We arrived at Goat Island Dive at 9am for our shore dive. It took a while to sort out the hire equipment, but at least it was all new and therefore in good condition. John was given a size 5 suit and Brigid was slightly alarmed to find she needed a size 16 (with a man’s top)! We were both given a seemingly excessive amount of weights, but this was explained as necessary because it was going to be a shallow dive. Brigid was even more alarmed to find that she could not do up the BCD over the weight-belt … (Fatso!).
When we arrived on the beach, the tide was out and there was quite a strong current running. After swimming for what seemed like an eternity, the water was no deeper, and John’s hernia had started to play up. After half an hour in the water, we gave up and swam back to shore. Dion, our guide, went back to the shop for the inflatable dinghy.
The second attempt off the dinghy was much more successful – though, despite the extra weight, Brigid faffed about at the surface, apparently unable to sink. Eventually, she swam down head first.
Amongst other things, we saw a yellow moray, a huge crayfish, lots of snapper, and a few blue cod. (You have to watch out for blue cod when you are diving. Apparently, they are in the habit of attacking their own reflection … in divers’ masks!)
Back in the boat, John is still in some discomfort from his hernia. He needs a size 6 suit. (Ah. The perils of vanity …)
We decided to cancel Luke for Sunday’s dive. It transpired that he used to work for Goat Island Dive, but used them purely in order to build up his own business. As soon as he had made the contacts he needed, he broke his contract and left – leaving Goat Island Dive with no qualified Divemaster or Instructor! (The staff there have since qualified.) With their boat now back in the water, Brian offered to take us out on a crayfish hunting expedition. How could we refuse? (In fact, Brian was being practical, rather than generous. He also planned to collect scallops. There is a strict quota for the number of legal-sized scallops that can be taken – the more people on the boat, the more scallops …)
We ate at the Leigh Saw Mill Café, and stayed in the Goat Island Holiday Park.