This year’s trip to the Farnes Islands didn’t get off to the greatest start. The forecast earlier in the week was for winds of up to 55mph and after the captain cancelled our first day of diving things weren’t looking good. Was this to be yet another trip cancelled in 2011 due to high winds? Thankfully by Saturday the wind had dropped and the West side of the islands provided near perfect diving conditions. What followed was three days of the best diving many of us have done in the UK. Diving in the Farnes Islands is all about the seals and this year they were at their most curious and playful. Every dive they’d follow us around biting at our fins. The more curious amongst them would sniff our drysuits, bite are masks and allow us to stroke them. Often once one had deemed we were safe to play with we’d have three or four more seals doing the same. There was also a large array smaller life, crabs, lobusts, shrimp; not that most of us noticed, we were too busy enjoying the seals. Those of you with a taste for adult entertainment will soon have the opportunity to watch Alex’s video of his intimate and passionate encounter with a very special lady seal he befriended on the last day.