Sound of Mull Wrecks with MV Diving Belle 19 & 20/8/06

[alexmaclennan]

Just back from a great two days up in SOM with the MV Diving Belle. Trip organised by Allan Woods of Academy of Diving/ also works for Aquatron. 11 divers including one from Brighton and one from Manchester.

Pickup from Puffin at 9am. Steamed up SOM in glorious sunshine.

Shuna - Poor viz ?3m. Dived in mid flood but no current on wreck just did quick tour round decks and stern to 28m.

Lunch at anchor in Salen in more sunshine.

Hispania - Dived at 'slack' but warned by Chris (skipper) to expect current as neap tides. 1/2 to 1 knot across decks made for a thrilling dive. Viz of 6 to 8m and bucket loads of life. Anemones/worms/dead mans fingers everywhere on hull. Lots of big wrasse and saithe. Stung on face by jelly ascending line.

For the next hour, as other divers surfaced and then going to Lochaline we were accompanied by three dolphins. They played in the bow wave, spinning and showing their bellies, often swimming on their sides and occasionally in surfacing for air would broach. Magnificent.

Met at Lochaline pier by Mark Lawrence who ferried bottles up in Landrover and filled them at Lochaline Dive Centre. Stayed overnight there. Ate at expensive but delicious Whitehouse Restaurant. Next morning, Mark drove bottles down to pier and we were away by 9.15.

Thesis - Soup till 10m then viz 5-6m. Lovely dive down the starboard hull to rudder at 32m, up over aft deck and then swimthrough holds and hull till spent the last of air at the bow in lovely ambient light. The bow is magical as dead mans fingers cover the entire skeleton of the hull where the plates have been blasted or fallen off.

Again the three dolphins started swimming round as other divers surfaced - some could hear the dolphins clicks - and followed the ship for a short distance. Again beautiful sunny day with views up Loch Linne and down Firth of Lorne.

Breda - Fishermen tied to midship buoy. As we approached they moved off. Chris warned us to look for hooks on line - there were four sets of seangling flies embedded in line. Thick soup throughout ? 2 m only. A spooky dive. Ascended the other buoy line as did most of other divers.

Back to Puffin and leaving by 3.30pm. Drove down spectacular Lochs Awe, Fyne and Long home.

Big thanks to Allan for organising and Chris and Malcolm for looking after us (continual tea/soups/ biscuits/rolls and then beer with dolphins).

Alex

[milldog]

sounds great! just what i should be doing but at the moment painting beckons....

[NotDeadYet]

Watch it! I'm not from Manchester I just live there

Highlights for me were definitely dolphins surfacing right next to me after the Hispania. Then 3 swimming past me while I was still on the line at 9m on the Thesis. I really never appreciated the size of them until I was in the water with them, they're huuuuuuge!!!

Cheers,

Stuart

[Justin Owen]

Two weeks to go till we're up there with Chris on the Belle... Fingers crossed for improved vis and p-p-p-please can we have dolphins too - that would be amazing...!

[thehappychappy]

Nice report Alex.

Sounds like you had fun.

Lucky sods getting the Dolphins in the water with you!