Trefor Pier is located on the Lleyn Pennisular in North Wales. For many divers and underwater photographers based in the north west, this site has been a regular haunt. However, in recent times, the pier has started to collapse, with large chunks of the wooden struts now lying on the sea bed. Many people have said that it is no longer the haven for marine life it once was, and that perhaps it is now too dangerous to dive. Nick and I, along with Tony Gilbert, went to have a look yesterday. The last time we dived this site, on a cold February day, the lack of marine life was noticeable. So it was with some trepidation that we returned.
We arrived to flat clam seas and amazing visibility. You could see all the pier structure and the grasses and seaweeds from the surface. Paddy was excited to get wet and so were we. It was too hot to leave the dog in the car while we dived, so we took it in turns to snorkel with him, while the others dived and then swapped round.
Sunbeams streamed through the structure of the pier. A halocline formed where fresh water, running down from the mountains, meets the sea. Paddy posed as always and so did a group of kayakers that were navigating the shoreline. So for wide angle, there was plenty to keep us busy. The concrete pier wall is full of crevices and these were packed with shannies peaking out, and even swimming towards the camera lens. Shrimps, crabs and tompot blennies also make great subjects. Tony also found an endangered fresh water eel and a tiny squid in the sand.
The site is shallow, with the maximum depth at around 8m. On a day like yesterday, it is a perfect site to relax and focus on taking photos. However, it can also look, and feel, a bit like the inside of a washing machine drum on a heavily soiled load! The weather needs to be kind, but when it is, this wonderful dive site still performs.
The kayakers did tell us, however, that a section of the pier had fallen over night. Not in a wild storm, but on a calm evening. You would not want to be diving when that happened - so the jury is still out on how safe it is to dive under the structure itself.
We arrived to flat clam seas and amazing visibility. You could see all the pier structure and the grasses and seaweeds from the surface. Paddy was excited to get wet and so were we. It was too hot to leave the dog in the car while we dived, so we took it in turns to snorkel with him, while the others dived and then swapped round.
Sunbeams streamed through the structure of the pier. A halocline formed where fresh water, running down from the mountains, meets the sea. Paddy posed as always and so did a group of kayakers that were navigating the shoreline. So for wide angle, there was plenty to keep us busy. The concrete pier wall is full of crevices and these were packed with shannies peaking out, and even swimming towards the camera lens. Shrimps, crabs and tompot blennies also make great subjects. Tony also found an endangered fresh water eel and a tiny squid in the sand.
The site is shallow, with the maximum depth at around 8m. On a day like yesterday, it is a perfect site to relax and focus on taking photos. However, it can also look, and feel, a bit like the inside of a washing machine drum on a heavily soiled load! The weather needs to be kind, but when it is, this wonderful dive site still performs.
The kayakers did tell us, however, that a section of the pier had fallen over night. Not in a wild storm, but on a calm evening. You would not want to be diving when that happened - so the jury is still out on how safe it is to dive under the structure itself.
No comments:
Post a Comment