Mull Trip Lochaline (2)

[parahandy]

Our group of YD divers motored into Tobermory on Mull for a few hours fizzing off and tied up at where else  but the pontoon nearest to the pub and the whisky distillary.
The advanced scouting party of undersuit clad heavies raided the local bakery, for pies and other tastys.  We all eventually filtered back to the warmth of the pub,where some good food and a few soft drinks were consumed.  The locals soon arrived to take up station for the Celtic v Rangers game, we even got a few complimentary Scotch pies.( no they weren't thrown at us).

Having got warmed up again the proposed dive was the wreck of the Hispania, which we  were advised by the skipper that we would need to drop on at slack water. We motored back out into the sound, the skipper making contact on route on the radio with another local dive boat who was also dropping his party on the wreck.
Arriving over the wreck , the other dive boat already had a few pairs down. The skipper dropped us within easy distance to the shotline. Ben was one of the first group in only to loose his jet fins on the descent & abandoned the dive.

Budgie and I were buddied up and once in the water started finning hell for leather for the bouy which didn't seem to be getting any closer.  I managed to grasp the bouy and was getting a real buffetting in the current.  I couldn't see Budgie at first but then spotted him about 30yards away trying to get closer.
As he was not making any headway the skipper picked him up and I could see Budgie hitching a welcome ride bashing through the waves on the ladder. Reunited we made the descent,and joined our group on the wreck. There were plenty of mega bright torch beams perculating through the holes in the wreck. Budgie and I swam along the deck mouching about, the vis was fair. Seeing the flying bridge in the distance we made our way along to the stern and bottomed on the shale sea bed next to the rudder and where the prop used to be.
A chance in a million with the current running I was lucky in spotting Bens missing jet fin on the seabed, it was quickly clipped on to the Bcd for our return journey.
We made our way back along the leeside of the hull,back towards the shot by now the tide was picking up, making life interesting. We spotted a rope dissappearing up to the surface, funnily enough I remembered that this particular one was a dud, as as you got closer it was actually a loose end of about 20ft streaming in the direction of the surface,we soon found the "right one".
Our ascent was interesting the rope was vibrating alarmingly in the current, we arrived at our safety stop with the bouy in sight spinning around on the surface.
Both of us by now doing our human flag impersonations, strewn out in the current, the experience made me chuckle.

We'll believe it or not it was actually slack water, with appetite wetted our group had plans for another crack at the Hispania on the Sunday.