Huw Porter wrote:

> A week in Scotland for a wedding, with three days diving out of Oban, on
> the West coast.  These were the scariest dives I've done to date, and the
> trip was in danger of turning into 'The Muppets go Diving' at a couple of
> points, but all turned out OK in the end...  I've tried to analyse where I
> did something wrong, any advice or tips will be gratefully received.

> Water temps were a consistent 12-13 degrees, visibility poor by usual
> Western Scotland standards at 3-4 metres.  the weather was patchy sun and
> showers, the water green and gritty but the wind stayed away and the seas
> were calm.  Tanks, weights, trilaminate drysuit and thinsulate all rented.

Here's where you made your first mistake.  If humans had been intended to
dive in such cold water, we would have been born with drysuits.  There's an
excellent single malt scotch called Oban which, I presume, comes from that
region.  You should have curled up with a bottle, a bit of ice and counted
your blessings, starting with being warm.  All other mistakes stem from this
one and, therefore, can be ignored.

Lee