Turning up at the Aqua Hotel, Portland on a bright sunny morning I hoped that this course would help me identify the bits and lumps of metal I saw scattered around the seabed on wreck dives.

I rarely took much notice of the rusty bits on dives tending to regard wrecks as reefs for marine life rather than having much intrinsic appeal themselves. Although I had done the PADI wreck speciality some years ago it was fairly limited and dealt mainly with diving techniques for wreck diving rather than looking at the wrecks themselves. This course however was totally new and developed by Jane Maddocks (BESAC) working with Mark Beattie-Edwards (NAS) this was the first time the course had been run so they were really testing the water. While this was technically a BESAC course I had signed up for it after seeing it advertised on Divernet and although a PADI diver I was still made to feel very welcome.

After an introduction and outline of what the weekend would cover we were off on Cutlass to dive the Cragside. Cragside is described as an Unknown Coaster in the Dive Dorset book. It lies not far from the harbour wall near the bow of The Spaniard. The purpose of this first dive was to see the wreck before we embarked on the rest of the course and then …hopefully….view it through different, more knowledgable eyes the second time.

Having not dived with Smudge (who runs Scimitar Diving) for a couple of years it was nice to be on his newest acquisition Cutlass. Whilst slightly different from Scimitar it certainly proved to be a first class boat for diving and with perfect diving weather we set off across the harbour.

After an interesting dive we returned to the hotel for lunch and then settled down to some classroom work covering two very interesting topics, wreck location and ship construction and layout. The latter topic was the one that others like me found the most useful on the whole course and what we had really come for. Using simple diagrams Mark explained section by section working to stern to bow what you would usually find on common vessels At this point it all started to make sense and so many things that I had seen in the past and even photographed I was able to name.

We then had a brief look at wrecks and the sort of life you would expect to find on them. This was followed by some discussion of kit configuration in relation to wreck diving and the laying of distance lines which we then had a go at in the car park. Fortunately most of the divers had gone for the day so there wasn’t too much of an audience while we zigzagged backwards and forwards across the car park with reels and lines.

The next morning saw us back in the classroom and after a brief discussion about laws associated with wrecks and any finds bought to the surface we had a practical dry session on site recording before going out to the wreck on a second dive and doing it for real.

Working in buddy pairs we measured the offsets and then went for a second look round the wreck. Basically most of the middle of the ship is missing apart from the ribs but you can use these to naviagate from one end to the other where the stern and bow are pretty intact.

After lunch we then returned to the classroom and this information was then transferred to paper as we drew the wreck from the measurements we had taken. Despite the poor visibility we had managed to get some accurate measurements and produced a good drawing.

Altogether another very successful weekend although like me other participants found Marks session on the construction and layout of common vessels the most useful and would have liked this session to be longer.

Arriving at the campsite just before it got dark I was not really aware of my surroundings to any great extent, only to conclude it generally seemed a very leafy rural county once I had left Norwich behind. The campsite I used was pretty basic but it’s only somewhere to sleep and as the light fell it was nice to watch the bats flying in and out of the trees at the edge of the field while I cleaned my teeth. Despite rain the next morning and with a start time of 10.00 I went off to do a little exploring and check out the shore dives sites we were meant to be doing on Sunday.

However, one look at the brown churned up sea told me that diving was going to be an unlikely event.

Driving back toward Sheringham I was fascinated by the freshwater marshes that lay for miles parallel to the sea.

Cley Marshes which is a Special Protection Area has an international reputation as being one of the best nature reserves for bird watching. This was certainly confirmed by the number of people I saw with what looked like hundreds of pounds worth of equipment for doing just that.

Originally established in the 1600’s the shingle tidal walls that were erected stopped the ingress of salt water (you can just about make them out in this photo)and created a vast area that became properly managed and in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s was used for wildfowling and as reed marshes. However, with the quantity of shingle dwindling and increasing costs it was decided in 2002 to let the area gradually revert back. Obviously over time this is going to mean a total change in the flora and fauna of this area and I am sure will be watched with fascination by many people.

Leaving the marshes behind I made my way to where the course was taking place. This was in the Youth Hostel in Sheringham. Dawn Watson and Rob Spray were the tutors and it was soon clear that not only were both of them very knowledgeable but both were extremely good photographers. We started off with a general introduction to Seasearch and its purpose and then went on to look at marine life classification and the major groups that marine life is sorted into.

I was astounded at how many of the things I see underwater were actually animals and not plants as I had thought. We also discussed the main habitats and seabed cover types and started to look at how these would be recorded on a Seasearch dive. All of this was delivered with the aid of a fabulous PowerPoint presentation peppered with superb photographs. In order to practise filling in a Seasearch observation form we watched a DVD of a dive and filled in the form as if we were actually doing the dive ourselves. This was an extremely good way to practise and we had the added bonus of being able to rerun it and see what we had missed!

Other areas addressed were recording survey site locations, seabed sketches and diving techniques. In order to complete the formal Seasearch observer qualification you then have to do five dives recording information and filling in the observer forms. Two of these dives need to be done with a Seasearch tutor who can then advise and help with any form filling.
I found it a really good course and although have yet to do my qualifying dives just doing the classroom work has increased my knowledge of marine life enormously.

I would also thoroughly recommend these two books for anyone interested in identifying what you see on your dives. They are produced by Seasearch and are both very user friendly and the photographs are superb. Chris Wood is the National Co-ordinator for Seasearch so these books are very much aimed at divers.

Observer’s Guide to Marine Life of Britain and Ireland – Chris Wood

Seasearch Guide to Sea Anemones and Corals of Britain and Ireland – Chris Wood

                                                         ************************

Seasearch Nudibranch Course
Returning to Sheringham the following weekend the weather was much improved. Again we were not starting until ten so I took the opportunity of having a stroll around Weybourne taking photos of the marvellous stone work that most of the houses, walls and just about everything else was built out of.

Although this was a Seasearch course Jim Anderson a specialist in Nudibranchs had come down from Scotland to be our tutor for the weekend.
Most of the first day was given over to looking nudibranchs in general. How they are grouped and classified, their physical appearance and behaviour, how and what they feed on and reproduction. It was a day packed full of information but at an understandable level. Jim Anderson is passionate about nudibranchs and in particular Scottish ones and has an amazing site Scottish Nudibranchs . On the second day as we were once again unable to dive we all got kitted up with buckets and wellies and went off to the nearby West Runton beach which is covered in rock pools at low tide, (apparently the only place for miles which has rock pools).

We then all set off looking for nudibranchs. However, whilst a lot of other things were found not a nudi in sight!

Fortunately Jim had come prepared! Carried all the way from Scotland he had about six nudis that he had been keeping in the fridge in case such a situation occurred, (you can keep them alive this way). Dawn had also been out to the Vera (the wreck we were meant to have been diving) rescued the buoy that had been put on it and also collected some handfuls of vegetation that had been growing on the wreck.

All these things were then put under magnifying glasses and also the two microscopes that Jim and Rob had made available. It was fascinating to see every detail on the smallest of nudibranchs, those that were hardly a centimetre in size. Looking at some of the other creaures that had been lifted with the vegatation that Dawn had bought back from the Vera it was a little unnerving at first when you looked down the eyepiece to see huge alien like black eyes staring back up at you.

Again I felt I learnt a great deal on this weekend and diving a fortnight later I was very pleased to quickly spot some nudibranchs, something I had never been able to do before.

We were diving with Obsession Boat Charters . It was a large group filling two boats and although the weather reports had been mixed we had three days diving to look forward to. The next morning it was nice to see so many faces that I hadn’t seen for some time and soon we had both boats loaded and were off. What makes these boats special is their speed. I was on Obsession 2 and whilst a sizeable cat it has the speed of a RIB and soon we were hurtling across the waves heading straight for Lundy.

I had high expectations of seeing a lot of marine life given that the waters around Lundy are protected. However, the no take zone lies to the east of the island. Unfortunately this side is more prone to bad weather often making it a problem to dive. Such was the case the weekend we were there and while five of our dives were on the west side we only managed one (Brazen Ward) on the east side. On this dive alone it was clear to see the difference in the amount of marine life living on the two sides.

Another slight disappointment was the lack of seals. They were there but were very shy. On two occasions I was ‘checked out’ by a seal but they kept their distance so no chance of any photos. Having had a ‘taster’ of Lundy diving I really would like to go back and spend a lot more time diving the east coast.

More pics Lundy from Ilfracombe

The plan had been to join my clubs usual ‘dive in’ at Babbacombe for some shore diving which always gives me the opportunity of testing all my kit out after its winter break. However, because of car problems I had to skip the first day and join them for the subsequent two days boat diving.

The second problem was largely one of my own making. I had failed to check out my camera set up until the night before I was due to leave… only to find the strobe wasn’t working! During the winter I had bought a second hand F30 as a back up, and while I had been looking forward to trying it out under water, I never thought that it would be the only camera I would have for my first dives of the year. Fortunately I love taking macro pictures and in the UK this is all you can seriously expect from a small digital camera like the F30 with no strobe. As long as you work within the limitations of your camera, taking into account the sort of water you are working in, you won’t be disappointed. I have no wish to start buying strobes etc for this camera, the whole point is that it is a back up camera that is small, easy to pack and take along whether I am diving up in the Shetlands or abroad somewhere.

Diving this weekend was to be with Teign Diving Centre  Teign Diving Centre. I hadn’t dived with them before but a quick look at their web site seemed to imply they had a lot to offer and were very active. Everyone gradually arrived and having sorted out kit it was loaded onto a trolley and pushed the short walk to the little harbour where the boat was waiting. Although  nervous, as this was my first dive trip for five months, these were dives aimed at the novice divers in the club and therefore nice shallow ones to start with…. I was looking forward to getting wet again!

 The first site was called Long Quarry. I had arranged to jump in with another pair of divers leaving them and continuing in my usual solo style once I felt happy that my kit was all okay. We jumped into about 5m of water and down we went ready to work our way along the wall. Sadly the visibility was appalling being just over a metre at best. I kept myself glued to Barry’s side  who was toting a large video unit and briefly kept glancing down and around to try and get some idea of the site. From the little that we could see there seemed to be a fair bit of life around clinging to the rocks and I nearly landed on a dog fish at one point. We eventually decided to call it a day and ascend after about 25 minutes. A disappointing dive for the others and although the visibility had been dire I had achieved what I had set out to do, checked my kit and got over my ‘first dive of the year nerves’.

The second dive was Thatchers Rock and a fairly brisk drift. Loads of stuff littered all over the sea bed and it was very frustrating not to be able to linger and take pictures. Once or twice it seemed to briefly slow down and pause and I managed to snap a few pictures of the numerous hermit crabs that were scuttling around but the current seemed only to draw breath before whisking you off flying over the sea bed once again.

The following day saw us up promptly and ready for the first dive on the SS Bretagne. Never having dived this before I was delighted to find the largest pink sea fans I have ever seen, growing in many places on this wreck. Large lumps of yellow boring sponge dotted the rotting ships carcase reflecting back its sunny colour in my torch light. I spotted another dogfish taking a break and chilling out on the seabed while shoals of stripey bib patrolled the deck.

 Our final dive, The Ore Stone, was probably the best of the weekend, but then I prefer scenic to lumps of rusty metal :). The dive started off with a short swim through, coming out the otherside, I then meanered about the seabed and rocky outcrops which were rich with marine life. Floating over the top of a ‘garden’ of dahlia anemones I was amazed at the number of colour combinations and my camera was kept very busy.

Unfortunately we had been requested to keep dsmbs up again throughout the dive which is very frustrating when you are trying to hold a camera still. Clipping it on to my BC somewhere is not really an option as any slackness in the line makes the possibility of entanglement too great. Added to this is the fact that it really is not safe practise. Despite this it certainly was a super dive with loads of crabs, sea stars, anemones, sponges etc.

Finding a fantastic spot to camp on the shores of Loch Leven I hastily retraced my steps back once again to drink in the awesome scenery of Glencoe. The last time I had been here I had been climbing along the Aonach n Eagach. This is the ridge that runs the length of Glen Coe opposite The Three Sisters sitting squat but still towering over the ant like traffic as it crawls its way along the length of the glen.

Driving through here always conjures up romantic childhood visions of dozens of kilted clansmen tearing down the hillsides on either side of the Glen, sporrans flying while the eerie sound of bagpipes drifts along the valley. In reality the massacre that occurred in 1692 was far more barbaric and savage. Guests of the Macdonald clansmen, staying at three different settlements along the glen, savagely killed their hosts in the early hours of a wintry February morning. Thirty-seven men were slain in the killing spree and a further forty women and children died trying to flee their homes to find safety and shelter against the bitter cold.

For the week I was there the weather was uncharacteristically hot for early April and although the temperature dropped below freezing at night this was recompensed with bright sunny days. Wanting to do a lot of walking in an effort to dispel my winter inertia I walked the length of several lochs that I had never visited before.

Loch Etive in particular is memorable as the drive down the valley towards the loch is stunning in some places. I was also lucky enough to see some more wild red deer. 

Another walk took me out towards the Caledonian Canal where I visited Neptune’s Staircase: eight locks one after another taking an hour to get through. Designed by Thomas Telford it is the longest staircase lock in the UK lifting boats 19.5m as they progress from one end to the other. Quite a fantastic sight and what a wonderful example of the amazing engineering that went on years ago.

Rannoch Moor was also I place I had driven over so many times in the past but never had time to top and investigate this watery plateau.

One of my walks started in the village of Glencoe visiting the memorial to those that died in the massacre then going over the very picturesque stone bridge at the end of the village.

Whilst on this early break I had taken my little F30 that I bought second hand to experiement with. I had bought it as back up in case my main camera flooded or wasnt working at any time, I can’t imagine diving without a camera these days. In particular I was interested to see how it performed with macro subjects.

Whilst I had planned on trying the camera out I never for a minute thought it would be on marine subjects. However driving past the Sealife Centre on the way to Fort William and with legs that were weary of stumbling over rocky hillsides I decided to spend the afternoon there. Some lovely things to look at and a fantastic display about Loch Creran a Marine Special Area of Conservation. This baby plaice was about 4 inches long and was just so cute.

Quite possibly! 

Loch Fyne had been very high up on my list of things I wanted to do this year. Like many of the sea lochs in Scotland the photographs I had seen told of a wide variety of marine life that was lurking below the surface.  During the course of the year nothing had come up that fitted in round work. The main problem was that it was best part of a day’s drive there and the same back, meaning that it had to be an extended weekend.

In spite of having many dives blown out and weekends lost to the poor weather conditions I’d had a brilliant August spending two weeks diving Shetland off Halton. So I wasn’t too disappointed with my diving year however, I still hankered after a trip to Loch Fyne.  With the end of the year looming into sight I thought the opportunity was unlikely and had more or less shelved the idea when the chance came! Someone on Yorkshire Divers had posted spaces on their club trip, shore diving Loch Fyne.  After a few emails back and forth it was all sorted.

Driving up there was lovely. Once you get Glasgow behind you Scotland is the most beautiful place in the UK and the time of the year meant it was at its best. All the trees along the sides of Loch were every shade of orange, yellow and brown imaginable. As I stopped to watch the sun glinting off the water which gently lapped against the rocky sides of the loch, I knew it was going to be a super weekend.

Unusually for me I wasn’t going to camping this time as the group had arranged self catering accommodation at a lovely place not far from the dive sites.  Following much discussion the night before it had been decided that the first dive was to be Furnace Quarry.

Carting all my kit down piece by piece and putting it together before kitting up near the water’s edge always made me rather envious of the people who could kit up near their cars, then fearlessly stride across rocky shores to enter the water. I eyed up the green slimy rocks that I still had to cross. I always viewed these sorts of entries with great trepidation not just because a fall would result in a nasty injury but I was worried about damaging my camera. However, there is rather a convenient slab of rock at this particular site and should the tide be just right you can sit on it and get your kit on before dropping into the water.  Finally kitted up and ready to go I set off following the shore to the right. Despite the brightness of the day above and the reasonable visibility the dark boulders tumbling down the sides of the loch and scattered across the bottom contributed to the rather gloomy light. As I worked my way along the gently sloping sides the considerable amount of rubbish that has been dumped was very much in evidence. Tin cans and tyres dotted the underwater landscape but amidst all this junk grew the most fabulous deeplet anemones.

Like flowers struggling to grow on a rubbish tip, every so often one of these huge anemones would appear sitting atop a boulder, its creamy whiteness almost glowing like a beacon in the murk. 

Many of the rocks were dotted with sea squirts and other anemones whilst small edible crabs peered out from over hanging rocks at the black clad visitors disturbing their world again.

Dozens of pairs of claws (belonging to squat lobsters), lay hanging out of cracks and crevices, but it was rare to catch the owners of these sitting outside their lairs as they usually do. Not far from the entry point I came across a large wrasse who for sometime kept swimming about in front of me. Having tried unsuccessfully to take some pictures of him I eventually gave up. Turning my attention back to the boulders along the sloping sides of the loch I suddenly felt the side of my head collide with something. Initially I thought I had somehow hit my head on a rock but soon dispensed with this idea as the culprit swim into view…..it was the wrasse! Not feeling I was giving him enough attention he had head butted me! Managing to give Mr Wrasse the slip I continued on for a little while before retracing my steps a little higher up and returning to the entry point.

After a quick look at the water by the tearooms and some discussion over a hot chocolate it was decided that we would try the dive off the jetty in the caravan park. Kitting up during frequent downpours of rain we gradually traipsed down the jetty and into the water. A nice easy entry with the jetty being a convenient place for ones camera whilst popping fins on etc. We had been advised that there were some boats that had been sunk to make an underwater feature; some vague waving of arms out across the water was meant to indicate the general position.  I knew with my navigating skills it would be more luck than judgement if I should find these but nevertheless thought it would be good practise, so I set off in the general direction. When, after five minutes finning, I found myself getting shallower rather than deeper, I decided to surface and found that I had actually been swimming at right angles to the direction I had wanted to go. Setting out once again I eventually came to the area where I thought the boats might be. Huge lumps of concrete held anchor chains in place for the moored boats above but of the boats that had been sunk….not a sign. However, when I started investigating these concrete lumps I found not only were they covered with some beautiful sea squirts and sponges but various fish and hermit crabs were scurrying around on the top as well.

Meanwhile a closer look at the silty seabed revealed a whole host of life bustling about. Shore and spider crabs scampering away as soon as camera lens got anywhere near them darting off amongst the hundreds of horse mussels, razor shells and scallops that littered the seabed.

So despite being a bit of a disappointment for those that were hoping to find the sunken vessels, (I was not the only who was unsuccessful), if you like macro photography it was great! The following day we decided to return to Furnace Quarry which gave me another opportunity to take a few more snaps of the deeplet anemones although my strobe started to play up. Having had an eight hour drive up to Loch Fyne and with work the following day I decided to cut the last dive and head home. This turned out to be a good move as the traffic on the M6 was at a standstill at times and it took me nearly 10hours to get back. However, later looking at the pics of the anemones it had been worth it just for those. 

More pics Loch Fyne

So leaving my cylinders for Mark to fill that evening I set off to explore the area round Lochaline on foot – again something I had never had the time to do. This was taken further along the coast looking back towards Lochaline

The next morning following Marks advice I drove down to the little beach which is about 100yrds from the pier. Coming from the Dive Centre the turning is not easily seen but is on the left about 50yrds before the Lochaline Hotel car park. The short track takes you right onto the beach where you can park, kit up and just walk in across the sand…..perfect!

Wading out into the water and after doing a remarkable impression of a stranded fish flapping and splashing around whilst praying that no one was watching I finally got my fins on. Swimming out over the sandy slope the bottom is dotted with the anemone cerianthus lloydii their delicate brown and white tentacles swaying with the surge.

Continuing over a band of weed and kelp the seabed then begins to drop in large steps, until it finally falls away and becomes a wall. Gradually working my way towards the pier I dropped to about 30m. However, with the sea life not significantly different at this depth I decided to ascend slightly and spend the dive round about the 20-25m mark where there was plenty to look at, this also meant I would get a longer dive.

Checking my air I reluctantly realised it was time to turn and start heading back. I was then aware that there had been so much to see that I hadn’t actually gone that far. With plenty to look at on the safety stop it made it seem no time at all before I was heading up back towards the beach. It took some time to gradually fin my way back up and across the sandy area as the tide was still going out, however with the sun shining and no time pressure I took my time. Having had a super 50 min dive I decided to have my lunch go for a wander and then kit up for a second dive.

Ready once again and in the water I tried to work my way along a bit further until I thought I was under the pier. This I thought I had accomplished by the quantity of snagged fishing line that I found in various places and giving this a very large berth I continued until it was time to retrace my steps. Once again returning to my entry point I found it considerably easier getting out this time as the tide had turned.
Checking the results of picture taking whilst drinking a hot chocolate and admiring the autumnal oranges and browns on the mountains across the sound on Mull lit by the late afternoon sun I thought there were the odd occasions when life was so unbelievably good.

By the following morning everyone had arrived and the John Preston was the first on the list. There were the usual two boatfuls and although Peregrine is a faster boat my preference is always Brenden as the cabin is larger and with a heater!
I have dived the John Preston many times before and the bits of scattered wreckage have been the subject of a lot of research by SOMAP dive centre website. On this particular occasion in addition to an overcast day the viz was not as good as I know it can be here so I decided to stay mainly on the shallow shelf and concentrate on macro pictures.

Next was the Thesis and I had decided to try some ambient light shots, however my camera didn’t agree with this and my strobe kept going off creating backscatter despite being turned off???????? Eventually after getting very frustrated I gave that up on that idea and settled for some shots of the deadmens fingers that coat the skeletal remains.

Also found this little chap hiding amongst them

Along with Calf Island, Greys Rocks is one of my favourite sites in the Sound and although it was a little dark I was still able to find lots of small crabs and leopard spotted gobies amongst the brilliant orange and yellow deadmens fingers that literally carpet the area in places.

The following day began with thick fog cloaking the Sound. Both boats tentatively left the safety of Lochalines harbour and started the short trip out to the Rhondo keeping in constant contact with each other but it was the Mull ferry that our ears strained to hear. Dave the skipper of Brenden is also one of the ferry’s skippers so was well aware of its exact route. However, surrounded by thick fog with limited visibility none of the vessels were taking any chances and the sound of the ferry’s fog horn marking its position could often be heard until we were safely past and on our way further up the sound.

Fortunately as we approached the dive site the fog began lifting. The Rhondo having dropped down a steep slope is lodged upright at a fairly vertical angle and although her stern quickly appears at 5m her bows lie at 55m. She is one of the most popular wreck sites in the sound but I never find her a particularly interesting dive mainly due to the scantiness of life. This was in direct contrast to the second dive of the day Aulison a fabulous wall dive.

Again staying around 20-25m gave me an hours dive and what a fabulous hour this was. The wall was covered with life. Many different anemones including one of my favourites the white cluster anemone. From a distance they look like drifts of snow blown to coat every inch of the rocky wall and closer examination reveals dozens of tiny little spiky anemones.

Huge clumps of red fingers with their delicate white polyps catch nourishment from the passing currents as do the quickly retreating peacock worms. Surprisingly I saw no crabs of any sort but came across one of the biggest spiny sea stars I had ever seen. Clinging to a fairly flat vertical patch of rock his arms must have measured nearly two feet across, a formidable predator for anything that lay in its path!

The final dive of the day was the Shauna. Arriving just after another boat left we descended to find the viz was shite. Hovering over the deck I noticed a movement around the top of a wide pipe like opening protruding from the deck and drawing closer I realised that it was a huge conger sticking his head out for a look around at the latest black clad visitors. Unfortunately as I got nearer he disappeared. The viz was so bad I knew there was no chance of any sort of decent photo so hoping that it would settle I went for a quick troll round the deck but saw little through the haze of silt. Returning once again to the congers lair I saw his nose again emerging which then quickly disappeared again as he spotted me approaching. Settling down beside the opening I prepared to wait for him to emerge again and despite the poor conditions try a picture or two. Unfortunately another curious diver spotted me. Coming over he grabbed the side of pipe not only disturbing silt and sediment once again but then shining his light sabre down the hole! As the diver disappeared off into the murkiness I knew that my chance of getting a picture had gone ………..as had the conger when I looked down the hole. Finally scared off by the activity and strong light invading his territory he had disappeared into the bowels of the wreck.

The final day of this weekend dawns and the first dive was the Hispania. Probably the most popular wreck in the sound and certainly to my mind the most attractive. Much of the wreck is covered in the bright oranges and stark whites of plumose anemones giving it the appearance of being encrusted with jewels. The presence of so many of these filter feeders is down to the very swift currents that bring nutrient rich water flowing over and around the wreck, but this does mean that she can only be dived at slack. My plan had been to take ambient light pictures from the bottom of the shot and I did.

These done I waited for the remaining divers to come down in order to get some diver shots. Waiting a few minutes I realised I may have missed them and conscious of my ever diminishing air supply I set off for a browse around the deck.

Feeling the current picking up again and checking my air I decided to call it a day and head back up the shot.

The final dive was to be Penniegowan Quarry, a scenic dive. There is more to the Sound of Mull than its wrecks and all of the scenic dives I have ever done up there have always been good. This was a new site to me and so I was looking forward to it. The brief had been simple, down the shot and then head north. This was what I thought I had done…..obviously not! After swimming north for about twelve minutes and even dropping down to 30m to see if there was anything there I discovered nothing. I had obviously missed the wall somehow and ended up surfacing some distance from where I should have been……apparently it had been a very good dive!

So ten dives later and despite the iffy viz at times I felt I had had a fantastic weekend and was only annoyed that I had missed the last dive ….how?… I really don’t know.

Note:- Anyone thinking of doing the same shore dive please go to the link below and read a very scarey account posted on a thread in the Conger Alley dive forum. Although I didn’t read this until after my visit it certainly will make me even more cautious next time.

Account of shore dive Lochaline Pier

The Sound of Mull More pics

 The day was actually organised for my sister’s family by my mother………….but having an invite as well meant I didn’t have to gate crash. When we arrived I was somewhat relieved to see the boat was not quite as long as many of the other boats on the canal. It was a small boat that had been refurbished for days out such as ours.

Having had the basics explained and the intricacies of lock opening and shutting demonstrated at the first lock we came to, before the owner returned along the tow path, we were then left to our own devices. It was a glorious late summer day and with my gorgeous niece languidly draping herself over the top of the boat we set off.

Whilst my nephew hopped on and off the boat opening locks with whoever was available.

It was interesting to see familiar places like Newbury from the canal. Although I had done a kayaking course a few years earlier and so knew the short stretch that runs through the town, I hadn’t gone any further so it was all new territory for me. 

It was a fabulous day and the weather couldn’t have been better. Soon after setting off I was able to summon up enough courage to take over the driving. 

My brother in law was very kind making light of the times when I started to head straight for the bank! It was difficult to get used to swinging the steering handle (or whatever it’s called) the opposite way to the way you wished to go, and while I managed to negotiate our way out of some locks, I was not very successful going in, particularly when there was another boat already in the lock. Despite this I don’t feel totally disgraced myself and it’s certainly something I’d like to do again.
It really was a great day out. 

Being the only ferry servicing Shetland from the mainland it is huge, operating from Aberdeen to the main port of Lerwick in the Shetlands, calling in at Orkney on its way. Leaving Kirkwall eleven o’clock at night means that the ferry arrives at its final destination at seven in the morning. So having taken someone’s advice I had my sleeping bag and thermarest in my pack and quickly found a spare bit of floor to sleep on that was reasonably quiet. Cabins can be booked at a price but you might find yourself paying to sleep with some noisy git and end up retreating to one of the lounges anyway so this seemed the best option.

Arriving on a rather grey morning did not show Lerwick at its best and not having had the best nights sleep on the ferry I was keen to find Bob Andersons boat MV Halton. Bob had kindly offered to let me stay on Halton when I arrived as she was tied up for a few days and I was to be diving with him the following week.

The only town on Shetland makes Lerwick the most northerly town in the UK. It is a charming place full of character and is not overrun with tourist attractions and shops. The turret roofs on some of the larger buildings near the harbour certainly give it an unusual and rather unique look.

My vague plan had been to spend a day or so exploring Lerwick and the immediate area and then drive up to the most northerly point on Unst and work my way back. There are a few campsites on the islands but wild camping is permitted which is very convenient and much nicer. However my car starting playing up…..as in… refusing to start (even the auto electrician couldn’t work out why). So with a car I couldn’t rely on not to let me down when I was miles away from anywhere, I decided to stick around Lerwick and just make local forays to various places.

Heading out to East and West Burra I stopped in Scalloway the former capital of Shetland. Home to a small fishing industry it also has its castle.

After reading the information inside I realised why certain features had looked a little familiar. It had been built in 1600 by the very cruel and nasty Patrick Stewart who not only was Lord of Shetland but Earl of Orkney and had used forced labour to build himself another palace in Kirkwall the main town of Orkney, which I had visited only last year.

During WW2 the Norwegian resistance movement operated the Shetland Bus
from Scalloway transporting arms and refugees in fishing boats back and forth across the sea, often at night. They must have felt so vunerable in their small vessels at the mercy of not only the Germans but also the sea itself. Many of these brave souls were lost in their endeavour to help others and there are many reminders around the village, this memorial with the fishing boat sculpture on top being one.

Shetland is a bird watchers paradise and people come from all over the world to visit places like the little Isle of Noss which sits on the east side of Bressay. The whole of the island is a bird sanctuary, the only house being for a warden who lives there part of the year. You get over there via a zodiac, which arrives whenever the warden spots someone waiting on the steps. Unfortunately it was too late in the season for puffins which I adore to watch going in and out of their tunnels stooping over like little old men, wings firmly pinned to their sides, but there was still plenty of other bird life around.

However, it was a few days later that I was to really realise the extent of the bird life on Noss when we stood on the boat looking up at the cliffs beneath the diving and wheeling gannets who seemed to perch and nest on every ledge available.

All of this area is riddled with caves and there is some fabulous diving to be had in this area alone.

What started out as one weeks diving turned into two and I ended up travelling up the east side of Shetland twice. All the way to Out Stack the most northerly bit of land that is the UK.

Many wrecks are within a stones throw of Lerwick but none so much dived as the Glenisla and the Gwaldmena. The Gwladmena is a 928-ton iron steamship sunk in 1917, while the Glenisla at 1263tons is a much larger affair.

Although both lie in over 40m they both sit upright and there is plenty to see on the decks for those who don’t want to go to the seabed.

The massive Latvian registered klondiker Lunokhods – 1 is also a popular dive and very impressive. She dragged her anchors and was blown ashore during a severe storm in 1973. Propelled and thrust by the turbulent sea into a gully under the cliffs her bow then broke away sliding down to rest at just over 40m. Her size makes her a very impressive wreck when viewed from the seabed. After swimming up and into her holds you can follow a trail of debris and wreckage in order to find the stern which still lies stranded in the gully in around 18m of water, just below the Kirkabister lighthouse which marks the entrance to Lerwick harbour.

Some of the dives we did were exploratory. Bob is always seeking out new sites and uses the charts and images of the seabed built up by his computer to identify which sites may reveal a good dive. This combined with his knowledge of the seas around Shetland and an uncanny instinct for what will be good he then gets a group of divers to jump in, investigate know and report back. It’s really exciting just to jump in and to think that in all probability no one has ever dived in that particular place ever before. One of these exploratory site that turned out to be particularly good was Stack of Muckle Head where I was delighted to find a little pogge or hooknose quivering against a wall trying desperately not to be seen, unfortunatley he had chosen red weed to lie on!

Heading towards the most northerly islands in the Shetland group you pass Fetlar and just before reaching Unst come to the wreck of The Jane. This was an iron steamship that ran ashore in July 1923. Not only is she an interesting and attractive wreck she also has a tremendous amount of life growing on and around her.

Many dogfish are obviously residents in the area and you can see them hunting in and around the wreckage or laying in wait cleverly concealing themselves amongst the bits of kelp growing on the seabed. The engine itself is smothered in deadmens fingers and other tiny little creatures like sea spiders and minute sea stars clinging determinedly to the bright yellow and orange fingers.

Further north lies the Toni Chandris a Greek steamship with a cargo of iron ore that ran aground in 1940. Although fairly broken up, with the shot onto the end of the prop shaft it was easy to follow and find many bits of identifiable wreckage.
Still heading north the aim was to spend the night at anchor in the beautiful Burrafirth right at the top of Unst but before that we were to do one of the most scenic dives that I have ever experienced in the UK. Right at the top of Unst is the little rocky outcrop of Muckle Flugga; there is nothing there except a lighthouse. Just to the north of Muckle Flugga, like a full stop marking the end of the UK, is the most northerly piece of British land called Out Stack. This particular site was another of Bobs discoveries and what a gem. Dropping you in on the north side of Out Stack you swim over the kelp and down into the most fantastic gully imaginable. It bottoms out at around 32 m and I couldn’t believe the profusion and range of colours that come from the filter feeding plants jostling for space smothering almost every inch of the gullys walls, indicating that the currents must come whistling through here like a steam train.

The beauty of being on Bobs boat is that he has been around these islands for many years and knows them very well. During the course of the week we stopped over night on several of the islands and each is very different and unique. Stopping overnight at Out Skerries and visiting the ‘retail store’ is quite a different shopping experience.

Also on the island is a post office that’s open occasionally, a ferry that visits once a day and a small plane that takes off and lands in someones garden! There was a menu in the window of the post office but no name of the establishment that might serve such culinary delights and there wasn’t a single pub or hotel in sight or anything that looked like it might serve food. Obviously in this technological age of computers, phones etc the people who live here don’t really feel cut off. But it must have been quite a different story some years ago when the only form of transport on and off the island were the different types of small boats that are unique to Shetland.Sixareen

Another rather bizarre place that Bob knew about was just up the road from the harbour in Balta Sound. Instructed to walk up the road and turn right at the T junction until you got to the bus stop we all gradually strolled up there. Meeting the others coming back with bemused looks on their faces made sense when you saw for yourself this rather wacky set up. Apparently the theme changes, obviously it was yellow on this particular occasion.

So all in all a fabulous couple of weeks……..I dont know how it could have been better really.

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The Shetlands on Halton

Leaving Wee Fea I set out to explore more of Hoy which is much more hilly and rugged than any of the other Orkney Islands. This time I had bought the car over to the island and having previously visited the museum at Lyness during several surface intervals last year I travelled north towards the RSPB reserve at Rathwick. Not having time to do the walk out to the Old Man of Hoy I contented myself with a stroll down to the beach here. This is strewn with the most amazing boulders and stones smoothed and rounded by the constant tumbling and grinding they receive in the surf until they are are finally given up by the sea and lie beached on the shore.

It certainly was a lovely place with its towering cliffs and abundant grassland areas providing homes and hiding places for a vast variety of birds.I also spent a wild and windy afternoon out at Hoxa visiting the gun batteries. This was another important site during the war. Due to its position it provided a fantastic view point for guarding and watching the main entry to the flow from Pentland Firth.

The remains of the gun batteries from both the first and second world wars were placed here and judging by the size of the them they were a fair size.

Many rows of concrete plinths,  (on which the accommodation blocks were placed), have been left indicating that this was a posting for quite a number of troops.
All too soon my few days were over and it was time to turn my thoughts to diving and meeting up with the group on Valkyrie. This was yet another YD gig, with its destination the Northern Isles of Orkney. Valkyrie is the only boat in the UK owned and crewed by females which makes them pretty unique. Gradually everyone arrived with the final member of the group not joining us until very late in the evening which prevented us leaving that day. However, we set off the next day to jouney round to Kirkwall doing a couple of dives on the way. We did make it up to Stronsay which is a delightful little island and I had a lovely walk along the shore near the harbour and was fascinated to see the amount of car parts that had been tossed up on the beach. These included engine blocks and whole car chassis!

You really began to get an idea of what it might be like to live on such a tiny island when you visit the shop and note the opening times for the bank.

Most people have several jobs as there is just not enough work or the size population to make full time jobs viable for people like paramedics, postmen etc.

Returning to Kirkwall we did a final dive on the Cotavia which was a pretty impressive wreck. During the night Hazel had tried to take the boat back round to Stromness however, conditions made her turn back and it was very weird to wake up back in Kirkwall when you are expecting Stromness. She suggested that we all decamp and have the day to ourselves making our way back to Stromness via the road as she expected a very rocky journey by sea. Most of us opted for this and we met up again later in the day back on board Valkyrie for an indulgent evening of feasting and supping upon some goodies that Hazel provided to try and make up for what had unfortunatley been in some ways a rather disappointing trip.
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Northern Isles on Valkyrie