Sub-aqua club host Varsities | John Kinsella

    This year’s Irish Scuba Diving Intervarsity event was hosted by UCC Sub-Aqua Club in Baltimore, Co. Cork. Over 50 divers attended from UCC, DCU, UCD, NUIG and UL.

    Any fears of having to abandon the diving due to poor weather conditions were quenched by the time all the clubs had reported to the Baltimore slipway on Saturday morning. Conditions were near perfect for diving with light north-westerly winds. The dive sites chosen were just outside the harbour by the Kedge Islands. The resident seal colony acted as a welcoming party to the boats although their curiosity in the divers soon wavered. Ireland’s underrated status as a world-class diving destination was again confirmed with an abundance of life on show including conger eels, spider crabs, prawns, jewel anemones and colourful cuckoo wrasse. NUIG and UL dived the wreck of the Alondra, a British steamer lying at 22 m depth which sank off Kedge Rock in December 1916. The Dublin clubs were particularly complimentary about the quality of the diving and visibility of the West Cork waters.

    UCC SAC would like to thank all the clubs who participated and made this year’s event such a success. More information about UCC Sub Aqua Club can be found at www.uccsubaquaclub.com, the Facebook group or Twitter @uccsubaqua.