Diving the Farnes

Jean Michel Machefert · Issue 104, Sep/Oct 2018 · pp. 62–68

Products mentioned: Nikon D2x, Aquatica housing, Nikkor 10.5mm, Nikon SB910, Patima housings, Sigma 200-500mm

Since the autumn of 2016 my wife and I have been diving for one week each year at the Farne Islands in Northumberland, UK. Our first trip in 2016 was reported in UwP96. The last 2 years our trips were scheduled at the end of September beginning of October in order to see and play with the seal pups who are especially friendly and ready to play at this time of year. At other times the seals are still on the islands but the older seals spend their time either fishing at sea for several days (sometimes several weeks) or in digesting, lying on the shore. The babies under one year are always a little bit shy with the divers and the pups over one year behave more as teenagers and are by far less interested by the divers as they were when they were 10 months old. So there are some seals underwater and some of them continue to play with divers, but less than in autumn. We really have the feeling…