Members of the Coventry Sub Aqua Club have returned from four days of coastal diving in Anglesey.

The trip organiser planned the trip as an opportunity for members who had recently qualified or had never been diving in UK seawater to get experience of sea diving in a calm, safe environment. Some of our club members have visited Anglesey before and know that the island offers a wealth of sites fit for trainees and novices who want to try diving in UK seawater.

On the first day, the group drove to Anglesey, arriving at Porth Dafarch in the early afternoon. With a low tide and a strong current, most divers achieved one dive before turning in, but three divers went in for a second and had a good time despite the “washing machine” experience.

The second day saw the divers visit Bull Bay, a favourite site of the club’s DO and Treasurer. The conditions were ideal for novices: calm seas, a high tide, fine visibility, little wind and a short walk from the cars to the water. Also on site was a group of divers from East Cheshire Sub Aqua Club. The East Cheshire team kindly gave us a lift on their RHIB when two of our divers surfaced far away from the beach.

Our divers aimed to dive at Porth Diana on the third day, but owing to a shortage of suitable parking and an excess of beachgoers, the group instead dived at the neighbouring beach, Porth Castell. The dive manager’s boast of seeing an octopush was challenged by an instructor’s claim to have rescued a nurse shark trapped inside a lobster pot in the bay. Several divers reported excellent visibility, but so many beachgoers taking jet-skis and RHIBs up and down the bay made for tricky conditions at times.

On the last day, a smaller group of divers managed one dive at Porth-y-Post in fair conditions before setting off on the journey home.

Joining us on the trip were several members and former members of the University of Warwick Sub Aqua Club (WUSAC), Medway Sub Aqua Club and Putney BSAC; some of these guests have become joint members of our club.

Thanks to those members who went the extra mile (literally!) by taking tanks for filling in Amlwch or acted as marshals and spotters while other members were in the water.