{"id":13170,"date":"2024-08-08T18:44:53","date_gmt":"2024-08-08T17:44:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ecsac.org.uk\/?p=13170"},"modified":"2024-08-08T18:45:22","modified_gmt":"2024-08-08T17:45:22","slug":"baltimore-ireland-27th-july-3rd-august-2024","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ecsac.org.uk\/?p=13170","title":{"rendered":"Baltimore, Ireland 27th July – 3rd August 2024"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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Baltimore, Ireland - 27th July - 3rd August 2024<\/h4>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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We took the morning ferry from Holyhead to Dublin and then drove to Baltimore in County Cork. We arrived following a trouble free, smooth four-hour journey. It was so nice to drive on litter free motorways and roads and through towns and villages festooned with flowers and Olympic flags.<\/p>

We found our accommodation, three apartments overlooking the harbour, unloaded our cars, sorted out kit for the morning and then sat out in the sunshine for the rest of the evening. We catered for ourselves in our apartments Saturday -Thursday. On Friday evening the whole group had a superb meal at The Church Restaurant in Skibereen.<\/p>

\u00a0We met our skipper Jerry, at the harbour on Sunday morning to load and set up our dive kit on Wave Chieftain, a well laid out and spacious 12.5m workboat. We were so lucky, as the forecast was good for five days. On the Friday we managed one dive before the swell picked up to 2m and the heavens opened. We drove back to Dublin on Saturday morning to catch the afternoon ferry to Holyhead.<\/p>

Dive sites: <\/strong>a fantastic mixture of wrecks reefs and walls:<\/p>

Sunday; AM: The Kowloon Bridge (the largest wreck in Europe), Bow, holds 1&2.\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 PM: Kedge Gullies.<\/p>

Monday AM: \u00a0U260. \u00a0\u00a0PM: Kedge East.<\/p>

Tuesday: AM The Alondra \u00a0\u00a0PM Fastnet.<\/p>

Wednesday: AM: Whale Rock \u00a0\u00a0PM: The Kowloon Bridge accommodation block.<\/p>

Thursday: AM The Nestorium (Cape Clear) PM: The Hourtian\u00a0<\/p>

Friday: AM: Spanish Reef.<\/p>

https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=F7WrMu_bHUA<\/a>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 U260 video<\/p>

https:\/\/aquaventures.ie\/<\/a><\/p>

https:\/\/harbourapartments.ie\/<\/a><\/p>

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The viz was 5\/8m and the sea temperature a reasonable 13C. There was a fine silt in the water and on several rocky reefs due to previous big Atlantic storms, however, as on all high energy sites the colour was a fabulous mix of red, yellow and white. Wrecks, reefs and walls were covered in Deadmens Fingers, Plumose Anemones and Devonshire Cup Coral. We finned past walls of pink, green, purple, white and burnt orange Jewel Anemones, rocky surfaces peppered with Boring, Elephant Hide and Volcano Sponge. We saw Cotton Spinners, Spiny Starfish, Feather Stars, Antennae Hydroids covered with nudibranch eggs, masses of Dahlia Anemones interspersed with patches of White Striped and Elegant Anemones. Cracks and crevices were full of Velvet Swimming Crab, Crevice Sea Cucumber, Squat Lobster, Leopard Spotted Gobies, Ascidia Sea Squirts and Common Prawn. Best finds: Crayfish, Common Lobster, Edible, Sponge and Spider Crab, Conger Eel, Three Bearded Rockling, Catshark, a shoal of Pollack, Cuckoo, Ballan and Corkwing Wrasse, large Pollack, Tompot and Yarrells Blenny, Butterfish, Scorpion Fish and Compass Jellyfish.<\/p>

Above water Loz & Alison spotted dolphins on the first morning and Loz and Wilf spotted a Minke Whale on Thursday. We also saw porpoise, seals, gannets, shags, fulmars, razorbills and auks.<\/p>

Thanks to buddies Anna & Mark, Loz & Alison, Ken, Steve, Rob, Chris, Wilf and Rosie for joining us on a very successful trip.<\/p>

Underwater photos taken by Mark & Ken. Additional photos by Rob & Alison.<\/p>

Underwater films by Alison.<\/p>

Pat & Phil<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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