On Saturday morning Sheephaven SAC received over 30 visiting divers from 10 other clubs and
including their own divers they conducted two dives on Melmore Head and one on Dunloan Rock
using a small fleet of six dive boats.

Despite poor, for Sheephaven standards, in-water visibility the visiting divers were overwhelming in their praise of the dive sites. As the visitors are used to visibility of less than two metres they
particularly appreciated the wonderful flora and fauna that they were actually able to observe throughout the weekend.

Sunday mornings’ dives were conducted on the Frenchman’s Rock for a dive party of three dive boats and Dunloan Rock for another boat.
It was unfortunate that the more exposed sites were not available for diving over the weekend, due to a stiff northwest wind blowing across the ebbing Spring Tides, which can turn an innocent enough
looking sea into something quite difficult in a very short space of time.

But for the dive parties in more sheltered waters over the weekend the drift dive at Dunloan Rock received high praise indeed and will undoubtedly attract the visitors back again in the future. As
always this site produced recordings of large fish species including Bib and the resident Conger Eels, as well as a series of sponges, hydroids, Hornwrack and anemones.

However the species of note observed over the weekend included a Sunfish of Melmore Head on
Saturday morning, a congregation of Pipefish near Revenny Island on Saturday afternoon and the
egg casing of the Common Ray, which is anything but common on a snorkel near Meavgh slipway
late on Saturday evening.

In addition to the diving the visitors experienced the full hospitability of the clubs entertainment
committee, led by Caroline Mc Gee, when they put of a fantastic meal on for visitors and club
members alike. These hard workers included John Mc Gee and his family who showed off their
culinary skills on the barbecue, as they dished out the beef burgers to a host of hungry divers on Saturday evening.

Undoubtedly the entertainment committee provided a spread that has set a standard of hospitality that will never be exceeded at future Dive Rallies and everyone involved thanks them for all they did
over the weekend.

The club has to also thank Willie Sheridan and John Joe Rowland who got the building prepared for the visitors and filled nearly 50 dive bottles over the weekend, as well as keeping car parking disruption to a minimum. Additionally they wish to thank the landowners who generously allowed the divers to park boat trailers on their lands over the weekend.

As satisfying as it was to host the Dive Rally ultimately Sheephaven SAC is about its own club
members and it was their indulgence that provided the clubs boats and equipment for the use of
visiting divers, which is understood and appreciated by all involved.