Just Back From Oban

[Dave Crampton]

<font color='#000080'>We (Josie and I) are just in the door from a very good weekend diving from Oban. We travelled up on Friday eve and stayed in Puffin's Cottage in Oban itself. The Clubs organiser has driven up on Friday with the Rhib and her hubby.

We dived The Breda first thing on Saturday Morning and were the first ones there, Paul and I being the first two on the Wreck. Diving on the Stern we tooked in and out of all the small nocks and cranies of the first two holds seeing Toilets, Tyres, Coal, Cement and a lorry chassy. Lots of silt everywhere so I'm glad we were first on as we wouldn't have been able to squeeze through all the small holes as the vis would have been crap with any silt desturbed very easily. My new torch shone through (gedit!!) and I had a fantastic dive. I know what you mean now Andyp about squeezing through holes in wrecks.

Second dive after lunch was on a small bay just south of Puffin's establishment, on a scenic, looking at huge wrasse and some pollack.

On Sunday the weather was misty but very calm so we set off with GPS for the Meldon?? just off Mull. After an age on the RHIB in Fog we arrived and were met by the Sea Otter who kindly shotted the wreck and even left it for us after they had gone so we could put our second wave in on it. Thanks Sea Otter. The Meldon was quite broken up but I saw the stern and swam between the 6ft screw and rudder. Fantastic dive also. As we had a long jurney back and as we were heading home today it was decided not to dive a second time as some were cold and wet, so we (Josie and I) headed up to Martyn Ward's place (within sight of the Bouys on the Breda) for a cuppa and a natta, Cheers Martyn.

Lovely weekend, and Now can't wait for Skye this Saturday.  

Dave C

 I was amazed a couple of hours ago watching some lunatics in a grey tubed RIB diving in the Harbour's nth entrance. They had divers surfacing all over the channel between Corran spit and the light at the NW corner of Kerrera and then put in a second wave after picking them all up from all over the shop I mean there is no lack of divesites in the area so why dive  in a  working harbour entrance breaking the local byelaws?

[parahandy]

Rubber Johnny
Sounds like they weren't bothered about local by laws.
Could maybe of understood it if they were from out of the area ie ignorance, no excuse of course. God forbid they were local.  

Following a coastguard radio message(in the good old days when Oban actually had a coastguard station) once picked two shore divers up in the Rib having entered (diving from the road to Ganavan) think they were attempting to dive Maiden Isle, recovered them exhusted, embarrased between the shore and the island. Think they were being a trifle optomistic

I didn't recognise the boat but then again I was some distance away up the hill at home. One of my favourite pastimes is watching the traffic in and out of the harbour from the living room.
 Trying to swim out to Maiden Island from the shore is also well dodgy, lots of traffic, including myself and the Lismore ferry on occasion, use that as a short cut when going North out of Oban.
 What was amazing me was them picking divers up spread all over the entrance and then putting in a SECOND wave!
&nbsp;At least it will be quieter next weekend