Anglesey - 27th June 2026
Phil, Doug and Ian prepped Top Cat on Thursday evening. We towed her to Anglesey on Friday night. There remained one and a half hours to complete the 10-hour run in on the new engine. Plan A, to dive the Segontium, had to be abandoned as the forecast was for Force 5 South Westerly winds. We opted to launch from Bull Bay on Saturday.
We met at 8am to put our kit onto the boat. There are few non tidal boat dives on the north coast, so Phil opted to dive Amlwch Barge in the morning. Our second, was an afternoon slack water dive on Bull Bay Wall. The BRUV was put in at Bull Bay on our way to Amlwch. We saw Guillemots, Razorbills, Arctic Terns diving and feeding on Sand Eels, Kittiwakes and Shags as we motored leisurely along the coast.
Dive 1. Amlwch Barge
The wreck was shotted before Phil, Ian and I entered the water. The sea temperature was a comfortable 14C and the vis, was 2/3 m. It was very silty, as expected. Despite this we spotted Polycera nudibranch and ringlets of eggs on Antennae Hydroids, Prawns, Gold Sinny, Light Bulb and Club Sea Squirts, numerous Candy-Striped Flatworms, Dragonets, Gobies and Edible Crabs. Best finds: a Common Lobster and barnacles on a rock feeding through the silt.
We returned to Bull Bay to change cylinders etc.
Dive 2 Bull Bay Wall.
We arrived on site and went to check the state of the tide around the pot buoys. It was slack. We kitted up and rolled into the water. What a surprise the viz was 6/7m and the steep rocky slope was absolutely plastered with life. The kelp line was around 6m. Feather Stars, Plumose Anemones and Deadmens Fingers covered the rocky surfaces. It was Cat Shark City. We spotted 9 plus a Nursehound. We also saw Boring, Carrot and Goose Bump sponges, Sea Oranges, Antenna, Branched Antenna and Herring Bone Hydroids. Crevice Sea Cucumber, Dahlia, Elegant and Burrowing Anemones. Sunstars, Velvet Swimming and Edible Crabs, Prawns and l several large Mussel Beds.
Best finds: Butterfish, a Yarrels Blenny, a very large Lobster defending his home, a Compass Jellyfish being eaten by a Dahlia Anemone and an Octopus. We watched as it moved slowly across the seabed before suddenly accelerating away. This is an area of the coast that warrants a return. A fabulous day’s diving capped off by a large seal watching us.
We retrieved the BRUV, fed the bait to the gulls, before returning to Bull Bay to recover and remove our kit from Top Cat.
On Sunday we returned Top Cat to the club house and gave her a good wash.
Thanks to: Phil for planning towing and coxing: Doug for coxing: buddies Ruth and Ian for making this such an enjoyable day.
