Farne Islands 2022

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IT’S BEEN A BUSY OCTOBER!

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What a month! As SEPE Diving returned from Scapa Flow, it wasn’t long before we were heading back up north practically in the same direction from which we had just come... but this time we were travelling to the spectacular coastline of Northumberland.

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ARRIVING IN BEADNELL

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Any regular trip diver knows that all that is required is a decent bed and a good pub. Northumberland is generally short of neither. Our accommodation at the Farne Lodge, Beadnell was more than sufficient for our needs and the Craster Arms pub provided us with several fantastic meals and a good local ale throughout our time in the north.

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FARNE DIVING CHARTERS

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When diving the Farnes, their has only ever been one choice for both SEPE Diving and Scuba Leeds and that’s Lee Hall of ‘Farne Diving Charters’. ‘Farne Diver II’ was more than sufficient for the 12 divers we had on board and with extensive knowledge of the islands, Lee was able to drop us right in the thick of the seal action.

James Earnshaw Meeting His First Ever Seal

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THE TEAM

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One thing we at SEPE Diving really like about the Farne Islands, especially on seal trips is that ego’s are left on dry land. It doesn’t matter what diver level you are, how deep you can dive or for how long. Everyone is there to try and get a cheeky photograph with a grey seal whilst trying their best to avoid the antics of the mischievous young pups as they tug at your fins and try and pinch whatever unsecured dive gear from you that they can!

This trip was attended by a whole host of divers and experience levels, from the die-hard technical and closed circuit guys to the newly certified PADI Advanced Open Water. It was great to be able to share professional knowledge and tips across the board knowing that these less worldly divers would likely carry it with them through the rest of their adventures!

A Napping Grey Seal

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THE DIVES

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We were fortunate over the few days that we were in Northumbria that the weather held out. Normally for October, the winds and rain start to set in for the winter and the sea becomes somewhat rough. Other than issues, in part, with limited visibility, we were able to get 4 amazing dives on the kelp forests with plenty of explosive seal action.

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BIG HARCAR

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The Farne Islands is home to one of the biggest grey seal colonies found on the English coast, so there was no doubt that there would be plenty to see. We anchored up just off Big Harcar which is protected from the winds and away from the fast flowing deep island channels. At a rough estimate, there must have been close to 300 seals in and around the water at all times.

Steve Earnshaw Being Photobombed

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THE SEALS

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Expectedly, the seals were a little hesitant when divers initially entered the water, not wanting to come too close. After 10 minutes or so, these majestic ‘dogs of the sea’ were up to their old tricks and trying to pull off divers fins whilst sneaking up behind unsuspecting individuals, attempting to get as close as possible before racing off in the opposite direction once they had been rumbled. If nothing else, this in itself provided us all with plenty of laughs.

Aside from the young pups, there were also plenty of sleepy adults to see trying to get a moments shut-eye whilst tucked away in the rocky crevices. These guys were more than happy to be given a rub under the chin or pose for a photograph.

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IN SUMMARY

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Farne Islands 2022 was most certainly a great success. All 12 divers seem to have had fun and everyone got some amazing photo and video of the seals.

Whilst we at SEPE Diving took a break from the norm of deep & dark wreck diving, the Farnes is definitely an experience every diver should seek out at least once in their lifetime.

It was also a pleasure and an honour for Steve and James Earnshaw to be Farne Diving Charters final 2 divers after over 20 years in the industry! Thank you Lee! Good luck with your next endeavour!

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AND FINALLY…

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A Huge thanks to Christian Smith and Scuba Leeds for all their support and hard work! This was a trip to remember!