Robert's Ramblings

It’s wonderful to be surrounded by an abundance of fish life, all going about their business, oblivious to our diving intrusion.

It’s quite something else when the wildlife wants to play.

I first noticed the blennies as I nestled down amid the wreckage, one, then two, then three, then four, as the blennies came out to play. Soon, our favourite game became, “How many fingers can be nibbled all at once?”

Too bad I was set up for big-vista, wide-angle photography, or I would have captured a fun, cheeky blenny portrait.


#ireland #kerry #scuba #diving #manchestermerchant #blennies #critters #cheeky #wreckdiving #fishbehavior

The spider crab is Ireland’s largest crab and can be found pretty much everywhere.

Here on the wreck of the SS Manchester Merchant, this guy was happy to pose for me amid the twisted metal, the starfish, the blennies, and the pollock. It all ended when I got a little too close, and he shuffled off in annoyance. At least I got the shot first.

Life on this wreck, lying in the middle of Dingle Bay, County Kerry, is nothing short of fabulous. I saw more fish, in both numbers and species, than I have on an entire year’s worth of dives combined!

It was a privilege to dive on the SS Manchester Merchant, and huge thanks go out to the members of the Inbhear Sceine Kerry Sub Aqua Club for organising such a great day out.


#Scuba #diving #ireland #kerry #manchestermerchant #shipwreck #spidercrabs #crabs #claws #wildlife #crustaceans

This lobster, hiding in the debris of the SS Manchester Merchant, was not coming out to play, no matter how long I lay there and waited.

The space was too confined to get any closer with the strobes attached to my camera, so I decided to fold them back, sacrificing light for access.

As I pushed my camera down into the hole, the lobster at first held its ground, then backed off just a little. I backed off slightly too, which seemed to draw it back toward me again.

Suddenly and without warning, bang! Two massive claws lunged out at me. I’m sure I heard chitin on glass as lobster and camera briefly sparred for territory.

After that, the lobster backed off, held its ground, and there it remained until I left.

Lobsters are normally very timid creatures. This time, however, I assume the behaviour was aimed not at me, but at some brutish competitor reflected back from the camera’s lens.


#Scuba #diving #ireland #kerry #manchestermerchant #shipwreck #lobster #homarusgammarus #claws #wildlife #crustaceans