Castaways Sub-Aqua Club
	A Branch (Branch No 2071) of The British Sub-Aqua Club

Galicia

5th May 2001

Calm sea, not raining, not too cold. Sounds good so far... Boat nearly an hour late leaving due to running late on first dive... Very low water springs means following the Exe channel all the way (HW we can
cut across the sandbank saving about 20 mins!!!)

Shot straight onto the wreck. So far so good... A bit of tide running when we hit the water but nothing to worry about - honest!!

Down the shot - what's all these bogies in the water??? 8m - Hey! who turned out the lights? 30 watts of UK800 shone onto wrist and I can just make out max. Depth 15m - felt a lot deeper... Hey! I'm groping some metal so it must be the wreck - nope...it's Chris' cylinder.

Swim off to enjoy the splendour of the wreck, or I would if the battery didn't go flat on my torch after 15 mins...bugger!!! Decide that sensory deprivation is fun after all and practice my navigation with out the use
of vision and rely on sense of smell... Found another bit of cylinder shaped metal - its Terry this time and he's got a torch!!! He must have swum about 2m away from me 'cos I couldn't see him anymore...

27 mins by the internal light on the computer so send up DSMB using feel alone. Up very slowly and @ 8m it gets a bit lighter - wonderful I can now clearly see all the snot in the water...

5m stop for 3 mins, surface slowly to find I've drifted about 100 miles 'cos "SEAQUEST" is motoring by me. I last dived off her on the Manacles in 1986.... No, I'm still in Lyme Bay and there is REBEL the RIB. (Apparently "SEAQUEST" is now operating out of Teignmouth - nobody tells me anything...)

The PADI lot must have headaches 'cos they keep pointing at the top of their heads!!! I just nod mine... Eventually they come and pick me up and want to know why I didn't point at the top of my head???

BECAUSE I'M BRITISH, THIS IS BRITAIN SO I'LL USE BRITISH SIGNS - HAVE YOU SEEN THIS ONE FROM ANGINCOURT!!! I also explained that I will not raise my hands out of the water at the end of a dive and increase the pressure in my body. If I'm not waving but am conscious I'm alright!!! Bloody American system... Back on the boat and as usual my buddy surfaces 5 mins after me and 100 yards away ... "Shouldn't you have surfaced together?" ask a PADI - ite "Believe me for Chris and I- this more together than we usually manage!!"

Back to sunny Exmouth, unload, the next lot of punters climb on board whilst we pack and say our goodbyes. Jeff wants to know if I'm diving tomorrow "No thanks, I'll wait a couple of weeks until the Basking Sharks have Hoovered/Dysoned up this lot".

Home, to be greeted with "You're early so you can go and do the shopping..." Anyone got a spare room???