YO-HANCHA
Sweat , steps and seawater
Yo-Han Cha banishes heretical dreams of warm water luxury to explain why he remains utterly addicted to UK diving
I
’ ve had a great summer of diving . After recent events , I ’ ve been doing my best this year to make the most of every free weekend , as well as using every last hour of my annual leave to go diving . I ’ m skint , knackered and I ’ ve thoroughly enjoyed myself !
Not every dive trip ’ s gone to plan , however . Mother Nature has at times deemed that certain weekends were to be blown out . I ’ ve had to replace equipment that ’ s either worn out or broken due to sheer carelessness . My drysuit has had a permanent minor leak all year ( as long as it doesn ’ t turn into a major one , it ’ s all good ). But , looking back , I wouldn ’ t have changed a thing . It ’ s all part and parcel of diving in the UK and with the exception of one lovely holiday abroad at the start of this year , all of my diving has been in the British Isles .
I do ask myself at times though , are those of us who are addicted to UK diving wired differently , somehow ? I was fortunate to learn abroad in sunnier climes , yet I still find the green waters of home enticing every weekend . Occasionally , when I ’ m faced with a climb up a pebble beach after a dive , I do wonder why I dive here in Blighty , not somewhere where lovely helpful staff would carry all my kit for me . There are times when I find myself waking up from a nap after a two-dive day wondering if a liveaboard might not be easier . These are of course heretical thoughts and the pure among us would never think such things , but I ’ m far from perfect ; I have a lazy streak .
But how else am I going to see the wonderful variety of life that the British seas offer ? Due to our more fortunate economic circumstances , we don ’ t have locals working solely for tips , eagerly carrying our kit for us . And we do have liveaboards in the UK . Perhaps not with the luxury of Egypt and the Maldives , but I found myself booking onto a couple of lovely ones this year in Scotland . It ’ s true to say a liveaboard makes the diving easier , wherever you are .
“ It ’ s true to say a liveaboard makes the diving easier , wherever you are ”
The effort of UK diving can be worth it and I ’ ve found it usually is . Usually . It ’ ll always be more effort diving at home , but I do love our nudibranchs and seals ; our wolf fish and conger eels ; our catsharks and thornback rays . I even love how our wrecks create the most amazing artificial reefs .
So , yes – I find that UK diving is worth all the faff . Worth every step that I have to take again because I ’ ve slid back down that insurmountable pebble beach . Worth those heart-in-mouth moments when I slip slightly on a rock , praying that if I fall , I don ’ t land on my camera . Worth all those steps back to the car park where I ’ m not entirely sure if my sodden undersuit is loaded with sweat or seawater . Worth setting the alarm for earlier than I would for work . Diving abroad is usually much easier but the diving in the UK is definitely worth the effort . �
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