big fish.

tong po

hi all, new enough i suppose. just did padi advanced, logged bout 50 dives around ireland so far, and a few in tennerife. In ireland, i seem to be missing the big fish, all i get to see are dog fish , rass, and the odd dolphin.

just wondering, what stuff are you seeing when diving around 30m in irish waters?

locum-motion

TBH, we don't really get lots of big stuff here; if you're seeing dolphin you're doing pretty well. Probably the biggest things you'll see regularly are pollock. I've also seen a lovely big anglerfish (aka monkfish) once off W Cork, and on Sunday I saw two big triggerfish (really surprising; I thought we didn't get triggerfish in Ireland).

* Did you see them while diving, or on the surface? If you saw them underwater, then you're doing really well! Other things you might see from the boat include basking shark, whales and maybe, very occasionally, sunfish.

tong po

locum-motion wrote: »

TBH, we don't really get lots of big stuff here; if you're seeing dolphin you're doing pretty well. Probably the biggest things you'll see regularly are pollock. I've also seen a lovely big anglerfish (aka monkfish) once off W Cork, and on Sunday I saw two big triggerfish (really surprising; I thought we didn't get triggerfish in Ireland).

* Did you see them while diving, or on the surface? If you saw them underwater, then you're doing really well! Other things you might see from the boat include basking shark, whales and maybe, very occasionally, sunfish.

i missed a sunfish in the dursey sound last year. gutted. there was also a sighting of an octopuss there.{a piss take maybe?}
every time i head west i miss all the action, only to arrive home from my break, back into work to look at facebook pics of "baskins everywhere man" and im at work......

doing the my first deeper dives for the advanced course we saw plenty of big pollock, but i would love to come across a conger of a ling maybe. sick of crabs rass and lobsters.

maybe i should focus on wrecks more.
thanks for your reply.

locum-motion

I forgot to mention conger!

Sometimes they're all over the place, sometimes very scarce.
Keep your eyes open for shrimp hanging around the entrance to a hole in the rocks; they often live very close to a conger. Be prepared to get your head down so you can look up into the hole, and shine in a torch. That's how you'll find them, if they're there.

I've never seen a Ling yet.

There's been numerous sightings of octopus in Irish waters this year. I've heard of sightings in Donegal, Lambay and Baltimore so far this summer.

I saw a couple of beautiful squid in Donegal on Sunday, but they don't fall into your 'big stuff' category, as they were only the size of the top joint of my little finger!

I love to see the big stuff, but I love the small stuff too!

t1mm

Seals are probably your best bet.. I've seen Dolphins from the boat around Ballinskelligs in Kerry. Saw a few seals underwater out at the big Skellig, probably the best dives I've done in Ireland so far.

Wrecks are probably a good spot to look for conger aswell as the nooks + crannies in rocks - I've seen a few on the wrecks of the Santo + The Aud, in about 30m of water outside of Cork harbour.

Hoped to see a basking shark this year too with the plankton bloom - does anyone know if the time of year for that has passed?

Best of luck!

Visuelle

Go here http://www.flickr.com/photos/mybareintro/

These are usually the type of sea life I get to see on the east coast, depth to only 18M though.

tedshredsonfire

Tong don't feel bad I am diving over 10 years and always land to hear you just missed dolphins/basker etc. saw a sunfish a few years back whicle I was coxain on the boat and not diving but was right up beside him. Swam with a oceanic white tip shark but that was in Egypt. Seals and doplins are your best bet as are conger may be more active bigger stuff at night.
octopus are here all the time but rarely seen.

tong po

thanks guys/ also thanks for that photo link. great shots.
i think im going to invest in a small handy underwater camera housing for next year.

locum-motion

locum-motion wrote: »

...
There's been numerous sightings of octopus in Irish waters this year. I've heard of sightings in Donegal, Lambay and Baltimore so far this summer...

On Sunday last, at Rockabill, an octopus took a 'shine' to a diver's light and wrapped himself around it, and wouldn't let go. Divers had to surface with him. Photos at http://www.adventurediving.net/local-diving/rockabill-2010.1416.html

annR

I wouldn't be relying on Irish waters for sightings of big fish! You have to be very lucky or else be diving constantly to see anything big.
About the octopus, I think it must be Dublin waters. I've over 200 dives here and abroad and first time I ever even saw an octopus out in the open was off Dalkey and it was *very* friendly

tedshredsonfire

Forgot to mention plenty of sharks about but you will neve/rarely see one. Tope are around all the time and blue shark are on the north west and south west at present but catching them involves chumming a big boat and gear. The guy I know fishing for them tags and releases but not all do. I was hoping to get in with them at some stage even though blues ca be a bit inquisitve with the ole teeth at times. Big stick required me thinks.

denismc

The most unusual large fish i have seen in Irish waters is a Torpedo Ray, also known as an electric ray.
I have seen 2 octupus this year which is amazing as i have only seen one other in the last 10 years