http://janewilkinson.thedeepstop.com Sun, 03 Aug 2008 11:29:45 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en Do you know your davit from your derrick? If not then this is the course for you! Turning up at the Aqua Hotel, Portland on a bright sunny morning I hoped that this course would help me identify the bits and lumps of metal I saw scattered around the seabed on ... http://janewilkinson.thedeepstop.com/2008/06/30/besacnas-wreck-appreciation-course-june-08/ Mention Norfolk and images of large white shrink wrapped clammy turkeys come to mind. However, that was to be my destination for two consecutive weekends, or to be more precise, Sheringham on the Norfolk coast. This was a part of the UK I had never been before and my purpose was to attend ... http://janewilkinson.thedeepstop.com/2008/06/07/seasearch-observer-and-nudibranch-courses-june-08/ Arriving in Ifracombe late on Friday evening I was surprised to see how much it had developed. While the older tourists were out enjoying the warm summer evening strolling around the gardens and along the shore the younger generation were making the most of what Ilfracombe had to offer in ... http://janewilkinson.thedeepstop.com/2008/05/20/isle-of-lundy-may-08/ Well my diving year got off to a very poor start this time. The plan had been to join my clubs usual ‘dive in’ at Babbacombe for some shore diving which always gives me the opportunity of testing all my kit out after its winter break. However, because of car problems ... http://janewilkinson.thedeepstop.com/2008/05/10/babbacombe-and-teignmouth-may-08/ Not having had the opportunity in the past to explore many of the places around Glencoe I decided to take advantage of a good weather forecast.  So chucking my camping stuff in the car I once again trundled off up the M6. Finding a fantastic spot to camp on the shores ... http://janewilkinson.thedeepstop.com/2008/04/16/spring-break-at-glencoe/ Eight hours driving, three shore dives, eight hours back............crazy?      Quite possibly!  Loch Fyne had been very high up on my list of things I wanted to do this year. Like many of the sea lochs in Scotland the photographs I had seen told of a wide variety of marine life that was ... http://janewilkinson.thedeepstop.com/2007/10/30/shore-diving-loch-fyne-07/ Several times I had hoped to do the shore dive near the pier at Lochaline but had never got round to it. Reputed to have a steep drop off to 90m it was meant to be a fruitful dive in terms of marine life. Most trips to Lochaline for a ... http://janewilkinson.thedeepstop.com/2007/10/20/sound-of-mull-october-07/ Every now and then I’ve mulled over the idea of living on a narrow boat .......but would  I actually be able to drive one! My spatial skills (like most females) are not my strong point  and the idea of steering something that was at least three times the length of ... http://janewilkinson.thedeepstop.com/2007/09/29/kennet-and-avon-on-a-narrow-boat/ Watching the lights of Kirkwall twinkling in the distance I felt that familiar buzz of excitement that comes when I’m waiting to board aeroplanes and ferries. It’s the anticipation of all the new sights and sounds to come and sitting beneath the harsh glare of the ferry ports lights I ... http://janewilkinson.thedeepstop.com/2007/08/31/visiting-shetland-and-diving-aug-07/ In the few days before my week diving off Valkyrie I retraced my steps and returned to many of the places that I had visited last year such as Wee Fea which was an operations centre on Hoy during the war. The place fascinates me and I love wandering through the ... http://janewilkinson.thedeepstop.com/2007/08/09/orkney-again-august-07/