MARIA MUNN'S COLUMN: Snapping supersized critters off Ireland's west coast

Nothing could have prepared me for how great this past weekend was with Sport Diver, PADI and Scubapro - simple! And however nervous I still am when faced with a drysuit, I was absolutely itching to get into one even in the pouring horizontal rain and wind on Sunday - the diving offshore in front of Scubadivewest’s dive centre really is that breathtakingly excellent.

Friday and Saturday were both picture-postcard perfect days. The sun shone all day long, turquoise waters around us glistened and the powder-white deserted beaches shimmered in the sunlight. All me, Mark Evans, Simon Chance and Dave Pritchett could say along the spectacular drive to the centre was “wow, that’s amazing” over and over again.

This is Ireland, honest!

The centre itself is located just a short walk from the beach and nothing was too much trouble when asking the staff for help. In the sunshine, dappled light danced beneath the waves in the shallows. Kelp forests swayed, hiding a myriad of creatures. Flounders greeted us at the shore’s entry point, as did a family of moonjellies. This was just the beginning. Colin and JJ were fantastic guides, enthusing about diving in this gorgeous part of the world, nestled in the most dramatic landscape you can imagine. I never thought I would need a wide-angle lens to photograph a lobster or even a blue velvet crab - it was as if the creatures were on steriods there!

Sea Hare

But on Sunday morning’s dive, I forgot my all-important golden rule - always start a dive with a freshly charged battery, and it served me right when my camera decided to have a siesta not even half-way through the dive and missed the plethora of opportunities that Colin showed us - hermit crabs, spider scorpion crabs, dogfish, thornback rays, blue velvet crabs, spider crabs, starfish peppering the kelp leaves, butterfish and golden pipefish nestling in the shallows. And yes, I am still kicking myself.

There were stunning photographs to be had for both macro and wide-angle lovers, although the macro life was so large that I ended up keeping my wide-angle lens on all the time. Landscape photographers were not disappointed either and the divers on the boat even saw dolphins!

There were plenty of landscape shots on offer

Sealife kindly lent me their DC1200 Elite Camera Package with both a wide angle lens and an external strobe which doubled the camera’s own field of view. Both myself and Mark were really pleased with the results that the Automatic External Flash mode gave us without having to change any settings at all, and the Manual Mode was so easy to understand that even a total beginner could easily get to grips with the whole kit at once and produce really beautiful shots with complete ease.

Further offshore there are a number of unique gorgeous dive sites that I am itching to get back and explore by boat. You can join a trip to “Feed the Congers” or dive the famous Julia T wreck just 15 minutes away which sits upright in 27m of water. Just need a wee bit more practice in my drysuit before doing these dives, but I also had an opportunity to remember another golden underwater photography rule - always be comfortable with your equipment before attempting to take any pictures.

Diver exploring the Julia T

This weekend definitely left me enthused for more drysuit diving and I really hope that I can get back to sample more Irish diving really soon.

Check out Scubadivewest’s website for more information on the diving opportunities in Connemara.

Don't forget Maria offers one day courses in both London and Leeds at private venues as well as friendly overseas photo trips. You can also find details of her award-winning book on her website at www.oceanvisions.co.uk or simply contact her for your own FREE personal tips.

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