PHOTO : OP
Giant ’ s Table and Chairs
Exploring under the cliffs
Heading west from Teelin , the first area we explored was under the dramatic cliffs of the Sliabh Liag . As we slipped beneath the water we were greeted with a stunning sight - walls covered in jewel anemones and dead men ’ s fingers plunging to 30m ; we explored large boulders that were home to conger , lobster , crab , many different wrasse and more . As we swam around , marvelling at the wide array of life in this beautiful setting , there were large silver pollock hanging around at the extremes of vision , keeping an eye on proceedings .
Visibility was great and the white gravel at the bottom reflected the sun . As our bottom time slipped away , we shallowed out to eke everything we could from the dive . The kelp line was about 20m and we saw a huge range of nudibranchs and flatworms among the other shallow life as we ever-so-slowly ascended . Under the cliffs , the sites we visited were :
■ Carrigan Head , diveable in fairly strong westerlies and stronger north-westerlies
■ Giant ’ s Table and Chairs , named for what it looks like from the cliffs
■ Cormorant ’ s Crag , a stunning shard at the bottom of the cliff that has a lot of cormorants on it
PHOTO : CATHY KREMER
Jewel anemones on Rathlin O ’ Birne
Candy stripe flatworm on cormorant ’ s crag Small-spotted cat shark on Rossan Point
PHOTO : CK
PHOTO : CK
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Conger on Giant ’ s Table and Chairs
PHOTO : CHRIS WILSON