Lancashire MCS
Marine Conservation Society: Lancashire area group

Roa Island dive

Conditions for the dive at Roa Island on Saturday 5th. June were almost perfect, bright sun.little wind, calm and undisturbed water which gave underwater visibility  in excess of  3 metres.

Swimming approx. SW from the jetty towards the middle of the channel, initially over  a sea bed of cobbles covered with tube worms, common winkles and dog whelks with numerous clumps of dog whelk eggs.  At about 4 metres deep the bed changed to small boulders with a dense  covering of  various seaweeds which included sea lettuce and  bootlace weed.  continuing downward at minus 6 metres the weed  disappeared  to be replaced on the boulders by a number of species of sponge. Between the boulders were many varied and different animals including peacock worms, anemones, and various species of crab.  After a short distance the sea bed changed again to  pebbles with hard mud patches, this continued to max. depth of dive at 10.3 metres. There was still lots of life to see on this gentle slope, including hermit crabs, whelks, anemones and the greater pipe fish. The pipe fish were quite common at all depths through-out the dive. On this deeper part of the dive there were many common starfish, a large number with parts of arms missing.  They had not been shed, more like cut or torn off, the detached parts were also strewn over the sea bed. All in all an excellent and very interesting dive.

Posted: June 7th, 2010
Posted in Uncategorized