EVERYDAYEXPEDITIONS
Pipe fish amid the weed
Dive planning and discoveries
I view dive planning as an essential part of my role in the club , and a way to help and support the members . As it turned out , shore diving locally was a lot easier to plan than boat diving .
I took several approaches to make sure I fully understood the tides , a process that encompassed talking to older members of the club , research online and actively diving the sites with a buddy to gain experience of the layout , as well as current , and the effect of wind .
Selsey Beach ( opposite the new lifeboat station ) and Aldwick Rocks ( known as Bognor Rock to the less discerning of us ) can both be dived four hours before High Water ( HW ) Portsmouth , or three hours after HW Portsmouth . We found as a club that diving after HW yielded better visibility , almost certainly due to the influx of fresh water .
At Selsey on a spring tide the slack appears slightly later , with some current at the start of the dive . On spring tides , slack water lasts around 40-50 minutes , and there may be current at the beginning and end of the dive ; but on a neap , the slack appears more or less on time and can last for 80 minutes . Entry can be timed more specifically by looking at the movement of the boats on their anchor , and draw of current across the groynes on the beach .
When diving this site , it ’ s important to make sure you do not stay in longer than the slack period . Currents pick up quickly , and you do not want to get pulled around Selsey Bill , and find yourself in Braklesham bay ! For this reason , it is important to keep an eye on direction and time .
Corkwing wrasse
PHOTO : PIPPA HARDISTY
38
Dahlia anemone
PHOTO : PIPPA HARDISTY