the magic of the seasons in our little part of the world , and it ’ s as obvious underwater as it is in the woodlands , but we ’ ve all been caught out at this time of year by the proverbial pea soup . Sometimes it can take you completely by surprise – one day the viz is wonderful and the very next day it definitely is not . It ’ s caused by the phytoplankton feeding on the nutrients stirred up by those winter storms . They are also part of the food chain themselves , as the zooplankton appears to feed on them . But these plankton rich seas can attract some interesting marine life and you never know , you may be lucky enough to see the large gaping mouth or at least a dorsal fin of our largest filter feeder , the basking shark .

Now I wouldn ’ t call myself a nervous diver : I enjoy the adrenaline rush of a ripping current , and exploring some deeper sites , but I do like to work up to it gradually . On the early dives in the season everything feels incredibly heavy and cumbersome , but it always amazes me how quickly the body remembers and it ’ s no time at all before I ’ m sprinting up Silver Steps . OK , sprinting may be overexaggerating , but you get my drift .

Diver and coral cat shark in the East Narrows

Also , by this time of year the planning for the Kernow Dive Festival is well underway , t-shirts have been ordered and camping pitches booked , so that ’ s a good kick up the proverbial to get dive fit , so here are a few of my trusty crowd-pleasers .

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St Mawes

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The East Narrows is one of my favourite dives , by day or night and at any time of the year , there is always so much to see . The Narrows are just off St Mawes , within the Carrick Roads ( the estuary of the River Fal ) and are marked by a green channel marker buoy . It ’ s only a short ride from Mylor Harbour , or you could launch a RIB from Loe Beach at Feock . You can choose your depth , but generally I drop down to between 20- 30m and drift along the wall , then work my way up to the beautiful maerl beds , where you can spend a wonderful protracted safety stop at 6m . There is just so much to see , from thornback rays , small spotted catsharks and sometimes their bigger relatives , the ‘ greater ’ or bull huss . There are John Dorys , gurnards , an absolute multitude of different crabs , pipefish and of course nudibranchs . Fill your boots !