Entries by Robert

I’d never really done much RIB (rigid-hull inflatable boat) based diving before coming to Ireland.

Back in South Australia, not including an inflatable hull boat I owned in my twenties, I could count my time diving from RIBs on one hand. Almost all of my boat diving was from off-shore equipped rigid fiberglass or aluminium boats.

Here diving in Ireland now for the last 4 months, the only diving I have been doing if from RIBs with guys and gals of Inbhear Sceine Kerry Sub Aqua club.

There once was a time when a nice dry cabin had its appeal but for its size nothing beats the seaworthiness of a RIB powering through moderate seas, its stability at rest and the ease of getting in and out. Try getting back up the ladder of an anchored rigid boat in big seas and you risk being smashed by the heaving transom, ladder or outboard. A RIB on the other hand is a delight in the same conditions where you can simply pull yourself up and over the buoyancy tubes and back into the boat.

Now that I’ve had a taste for rubber over glass there just might be a RIB somewhere in my diving future here or back in South Australia.


#inbhearSceine #kerrysubaaquacclub #rib #scuba #diving #kerry #skelligmichael #portmagee

What a strange sight among the graves of Cill Mhic Dhuach, a man in a hazmat suit power cleaning a tombstone with the precision of a dental hygienist.

Perhaps the cleaning is required as part of some study where researchers need unrestricted access to the stone surface. Perhaps it is part of some tourist beautification program. Or perhaps a family is paying respect by up keeping the grave of an ancestor.

Ultimately, lichens and their associated bio-communities will be the ultimate protectors of the stones and the stories they hold. I hope that to protect the past, the graveyard shift ultimately becomes a thing of the past.


#CillMhicDhuac #Kilmacduagh #countyclare #ireland #travel #journalism #blackandwhite

You could be forgiven for being confused by such an exotically named plant presenting itself so devilishly. The true beauty of this intriguing Nigella damascena is yet to emerge.

Very soon those green veined leaves will fold back, turn blue, and reveal themselves as the petals of a dramatic and exotic flower. The common name, love-in-a-mist, comes from the effect in full bloom of beautiful blue petals floating in a filigree mist of fine green.

This time of year the Burren, in Co Clare, Ireland, is awash with colour as wildflower adorn the ditches and rocky landscape in all directions. It is a very special place that rewards stillness with a great sense of belonging to the land.

The Burren is a place I recommend visiting and spending time in. You may or may not find something very special here but at least the wildflowers will not disappoint.


#Loveinamist #nigelladamascena #nigella #ireland #wildflowers #burren #flowers #burrennationalpark

Another beautiful jellyfish, the crystal jelly (Aequorea victoria), is normally almost perfectly clear but when disturbed it illuminates its outer bell in a blue-green glow using tiny light producing organs.

The light producing substance harvested from these guys is aequorin, a calcium-activated photoprotein used in medical research. The crystal jelly is also the very same creature who’s genes have been inserted into mice to make them glow green as their genetically modified bodies produce their own aequorin.

As the water here off the coast of Kerry is still getting warmer I’m looking forward to these guys being around for a few more months yet.


#crystaljelly #aequoreavictoria #jellyfish #ireland #scuba #diving #kerry #wildatlanticway #aequorin

Ireland’s Burren National Park, or simply ‘The Burren’ is unlike anything you would have imaged to be Irish landscape.

It is said that Oliver Cromwell, during the Cromwellian conquest of Ireland circa 1650, when he first saw the Burren, said, “There isn’t a tree to hang a man, water to drown a man, nor soil to bury a man.”

Despite it’s stark almost sterile aspect from afar, up close the Burren is an oasis of life, abundant in flora, fauna and ancient human history. When we visited here a couple weeks ago it was awash with colour as wildflowers bloomed from every conceivable nook, crack and cranny.

This is a place to find solitude and feel the juxtaposition of wide open barren rock landscape with the rich colour of living things.

I first came here over twenty years ago and will always be back for more.


#Ireland #landscape #countyclare #burren #burrennationalpark #tinyplanet

Just for a moment I felt like I was back in the familiar waters of South Australia where our magnificent southern rock lobster (Jasus edwardsii) is often found in caves and under deep ledges. However, in all my years of diving Southern Australian waters I have never seen our timid crayfish out in the open during the day.

Here below the imposing Skellig Michael, and unlike its distant Australian relative, the European spiny lobster (Palinurus elephas) seems absolutely at home out in the open. During our dive we found several crayfish perched on open drop-off walls or foraging under the kelp.

It was amazing observing these beautiful creatures out and about rather than having to peer in caves and under ledges. Unfortunately the same does not apply to lobster which do their best to stay out of sight.

I can only surmise that for the spiny lobster, here off the south west coast of Ireland, a lack of predators has lead to their boldness making them so photogenic.


#crayfish #spinylobster #europeanspinylobster #palinuruselephas #scuba #diving #skelligmichael #critters #underwater

Every time time a meet an Irish lobster on a dive I am reminded of our Australian common yabby and childhood memories of catching them in creeks and dams.

How different the wild Irish coast is from muddy Australian farm dams and yet how similar these two creatures are in appearance.

Given the choice of diving with Irish lobster off the Irish coast or a muddy Australian farm dam I think I’ve made the right choice.


#irishlobster #homarusgammarus #lobster #kerry #scuba #diving #kerrysac #coonanna

Despite it’s name, the Compass Jellyfish has minimal control over the direction it travels or the places it finds itself.

Relative to still water they are efficient swimmers but no match for the current, tides, storms and seas of the Wild Atlantic Way coast.

These three once beautiful oceanic creatures have found a final place of rest on a pebbly beach of the Flaggy Shore, County Clare.


#newquay #ireland #clare #flaggyshore #beachcombing #beach #wildatlanticway #chrysaorahysoscella #jellyfish #compassjellyfish #pebbles #countyclare

This exquisite creature is mysterious, captivating and enchanting as it moves through the ocean with a grace all its own.

This time of the year in the waters off Ireland they are everywhere and make incredible subjects of photography or observation while waiting to off-gas on our safety stop. They are also everywhere on beaches, washed ashore, where their distinctive compass pattern can be seen draped over rock, shingle and sand.

For me the ‘jellies’ are also synonymous with the warmer (relative) water of Ireland’s Summer.

Expect a few more jellies before summer is over.


#Coonanna #ireland #kerry #scuba #diving #boating #wildatlanticway #chrysaorahysoscella, #jellyfish #compassjellyfish

On yet another perfect dive day you can see our tiny dive boat tucked in behind Bray Head. You could dive just this few hundred metres of coastline all year and never experience the same dive twice.

What a privilege it is to be diving week in and week out at locations like this.


#Brayhead #portmagee #ireland #diving #boating #aerial #wildatlanticway #valentiaisland

#map0GsPNBG3JVNZmIMkuHzB

The last thing I expected on the 12th hole was a pheasant cock strutting his stuff. I have now learned that pheasants have had uninterrupted residency here on the Cork Golf Club grounds for years.

Not actually being here to play I was easily distracted by shiny things and bright colours, especially when my team were waiting their turn.

So, cock sure and strutting his stuff, and with no fear of humans bearing strange clubs, this beautifully coloured bird captured my attention for little while. At least until the play moved on.


#Pheasant #corkgolfclub #birds #animals #golf #green #cock #cork #ireland

As we strolled down Main Street, Ennistymon, the diversity of vehicles passing through town unmistakably trended to agricultural equipment.

By about the third tractor and yet another indescribable piece of towed plant, I thought this image would capture the feel of Main Street, Ennistymon.


#ireland #ennistymon #clare #tractors #agriculture #rurallife #mainstreet

These two beautiful gannets flying overhead, alongside the famous Bull Rock, showcase their reputation of Ireland’s most majestic seabird.

Watching gannets feeding is amazing. After a period of circling, a gannet will hover about 6m above the water and then suddenly drop into a vertical plummet, diving into the sea. What is especially spectacular is when a group of them all hit the water at the same time.

Having gannets fly above us was not so amazing. After a short while our boat had scored several hits of a different kind and I noticed at least one direct strike on Johns shoulder.

Majestic they may be but it was now a good thing that we were all about to get into the water.


#adventure #birds #freedom #gannets #gainead #morusbassana #ireland #kerry #bullrock #ocean #bunavalla #bealtra #seabirds

An interesting part of every deep dive is that shallow last third where physics and biology enforce coming up to a shallow depth to avoid decompression issues. Here the freedom of exploring the depths is taken from us and safely of the shallows presents new and interesting things to explore and see.

Here among the swaying kelp I found this small garden of plumrose anenome (Metridium senile). In a strange way it was easy to imagine these as a head of cauliflower wrapped in the green leaves of kelp. I’m sure there must be a good a recipe for ocean cauliflower soup, and somewhere it is probably a delicacy.

I’ll stick with cauliflower from the garden for now but happy to see more of these beautiful anemones on future dives.


#anemone #scuba #diving #ireland #portmagee #kelp #garden #cauliflower #plumroseanenome # metridiumsenile

This tiny little village on this tiny little planet is Portmagee and is located in the very south western corner of the Ireland.

We stumbled upon on Portmagee seven years ago when touring Ireland with friends. We enjoyed its beauty and remoteness, but never imaged coming back to this very same place considering all the other beautiful places we have yet to visit.

… little did we know!

In the last three months I’ve been to Portmagee many times now. Some day trips and some weekend stays and it’s all thanks to my getting serious about scuba diving again.

Thanks to the Inbhear Sceine Kerry Sub Aqua Club, Portmagee could become my third home.


#ireland #portmagee #kerry #tinyplanet #aerial #abstract

Unlike some stone cast into a still pond, these ripples in the cafe window were frozen in time from the moment of their creation.

Perhaps they wanted to subdue the view of the street. Perhaps they wanted privacy for their clientele. Perhaps they were just being arty. Regardless, this was our rippled view out to the world.

Sitting here with Jennifer we debated cleaning the window for a better image. Pragmatism was the outcome this time, that rippled view remained just as it was, and we went back to enjoying our coffee.


#abstract #window #patterns #ripples #ennistymon #oohlalacreperie

For almost ten years my wife has been patiently waiting to have ‘Grace Notes’, the creative part of her PhD thesis, published. Without compromise there was only one publisher acceptable to her: Salmon Poetry, based in Ennistymon, in the west of Ireland.

When she first cast her line we were living in Australia. It was a particularly long cast to be sure, but this was a fish she was determined to catch by hook or by crook. It took a few years but eventually she got ‘the rise’ she’d been angling for, the salmon took the lure, and the long play to where we are now began.

Nearly ten years on and we are living in Ireland, have entered the hallowed abode, and Jessie Lendennie will publish Jennifer’s work later this year.

They say that nothing teaches patience like fishing, especially when fishing for salmon.

#irish #literature #salmonpoetry #salmonbookshop #ennistymon #books #poetry #JessieLendennie

This view above Lamb Island tells almost everything you need to know about the conditions, …almost everything.

Wall to wall blue sky, check. No swell or current, check. The iconic Skellig Islands clear on the horizon, check. Incredible coastal rock formations above water, check. Fun dive crew on cool RIB, check. A hint of the crystal clear water as Lamb Island descends down 30m below the warter-line, almost check!

See my previous image ‘Below Lamb Island’ to complete the picture and you can see that we had the perfect Irish diving day.


#boating #diving #kerry #ireland #lambisland #portmagee #aerial #seascape

The diving out of Cahersiveen and Portmagee this last weekend was simply amazing. I’m blessed to have this kind of diving on my door step and to be diving with the Inbhear Sceine Kerry SAC crew who live and breathe (via regulator obviously) this beautiful region of Irish coast.

At a depth of around 25 meters my dive buddy Richie is revelling in the 20+ meter visibility, the perfect conditions for wide angle underwater photography. The visibility was so good, and the terrain so spectacular, I often found myself just floating out in mid water taking in the view.

My introduction to Irish diving has been wonderful with perfect conditions 6 out of the last 7 weekends and with the water finally getting warmer it can only get better.

Finally, apologies for the un-imaginative title but it’s one of a two part theme to be completed later.


#scuba #diving #kerry #ireland #lambisland #portmagee #diver #underwater #seascape

My moment with this gentle giant was fleeting, no more than 30 seconds, but wow what a wonderful moment it was.

When finally it swam into the distance, visibility, light and turbidity were not kind to the camera. All colour and definition were gone, but still the grace with which it swam was mesmerising.

This was my last glimpse before it disappeared into the depths below but not before it showed that unmistakable shark profile that evolution has not changed in millions of years.


#scuba #diving #baskingshark #sharks #Cetorhinusmaximus #Kerry #ValentiaIsland #BrayHead #megafauna #ancient #creatures #ireland #blackandwhite #monochrome

All of the diving I have done so far here in Ireland has been on the exposed Kerry coastline and the one common theme of every dive has been kelp!

The kelp line begins around 6m below the surface where it is just out of range of all but the most severe seas and extends down to around 12m where the failing light is no longer sufficient for the photosynthesis the algae needs to survive.

This species called Cuvie (Laminaria hyperborea) has become a landmark of depth for me, greeting me on my way back up to the surface and keeping me company on my safety stops.


#kelp #scuba #diving #cuvie #Laminariahyperborea #algae #seascape

We were nearing the end of a fabulous dive just off Bray Head on Valentia Island and were hovering around 5m sandwiched between the surface and the kelp bed below.

I turned to locate my dive buddy and instead was greeted by a massive grey form coming up from below and swimming directly for me. It is hard to describe and give justice to the experience which followed.

At first I thought it was the biggest and strangest looking dolphin that ever existed. I was stupefied until it gracefully dived under me and the expanse of this giant shark was revealed.

Basking sharks are the second largest shark or fish after the whale shark and typically will reach 8m in length. This one was on the smaller size, perhaps 4-5m, but still possessed incredible presence.

After swimming beneath me, this beautiful creature performed a graceful turn, revealed its ancient profile, then doubled back for a moment before reaching the edge of the kelp and diving back down into the depths.

This was my first encounter with these gentle giants and left us both basking in the beauty of the encounter.


#scuba #diving #baskingshark #sharks #Cetorhinusmaximus #Kerry #ValentiaIsland #BrayHead #megafauna #ancient #creatures

It’s cold down here, it’s dark down here, but it’s anything but quiet. Between the sound of my own breathing and my bubbles escaping to the surface, the water is filled with clicks and chirps and strange sharps noises not unlike forest insects on a warm evening.

As the light of my torch falls on this massive vertical rock wall I am astounded by the beautiful patchwork carpet of colour. Thousands of anemones in colonies of purple and red and yellow all with their tiny stinging tentacles, feed on plankton in the nutrient rich water.

Looking up I catch I glimpse of blue sky above and am filled with gratitude for this amazing magic carpet ride.


#scuba #diving #doulushead #cahershiveen #kerry #ireland #ocean #sea #inbhearsceinesac #anemone

I have just had another fantastic day diving with the crew from Inbhear Sceine SAC diving. This particular dive on Doulus Head was truly spectacular with cliff facing walls coming up from more than 30m below and covered in massive anemone gardens.

This moment captures our all important ascent with Richie being first to the boat and John ready to help us on board.

I am still getting used to the cold 10 degC water, and the crew here think I am crazy diving in a wetsuit, but it’s worth every moment diving in this beautiful part of the world.


#scuba #diving #rib #boat #doulushead #cahershiveen #kerry #ireland #ocean #sea

My discovery of Ireland’s beautiful place seems to have no end and despite previous trips here I’ve really only just started.
We are on the pier at Kells Bay, about to head out into Dingle Bay for a dive, and I just can’t begin to describe how amazing it is to be here.
The diving from here was stunning but to those that will never dip their head below the waves, just look around and enjoy our beautiful planet from what ever perspective you can.


#Kellsbay #tinyplanet #aerial #ireland #landscape #skyscape #tinyplanet

Living in Ireland has provided many firsts for me and my dives with Inbhear Sceine Kerry Sub Aqua have been no exception.
I’ve experienced new underwater sights and sounds with my favourite Southern Australian ‘usual suspects’ being replaced with an entirely new cohort of marine species I am eager to make my acquaintance with.

For the time being at least I’m acclimatising to the 10 degC water temperature, and still tuning my gear, but a couple more dives should see most of those issues sorted (aside from the cold).

For now at least I can share another first, it may not be anything spectacular but here is my first published image from under Irish seas, the Edible Sea Urchin (Echinus esculentus).


#Echinusesculentus #seaurchin #underwater #scuba #diving #ireland #kerry #critters #echinoderms #edibleseaurchin

Nearly seven years ago I got to circumnavigate the famous Skellig Michael off the south west coast of Ireland, symbol of the archangel Micheal and spiritual haven of the Mainistir Fhionáin monks that made this sacred rock their home.

I planned to return one day with the anticipation of climbing to its pinnacle.

Last Saturday was the reunion I never imagined.

We’ve been in living Ireland nearly four months now and like a fish out of water I’ve been pining to dive again, trading a South Australian sea for an Irish one. Considering the colder water and lack of familiarity with diving in Ireland I’d almost resigned to my first Irish dive being something simple and tame, a shake down and ‘get used to it’ dive.

Then I got a text from Micheal! (not the archangel, but can I really be sure?)
“Hi Robert, me and the lads are diving Skellig Micheal this weekend and we’d love to have you along.”

To cut the rest of my story short, my first Irish dive was anything but tame and simple, an adventure beneath Skellig Micheal.

Thank you Micheal, John, Richie, Ellie, Nigel and Gearóid of the Inbhear Sceine Kerry Sub Aqua Club for looking after me and making my first Irish diving simply extraordinary.


#adventure #crag #freedom #ireland #island #kerry #ocean #portmagee #skelligmichael #diving #travel

No one has actually seen a living Irish Elk for 8,000 years but once they were abundant here as well as on much of continental Europe. With an antler span of 3 to 4 m they would have been spectacular to behold.

Nearly 40 years ago, Cork artist Kevin Holland brought the great Irish Elk back to life as a bronze effigy overlooking the N20 road between Cork and Mallow. For twenty years I’ve been wanting to photograph that stag with never quite the opporunity.

Today I finally have.


#Kevinholland #ireland #cork #irishelk #sculpture #bronze #silhouette #aerial

On a recent ‘Create Day’ with the Mallow camera club we explored crazy things like photographing spilled ink in puddles of potcheen.

The process was very simple, pour the potcheen onto blotting paper (with optional nip when no one’s watching), place drop of coloured ink onto the wet and changing paper, take a photograph, pour again, have another nip and repeat.

The constantly moving patterns were quite mesmerising and the challenge was knowing when to stop.

Of the many weird photographic endeavors explored that day we only got a taste (no pun intended) of each but enough to wet the appetite to do it all again.


#Abstract #colour #patterns #mallowcameraclub #createday #potcheen #moonshine

This candid and beautiful moment between two sisters will be forever theirs and no one else’s. Whatever their thoughts, and wherever their hearts, the brightness of the world outside provides everything needed; hope, gratitude, family, friendship and comfort.

It’s not all about landscape, natural beauty and an unblemished world. The light comes first, the heart and mind are drawn to it, and momentarily we become part of the brightness of it all.


#Silouette #jennifer #susan #sisters #home #window #contemplation blackandwhite