Originally Posted by
steveharriss 
Right. Finally got time to put a little more down regarding our trip to the Sound of Mull.
The trip was organised by Ian Connell who then went and got blocked sinuses so had to pass up the opportunity to get wet which allowed our DO to nick his space.
Fourteen of us arrived in Lochaline on the Friday night. 12 divers, 1 'kit bitch' (Thanks Claire), and one spouse there to do some walking. The weather forecast had been for wind and rain so it was no great surprise to find white caps and drizzle. The drive up to Lochaline is monumental. When you get to Glasgow you're still only halfway there! The scenery above Glasgow does slightly make up for the length of the journey though.
On waking the following morning we discovered the wind had dropped and we we treated to excellent weather for the next four days!
Lee, the on-site chef, had prepared an enormous meal for everyone. The quality and quantity of the food was invariably excellent for the entire duration of our stay. There were always two courses, except the night we provided the scallops when we had three. The lounge/dining area is clean and comfortable and well heated. There is a large flat screen LCD TV with freeview and free wi-fi for your laptop. There is always access to hot water for a brew and there are snacks in a display fridge with an honesty box. You also get your own fridge for storage if you've got organised and brought your own.
The bedrooms are compact but fitted out to a high standard and have extremely efficient underfloor heating. As you walk through the door there is a wet room with a toilet, sink, and a superb shower with lashings of hot water. The shower head must be 8ins diameter and, whilst not a power shower, gave sufficient flow to make for a pleasurable experience to look forward to at the end of a days diving.
Wall hooks are fitted next to the two bunk beds for hanging clothing and towels and there is space under the bottom bunk for bags and other assorted junk.
I'm 5' 10'' and found the bed to be just right but the longer members of our club had to curl up to ensure their feet didn't poke out from under the duvet.
We could have done with some kind of hook by the shower room as well as towels just had to be thrown on the floor outside but some rooms apparently had this feature already fitted so perhaps this will be something that's in hand.
The rooms are accessed from a covered walkway which has facility to hang two drysuits up for airing immediately outside the door. The doors have a frosted glass centre panel but amazingly the room number is clear and placed strategically so that anyone walking past has the opportunity to have a quick gander at your privates!
In the centre walkway that leads to the lounge/dining room there is a massive drying room for undersuits etc. (no drysuits allowed) and a separate toilet that means you don't have to punish your buddy quite as much.
The heating is capable of boiling you alive. When we got to our room the previous occupant had set it to 29 degrees!! We reduced this to 19 degrees but it took until the next morning for it to finally cool to that temperature. Thereafter the temperature was great.
Opposite the accommodation block is a well stocked dive shop with a trimix blending panel. Fills were spot on all weekend. At the end of a days diving we unloaded the cylinders onto the harbour and these were retruned the next morning with the fill you'd requested. There is also an onboard compressor capable of 300 bar on the boat for those that didn't bring two cylinders. Two people ripped wrist seals that weekend but only missed 1 dive each as repairs were effected that night using materials from the shop.
Mark, the owner/skipper, has a nice laid back style. He was willing to accommodate the requests for dives we wanted within the limitations of the tides that weekend. The boat, 'Sound Diver' is an absolute dream. The kitting up benches are in the centre of the 12.5m boat. These are deep enough to sit on and put on your kit with the cylinders and BCD behind you. They are high enough off the deck to have room for a large kit box each underneath and to make regaining your feet comfortable.
There was a diver ladder on the port side at the rear that we eschewed the whole weekend in favour of the hydralic diver lift on the starboard side. After RHIB diving in the Farnes this just makes life so much more pleasant.
Mark is good at handling the boat and when you surfaced he'd approach head on before killing the engines and allowing you to drift to the rope strung alongside the starboard side that took you straight to the lift. Easy.
There is unlimited tea and coffee onboard and during the lunch break there is a tureen of home made soup. This was much appreciated after the 8 degree water. The carrot and ginger and potato and leek varieties were the favourites. Packed lunches can be organised if required but bring your own biscuits if you want something to dunk in your tea.
I owe Mark an apology for holeing the boat deck. During lifting the cylinders back in the boat on the Sunday morning one slipped out of my hands and went, valve first, through the top skin of the deck. It was a complete accident but, on telling the skipper, he just came and examined the damage, effected a repair so that we could get out diving, and told me not to worry as he had some glass mat and gel coat in his equipment store. Brilliantly handled. Just no drama whatsoever. I really appreciated the way he dealt with the situation.
There are plenty of good boats and skippers up in the Sound of Mull but if you can't get on your regular choice, or if you've never been before, I'd suggest giving Lochaline Dive Centre and 'Sound Diver' a try. It was a great combination that worked well for our group.
Big thanks to Mark, Lee, Claire and the rest of the gang for an excellent weekends diving in the UK.
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