Smögen archipelagon 17/7 2022 Boat diving and lost fins.

 Hi and ho!

This weekend me and my friends decided to go boat diving on a whim more or less, after calling around a bit, we got some spots on the boat at the Smögen dive center, which lies a bit north of our regular dive spots. After getting up at ungodly times (for a weekend), we managed to get to the dive center with time to spare, so we could kit up in a relatively relaxed pace. After kitting up and getting on the boat, it was time to set out for the first dive.

Dahlia anemone, a closeup

Dive 1: Buskär

Depth: 26 m, Time: 62 min, Temp: 17 C

We rolled off the boat into the water as one does, and after gathering up on the surface, we started to descend. The visibility on this site was pretty ok, if a bit grainy at times. As we neared the bottom, we started to slow down a bit and began swimming along the wall like we had been instructed to do. On this site, there was a lot of plateaus at different depths, differing types of bottom (though not proper soft bottoms, at most it was shell gravel). On the walls, there was a lot of soft corals and different species of algae. I noticed quickly however, that there was some issues with the camera trigger switch, making it a bit hard to take the photos, but i managed to get some at least. After about 30 minutes, we began turning back towards the starting point. At the safety stop, we all deployed our surface marker buoys in order to show the dive boat our position, but as we descended, all three of us almost got jellyfish on us, though I was the first one. We got up at 62 minutes and was picked up by the boat.

Striped flabellina, a species of seaslug I've never seen before.

Dive 2:

Depth: 22 m, Time: 61 min, Temp: 17 C

After a nice surface interval with lunch and snacks. We once again got onto the boat and headed out for our next dive. 

As we rolled in, one of my fins somehow came loose and dropped off my foot and into the depths. Well, after a quick reconvening on the surface, we immediately began descending in order to try and find the fin. Apparently, i need to be better at signalling what is wrong (i guess so?) because it took a while for one of my buddies to realize exactly what was wrong. I think they got the message when i stomped at the bottom with my finless foot in front of them. After about 8 minutes of searching, we managed to find my fin, and at this point, i was a little bit tired from swimming against the current with only one fin, but nonetheless, i decided to continue the dive as i could relax once i got my fin on. As we continued the dive, there was a lot to see, I observed several nudibranchs of note, as well as some spotted sea hares hiding among the algae. 

As we started to head back, we once again became aware that there was a current, and quite a strong one at that, strong enough so that one would struggle to swim against it, either way, both me and my buddy deployed our surface marker buoys to show the boat out positions while we were at our safety stop (we also had to grab onto the seafloor in order to not drift away)

We surfaced at 61 minutes, got picked up by the boat and started to head back to port.

All in all, it was a super nice day of diving.

So until next time! Keep on swimming!

A group of Orange-clubbed seaslugs feasting on the bryozoans on a kelp leaf.

Smögen 28/7 2020 Rain and boat diving

Hi and ho!

Northern Sea fan, a small red coral, unassuming like many things in Swedish waters

Been a while since I wrote, there was a small pause in diving due to my regular buddies being unable to get out diving, But at last we could go out this week, we went out for a boat dive this Tuesday in Smögen. The weather was to be less than ideal, with somewhat stiff winds and rain all day, but as Smögen lies in the outer coastal band, these forecasts are often not quite accurate, except for the winds that is.

Either way, we got to the dive center, signed up for the boat, kitted up and prepared for departure.

Dive 1: Stenskär

Depth: 32 m, Time: 50 min, Temp: 17 °C

Red cushion star :)

We had been told when going through the dive site, that there was Northern Sea fan corals on this site, a bit deeper down. So me and my buddy decided to go and look for them, We got ready and hit the water in a orderly fashion. Descending slowly and photographing as we went. As we neared the 30 m mark, I saw something in the corner of my eye, something that looked a bit like a thin red line, I turned my head and behold! A Northern Sea fan coral colony on the rocks, I signaled to my buddy to come and look, so we spent some time around that area, as there was a lot more corals there than we anticipated. When we neared our "no-deco" limit, as well as hit the turning gas pressure, we turned around and began swimming back to the starting point. As we went, there was a lot of marine life all around us, fish, starfish and other organisms in great abundances. 

When it became time to end the dive, I handled the Surface marker buoy and we ascended in a orderly fashion.

Dive 2: Måkholmen

Depth: 23 m, Time: 52 min, Temp: 17 °C

Common sunstar, with a very vivid crimson colour

On the second dive, the weather cleared up, and we got a nice sunny second boat tour, this time we went to a site a bit closer to the dive center.

Me and my buddy rolled into the water and descended as planned, we followed the cliff wall, keeping it to our right, as we were instructed to do. On this dive, we encountered lots of masking crabs, spiny starfish and at one point, a great scallop, which I did not photograph unfortunately. At the end of the dive, I took a quick peek underneath some kelp leaves, and found me a decently sized Common sea hare.

We ascended in a orderly fashion after the safety stop, thus ending the dive.

All in all it was a very nice dive day, even if the weather could have been much nicer in the beginning.

So until next time, keep on swimming!

Common sea hare, on a leaf of Kelp

Smögen 25/4 Boat dives in the nice spring weather

Hi and ho!

Not one of the big Frilled anemones i saw, but got a nice picture nonetheless

This weekend me and my buddies decided to go to a very popular dive shop in Smögen, which is a bit further north from our usual diving area, in order to do boat dives in the archipelago. The weather forecast told of a nice sunny day, with a little bit of wind from the north.
When we had arrived, written ourselves up for the boat, and prepared our gear, it was time to go out to the first dive spot.

Dive 1: Stora Håskär.
Depth: 29 m, Temp: 10 °C, Time: 44 min.

We descended in a orderly fashion, until we reached the bottom at about 10 m, we then followed the bottom downwards to the maximum depth. We swam around for a bit, photographing and looking around, after a while, it became time to get up again, so we began the ascension. As we ascended, we got a bit lost and had to do a "free water" ascension due to me starting to run low on gas. Well, it was good training at least. During this dive i saw some very huge frilled anemones, some Red cushion stars and a lot of Dead mans finger corals among other things.
We got back into the boat and drove back to the dive center for lunch and surface intervals

Red cushion stars (Porania pulvillus) sure looks like some kind of plushie

Dive 2: Pesa.
Depth 18 m, Temp 10 °C, Time 49 min.

After a good surface interval with lunch and ice cream, we got back into the boat and drove out to the second dive site of the day.

The small Goniodoris nodosa was hard to spot among the kelp

Me and my buddy decided to go a bit more shallow on this dive in order to search for nudibranches. Said and done, we descended into a small crevice and followed it for a while before we got out to some walls, we descended a bit more when we got out of the crevice and began swimming towards the left, following the wall. As we swam, my buddy suddenly signaled me to look at something, as i got closer i realized it was a Lumpfish, Thus i stayed at the spot for a bit trying to photograph it. The lumpfish was shy for a bit, but then it suddenly started to swim up in our faces and underneath us when we just lay there, even as we kept blowing bubbles, which will usually cause fish to flee. After a while we decided to keep swimming and look for other stuff (and the lumpfish kept following us for a bit), we swam in the direction the compass took us (and if i have to be honest, i suck att following compass directions) After a while i decided that it was time to end the dive as i wanted good margins for surfacing time. So we followed a wall up until the safety stop. At the safety stop, i decided to train a bit at shooting my Surface marker buoy, and this time it wen rather well.

All in all it was a super nice diving trip

So until next time, Keep on swimming!

This Lumpfish (Cyclopterus lumpus) was shy at first, then it got all up in our faces and wouldn't leave us alone