Species: Flapper Skate.
Location: Macduff, Scotland, 2023.
If the truth be told, I wasn’t best pleased, it was dawn on a Saturday in late May, hence it was early, very early! However, my buddy Chris and I had dived our usual spot at Macduff yesterday evening and the conditions were the best we had seen it. Excellent visibility for the Scottish East Coast! And so, we had made ambitious plans to dive again at dawn the next day before work.
What a decision that was! THE most memorable dive at our local dive site which we had dived hundreds of times before. We were taking our usual route, Chris was just ahead of me following the rocky wall which led into a gulley up ahead, he turned towards me and his eyes were like saucers (literally – I hadn’t really believed that expression until now), and I just knew…. I peered around him and instantly saw her, resting in the gulley an enormous mature female!
Because I knew the conditions would be good, I had prepped my camera and attached my GoPro mount too, an incredible moment captured in pics, on film and most importantly experienced in real life!