John Preston

This morning we had a really lovely dive on the wreck of the Hispania, which has featured on my blip before.

Our second dive today (and third dive yesterday) was on the wreck of the John Preston. It's a lovely site with plenty of light and visibility was pretty good. The wreck lies on a ledge at about 18m, with a kelp slope leading up to the surface, and a sheer wall below. Both are excellent diving.

The John Preston itself is a wooden ship constructed in 1855. She sunk in 1882 carrying a cargo of roofing slate, some of which has been salvaged, but there's still plenty down there.

Views like this of timbers tagged by archeologists, remind me of watching divers on the Mary Rose on Blue Peter when I was little. At the time it never occured to me to take up diving, but I have very strong recollections of it - and of watching her being raised. I have visited the wreck in Portsmouth a couple of times over the years - I really must get back there.

Anyway, for some reason these hunks of rotting wood trigger those memories so I thought I'd make it my blip - instead of another sea slug (even though I have plenty of lovely shots to choose from!).