Sunday, January 20, 2008

"Take nothing but memories" But

40 Years on and I haven`t aged very well! I guess that its as a result of the life I have led? Tee Hee :o((


my family were hungry :o(( (guess who 40 years ago, when the spiny lobster still inhabited the coast of the UK)

12 comments:

Anonymous said...

So that's where they've all gone :)

I've only ever seen relatively small lobsters when diving off of our shores.

rob said...

Those two were about 8 and 9 puunds respectively if my memory serves me right! I am ashamed to say that it was possible to collect 10 per dive without much trouble, and we did, we never sold them and ate all we caught, much to the detriment of the stocks, and that was spiny lobster (which we called cray fish, which of course they are not) the common lobster were also available too but not to the same amount. We were diving on air, to 150/200 feet on average, mainly off Salcombe and plymouth, Madness!
:o(( we survived, but not without a bend and a wigging from the navy, on the odd occasion.

Anonymous said...

150ft, on air, with a single cylinder and no buddy to get portholes?

Fuff said...

"the spiny lobster still inhabited the coast of the UK" until Orb fished 'em all out ;)

rob said...

Oh Fuffy, Dont! I feel bad enough already. :o((

rob said...

Thats true Tim, and no decoprpression bottle on the ascent? we had about 15/20 "minutes bottom time" ( bounce diving) if my memory serves me right, using the italian tables of course, or was it an hour ;o)).
I used a single "spartan seventy" cubic foot bottle ( with Siebe Gorman, Merlin mark 1 twin hose demand valve, single stage) of which I had two and it wasn`t unusual to take the second one down for a while if I thought that I had over done it, if I had any air left in it that is. You can see how we used to get into trouble, can`t you. (HMS Dolphins services) we used to drive home just waiting for the first sign of "twinges" somewhere which indicated the possible bend. How downright irresponsible and stupid, in hindsight, with todays knowledge and equipment. Christ If I ran out of air I would tap my buddy for a share of his, the depth never came into it. I don`t know many of my Diver buddies that hadn`t made some sort of a forced acent from over 100 feet as a result of running out of air or a valve problem, and that was before ABLJ`s. Blood*y madness.

I exploded an eardrum having done that diving with a cold, on the Eddistone I "pulled my ex BA lifejacket on the way up and briefly passed out close to the surface to awaken, floating, looking up at the bow of the dive boat and horrified faces looking down at me telling me that I was bleeding badly from my head somewhere (my ears of course but my neophrene hood didn`t allow them to se that)and it wasn`t until I got on the boat and took the hood of, the full extent was seen. :o(( Stupid B*stard. Ho hum, the drums healed but I am profoundly deaf in one and the other isnt much better, small price to pay for surviving that incident, I dread to think what would have happened if my life jacket hadn`t started to fill as I approached the surface, before I passed out? I guess that I would be floating around there somewhere still, as some/many are today?

Jamie said...

Wow, Rob, you do have some amazing stories to share! We're just grateful you DID survive your youth :)

I think those lobsters are about the size of the twins right now ~ ugh (maybe not *quite* that big)! Great photo ~

rob said...

Thanks for passing bye Jamie! I`m, glad I survived too although at a recent meeting of a load of the kids from my street (all now over 60) to a man/woman they expected me to have spent a long time in prison or died early. I cant think why? :o))

Overboard said...

You haven't changed one little bit, Orb. Nice legs. All six of them. Who's the one on the right? A cousin?

rob said...

Hi Mmmmmm, Thanks for dropping by. Do you not think so? Ahh! you are sweet :o))

bowiechick said...

OH NO! Actually I thought it was funny as hell and was roaring with laughter. I'm sorry! I didn't think you were being insenstive at all.

rob said...

Hi Tana! I suddenly thought about all thiose wierd people out there and thought that I might be thought of as one ( possible I guess) I too thought it was funny, particularily the look on the babys face. I have seen it before from my kids, it that ( oh no Here we go again) when is my father going to grow up? look!