SHEEPHAVEN divers took full benefit of a bit of nice winter weather at the weekend and got to dive on Saturday morning, followed by their regular Sunday morning snorkel.
The dive in Mulroy Bay was to a depth of less than 20 metres on a mixture of sand, maerl and rocky outcrops.
Water temperature was cool at slightly less than 7 degrees celsius, but horizontal visibility was good at around 10 metres, with some great Conger Eels present in the rocks.
Dive times of over 30 minutes were recorded in a one stick dive thanks to Kieran McGlynn who took the helm of Dive Boat Brid.
Sunday morning was the 103rd anniversary of the sinking of the RMS Laurentic off the entrance to Lough Swilly, having struck a mine during a snow storm.
The story of the loss of the Laurentic and the subsequent recovery of its gold is well known and today she lies in nearly 40 metres of water and has been an iconic dive for recreational divers in recent years.
For new Sheephaven divers the challenge of diving the Laurentic has become the epitome of the sport in Donegal waters, but the process begins with snorkelling on Sunday mornings in PortnaBlagh.
Noel Brennan led out last Sunday, which had dawned bright and calm, with just a slight swell out to sea and ideal for all the club members present to enjoy being in the water at their own pace.
All in all a great way to get the best out of January diving in Donegal.
