White Horse Charters - D-Day Wrecks, any comments?

[Lou]

Thanks for all the posts and pm's everyone. Much appreciated. Certainly some food for thought there.

The trip as it stands has everyone catching a nice, bug, stable ferry over and sleeping in proper beds on dry land after the same guys did the "liveaboard" option last year and found it "interesting".

They think John is ok as a skipper, spot on with marks etc, if a little brusque!

I will consider this carefully before parting with my dosh though.

Cheers

Lou

[JOHN P]

Its an old thread but I'm a new member and just had to add to it. I organised a trip on the WH and can confirm most of the comments already made. We were a mixed bunch of diver experience and gender but were all used to the good vis (5m) as most of us were used to Liverpool Bay. The skipper moaned at us from day one about eveything from using too much water to dropping crumbs on the floor. You were always under the impression of being an intruder on the boat and seeing as you could only retire to a coffin sized bunk it made the boat quite small. When organising the dive for the day I was always on the back foot, yes I know the skipper usually knows whats best i.e. weather, tides etc, but if there were two wrecks close by he would try and get you to do the one he wanted. The deck hand he had at the time was a pain as well, he seemed to relish in missinformation and upset our female members, fortunately I can't remember his name. The best part of the week was a dive on the Leopoldville though one pair had their dive ruined because they had to retrieve the massive shot from the sea bed at 57m. He stiched us up on the beer as well.

Conversely, I organised a return trip last year on the Loyal Watcher and what a difference!!! The crew were excellent, the skipper Steve would discuss at length what and where you would like to go considering the weather and tides and dropped you spot on every time. Although we did dive a mulberry harbour bridge which was supposed to be a ship wreck but even so this was an interesting dive. The other crew members, Richard shotted the wreck and assisted with kitting up no probs and Julie had plenty of food and hot drinks available throughout. We were blessed with excellent weather and there was never a problem dropping us off and picking us up late at night when going ashore for a beer. Without exception everyone enjoyed the trip.

So you pays your money and you makes your choice but I know I wouldn't pay my hard earned over to the WH again. Many of us can only get one full week away per year and it aint cheap. The thing to remember is that although dive operators run a business as customers you are entitiled to some customer satisfaction.

Regards and safe diving.

[Rob Evans]

If anybody's thinking of a Normandy trip, I'm going to have to break the habit of a lifetime and agree with the De-finned One. Try and get yourself on a Nauticat trip to Fecamp.

Steve (as many on these boards will attest) is an excellent skipper, totally knows his onions and is a top chap to boot. He's been doing the Normandy run for a few years now and, by virtue of plying local fishermen with Pernod, has a great database of 'Unknown Net-snaggers' in his portfolio. There are some beauties out there. The frogs aren't interested in diving this area, so even the shallow wrecks tend to be very unspoilt, compared to what we're used to. Furthermore, the lobsters are huge and unafraid, due to the ban on taking wildlife on SCUBA.
As for the congers..... Holy crap. You've never seen anything like it - guaranteed.

The boat's only got room for the skipper or his biatch to kip in, so you organise your own accomms - Steve knows the best Hotels (cheap, with a refreshing attitude to idiot UK divers abroad - we never got banned once), so it's pretty easy. Fecamp could never ever be described as the nightspot of the French West Coast, though the grub in the local restaurants' great and cheap too.

The entertainment to be had from

(A) Winding up the surly waitresses with our execrable Frog and
(B) Choosing Finless' dinner for him cos he doesn't speak the lingo and hates seafood, when the only French word you can pronounce with any conviction is Poisson

has to be experienced to be believed

[JonDive]

Oh Crap!!!!!!!!!!!!! Just booked a Dorset weekend for 10 at end of May. Still will try to go with open mind and and a sick bag!

Originally Posted by JOHN P

Its an old thread but I'm a new member and just had to add to it. I organised a trip on the WH and can confirm most of the comments already made. We were a mixed bunch of diver experience and gender but were all used to the good vis (5m) as most of us were used to Liverpool Bay. The skipper moaned at us from day one about eveything from using too much water to dropping crumbs on the floor. You were always under the impression of being an intruder on the boat and seeing as you could only retire to a coffin sized bunk it made the boat quite small. When organising the dive for the day I was always on the back foot, yes I know the skipper usually knows whats best i.e. weather, tides etc, but if there were two wrecks close by he would try and get you to do the one he wanted. The deck hand he had at the time was a pain as well, he seemed to relish in missinformation and upset our female members, fortunately I can't remember his name. The best part of the week was a dive on the Leopoldville though one pair had their dive ruined because they had to retrieve the massive shot from the sea bed at 57m. He stiched us up on the beer as well.

Conversely, I organised a return trip last year on the Loyal Watcher and what a difference!!! The crew were excellent, the skipper Steve would discuss at length what and where you would like to go considering the weather and tides and dropped you spot on every time. Although we did dive a mulberry harbour bridge which was supposed to be a ship wreck but even so this was an interesting dive. The other crew members, Richard shotted the wreck and assisted with kitting up no probs and Julie had plenty of food and hot drinks available throughout. We were blessed with excellent weather and there was never a problem dropping us off and picking us up late at night when going ashore for a beer. Without exception everyone enjoyed the trip.

So you pays your money and you makes your choice but I know I wouldn't pay my hard earned over to the WH again. Many of us can only get one full week away per year and it aint cheap. The thing to remember is that although dive operators run a business as customers you are entitiled to some customer satisfaction.

Regards and safe diving.

[Janos]

Originally Posted by Rob Evans

If anybody's thinking of a Normandy trip, I'm going to have to break the habit of a lifetime and agree with the De-finned One. Try and get yourself on a Nauticat trip to Fecamp.

Steve (as many on these boards will attest) is an excellent skipper, totally knows his onions and is a top chap to boot. He's been doing the Normandy run for a few years now and, by virtue of plying local fishermen with Pernod, has a great database of 'Unknown Net-snaggers' in his portfolio. There are some beauties out there. The frogs aren't interested in diving this area, so even the shallow wrecks tend to be very unspoilt, compared to what we're used to. Furthermore, the lobsters are huge and unafraid, due to the ban on taking wildlife on SCUBA.
As for the congers..... Holy crap. You've never seen anything like it - guaranteed.

The boat's only got room for the skipper or his biatch to kip in, so you organise your own accomms - Steve knows the best Hotels (cheap, with a refreshing attitude to idiot UK divers abroad - we never got banned once), so it's pretty easy. Fecamp could never ever be described as the nightspot of the French West Coast, though the grub in the local restaurants' great and cheap too.

The entertainment to be had from

(A) Winding up the surly waitresses with our execrable Frog and
(B) Choosing Finless' dinner for him cos he doesn't speak the lingo and hates seafood, when the only French word you can pronounce with any conviction is Poisson

has to be experienced to be believed

Thanks Rob, sadly I can't green you as I need to spread it around. Can someone help me

. I was diving out of Brighton yesterday from Nauticat and can confirm that Steve is a top skipper. Tempted to try and organise a trip to France for next year. Ideally this would be for the club first but I may have spaces. But it's early days yet.

Anyway, I have a few questions if you don't mind...

1) What do you do about air fills and oxygen (for Nitrox?)
2) How did you get to France - go across in Nauticat or take the Ferry with kit?
3) What's the diving like? If I was doing a club trip I'd want to do stuff in 25m to 35m. Is there plenty to see in this sort of range?

Cheers mate.

Laters,
Janos

[Diving Dude]

Originally Posted by Janos

...........Anyway, I have a few questions if you don't mind...

1) What do you do about air fills and oxygen (for Nitrox?)
2) How did you get to France - go across in Nauticat or take the Ferry with kit?
3) What's the diving like? If I was doing a club trip I'd want to do stuff in 25m to 35m. Is there plenty to see in this sort of range?
.......

Janos, l'll be able to answer all your questions after the 17th of May, which is when l return from Normandy on Nauticat, which answers no 2.

[Louby Lou]

Originally Posted by JOHN P

Conversely, I organised a return trip last year on the Loyal Watcher and what a difference!!! The crew were excellent, the skipper Steve would discuss at length what and where you would like to go considering the weather and tides and dropped you spot on every time.

We're out to Jutland on Loyal Watcher in 07, fingers crossed . She's in new hands and just been refurbed and is looking mighty impressive. We had a bit of a tour round the other week whilst she was going through the final stages of her refit in Plymouth. Steve had taken us out with Deep Blue's Seeker over the weekend and organised for us to have a good old nosey on round her. He was definitely an good skipper. Knowledgable and considerate; especially as on the Sunday I was in no fit state to dive and stopped on the surface with a huge case of sea sickness

[Diving Dude]

Originally Posted by Louby Lou

We're out to Jutland on Loyal Watcher in 07, ...........

Ooooooooo.........any spaces.

[Louby Lou]

Originally Posted by Diving Dude

Ooooooooo.........any spaces.

Sorry fully booked already...

[Diving Dude]

Originally Posted by Louby Lou

Sorry fully booked already...

Bummer.

Ok, details please so that l can arrange a trip.