Scotland-Entry 3
It has been a few days now and we are all starting to get into the groove of things. It always goes like that, at first everyone is walking on egg shells, not sure about how to act or how the other people on the team work. After a few days, it all settles down into a bit of a routine and I am happy to say that the entire crew is brilliant and we all get along really well.
They have an easygoing style and we get the work done, but when the days filming is wrapped, we all take a sigh of relief that the weather or some other phenomenon hasn’t thrown us too far off schedule, and head off to the pub for a pint and a bit of dinner.
Today was the big day for me; my chance to do diving in the Loch and I was quite looking forward to it. While I knew that there wasn’t going to be much to see, just the idea of diving in Loch Ness was intriguing. The water is cold and so I needed my drysuit and hood and all the other paraphernalia that goes with diving in cold water.
The clouds were low over the Loch and the surrounding hillsides and a slight drizzle was present most of the day. We persevered nonetheless, spending most of it with the scientists doing plankton trawls and laying down deep water cameras to get a sense of the ecology of the Loch and the productivity of the bottom. As we expected, the bottom didn’t prove to be very productive at all, casting even more doubt on the possibility of large creatures surviving in the Loch. By 5 o’clock we were done with the science and it was time to dive.
With the safety divers pulled up beside the boat, we got geared up and took a long stride into the water. I took a small underwater camera to do some filming and was amazed at how quickly the light gave way to darkness. By about 30 feet down the visibility was almost zero and all that lay beneath me was the black abyss. Loch Ness is the largest Loch in Scotland by volume and has depths of over 700 feet. While I am not a superstitious person, I admit that my mind started dreaming up all sorts of things as I stared down into the murky depths. We stayed at 30 feet and I hovered there for a moment just to soak it all in. The water was like a dark cup of tea and seemed to swallow everything; within just a few feet even my safety diver started to disappear from view.
No wonder this place has been shrouded in mystery for so many centuries. I have never been on a dive like that in my life, it was definitely one for the books and I was glad to get out of the water. As we motored back to shore, the ruins of Urquart Castle looming behind us, I was smiling the whole way. The Scottish rain had started to come down harder and the sun was slowly setting, giving way to that humid blanket of darkness that only happens here. I think there are few places as beautiful as Scotland and I am just happy to be here. Tomorrow is a light day and I have most of it to myself. I haven’t had a day like that in a long time and I look forward to it, no doubt more adventures await.
