Lough diving in Connemara

Jerome Hingrat · Issue 23, Mar/Apr 2005 · pp. 43–47

Products mentioned: Nikon F90X, Sea&Sea housing, Nikkor 16mm fisheye lens, Nikkor 60mm macro lens, Nikkor 105mm lens, Nikkor 28-105mm zoom lens, YS 350 strobe, YS 120 strobe, Velvia film, Provia 100 film

Lough diving in Connemara by Jerome Hingrat Often fished but rarely dived, Connemara loughs are bog diving territory at its best. Sliding into brackish water riddled by a seasonal downpour might not be everybodyʼs idea of a week- end in the Wild West...but for the frustrated winter diver that I am, there is sometimes nothing like the peaty waters of Connemara. Connemara loughs are like proverbial watering holes: there is no shortage of them. Water is not a rare commodity around here, above and below, out of the heavens it comes in every colour, salted, fresh, not so fresh or with a seasonal Guinness tint. In late summer, a plankton bloom and peat water conspire to create visibility averaging chowder-like conditions. To cap it all, clouds of jellyfish pulsating by donʼt help improve the visibility. What a contrast with the clear waters of the Atlantic nearby! Fed with seawater and fresh w…