Saturday 11th June
......7am already I thought...... I had set my alarm for 7.45, I'm staying in bed I thought, what seemed like a minute or two later but was actually 7.30 and I heard a breakfast bowl being taken from the cupboard. Ummm breakfast I thought, that got me out of bed.
The plan was to meet at Aqua Hotel at 9am to do an hour of classroom before heading over to Weymouth to pick up the tanks and load the boat. Again the military were firing so our slack time today would be around 1.30pm.
We were joined in the morning by DanE and others (sorry didn't catch everyones name) including John (Gasmuncher) who were there for pleasure and our pain, methinks.... it helped knowing Dan had been through it all before....and in slightly colder circumstances.
Dive 1 Aeolien Skye max depth 28.5m time 38mins temp 12 deg Vis 8-10m (and we didn't kick up the crap)
This time we had a plan, a proper plan, including, deeper, longer, deeper & longer, and Lost Gas. This time we felt a lot more prepared. JW was leading the dive, I was 2nd JAG 3rd and Sch 4th. We were determined this dive to do things together as a team.
{Adrian Kelland has posted a trip report also of killer prawns trip also on Skye that morning so I will refer to there for the details of what it is like to dive when not doing a course.
http://www.yorkshire-divers.co.uk/fo...ad.php?t=21535}
From my perspective it was a lot of time watching and team watching, as a result my concentration was not really on the wreck but I am definitely going to go back and do this wreck properly. It looks like an excellent dive, and ours was also.
After a bubble check at 6m we continued down to the wreck at about 25m.... we moved off the wreck and around the hull, performing drills as we were directed by Mark. JW had just turned to me and given me the OK to which I replied and turned back when Mark told me I was OOA, ok I thought and spat out my reg... I signalled JW with the torch but he couldn't see me, damn good viz eh!!!
So I turned looking for JAG, now the vis wasn't that good that JAG could see the reg out of my mouth,and I waited, then I realised of course he hasn't seen my OOA signal as I was facing the other way, with a little more urgency I give him the OOA and within a moment he is there with his primary in my mouth, top finning!!!!! Even Sch behind him was ready... the team was working....
We continued around the hull and doubled back over the wreck, 2 minutes before the end of our planned time we send up the SMBs and begin our ascent. This time I am too slow ascending and we are a little late to the first stop. This is where having a designated leader kicks in. J.W. is watching the time and the depths and makes sure we all do the requisite stops. Our overall dive time is extended but we complete the stops.
However mysteriously at 9m I lose my mask, supposedly kicked by a fin.... funny I didn't see any fins just Marks glove. Again the team sprung into action. Sch directly opposite me reached out and took my arm, steadying me as J.W. took care of my reel. I could see a blur that was JAG to my right out of the corner of my eye, as a result there was no panic and I could ensure my bouyancy was right, take my spare and sort myself out.
J.W. handed me back my reel and we carried on, it was that simple.
On the 6m stop the line from my SMB got mysteriously tangled around my sticky up air integration thingy.. which I love so dearly.... wonder how that happened Mark? In his words "... the temptation was too much...." repeat after me.... I must learn more self control.. no I didn't think so.
Back to the surface, onto the boat, it was getting a little cloudier but we were ready for skippers food, more pizza, chicken nuggets and doughnuts.
Then disaster struck...... contrary to Garfs, initial post I had bungied my twins on the bench just not very well, lesson in knot tying required. With horror I watched as my twinset dived off the bench onto my so dearly beloved sticky up air integration thingy and bashed my 1st stage. Lots of hissing escaping air and a shutdown was required on the boat.
Upon inspection the thread on my 1st stage was gone..... completely shreaded and jammed in the right post. There was to be no more diving for me that day, maybe not even that weekend.
I shall leave the next dive report to someone else, I think Sch is up next as I didn't make it onto that one...
Dive 2 Depth 0m time about 40mins,17deg Viz about 4-5 miles. Conditions slightly cloudy
From the surface though, JAG's main SMB was snagged on a buoy as they started their drift so Skipper and I rescued it unfortunately not the reel... should be on it's way back to you JAG sometime in the next little while.. alledgely! Paul (skipper) did a fantastic job of getting my 1st stage out of the right post and miraclously no damage was done to the tank thread. We tried my other reg to be sure and sure enough it sealed no problems. I breathed a huge sigh of relief, now all I needed to do was sort out either a repair for my 1st stage or sort out another. In the end a loan stage reg from Mark and a rearrangement of my stage reg (a DST) to work as my right post reg and things would be right as rain. Even got to keep my sticky up air integration thingy but this time being on a DST wasn't sticky up anymore!!!
My understanding of the drift is that is wasn't particular exciting well that's what they told me, if it was don't tell me otherwise eh!!!!
We were back to harbour by 6ish, cylinders in again the Old Harbour dive shop for air top offs and we were off to the pub.............................................
..............for more deco theory.... we didn't even get a drink!!!!
Back to the shop pick up our cylinders, load them into Mark's and J.Ws car and back to the hotels, half an hour to get sorted and then back to the aqua for dinner and more theory session.
Unfortunately Sch and I hadn't counted on being locked out of our B&B, so a call to Mark to say we were going to be late and a call to the custodian and waited to be let in and the lock repaired. Quick shower and change and straight back down to the Aqua to find them all finishing off their meals.
We ordered ours and settled down for another evening of instruction. I think it was starting to pay off and that day the dives had gone quite well. There had been improvements from Friday but there was still much to take in.
Mark was kind to us that evening and the theory session finished at 10pm. He headed off and just missed Garf's cramp dance.... it has to be witnessed to be believed, PMSL, oh yes we did. Especially when we got a repeat performance a few minutes later... sorry Garf no sympathy there.....
We parted company not long after that and that good book I brought to read never made it out of my rucksack, I was asleep before my head hit the pillow that evening.
Rightly so... because they next thing I heard was Sch banging on the door at 5.30am shouting Mark Are you awake??? I am now was the reply Sunday morning was here already......