62.7(±0.3)m between Buoy and large rock

Using more sight lines to locate large rock at south steps yields 62.7(± 0.3)m

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Hybrid

53.2689°,-6.0977° — 53.2686°,-6.0970° : 0.062653 km / 0.038939 miles (great circle distance) www.movable-type.co.uk/scripts/latlong.html

OpenStreetMap | Node | Vico Swim Buoy (883167515)

The Vico Swim Buoy

http://www.openstreetmap.org/browse/node/883167515

Distance to the buoy

Distance calculations
Method 1 - utilising surfboard and mobile phone.
The surfboard is 11.3 cinclus feet, or 3.70 metres long.
When the surfboard is beside the buoy and parallel to the shore it subtends the same angle as my mobile phone held at arms length.. The mobile phone is 0.04 m wide and eye to phone distance is 0.72m.
So the distance to the buoy is 3.7 x 0.72 / 0.04 ie 66.6m, or about 63 m from High Water Mark.
Method 2 - utilising sightlines.
The sightlines from the corner of Sorrento Terrace to the Lead Mines chimney, and from the Hut to Bray Baths intersect at the buoy.  Drawing these on openstreetmap.org and connecting the intersection of the two lines to the shore displays a distance of, yes, 63m

Birdwatch Ireland Events - Autumn 2010

Here are some events which might be of interest:

• The State of the Nation's Seabirds, from gulls to gannets to guillemots - Kingston Hotel, 7th September 8pm
• Beneath the Waves: a Maritime Perspective of Dublin Bay  - Kingston Hotel, 2nd November 8pm
• A Year of Birds: A photographic journey with Eric Dempsey -Botanic Gardens, 11th November 7:30pm

Ten best: Outdoor dips - Travel Advice, Travel - Independent.ie

http://www.independent.ie/travel/travel-advice/ten-best-outdoor-dips-1461816.html?start=1

Ten best: Outdoor dips

1 Vico Baths, Killiney, South Dublin
South Dublin boasts oodles of nooks for swimming -- from Seapoint to the 40 Foot and beyond -- but Killiney's Vico Baths (also known as Hawk's Cliff) outshines them all.
Between White Rock and Sorrento Terrace, this is one of the most spectacular places to swim in Dublin. Follow Sorrento Road until you see a small path leading down to the sea. Cross the DART line and the baths are located at the end of the path. This tiny cove offers views of Bray Head, Dalkey Island and Killiney Bay. If you're feeling overdressed, togs are traditionally optional.
Details: Killiney, South Dublin
2 Pooleen, Glengarriff Nature Reserve, Co Cork
Exiting the N71 into Glengarriff Woods, one embarks on a twisty, turny drive revealing all that is best about West Cork. Situated past the beautifully restored Glengarriff Lodge, Pooleen is a wooded swimming hole plugging a deep, glaciated valley. Within easy reach of meandering walking trails, a picturesque waterfall and Lady Bantry's Lookout, it's the very stuff of childhood memories.
Details: Glengarriff, Co Cork
3 Glassilaun, Connemara, Co Galway
Cartographer Tim Robinson has described Connemara as "a rope of closely interwoven strands," and its mix of island and mainland shorelines leaves visitors beautifully befuddled. Glassilaun is a short drive from the family-friendly Renvyle House Hotel, and the perfect mix of crescent-shaped strand and gin-clear waters. The mountainous backdrop makes for a stunning view from the water.
Details: Glassilaun, Connemara, Co Galway
4 Guillamene Cove, Tramore, Co Waterford
Tramore is best known for its sweeping strand, but a short drive away on the Great Newtown Head lies its hidden gem. The 'Men Only' sign is a relic of times past (there has been swimming at the Guillamene since the 1880s) -- wetsuits have long since replaced nude gentlemen bathers. The water is deep and cold, and the different diving spots on hand are fit to both terrify and impress.
Details: Tramore, Co Waterford
5 Ballycuggeran, Lough Derg, Co Clare
A full 32,000 acres in volume, Lough Derg boasts enough swimming spots to keep all of Ireland's water babies happy. The spot known locally as Tinerana, however, is amongst the sweetest (and safest). Three miles outside Killaloe, it boasts picnic areas, trailed walks and a Blue Flag. Brian Boru may have sailed here to meet the O'Connors of Connacht in battle, but all you need do is kick back and relax.
Details: Killaloe, Co Clare
6 Cill Mhuirbhigh, Inis Mór, Co Galway
Times seem both to have changed and stood still since those iconic scenes from Man of Aran were filmed at Cill Mhuirbhigh. The beach is a perfect sickle; the water shifts its palette from stony black to Caribbean green with the shifting of a cloud. It's the 21st century, but lying on the sands here, it's as if those hardy gents took their currachs out for Robert J. Flaherty only yesterday.
Details: Inis Mór, Aran Islands, Co Galway
7 Smugglers' Cove, Greystones, Co Wicklow
Once the preserve of female bathers from the La Touche Hotel, Smuggler's Cove is a boutique beauty stashed between Greystones' north and south beaches. Swimming is best from the steps, where the views stretch north to Bray Head, and afterwards one can fill up on freshly battered cod at the harbour chipper.
Details: Greystones, Co Wicklow
8 Lough Owel, Mullingar, Co Westmeath
A couple of miles northwest of Mullingar, Lough Owel's diving board cuts an evocative silhouette against the setting sun. A deep, spring-fed lake, the swimming spot here can get boozy and over-crowded at times, but the Westmeath setting is beautiful. If the crowds are low and the weather just right, you're in for a very special dip in the heart of Ireland.
Details: Mullingar, Co Westmeath
9 Portsalon, Fanad Peninsula, Co Donegal
On a fine day, Portsalon is glorious. On a rainy day, it can be horrid. That's unless you have a wetsuit and enjoy hurling yourself off piers at high tide. Across Ballymas-tocker Bay lies another option -- the Blue Flag Ballymastocker beach, once voted second most beautiful in the world (behind Anse Victoria in the Seychelles) by Observer readers.
Details: Portsalon, Co Donegal
10 Derrynane, Iveragh Peninsula, Co Kerry
It's hard to know which beach to pick in Derrynane, so we've chosen them all. Nestling against the Ring of Kerry, flashing turquoise hues you wouldn't have thought the Atlantic capable of, this is Irish beach swimming at its best. Light sands and looming mountains seal the deal, and there's pony-trekking and the Skelligs chocolate factory nearby.
Details: Derrynane, Co Kerry
NB: Swimming in fresh and sea water can be dangerous. Check locally for advice on safety and hazards, follow sign instructions, and never swim alone

- Pl Conghaile

Inexplicable or unexplainable light from horizon?

This unusual light formation on the clouds viewed from Vico on Friday 6th August 2010 around 7pm

How did they count all the fish in the sea? | Environment | The Guardian

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2010/aug/03/marine-life-estimate

How did they count all the fish in the sea?

Scientists have estimated the number of marine species in our oceans. But how did they do it?

A deep-sea jellyfish - just one of 230,000 species in the 2010 census of marine life. Photograph: AFP/Getty Images

Earlier this week, the census of marine life was published, concluding that there are more than 230,000 species in our oceans. And for every marine species known to science, at least four have yet to be discovered.
For the layperson, two questions spring to mind. First, how on earth do you count all those fish? Second, how can scientists put a number on what Donald Rumsfeld would call the "known unknowns"?
Dr Tom Webb, a marine ecologist at the University of Sheffield who worked on the census, says that many different methods are used to count marine species, but that it "often will come down to some poor bloke in a lab counting things" – molluscs in mud samples, plankton in seawater samples. "For species in the North Sea we will use trawl surveys from the fishing industry," he says. "With coral reefs in, say, Fiji we will use visual surveys conducted by divers, who simply count what they see in front of them. Scientists might also conduct their own fishing expeditions to collect invertebrates. And we might even use a sieve to sort through samples of mud from the sea bed. We then extrapolate from this tiny portion of the sea what the whole ocean might contain."
When it comes to estimating how many species are yet to be discovered, Webb says scientists use a technique called "rarefaction": "Imagine a garden pond. When you first put the net in everything will be new to you, but the second time you do it, you will have already seen some of the species from your first trawl. Your rate of discovery will keep on declining over time. In the deep oceans, we still have a one-in-three chance of discovering something new, whereas in the North Sea we are close to having a full understanding of all the species it supports." But perhaps that's because we've battered and served with chips just about everything we've ever found in the North Sea?
• This article was amended on 4 August 2010. In the original, "known unknowns" was attributed to Dick Cheney. This has been corrected.

Lion's Mane Jellyfish in Dublin Bay - Ireland

On June 2nd the EcoJel Team in collaboration withTechWorks Marine Limited filmed a Lion’s Mane Jellyfish in Dublin Bay. Watching the video (above) you can see its tentacles spread out in all directions, some of them up to 5 metres long, as it hunts (fishes) for plankton and other food. This rare footage shows the remarkable hunting techniques of the most venomous animal in Irish and UK waters, you can’t help but be impressed!

Jellyfish Stings | First Aid Treatment Of Jellyfish Stings | Advice and Information | The EcoJel Project

Guidelines
Ensure you don't get stung yourself when aiding others
Remove any attached tentacles with a gloved hand, stick, or towel (none of these available use the tips of your fingers)
Do not rub the affected area (this may result in further venom release)
Rinse the affected area with sea-water (do not use fresh water, vinegar, alcohol or urine)
Apply a 'dry cold pack' to the area (i.e. place a cold pack or ice inside a plastic bag and then wrap this package in a t-shirt or other piece of cloth)
Seek medical attention if there is anything other than minor discomfort
If the patient is suffering from swelling, breathing difficulties, palpitation or chest tightness then transfer to the nearest emergency department urgently
If travelling abroad seek advice for that specific country

» Download PDF - First Aid For The Treatment Of Jellyfish Stings

These guidelines were drawn up by the Jellyfish Action Group of Ireland and Wales (which includes experts form Beaumont Poison Centre, Pre-hospital Emergency Care experts, hospital A&E consultants, local GPs, and water safety officers) and are only to be applied in Irish and Welsh waters.

Lazy Day At Vico