Marine Conservation Society: Lancashire area group

One of the other dives over the weekend was a drift through the Creran narrows - there are some super photos taken by Lewis available on his website at:  Loch Creran photos June 2008 (Lewis will be giving us a talk on underwater digital photography later in the year - keep an eye on the diary for more information!)

More information about Loch Creran is available in a new guide published by the Argyll and Bute Council. To quote from their website “(the guide) describes and illustrates the amazing wildlife and natural habitats found in and around Loch Creran, its geological and historical background as well as a description of current commercial and leisure activities.” To find out more and download a copy of the guide: Loch Creran Guide (Thanks to Louise for this info).

Barry

Our last dive weekend to Oban was a combination of good visibility and super dive sites, so thanks again to Gordon for organising this. I think the prize for most abundant squidgies over the weekend has to go to the cnidaria (jellyfish and related), and our encounters with them started on Friday evening, with a night dive on the sea pen bed at Galanach.

On entering the water we were surrounded by a drift of sea goosberies, the bands of cilia along their sides rainbowing in our torch beams. The sea pen bed starts quite sharply at about 20m depth, appearing out of the dark. We have to report that, rather disappointingly, we didn’t see any phosphorescence from the Pennatula phosphorea, but did see a large number of individuals of both this species and Virgularia mirabilis, including small (juvenile?) indiviuduals.

Jo spotted a pogge (Agonus cataphractus) probing the mud beneath the sea pens - which I was pleased to be able to identify immediatly, folowing Gordon’s talk on Roa Island the previous week!

Barry