It’ s the most wonderful time of the year, says Kirsty Andrews, who is full of the joys of spring
KIRSTYANDREWS
Kirsty’ s photo of super-cute Iphimedia amphipod babies
Plankton party: a tiny crab rides a jelly in Loch Carron
There is a season
It’ s the most wonderful time of the year, says Kirsty Andrews, who is full of the joys of spring
How is it the June magazine already? Where has the first half of the year gone? I refuse to acknowledge it, but I will gratefully accept the great diving opportunities that come with it. Because May( when this magazine will hit your doorsteps) and June are possibly my favourite months of the year for dive trips.
It’ s a close call because every month has its enticements: I could create a calendar of diving delights; admittedly, I do produce one of those for my long-suffering family every year, lucky things. Late summer and early autumn can be blissfully sunny, with so much to see and it’ s just a joy for submersible activity; this is what some may refer to as‘ diving season’ when even fair-weather divers and wetsuit lovers will venture in.
Late autumn can be totally spectacular too; that comes a close second to May and June for me; all of the glorious sunshine of summer without the crowds, and even warmer water, which last year surpassed 20 ° C on some of my South Coast dives. Winter is not as cold as you’ d imagine,
“ I genuinely struggle to pick where to go at this time of year”
especially under the waves, and often brings the best visibility in certain parts of the UK, when weather systems allow.
The beginning of spring can be a challenge, as these months tend to be the bleakest, and underwater wildlife hasn’ t yet woken up yet; but there are still attractions. Hardy trainees tend to be dragged into freshwater quarries around this time, shivering and struggling with icy mask clears in preparation for fun times ahead, but they might also observe me and my fellow snappers photographing mating amphibians. Then there is a gradual awakening, warming, a building-up, until you hit what I regard as being the hot spot: now!
Why is this my favourite time, I hear you ask? Well, first of all, the calendar helps. Bank Holidays – who doesn’ t love a freebie day off for an extended dive trip … no Maydays on this one please. Then there’ s a big highlight on the South-West calendar, Kernow Dive Festival the first week in June – I say this purely theoretically as despite kind invitations and many good intentions I have never managed to attend. I hear it’ s the 23rd anniversary this year, so that’ s 23 failures to plan on my part – hopefully it will happen next year and I hope all you attendees reading this have a great time.
Here’ s my excuse: I’ m missing Cornwall because I’ m headed North. I genuinely struggle to pick where to go at this time of year: East, West, North and South, all have great potential. What draws me to diving in May and June is the interesting sights to be seen. I love a story, especially a fishy one, and this time of year, there’ s so much going on, it’ s hard to know where to look first.
Some new life will already have emerged and be establishing itself, and some epic territorial struggles and love stories will be ongoing. Each trip, I spot something new I haven’ t seen before. Last June, I spotted several larval creatures, recently spawned and sheltering wherever they could. I saw for the first time the babies of the cute Iphimedia amphipod, supertiny and easy prey for almost anything, including the feisty gobies displaying their beautiful colours to each other in a show of steely dominance. Wherever you are, I wish you happy June diving, and look forward to hearing the stories you observe, at this great time of year. �
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