Porthkerris

A few weeks back I drove to one of the UKs more well-known divesites, Porthkerris, about 50 minutes away, for two dives. I had only been there once before, also for two dives (not worth going all the way for just the one) when I did my PADI Advanced Open Water (I just realised that I forgot to blog about that at the time…). The pebbly shore here leads to the Drawna Rocks and it is one of the few places in Cornwall that a shoredive can get you a bit deeper than 10 meters (maybe 18 at a high tide). This allows me to see some critters that are not present at my usual haunt Silver Steps in Falmouth. One example is the North Sea Tube Anemone (Synarachnactis lloydii) above. The black pebbles are quite striking, and also a very different background then what I am used to. For the first dive I took my macro lens, as it was quite choppy, and my expectations of the viz were low (which turned out to be correct!). I practiced a bit on the Jewel Anemones (Corynactis viridis) which come in a range of beautiful colours: orange, yellow, pink, white and green. I also took a shot of a Devonshire Cupcoral (Caryophyllia smithii) which is a solitary hard coral and some detail of a boring sponge (Cliona celata), including Rissoa parva snails I later noticed (they are everywhere in the rockpools too).
For the second dive I took my weird probe lens to bother some of the Spiny Lobsters (Palinurus elegans). Finally, a Cottonspinner (Holothuria forskali), what a beaut!

Silver Steps Diving IV

A solo dive early evening at the Silver Steps site. It was a couple of weeks I last went, and this time it was already dusk when I entered the water. My intention was to find cup corals and other small creatures growing on rock overhangs below the kelp line. The viz was good and sure enough I found what I was looking for: Devonshire cup coral Caryophyllia smithii, a solitary stony coral which is relatively common. They are very beautiful and the right size for the macro lens. I will definitely go after them again. Other finds were a golfball sponge Tethya aurantium, a baby Longspined seascorpion (this shot had potential, but it swam away unfortunately), a tunicate and a Painted topshell (very common). At the end of the dive unfortunately it was getting too dark to find objects or too properly focus; I need to sort out a dive light!

beachcombing

The first weekend after the recent storms and a bright blue sky meant that it was time for some beach combing. The beach at Praa Sands looked glorious in the sun, but we were probably a little late for the serious stuff (if there was any to begin with). So no dead Triggerfish, Columbus crabs or suitcases filled with cocaine. Instead, lots of bits of plastic and rope and some Velella remnants and empty Dogfish (or Small-spotted catshark Scyliorhinus canicula) egg cases. Of course also Common goose barnacles Lepas anatifer:

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More interesting was a vat with (dead) Devonshire-cup-corals Caryophyllia smithii attached:

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Damage to the coast was evident:

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