Divers? Anyone else?
Discussion
Im not sure where in Surrey you are but I would highly recommend Divestyle, they do tune ups every wednesday evening. Its £45.
http://www.divestyle.co.uk/
Ask to speak to Fiona.
http://www.divestyle.co.uk/
Ask to speak to Fiona.
honest_delboy said:
Off to mexico in 2 weeks and considering doing a refresher dive before i go out there, i've not dive in 4 years due to poor health.
Worth doing in the UK or just do it out there? Any recs for somewhere near surrey? I guess i't going to be in a quarry but can it be done in a pool?
Martin @ Scubacrewsers is very good, I just finished my advanced with him. You can do you refresher in Wraysbury (If you don't mind the Vis on a busy day.) or he does pool dives but may be a trek as they are maidenhead way...Worth doing in the UK or just do it out there? Any recs for somewhere near surrey? I guess i't going to be in a quarry but can it be done in a pool?
Contact through Gary or Paul http://www.sloughscubastore.co.uk/
I am off to Wraysbury this afternoon for a play. Don't write off quarry diving it's fun.
I did a couple of dives in north Wales at the weekend. We went to have a look at Cemlyn Bay on the North of Anglesey; nine of us went in total. We were worried the day before whether the sea conditions would be suitable so we decided we would meet at the butty van on Rhuallt Hill on the A55 and have a chat. The sea was calm when we saw it so we decided to have a look.
I was travelling with a new club member, Alan; he has only recently qualified and is keen as anything. He did his Open Water in January in Capernwray and then his AOW a couple of weeks later. He is up for diving every time somebody is out and has booked himself on a Red Sea liveaboard with the club later this year and a club trip to Oban at the end of this month.
We have been trying to get out with him as much as possible so we can get him more experience, get him used to diving with the people going on the Oban trip, get him in the sea (with his weight suitably adjusted) and get him some practice with a DSMB. I buddied him for this dive - his first ever sea dive. The sea was still fairly calm and we started getting in. We were the third of four pairs to go in. The visibility was horrendous; I could only see an outline of him when I was two feet away. We were keeping the rocks to our right and following them out and then the sea conditions seemed to get bad pretty quickly and the surge was pulling us all over. I was having to concentrate and work pretty hard to stay where I wanted to be as well as being concerned how he would be getting on. We became separated as the waves pulled us apart so I threw my DSMB up and had a look for him. After a minute, I ascended and he was on the surface by my buoy. He was totally calm and had done everything right - looked around for a minute, ascended and spotted my DSMB at the surface.
We agreed to set a compass heading rather than attempt to stay with the rocks, drop back down and swim for the beach. When we got to the beach, I was being thrown about all over and was struggling to get my fins off and couldn't stand up. I had to just beach myself with my reg in my mouth, undo my fins and throw them to the shore as the waves went out. We got back to the car park, knackered, and everyone was saying they were not going back in. One of the others aid to him "Welcome to UK sea diving!". I would say it is the worst shore dive I have done in the UK so I was a bit worried he would think this is normal.
We all decided to can it and head for Dorothea. For those who do not know Dotty, it is an inland slate quarry near Nantle, North Wales. Since they stopped quarrying in the 1970s, it has flooded and is over 100 metres deep. It has a bad reputation with some as there have been a lot of deaths in there. This is undeserved; the visibility is good and there are no currents so it is therefore as safe as any body of water. However, many push themselves too far by diving deeper than their experience and equipment permits. As we headed off, I asked Alan how much he had heard about Dotty. He had been on Google and found all the horror stories but he was totally fine with it, and had the right attitude - dive within your limits and we will be safe.
It is not like Capernwray or Stoney Cove - there are no planes, helicopters or tug boats sunken in there but there are a few cars that the local joyriders have dumped. There is a stack of cars known as the junkyard; as you get lower down the pile, you can see the cars on the bottom are older. There are a lot of remains of the quarrying operation, such as bits of a crane, blast huts and stables, and steel hawsers from the old aerial rope-ways. Above the water you have the old engine house and the old towers the rope winding mechanisms sat on. There are no bogs or butty shops though.
It is privately owned and is not an organised dive site. It has recently changed hands and the new owner claims to have plans to turn it into a leisure facility which may include diving. A lot of divers are worried they would fill in the deeper parts with waste slate from the scree slopes in an attempt to make it safer. There are also theories this is a smoke-screen and they will remove the waste slate (which also happens to be valuable as it can be used as ballast for roads and railways) and then abandon the plans. Diving is not officially permitted but nobody attempts to stop people doing so.
Dotty is a bit of a killer to get into. A 4X4 is highly recommended; most cars will get in but you are likely to get a few knocks to the underside. As we headed up the road, Alan was less than impressed and was asking if it was worth all this hassle. When we got to the clearing that is used as a car park, I showed him the hill you have to walk down with all your kit, which upset him further!
It actually gets steeper at the point where the path disappears from view. You can get a 4X4 down it but some are of the opinion the platform is not that well built.
We got to the platform at the bottom and I got in. There were a couple behind me who would help Alan in if needed. The plan was we would all head out together and follow the quarry road. This leads indirectly south to the opposite side to the entry point, where there is a peninsula. The quarry road slopes gradually to about 24 metres and then you see the peninsula. There are some old slate buildings around here and a tunnel through the rock forming peninsula. There is also a shelf around it that goes to around 27 metres deep as you head east, with a van at the end of it (one of our club members found it underwater and decided it would look better there. He took a couple of huge lift bags and moved it there a few years ago). Two of the others who had twinsets were planning to drop off the ledge to about 45 metres but the rest of us were going to stay in the same area. Alan was unsure about entering the tunnel so I said we would leave it if he was unhappy. I told him it was big and you can see all the way through it; if he was comfortable he could just head in and I would stay with him.
I knew the area around the tunnel very well but I had never swam over to it via the road so we would be following the others. Before we descended, Alan was alongside one of the others, whose buddy I was next to. We were only a couple of metres apart and signalled to descend. Once again the visibility was terrible! We couldn't see Alan and the other bloke but they would have had to pass us so we stayed put. We were there 3 minutes and there was no sign of them. I was a bit worried that it would be another crap dive and he would be put off by the poor visibility, especially after all the effort to get there and everybody saying how great Dotty is, but I was happy the bloke he was now with would keep an eye on him.
After the 3 minutes, we set off as a pair to find the others. I have dived with the bloke I was now buddied with many times, but never at Dorothea. As I do not know this route, I wrote in my wet-notes, 'Do you know the way?'. He shook his head so I led and followed my compass south, as I knew we would hit the peninsula at some point, at which point we could turn right and follow the wall west to the van where I would now know where we were exactly. As we got nearer where we were heading, the water became crystal clear. Dotty tends to get clearer at depth as you tend to get a bit of algae in the top ten metres which stops the light penetrating, making it very dark. Because it is so clear as you get deeper, it is easy to see for a good distance but you need a torch - this gives it a really eerie effect.
We hit the peninsula wall right by the the huts so I knew precisely where I was now and we followed the ledge to the van. We continued around to the back of the peninsula and came back to the tunnel. We could see torch lights so we headed through, caught up with the others, and followed them around on another lap.
We headed back, did a safety stop and ascended just near the entry platform. As soon as I got my head out of the water, I could hear Alan excitedly jabbering on about how awesome the cave was and saw him grinning from ear to ear. Apparently they had taken the same route as us, and we had just caught sight of them just as they returned from the tunnel. He was signalling like mad that he wanted to go around again.
I would strongly recommend dotty to anyone who hasn't been. Bear in mind although I consider it safe, it is best to dive it with someone who knows it. Bear in mind there are no facilities, so make sure you have an emergency action plan in place. It is also colder than most inland sites. This is a pretty good map:
http://www.divesitedirectory.co.uk/dive_site_uk_wa...
I was travelling with a new club member, Alan; he has only recently qualified and is keen as anything. He did his Open Water in January in Capernwray and then his AOW a couple of weeks later. He is up for diving every time somebody is out and has booked himself on a Red Sea liveaboard with the club later this year and a club trip to Oban at the end of this month.
We have been trying to get out with him as much as possible so we can get him more experience, get him used to diving with the people going on the Oban trip, get him in the sea (with his weight suitably adjusted) and get him some practice with a DSMB. I buddied him for this dive - his first ever sea dive. The sea was still fairly calm and we started getting in. We were the third of four pairs to go in. The visibility was horrendous; I could only see an outline of him when I was two feet away. We were keeping the rocks to our right and following them out and then the sea conditions seemed to get bad pretty quickly and the surge was pulling us all over. I was having to concentrate and work pretty hard to stay where I wanted to be as well as being concerned how he would be getting on. We became separated as the waves pulled us apart so I threw my DSMB up and had a look for him. After a minute, I ascended and he was on the surface by my buoy. He was totally calm and had done everything right - looked around for a minute, ascended and spotted my DSMB at the surface.
We agreed to set a compass heading rather than attempt to stay with the rocks, drop back down and swim for the beach. When we got to the beach, I was being thrown about all over and was struggling to get my fins off and couldn't stand up. I had to just beach myself with my reg in my mouth, undo my fins and throw them to the shore as the waves went out. We got back to the car park, knackered, and everyone was saying they were not going back in. One of the others aid to him "Welcome to UK sea diving!". I would say it is the worst shore dive I have done in the UK so I was a bit worried he would think this is normal.
We all decided to can it and head for Dorothea. For those who do not know Dotty, it is an inland slate quarry near Nantle, North Wales. Since they stopped quarrying in the 1970s, it has flooded and is over 100 metres deep. It has a bad reputation with some as there have been a lot of deaths in there. This is undeserved; the visibility is good and there are no currents so it is therefore as safe as any body of water. However, many push themselves too far by diving deeper than their experience and equipment permits. As we headed off, I asked Alan how much he had heard about Dotty. He had been on Google and found all the horror stories but he was totally fine with it, and had the right attitude - dive within your limits and we will be safe.
It is not like Capernwray or Stoney Cove - there are no planes, helicopters or tug boats sunken in there but there are a few cars that the local joyriders have dumped. There is a stack of cars known as the junkyard; as you get lower down the pile, you can see the cars on the bottom are older. There are a lot of remains of the quarrying operation, such as bits of a crane, blast huts and stables, and steel hawsers from the old aerial rope-ways. Above the water you have the old engine house and the old towers the rope winding mechanisms sat on. There are no bogs or butty shops though.
It is privately owned and is not an organised dive site. It has recently changed hands and the new owner claims to have plans to turn it into a leisure facility which may include diving. A lot of divers are worried they would fill in the deeper parts with waste slate from the scree slopes in an attempt to make it safer. There are also theories this is a smoke-screen and they will remove the waste slate (which also happens to be valuable as it can be used as ballast for roads and railways) and then abandon the plans. Diving is not officially permitted but nobody attempts to stop people doing so.
Dotty is a bit of a killer to get into. A 4X4 is highly recommended; most cars will get in but you are likely to get a few knocks to the underside. As we headed up the road, Alan was less than impressed and was asking if it was worth all this hassle. When we got to the clearing that is used as a car park, I showed him the hill you have to walk down with all your kit, which upset him further!
It actually gets steeper at the point where the path disappears from view. You can get a 4X4 down it but some are of the opinion the platform is not that well built.
We got to the platform at the bottom and I got in. There were a couple behind me who would help Alan in if needed. The plan was we would all head out together and follow the quarry road. This leads indirectly south to the opposite side to the entry point, where there is a peninsula. The quarry road slopes gradually to about 24 metres and then you see the peninsula. There are some old slate buildings around here and a tunnel through the rock forming peninsula. There is also a shelf around it that goes to around 27 metres deep as you head east, with a van at the end of it (one of our club members found it underwater and decided it would look better there. He took a couple of huge lift bags and moved it there a few years ago). Two of the others who had twinsets were planning to drop off the ledge to about 45 metres but the rest of us were going to stay in the same area. Alan was unsure about entering the tunnel so I said we would leave it if he was unhappy. I told him it was big and you can see all the way through it; if he was comfortable he could just head in and I would stay with him.
I knew the area around the tunnel very well but I had never swam over to it via the road so we would be following the others. Before we descended, Alan was alongside one of the others, whose buddy I was next to. We were only a couple of metres apart and signalled to descend. Once again the visibility was terrible! We couldn't see Alan and the other bloke but they would have had to pass us so we stayed put. We were there 3 minutes and there was no sign of them. I was a bit worried that it would be another crap dive and he would be put off by the poor visibility, especially after all the effort to get there and everybody saying how great Dotty is, but I was happy the bloke he was now with would keep an eye on him.
After the 3 minutes, we set off as a pair to find the others. I have dived with the bloke I was now buddied with many times, but never at Dorothea. As I do not know this route, I wrote in my wet-notes, 'Do you know the way?'. He shook his head so I led and followed my compass south, as I knew we would hit the peninsula at some point, at which point we could turn right and follow the wall west to the van where I would now know where we were exactly. As we got nearer where we were heading, the water became crystal clear. Dotty tends to get clearer at depth as you tend to get a bit of algae in the top ten metres which stops the light penetrating, making it very dark. Because it is so clear as you get deeper, it is easy to see for a good distance but you need a torch - this gives it a really eerie effect.
We hit the peninsula wall right by the the huts so I knew precisely where I was now and we followed the ledge to the van. We continued around to the back of the peninsula and came back to the tunnel. We could see torch lights so we headed through, caught up with the others, and followed them around on another lap.
We headed back, did a safety stop and ascended just near the entry platform. As soon as I got my head out of the water, I could hear Alan excitedly jabbering on about how awesome the cave was and saw him grinning from ear to ear. Apparently they had taken the same route as us, and we had just caught sight of them just as they returned from the tunnel. He was signalling like mad that he wanted to go around again.
I would strongly recommend dotty to anyone who hasn't been. Bear in mind although I consider it safe, it is best to dive it with someone who knows it. Bear in mind there are no facilities, so make sure you have an emergency action plan in place. It is also colder than most inland sites. This is a pretty good map:
http://www.divesitedirectory.co.uk/dive_site_uk_wa...
These are all nicked off a Facebook group dedicated to Dotty.
This one was taken by the owner of Divelife, a dive shop in Manchester. It shows the 22 metre tunnel I mentioned and demonstrates what I mean about it being dark but incredibly clear.
This shows the 22 metre tunnel when they were still working the quarry. If you follow the road below to the left before it drops off, there is a van there.
North entrance to the 22 metre tunnel before flooding.
The base of this crane is still in there at about 8 metres, heading west from the entry point at the bottom of cardiac hill. The jib is on a lower shelf at around 35 metres. I read the plant was sold as a job-lot with the caveat the purchaser had to recover it. Apparently they tried dismantling it to bring it up in small sections but eventually gave up.
This is an even deeper tunnel at around 90 metres, before they turned off the pumps - I haven't visited this one...yet!
A blast hut at around 86 metres
This one was taken by the owner of Divelife, a dive shop in Manchester. It shows the 22 metre tunnel I mentioned and demonstrates what I mean about it being dark but incredibly clear.
This shows the 22 metre tunnel when they were still working the quarry. If you follow the road below to the left before it drops off, there is a van there.
North entrance to the 22 metre tunnel before flooding.
The base of this crane is still in there at about 8 metres, heading west from the entry point at the bottom of cardiac hill. The jib is on a lower shelf at around 35 metres. I read the plant was sold as a job-lot with the caveat the purchaser had to recover it. Apparently they tried dismantling it to bring it up in small sections but eventually gave up.
This is an even deeper tunnel at around 90 metres, before they turned off the pumps - I haven't visited this one...yet!
A blast hut at around 86 metres
Jamie VTS said:
Im not sure where in Surrey you are but I would highly recommend Divestyle, they do tune ups every wednesday evening. Its £45.
http://www.divestyle.co.uk/
Ask to speak to Fiona.
Thanks for all the responses, i've booked up with divestyle as they're quite near me and they have a nice website. http://www.divestyle.co.uk/
Ask to speak to Fiona.
I spoke to a girl on the phone, not sure if it was Fiona or not.
I'm currently sat on the Gaelic Rose on the sound of Mull while the others are sleeping off their après-dive scran!
We arrived on thursday chucked the gear on the boat and got out for a pint in Oban. We dived the Breda and the Hispania on Friday. Both are great wrecks and around 25m deep on average. The current was running like a train on the Hispania and I've got arms like Popeye after hanging onto that shot! once on the wreck it calms down a bit,
We moored up in Tobermory last night, where Balamory is filmed. There's a music festival on at the moment so the place is rocking.
We've done the Rondo this morning it is an awesome wreck! It was launched in 1917 and sank in 1935 during a storm. It lies almost vertically against a drop off. The stern is at around 8 metres and the bow at 50 metres. We dropped down the shot line which is tied off near the rudder and down the outside to the sea bed. and then had a slow ascent inside the wreck. There's loads of life on the wreck and we saw some massive starfish.
We're on our way to the Shuna next and diving it at around 3 o'clock. We're mooring in Lochaline tonight.
The boat is really good. It's a little cosy but it's perfect for getting to jetties a larger boat wouldn't get to. The skipper's great but he won't let you f**k with him - he's a dead ringer for Robin Williams so a few Mrs. Doubtfire impressions get him wound up!
The food is awesome as the mate is a trained chef. Porridge and toast in the morning and yesterday we had butternut squash for lunch. Evening meal was chicken and black bean sauce.
The skipper used to be a scallop diver and we are planning a scallop dive as our last dive on Sunday.
http://www.gaelicrose.com/
We arrived on thursday chucked the gear on the boat and got out for a pint in Oban. We dived the Breda and the Hispania on Friday. Both are great wrecks and around 25m deep on average. The current was running like a train on the Hispania and I've got arms like Popeye after hanging onto that shot! once on the wreck it calms down a bit,
We moored up in Tobermory last night, where Balamory is filmed. There's a music festival on at the moment so the place is rocking.
We've done the Rondo this morning it is an awesome wreck! It was launched in 1917 and sank in 1935 during a storm. It lies almost vertically against a drop off. The stern is at around 8 metres and the bow at 50 metres. We dropped down the shot line which is tied off near the rudder and down the outside to the sea bed. and then had a slow ascent inside the wreck. There's loads of life on the wreck and we saw some massive starfish.
We're on our way to the Shuna next and diving it at around 3 o'clock. We're mooring in Lochaline tonight.
The boat is really good. It's a little cosy but it's perfect for getting to jetties a larger boat wouldn't get to. The skipper's great but he won't let you f**k with him - he's a dead ringer for Robin Williams so a few Mrs. Doubtfire impressions get him wound up!
The food is awesome as the mate is a trained chef. Porridge and toast in the morning and yesterday we had butternut squash for lunch. Evening meal was chicken and black bean sauce.The skipper used to be a scallop diver and we are planning a scallop dive as our last dive on Sunday.
http://www.gaelicrose.com/
I got my PADI OW when I was at school, but only been once. Shame as I really enjoyed it. People I did it with, I'm no longer in contact with (think the company closed down infact). Does anyone know of any diving places in Dorset? Guessing I'll need to do some kind of refresher course?
Ki3r said:
I got my PADI OW when I was at school, but only been once. Shame as I really enjoyed it. People I did it with, I'm no longer in contact with (think the company closed down infact). Does anyone know of any diving places in Dorset? Guessing I'll need to do some kind of refresher course?
Plenty in Dorset - Poole, Swanage and Weymouth are big centres for diving on the south coast.Try http://www.padi.com/scuba/locate-a-padi-dive-shop/... or http://www.bsac.com/findit.asp?cat=clubs§i... for PADI (you pay for training) or BSAC (Pay to join the club and get the training for free - slower, but cheaper and if you find a good club, you can do plenty of diving).
M.
Wow, Wow, Wow...
Just got back from the Red Sea Liveaboard. What a week. We did wrecks and reefs in the north. What a fabulous time. I have a ton of photos but they need a bit of work getting the colour back (Basic Intova Camera!) but one guy got one of me which I love. I think this was a moment when we were being "whooshed" out into the blue at the end of the reef. (Do you like the jedwood look? My bandana kept coming off so I just suffered.
Just got back from the Red Sea Liveaboard. What a week. We did wrecks and reefs in the north. What a fabulous time. I have a ton of photos but they need a bit of work getting the colour back (Basic Intova Camera!) but one guy got one of me which I love. I think this was a moment when we were being "whooshed" out into the blue at the end of the reef. (Do you like the jedwood look? My bandana kept coming off so I just suffered.
If any fellow Divers in the berkshire area fancy popping along to the "pirate club" bbq this evening you would be more than welcome. BBQ, Beer and lots of Dive chat. It is at the Divestyle diving centre in Arbofield (near Reading) PM me for more info about the club or centre if you so wish
I was diving off the Shearwater, a catamaran sailing from Pwllheli a couple of weeks ago. One of the instructors knows the skipper as he has a boat moored there himself and usually organises a club trip once a year. The boat takes 12 divers and five of us were camping. We got a text message on the Friday saying the forecast for Saturday wasn't good and the chances of getting out on the boat were somewhere between slim and f**k all but Sunday was looking good.
We decided to go for it on Friday - there were three of us in my car leaving Manchester at 5 o'clock but the other two campers had left at mid-day. I got a call from them as we were leaving saying it was blowing a hooli and p*ssing it down. We decided to brave it, got there and put the tent up and met the others in the pub.
We decided we would all go to Dorothea (see my previous post). It p*ssed it down all day and the flow of rainwater down the hill was like a river. We had a couple of decent dives there and headed back, where the weather was much better - we could see the difference in the sky looking back at where we came from.
Sunday was perfect, as the forecast promised. To be honest, the diving wasn't really that special but we saw plenty of life (it was like spider crab city). What made the trip worthwhile was being joined by these riding our bow wave
We decided to go for it on Friday - there were three of us in my car leaving Manchester at 5 o'clock but the other two campers had left at mid-day. I got a call from them as we were leaving saying it was blowing a hooli and p*ssing it down. We decided to brave it, got there and put the tent up and met the others in the pub.
We decided we would all go to Dorothea (see my previous post). It p*ssed it down all day and the flow of rainwater down the hill was like a river. We had a couple of decent dives there and headed back, where the weather was much better - we could see the difference in the sky looking back at where we came from.
Sunday was perfect, as the forecast promised. To be honest, the diving wasn't really that special but we saw plenty of life (it was like spider crab city). What made the trip worthwhile was being joined by these riding our bow wave
I've just returned from the annual Malta club piss-up/dive trip. A few from the club went about five years ago and since then it has turned into an annual thing. Seven nights with a five day dive package cost us about €300 plus flights.
We dived with Buddies Dive Cove in Bugibba, who we have used for the last couple of years. They are all a great bunch and a great laugh.
The first day we did the P29 and Rozi at Cirkawwa. This tends to be the normal choice for first dive as there is a sheltered pool at the entry point which is handy to ensure you are comfortable in your kit before swimming out to the P29. For those that know it, this has just appeared on the deck, and I have to say it is great for dealing with your buddy who has spent ages faffing with sidemount crap!
P29 Deck Gun and 'Sidemount Sally' by Mustard Dave, on Flickr
The next day we dived a WW2 E-boat. We wanted to do it last year but it was a last minute decision and Buddies could not get a boat with a skipper who could find it at such short notice. Generally we have a loose itinerary at the beginning but as we usually have the trucks and guides to ourselves, they will take us anywhere. Most of the diving can be done from the shore but boat dives can be organised for an additional cost and with reasonable notice. This year we booked the boat months in advance so we could guarantee we could dive it.
There is another E-boat that sank in about 72m water and is outside the range of most of the group. This one is at about 40m. The one at 72m is supposed to be quite intact. The one we dived isn't dived often and Buddies say we are the first group to ask to dive it. We used a hard-boat called Pegasus. It has loads of room for kitting up and has a sun-deck above the wheelhouse for 16 people (or 10 northerners as Martin, the owner, said).
The sea was a little choppy and moving about the deck with twin 12s was fun! Once in the water, we dropped down the shot, which Sammy, the skipper, had put right by the wreck. The wreck is very broken up. There are a number of stories as to how it ended up there. One is that it was attacked and damaged, and a German Heinkel destroyed it to stop it getting into allied hands. There is documented evidence saying a number were surrendered to the allies. After the war, they were made more or less seaworthy, taken under tow and scuttled.
The debris field is quite scattered but we were able to find the torpedo tubrs, engines and bits of hull.
E-boat Torpedo Tube by Mustard Dave, on Flickr
E-Boat by Mustard Dave, on Flickr
On day 3 we went to Zurrieq to dive the mighty Um El Faroud. She is a 115m tanker that was in dry dock in Valletta for maintenance works. There was an explosion which tragically killed nine workers. It was decided the best action was to scuttle her as an artificial reef as the explosion has caused severe structural damage. We were told to be outside the apartments for 8:00am so we could get there early as parking is a b
h. The access road is on a hell of a slope and you do not want to be walking up it with your kit.
We were picked up by Joolz in 'the monster' (a 9 seater crew-cab pickup) while the rest took two other vehicles. Joolz is from Sheffield and has lived in Malta for quite a while, and has learnt how to drive like the Maltese. As we followed in the middle of the convoy he enquired, "So what was it for you guys last night? I suppose you were all tucked in bed early with a mug of cocoa and read your bibles for a bit?...Right! We're going to have 'em at the runway and get the best parking space!". As we turned onto a long, straight, but completely knackered road (we were told it is one of the main bus routes), he floored it as we passed the other wagon driven by Martin, giving them the Vs out of the window before arriving and nabbing the best spot.
The Um El Faroud is a bit of a swim out and sometimes there can be a strong current. Joolz told us it looked pretty good and he would lead the group and signal a turnaround tank pressure. It is a great wreck for some good ferreting. You can enter the superstructure and drop down the stairs and find the engines, boilers and workshop.
To have a good look at her, you will most likely rack up about 10 minutes of deco. The great bit is there are ropes strung across the entry point, which is popular with swimmers, so you can admire the bikini fish swimming above as you fizz off!
Day four saw the Imperial Eagle, a ferry and sister ship to Jacques Cousteau's Calypso. We were taken there by Sammy again, aboard Pegasus. The site is marked by a fixed buoy. Most of us decided to do this on twins again as you will be between 35-42m for a good part of the dive.
As you descend the shot, you are greeted by a statue of Christ, blessed by Pope John Paul and placed to protect the fishing fleet. We took this opportunity to get a photo:
YMCA by Mustard Dave, on Flickr
After that we visited Santa Maria caves on Comino, which were used in the filming of The Count of Monte Cristo.
On day five, we split into two groups and went to Gozo. I did the blue hole and the inland sea. The Blue hole is a hell of a trek over rocks but is a really beautiful scenic dive. The azure window is spectacular - I wish I'd got another photo from the top when we had the briefing. The picture below is from when we surfaced. The pool we are in is the blue hole. You drop down and there is an arch at around 5m you swim inder and out to the rocks around the azure window.
Blue Hole and Azure Window by Mustard Dave, on Flickr
Day six was the 'cultural tour' of Valletta. We visited the Lascaris War Rooms followed by the Knights Hospitaller exhibit. The plan was to have a pint in the pub where Oliver Reed died but unfortunately it was shut.
Lascaris War Rooms by Mustard Dave, on Flickr
Oliver Reeds Last Drink by Mustard Dave, on Flickr
Monkey! by Mustard Dave, on Flickr
We dived with Buddies Dive Cove in Bugibba, who we have used for the last couple of years. They are all a great bunch and a great laugh.
The first day we did the P29 and Rozi at Cirkawwa. This tends to be the normal choice for first dive as there is a sheltered pool at the entry point which is handy to ensure you are comfortable in your kit before swimming out to the P29. For those that know it, this has just appeared on the deck, and I have to say it is great for dealing with your buddy who has spent ages faffing with sidemount crap!
P29 Deck Gun and 'Sidemount Sally' by Mustard Dave, on Flickr
The next day we dived a WW2 E-boat. We wanted to do it last year but it was a last minute decision and Buddies could not get a boat with a skipper who could find it at such short notice. Generally we have a loose itinerary at the beginning but as we usually have the trucks and guides to ourselves, they will take us anywhere. Most of the diving can be done from the shore but boat dives can be organised for an additional cost and with reasonable notice. This year we booked the boat months in advance so we could guarantee we could dive it.
There is another E-boat that sank in about 72m water and is outside the range of most of the group. This one is at about 40m. The one at 72m is supposed to be quite intact. The one we dived isn't dived often and Buddies say we are the first group to ask to dive it. We used a hard-boat called Pegasus. It has loads of room for kitting up and has a sun-deck above the wheelhouse for 16 people (or 10 northerners as Martin, the owner, said).
The sea was a little choppy and moving about the deck with twin 12s was fun! Once in the water, we dropped down the shot, which Sammy, the skipper, had put right by the wreck. The wreck is very broken up. There are a number of stories as to how it ended up there. One is that it was attacked and damaged, and a German Heinkel destroyed it to stop it getting into allied hands. There is documented evidence saying a number were surrendered to the allies. After the war, they were made more or less seaworthy, taken under tow and scuttled.
The debris field is quite scattered but we were able to find the torpedo tubrs, engines and bits of hull.
E-boat Torpedo Tube by Mustard Dave, on Flickr
E-Boat by Mustard Dave, on Flickr
On day 3 we went to Zurrieq to dive the mighty Um El Faroud. She is a 115m tanker that was in dry dock in Valletta for maintenance works. There was an explosion which tragically killed nine workers. It was decided the best action was to scuttle her as an artificial reef as the explosion has caused severe structural damage. We were told to be outside the apartments for 8:00am so we could get there early as parking is a b
h. The access road is on a hell of a slope and you do not want to be walking up it with your kit.We were picked up by Joolz in 'the monster' (a 9 seater crew-cab pickup) while the rest took two other vehicles. Joolz is from Sheffield and has lived in Malta for quite a while, and has learnt how to drive like the Maltese. As we followed in the middle of the convoy he enquired, "So what was it for you guys last night? I suppose you were all tucked in bed early with a mug of cocoa and read your bibles for a bit?...Right! We're going to have 'em at the runway and get the best parking space!". As we turned onto a long, straight, but completely knackered road (we were told it is one of the main bus routes), he floored it as we passed the other wagon driven by Martin, giving them the Vs out of the window before arriving and nabbing the best spot.
The Um El Faroud is a bit of a swim out and sometimes there can be a strong current. Joolz told us it looked pretty good and he would lead the group and signal a turnaround tank pressure. It is a great wreck for some good ferreting. You can enter the superstructure and drop down the stairs and find the engines, boilers and workshop.
To have a good look at her, you will most likely rack up about 10 minutes of deco. The great bit is there are ropes strung across the entry point, which is popular with swimmers, so you can admire the bikini fish swimming above as you fizz off!
Day four saw the Imperial Eagle, a ferry and sister ship to Jacques Cousteau's Calypso. We were taken there by Sammy again, aboard Pegasus. The site is marked by a fixed buoy. Most of us decided to do this on twins again as you will be between 35-42m for a good part of the dive.
As you descend the shot, you are greeted by a statue of Christ, blessed by Pope John Paul and placed to protect the fishing fleet. We took this opportunity to get a photo:
YMCA by Mustard Dave, on Flickr
After that we visited Santa Maria caves on Comino, which were used in the filming of The Count of Monte Cristo.
On day five, we split into two groups and went to Gozo. I did the blue hole and the inland sea. The Blue hole is a hell of a trek over rocks but is a really beautiful scenic dive. The azure window is spectacular - I wish I'd got another photo from the top when we had the briefing. The picture below is from when we surfaced. The pool we are in is the blue hole. You drop down and there is an arch at around 5m you swim inder and out to the rocks around the azure window.
Blue Hole and Azure Window by Mustard Dave, on Flickr
Day six was the 'cultural tour' of Valletta. We visited the Lascaris War Rooms followed by the Knights Hospitaller exhibit. The plan was to have a pint in the pub where Oliver Reed died but unfortunately it was shut.
Lascaris War Rooms by Mustard Dave, on Flickr
Oliver Reeds Last Drink by Mustard Dave, on Flickr
Monkey! by Mustard Dave, on Flickr
Du1point8 said:
what dive computer is that one?
Also where did you get money from with fins?
The computer is a Heinrichs Weikamp OSTN 2n, available from Deep Ideas, whose service is great: http://deep-ideas.co.uk/Store/index.php?main_page=...Also where did you get money from with fins?
It is an open source computer and theoretically you could write your own deco programs. You can have 5 pre-set mixes and one can be set during the dive. It is fully trimix compatible and uses the Buhlmann Z16 deco model. You can set gradient factors as well. It is also compatible with CCR but not directly via a cable (you punch in the box set points and it works to that). It also has an apnea mode.
It is really easy to use and the display is fantastic. The planning mode is good as you can tell it your depth and bottom time and it will give you a full list of stops so you can copy id to a slate. It will also give you a display showing all your deco stops in sequence rather than just your ceiling and time to surface like your typical Suuntos etc.
The monkey is available from selected boxes of PG Tips and the fins and cylinders are available from old toy boxes full of Action Man kit!
I've just placed an order for a YBOD (Yellow Box of Death)!
The picture is the Evolution but I've ordered the Evolution +. It has the same 2 litre cylinders but the larger scrubber from the Inspiration. Delivery should be 5-7 weeks and all being well, I'll be doing the course in Scapa Flow in April!
The picture is the Evolution but I've ordered the Evolution +. It has the same 2 litre cylinders but the larger scrubber from the Inspiration. Delivery should be 5-7 weeks and all being well, I'll be doing the course in Scapa Flow in April!
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