Divers enjoy taking a look below the harbour’s surface
SCUBA divers took advantage of the one chance they have each year – Christmas Day – to dive freely in St Peter Port Harbour.
It is the only day of the year that diving enthusiasts are able to do so since no ships enter or leave the harbour.
One of the first in the water before 9am, Sean Murphy, has rekindled his enthusiasm for open water diving in recent months.
‘It’s my first time here on Christmas Day in quite a few years. I only got back into it in a big way this summer,’ he said.
‘I had a good mooch around, as you never know what you will find.
‘I got a good few scallops. They are much bigger than usual because they are not picked up the rest of the year.’
The youngest diver, Braden Morris, 11, went in with his dad Trevor, with his mother, Karen Cleal, on the boat.
‘I got lots of scallops, they are all in weird little bunkers in the sand so it was easier to find them than I thought it was going to be,’ said Braden, who also said he had seen four starfish.
‘It was better than I expected.
‘I enjoy finding things and exploring cool stuff and I quite like the feeling of breathing under water.’
Braden’s grandparents, Ron and Chris Cleal, were watching from the slipway and remarked on how nicely the boat – operated by Matt Eker from Dive Guernsey – had been decorated for Christmas.
Alex Vincent was taking advantage of the opportunity to both explore the harbour and complete the final stage of his SSI diving course.
‘I have done everything towards it and this is the final dive,’ he said.
Estimating that the harbour was around 15 metres deep, he too hoped to come away with some fresh seafood.
‘Hopefully I’ll get some scallops,’ he said.
