Scapa 1 June - 6 June 2008

[hebails]

FWIW
both Me & Weazelz (currently in Egypt with Mr Powell) will be diving Air/Nitrox and are happy to go with the standard itinerary and will remain pretty relaxed about it all and are unlikely to venture (too far) past 40m.
From what I have read our hosts will look after us better than our own Mothers would
Cheers and looking forward to a great weeks diving (with my shiny new Salvo)

[neilh]

Originally Posted by jorawley

as everyone seems to be getting carried away with the 'its everyones trip', where are the wrecks??? and 'only 40 metres for me' this is how it works as a standard scapa trip:

Woooah Jo! I don't think anyone's getting carried away with anything, it's just the usual excited build up to a Scapa trip

However at the end of the day this is "everyone's trip" and I figured it would be good for people to share what they expected/wanted out of it so we all know where we're at. If we're all happy to pretty much "go with the flow" (ahem ) that's cool, but if someone has a real urge to visit a particular wreck then why not say now

Originally Posted by jorawley

You DONT need trimix, a twinset, or even a stage if you dont want to its personal choice.
You WILL need a good torch(es), SMB's

Very true, it does seem to be somewhere that can cater for a variety of divers without too much effort.

Originally Posted by hebails

FWIW
From what I have read our hosts will look after us better than our own Mothers would

Most definitely

[Hazel W]

Hi

just a little to add... this is booked as a standard Scapa Itinnary so expect pretty much what Jo has said ...dependant on all the usual factors .. remember that The Orkney Dive Boat Operators Assoc ODBOA Contents has strict rules as to the number of dive boats on a wreck for safety reasons so my advice is to stay as flexible as possible and relax into what will be an excelent trip for everyone (even fish prodders)

Many queries about the wrecks can be answered by reading Rod Macdonalds excelent book on diving scapa.


Cheers

Hazel

[neilh]

Originally Posted by Hazel W

my advice is to stay as flexible as possible and relax into what will be an excelent trip for everyone (even fish prodders)

If you could lay on some nice weather and cracking vis as well that would be super, thanks

[Eeyore]

Originally Posted by jorawley

The Big 7 - battleships & cruisers:

battleships konig, kronprinz & margraf are all upside down,
easiest to find guns and metal u will recognise aside from the hull is kronprinz whose Max depth is 38m, shallowest point is in about 20m - yes they are THAT big. (Mark & Konig i've managed 44m max). Similar to a reef u can choose your depth.

cruisers on their sides with max depth of 36m (a cpl are slightly shallower) are brummer, dresden, coln and karlsruhe again so big u can do 4 dives on EACH of them and again choose your depth.

Blockships in less than 20m with good viz but strong current, doable on only a few select tide tables - tabarka, gober, inver & doyle

as the konig i believe is still off limits that is already 10 possibilities of the allocated 12 dives...
You DONT need trimix, a twinset, or even a stage if you dont want to its personal choice.
You WILL need a good torch(es), SMB's

I only mentioned mixed gas (as in helium) for those that are qualified and intend using it so H&H can have enough ordered and on board.

Personal recommendations having spent several weeks in the flow are: Brummer, Coln, Tarbarka, Kronprinz, Dresden in that order.

H&H have all the books, diagrams, wreck maps and more info than u can shake a very large stick at all onboard.

All sounds good to me Jo

I'm Trimix covered, but I dont intend to be doing many of the dives on helium!

Plenty O2 for nitrox & deco gas

[thehappychappy]

Ok what do I need to start arranging for myself?

Ive also got the opportunity to dive with my dive club in Ullapool on the 31st of May. (According to multimap only 147 miles but four hours drive to scrabster?) Is this doable and still get to the Valrkrie for the first or should I just bin that idea?

What time do I need to be in Orkney? (Ropes off on the first?) What times are the Ferrys from Scrabster?

Having never been across before I need some basic info..

Davie

P.S Coming to the Dive show on Saturday so will try to say Hi to H&H.

[Rob Dobson]

Saturday is change over day so you need to get there on Saturday as the diving will start Sunday morning - therefore forget diving on the 31st because you need to be arriving on Valkyrie, loading your gear onto the boat, listening to the boat briefing, getting your kit setup, gas organised and get settled on the boat. The 13:30 ferry is usually the best one to get on the way out.

Ropes off each morning will depend on what you're doing each day but 8-9am is fairly typical. Diving will be Sunday - Friday, so 6 days and then leave the boat on either the early or midday ferry on the following Saturday.

You need to book the ferry, reserve space in a container, book accommodation if you intend breaking up your journey on the way up (I tend to stay around Inverness).

H&H will happily answer any questions you have at LiDS and they'll have photo's and hopefully some video so you can see the sort of treats they have in store for you when you get there.

Originally Posted by thehappychappy

Ok what do I need to start arranging for myself?

Ive also got the opportunity to dive with my dive club in Ullapool on the 31st of May. (According to multimap only 147 miles but four hours drive to scrabster?) Is this doable and still get to the Valrkrie for the first or should I just bin that idea?

What time do I need to be in Orkney? (Ropes off on the first?) What times are the Ferrys from Scrabster?

Having never been across before I need some basic info..

Davie

P.S Coming to the Dive show on Saturday so will try to say Hi to H&H.

[thehappychappy]

Cheers Rob,
Ok So I need to be in Orkney for the 31st not the 1st :-)

Glad I got that figured out

Davie

[Helen F H]

Originally Posted by Rob Dobson

Saturday is change over day so you need to get there on Saturday as the diving will start Sunday morning - therefore forget diving on the 31st because you need to be arriving on Valkyrie, loading your gear onto the boat, listening to the boat briefing, getting your kit setup, gas organised and get settled on the boat. The 13:30 ferry is usually the best one to get on the way out.

Ropes off each morning will depend on what you're doing each day but 8-9am is fairly typical. Diving will be Sunday - Friday, so 6 days and then leave the boat on either the early or midday ferry on the following Saturday.

You need to book the ferry, reserve space in a container, book accommodation if you intend breaking up your journey on the way up (I tend to stay around Inverness).

H&H will happily answer any questions you have at LiDS and they'll have photo's and hopefully some video so you can see the sort of treats they have in store for you when you get there.

What he said

Saturday is a chill out day for us and for you (after the manic cleaning has been done and i have changed the sheets on 12 beds ) so no diving unless we are on passage to somewhere.

This is a copy of what we will be handing out at the dive show to groups who are interested in booking and it should answer all of your questions

Scapa Flow? Where is that then?

Well, head north, then north some more, and then maybe some more north and stop before you fall into the Pentland Firth. Ok, so that’s not actually that helpful is it?
Orkney is the first group of islands found off the northern tip of Scotland. Owned by Norway until 1435, they still retain very strong Norse ties, evident in its accent, dialect, place names and archaeology.
Orkney much later played a large part in both world wars, the Home Fleet being based here and of course the German High Seas Fleet being interred here until it was scuttled on the 21st June 1919. The islands bare the scars of the military history, sometimes it seems gun emplacements jut from every headland.
Scapa Flow is one of the jewels in the crown of UK diving. The remains of the German fleet now lie entombed in the icy depths of the flow, heavily protected from any sort of salvage or interference by divers. Their legacy is some of the best diving in the world, the behemoths of the battleships rising from 45m to 22m, guns pointing into the green, seemingly on eternal patrol. The stricken cruisers on their sides, their superstructures slowly falling to the seabed after nearly 100 years underwater.


So why dive Scapa Flow & Orkney?
• Huge Wrecks of the German WW1 High Seas Fleet
• Outstanding scenic dives
• Good Visibility
• Dive in all but the worst weather
• Depths from 10m to 45m
• Suitable from Sports diver/AOW to advanced trimix and rebreather divers.
• All manner of sea life, from cetaceans to nudibranches.

Scapa is not all deep dark and technical. We specialise in weeks allowing even relatively inexperienced divers to work up to diving the battleships in the flow.

Scapa is not always cold, summer water temperatures get up to around 14C and air temperatures although cooler than the mainland can be surprisingly warm.

Orkney is not as isolated as it may seem. Stromness has a large range of shops, a supermarket, two dive shops (one offering overnight repairs and servicing) and a good selection of pubs to eat out in. Kirkwall has several supermarkets, larger stores (Boots, Woolworths etc) and an airport.

Getting Here.
Getting to Scapa itself is pretty dependant on where you are coming from. There are two basic ways of doing it if you chose to drive here.
Scrabster - Stromness is the most popular and probably the most straight forward way of doing this trip. Scrabster is the port itself, Thurso is the town just up the hill from it. Thurso has a good selection of shops, a Woolworths, pubs, bars and a nightclub.
There are a plethora of places to stay, but I would recommend Waterside House B&B as it can easily accommodate all 12 of a dive group in comfortable surroundings - it is also around a 5 minute stagger from the pubs. Cost is around £20 a head, book in advance. The advantage of doing it this way is that you get into Stromness which is where all of the dive boats sail from.
The Ferry from Scrabster to Stromness.
The route is operated by Northlink Ferries, and you can book on as a group. You can leave your cars on the mainland, there is a pay and display car park, or a few free spaces on the roadside if you are quick! Cost is around £30 per person return. If you book on as a group you can book two containers (one per 6 divers) container for all your equipment. These are delivered to the ferry terminal and will be full of kit belonging to divers who are returning from Orkney.
As you approach the terminal itself you will see to the right an area for cars to wait to board the ferry. To the left is a weigh bridge and large open tarmac area. This is where the containers are dropped off. Please allow the other divers to unload their kit. The ferry is hardly going to leave without you since you have a load of their containers, there is no hurry! The long stay car park is opposite the Ferry Inn, and costs around £25 per week per vehicle. However, there are a few free spaces along the roadside, but these are totally at your own risk. Once you have your kit loaded, go and park your car and head back to the ferry terminal
The ferry is large and comfortable, with onboard bar and cafe. Dependant on the weather, the ferry will either head to the west of Hoy, where you can see the Old Man Of Hoy, or if it is rough, will head East and actually sail up through the flow.
Once in Stromness, the ferry terminal is within spitting distance of the harbour where all the dive boats reside. The containers with your kit will be unloaded and left in the car park next to the ferry terminal, but again, there is no massive hurry. You will be met from the ferry by the crew of the Valkyrie who will escort you to where the boat is moored. The containers have wheels on them, so you can wheel them around the harbour to the boat and stow all your stuff. Please return the containers as asked.

The ferry from Aberdeen to Kirkwall.
This is a much longer crossing time as you have to sail up the side of the mainland first. Be aware that if you do sail into Kirkwall you need to get all your kit etc over to Stromness - around a 20 minute drive. Taxi’s and minibusses are easily available, but I would recommend booking well ahead. The main advantage to doing the trip this way is that it can be done by public transport - train from Edinburgh to Aberdeen, and then Ferry.

Be aware that from early 2008 Northlink require photo-ID as a security precaution for each person travelling.

The Ferry from Gills Bay to St Margrets Hope.
This ferry is an alternative to the Northlink boats. It runs between the aforementioned ports. The current boat is the Claymore, an ex-cal mac ferry which is a little rough and ready, although a very seaworthy boat it is nowhere near the Hamnavoe. Food is served onboard and the crossing is short and sweet, passing the abandoned islands of Swona and Stroma. It is generally cheaper on this ferry, especially if you want to bring a car.


Stromness itself
Stromness is a very nice small town. It has many pubs, the best (in my humble opinion) is the Ferry Inn. They do excellent food and have a good selection of beers and spirits. But then, being divers, we wouldn’t drink lots of alcohol would we?
There is a cash point, Co-op, butchers, bakers, fish and chip shop, numerous gift shops etc etc. Please try to support local trade by using the smaller shops and not the supermarket.
There are two dive shops - the Dive Cellar which is the closest to the harbour. This sells a huge selection of Scapa Flow clothing if you are keen to advertise you have dived the flow.
There is also Scapa Scuba, a 5 minute walk through the town. Situated in the old Lifeboat house it is an excellent place to mosey on to have a chat. As well as the usual diving equipment, they make novelty hoods, as well as quality drysuits, even a superman drysuit… Suit repairs can be done overnight, so don’t panic if you bust your zip or rip your neck seal. They also runs most PADI courses.


What Stromness has:
Supermarket
Post office
Butchers
Banks (Royal Bank of Scotland, Bank of Scotland, both with cash points)
Gift Shops
Chemist
Bakers
Fish & Chip Shop
Library with free internet access
Art Gallery
Swimming Pool
Laundry facilities
Long Stay Parking
Café’s (one of which does take away food)
Two Dive shops, one of which does overnight repair and servicing.
Bus Service to Kirkwall.
Doctors Surgery
Recompression Chamber
Regular ferry service to the mainland.

What Stromness doesn’t have:
Hospital (Balfour hospital in Kirkwall has an A&E department)
Airport (Kirkwall)
Nightclub (Kirkwall has a small selection)
Curry house (Kirkwall).
Chinese Takeaway (Kirkwall)



The Dives - What to Expect.
Scapa is what you make it. People always think it is deep, dark and technical. Well, it can be, if you want it to be. It can also be shallow, light and friendly! Depths range from 10m on the blockships to 45m on the battleships and the James Barrie. If you go out of the flow hunting for deeper stuff, you are into mix territory, but there are some excellent dives up there if you do.
The German Fleet Wrecks are at the opposite end of the flow to the blockships but are not tidal. The huge hulking wrecks are truly massive with many features recognisable to even the untrained and new diver. All are shotted permanently, but many people choose not to ascend the shotline and send off an SMB as the size of the site prevents them from getting back to the start. All of the cruisers lie on their sides and are shallower than the battleships. All of the battleships lie upside down with one deck slightly higher than the other, allowing us to peek underneath at the remains of the superstructure.
The Blockships are very tidal. Because of this the life on them is spectacular, and the visibility is forever - I have had 15m easily. My favourite dive there is the Tabarka, simply because it is like diving inside a cathedral. Huge interior, I am yet to see a photograph which does it justice.
Other wrecks include the V83, the F2 and the barge which sunk while trying to salvage it and contains two anti aircraft guns. HMS Roedean where you can still find sections of the tiled galley floor hidden in the fine silt and the fishing vessel the Radiation.
The bottle run is a great second dive - an area where the detritus from the daily life on board a ship was ejected over the side. Here you can find all manner of items, from plates, bottles, cutlery and even shell cases. Also there are scallops which are best pan fried in butter and garlic.

Something Slightly Different.
Orkney’s diving is not simply limited to the confines of the flow. Head outside of these sheltered waters and you will find some of the best scenic diving in the UK. Huge walls plastered with dead mens fingers, boulder slopes hiding lobsters, nothing but the slender red antennae protruding betraying their presence.
The Northern Isles of Orkney, Westray, Papa Westray (known as Papay to locals), Eday, North Ronaldsay and Shapinsay all offer diving seldom experienced on the run of the mill Scottish diving holiday. Wrecks which are hardly dived lie in the clear water, the chance of being buzzed by Minke whales, seals, dolphins, porpoises is high. Well and truly off the beaten track, a diving holiday to the Northern Isles is a definite must to people who have done Scapa or the West Coast and fancy something a little bit different.



Other bits and bobs
• If you are staying on board a boat, please be aware that there is a large tidal range in Scapa. If you go to the pub and there is 1m of ladder, unless you are in there for a rather long time, there will be guaranteed to be more ladder when you get back! So don’t get a skin-full and find you cant climb the ladder, that’s not a good plan.
• Never adjust the ropes holding the boat - regardless of if it has drifted out away from the harbour wall. Simply stand on the rope where it leaves the bollard and it will slowly drift back in to the quayside.
• The Valkyrie has crew onboard and on call 24hrs a day to sort out any problems, whether it be that you are feeling unwell, or simply are unsure about anything regarding your holiday.
• Scapa can be 4 seasons in one day, so take plenty of warm clothing, even in August. Sturdy shoes are also recommended as boat decks can be slippery and wet.
• There is a recompression chamber in Stromness, but beware, it is small and cramped. If it is in use, or you are bent enough to warrant it, its off to Aberdeen.

[hebails]

Well,
I thought I could not possibly get any more excited about this trip and then we get taken to a whole new level.
Thanks for all this info Helen and I look forward to meeting you at the dive show.
Is it possible to sleep till the end of May I wonder