Fynn caught this Lovely little Cod aboard Bounty….welll done Fynn

 

 

We began our Blue Shark Cage Diving Expedition on an amazing calm , hot, balmy summer's day….yes I do mean in the UK…off Newquay …deep out to sea where 32 of our British Sharks dwell . Our Shark enthusiasts boarded "Atlantic Diver" in Newquay harbour and off we sped passing Yachts racing and Dolphins playing…this was set to be a spectacular day!

Chris prepares the Rubbie Dubbie ready to attract the Sharks to Atlantic Diver! Good job this isn't Smellivision.

After only a short wait our first Blue Shark appeared…We watched in amazement as the 2.5m Blue Shark attacked the Rubbie Dubbie bag and tore it to shreds just below the surface of the water, its tail fin thrashing around with immense power….absolutely AWESOME!! viewing

  

Shark enthusiasts enjoying the Shark Cage waiting for next Shark to appear..earlier Divers were lucky enough to see two Common Dolphins swim right passed the cage…jealous !!

 

Common Dolphins were feeding a short distance from Atlantic Diver all day and provided great entertainment whilst we waited for the shark. A cute pod passed with a nursery of calves and had all of us cooing!

A few Blue Jellyfish floated past the cage and allowed us to explore their beautiful structure.

And sadly we had to say goodbye to Leyla…our Newquay Marine College ,Marine Conservation Work Experience student. Thanks for a couple of great weeks, she has experienced all weathers on the boat this summer and will no doubt join our team again soon…good luck next year.

Delighted John caught this 20lbs Ling aboard our new Catamaran "Atlantic Explorer" this fish was sustainably caught with a rod and line using squid as bait . Skipper chris Lowe said " it put up a good fight but John was keen to have it home for his supper". The fishermen were targeting pollack when a Tope also took the line. Gary released the 1.6m Tope after carefully removing the hook and handled as per advice from the Shark Trust. Details of the catch were sent to the Shark Trust.

 

Dave Jarvis our British Diver Marine life Rescue Co- ordinater sent out an urgent message to us today. Hundreds of Guillemots our beautiful local diving sea birds are washing into the South coast of cornwall covered in a sticky waxy secretion making it impossible for them to fly. Help is desperately needed to help rescue. Advise if you find an affected bird is to put on gloves place in a ventilated cardboard box and call dave Jarvis on 07774711949 to await instructions for removal to West Hatch RSPCA rescue centre.

More info on:  http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-dorset-21275648

and on the BDMLR website:  http://www.bdmlr.org.uk/index.php?mact=News%2Ccntnt01%2Cdetail%2C0&cntnt01articleid=918&cntnt01origid=54&cntnt01returnid=54

 

For those of you who remember Leyla …our gorgeous and brainy Marine Student Wildlife Guide well she has been busy this winter compiling her "Atlantic Diving" and " Newquay Sea Safaris and Fishing" work experince to display at The Newquay Marine College  Atlantic Centre. We had a great day up there learning what the students had done over the summer, but of course we think Leyla's was best. Well done Leyla…top student!!

 

 

Farmer

Stags out on 2 Hour Mackerel Newquay Fishing Trip with Atlantic Diver ..Boat looks great in the Harbour with plenty of room for stags…Two of the semi resident grey seals Dr Who and Trunk visit the boat

Dr Who is so Gorgeous…then stags out to see again

 

 

Came across this amazing pod of Common Dolphins whilst on route to a dive this week….how lucky are we!! They were hunting around us for about 2 hours and played with "Atlantic Diver " on and off whilst we waited for the slack water…what beautiful creatures, we are so lucky to live in Newquay and experience the marine wildlife here…the dolphins were looking up at the divers as they looked down over the bow of the boat and turning on their sides eyeballing right back again…awesome ….just awesome…!!!!

https://vimeo.com/69387992   Jay one of our divers videoed as they swam or should I say flew across our Bow Wave. He edited all of our collective footage and produced this amazing footage for us to share with you guys..thanks Jay..we love it

We are Master WiSe ( Wildlife Safe) boat operator which means we watch wildlife without causing disturbance, so it was great to watch them hunt from a distance and then they interacted with us when they wanted to….and they were curious…this is the best way to watch wildlife so you don't interfer with their feeding..its so rewarding to watch their hunting techniques.

 Amy then saw the Dolphin turn on its side and look right back up at her….this is always a tearful moment when you get direct eye contact with a Dolphin

 Chris giving his safety talk….trying to look cool for the pic

 Beautiful Gannets also passed by and a few blue jellyfish further off shore.

 and as always lovely Trunk back home in newquay Harbour….Trunk came over to investigate the camera

 

Wahoo Easter started with a massive "Fishing Bonanza" we filled a box full of Cod, Pollack, Coley, Mackerel and Bib aboard "Atlantic Diver"… the biggest and fastest boat in Newquay harbour. What an awesome day fish flowed faster than the Easter Eggs!! All sustainable caught and taken home for a delicious Fish Supper….we certainly earned our "Cornwall Tourism Award GOLD for Wildlife and Marine attraction of the year 2014-2015 " yesterday!!

Fun and laughter filled the boat as a school reunion trip shared great banter as competetive angling skills played out during their 4 hour newquay fishing trip. Fish was washed down with the  free Chocolate Easter Egg that all of our passengers received on Easter Sunday's Trips.

Atlantic Explorer was further along the the coast by Padstow and saw a pod of Common Dolphins bow riding the boat and talking to each other with clicks and echolocating as they frollacked in front of our happy passengers. 

 

Dolphins galore on Easter Day as Common Dolphins Bow ride “Atlantic Explorer” and let out excited clicks and sounds as they communocate with each other when the boat stopped….absolutely wonderful. We have been seeing lots of dolphins on our trips throughout the winter like this Bottle Nose Dolphin above  but the becalmed Easter weather is allowing us to spot them more easily. Trips are running daily at the present .This is some of Chris’s iphone video

I LOVE THIS JOB!!!

 

 

As Cornwall Wildlife Trust Marine Strandings Network Volunteers Chris and I were able to leap into action when Chris heard of the reappearance of the dead Leatherback Turtle that was sadly pot rope entangled here off Newquay ten days previously.( see previous blog). We alerted CWTMSN and Atlantic diver went out to tow the Turtle to safe waters and prevent a shipping hazard. it was later agreed to bring it into Newquay Harbour for recording and removal. British Divers Marine Life Rescue Marine Mammal Medics joined the crew of volunteers and used their expeience of a previous turtle stranding to assist its recording of vital measurements which will help in identifying its sex, age and which rookery it came from. Full press release and contacts below:

“Enormous rare turtle is recorded in Newquay”

A rare leatherback sea turtle was towed into Newquay Harbour by Diving and Newquay Sea Safaris boat Atlantic Diver on Thursday 4/08/2011, after it was spotted by a tripping boat earlier in the day just over one mile from Newquay Harbour and was considered to be a shipping hazard.

The turtle was first reported at sea 9 days previously after, sadly, having become entangled in a pot rope just off St Agnes, where it was believed to have drowned, but the body then disappeared. The right flipper had been removed to disentangle it and this later helped support the theory that this was the same turtle. It was approximately 2 metres in length, probably the largest ever recorded in Cornwall, and is thought to be male.

A large team of volunteers from Cornwall Wildlife Trust Marine Strandings Network and British Divers Marine Life Rescue retrieved and recorded the turtle, which, due to its huge size and weight presented quite a challenge and attracted a large crowd of people keen to learn more about the animal. Measurements and photos were taken for the Strandings Network’s database and these will also contribute to UK turtle strandings records database. Unfortunately it was too degraded to be taken for post-mortem examination, but samples were taken for DNA research and were sent to the Animal Health Veterinary Laboratories Agency, Polwhele, in Truro for analysis. Cornwall County Council liaised with Mick Webb, the Newquay Harbour Master who assisted the volunteers, to arrange removal of the turtle remains.

There are three genetically distinct populations of leatherback turtle: Atlantic, Pacific and Malaysian Pacific but, as turtle expert Professor Matt Witt explained when he was contacted by the volunteers, this turtle could have been an Atlantic Caribbean turtle, determined by the shallowness of the ridges down its  shell.

Leatherbacks are the largest of all the sea turtles and, although not native to the UK, are frequent visitors and can survive in our waters by raising their body temperature to up to 18 degrees Celsius above the surrounding water. They often follow food into our cooler waters, which are abundant with jellyfish, the turtles’ main food source. Threats to the turtles are mainly from ingesting plastic bags and other marine litter; from tourism disturbance where they lay their eggs; from being eaten as a delicacy and, rarely, from accidental bycatch. They are listed on the IUNC’s list of Endangered Species as “ Critically Endangered”.

The event highlighted the benefit of the strong links between the various organisations involved and the Cornwall Wildlife Trust Marine Strandings Network are very grateful to all those who helped retrieve the turtle. They welcome reports of stranded marine animals to their Hotline – 0845 201 2626.

 

ENDS

 

Contacts:

Annabelle Lowe
Atlantic Diving/Newquay Sea Safaris and Fishing

Jan Loveridge
CWT Marine Strandings Network

Dave Jarvis
BDMLR( British Divers Marine Life Rescue)

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Trunk , the female grey seal semi resident to Newquay Harbour had an exploratory sniff and stretched her neck to what you would imagine was near breaking point, then recoiled rapidly as if she was unfamiliar with the scent…poor Trunk!!

 

(For those with a delicate stomach it may be best to avoid the next few pics as they explore the turtle in greater detail..thanks)