Oban

[Gavin Yates]

Righty Ho, this is the first trip report that I could arsed to do so I'll keep it brief and wait for the St Abbs weekend extravaganza to appear on these hallowed pages.

The weekend started with me having to load the car up with all my gear and my buddy's gear (that's Mrs Gavster BTW aka Fiona) including her new drysuit(yes she mugged me into buying it for her birthday) and new regs (she bought Apeks TX50/40) much nicer than my old Abyss's.)

So with the car down to the bump-stops and me nursing a hangover from the previous night's libations I picked her up from work in the centre of Edinburgh and decamped of to sunny Oban.

Did you notice that? Sunny Oban! That's what we call in the world of journalism a complete and utter lie but more on the weather later.

After a couple of settlers in the Oban Inn along with some food we went to a dodgy Irish bar for a couple of Guinesses and so to bed.

Woke up not feeling too clever. Didn't have very much to drink the night before but still woke up with the complexion of a month-old corpse.

After a breakfast consisting of a ham and chesse sandwich,"We don't do early breakfasts" we were told, off we toddle to Puffin for a morning out on Urchin, a very nice catamaran.

Gear is stowed and off to the Breda. Now don't get me wrong, I like the Breda, I like it a lot but it seems that every time I go to Oban I end up shuffling around the old girl.

After doing about 35 minutes and getting really quite woolly headed at only 20 metres it's time to come up and get some soup.

I've never been narked before but honestly I was spinning like a washing machine. I knew exactly what was going on but I can't say I enjoyed the experience.

Needless to say, drinking and diving don't mix and I for one will be having two very easy days before any morning dives.

Second dive was a really nice scenic drift. Popped in the water - got set - and then sent up a DSMB then drifted through some kelp and then some more kelp and then some bits and bobs. Nothing major to see but in 18m and no head spinning I was more than happy.

Saturday night was spent in Oban. Had a fantastic meal in a fish restaurnat and a couple of drinks (The Gavster drinking halves ... what's going on!) and early to bed to catch the morning rib.

There were 12 on the rib including an American diver called Runningbear Bunch(no shit and no relation to the Hairbear Bunch) don't worry I asked !

The weather was horrible but after a 40 minute rib ride to the Sound of Mull we arrived at the wreck of the Shuna which is in about 33m of water with the super-structure at about 23/24m.

It was a really nice dive. Despite the awful weather the viz wasn't that bad and the drift and surge was easy to cope with. After 30-odd minutes it was time to get back and after managing to avoid a dirty great big Lion's Mane Jelly Bastard on the shot-line it was back to the boat for more soup.

Second dive was a really nice wall at Ardnacool(sommat like that anyway) and lots of squat lobbies, wrasse and pollack were out and about. Much fun was being had until Mrs Gavster decided that a fin-first ascent was a good way to scare the living shite out of her husband.

She says she got inverted and her too-big drysuit boots popped off her feet so she couldn't fin to get upright and dump.

Thankfully no harm was done though my arms felt like they were gonna be pulled off.

After some lunch, we drove back to Edinburgh secure in the knowledge that we'd been involved in more rain-falling-down-on-head-action than anybody else in Scotland.

So, despite the rain it all turned out very well. We'll have to sort out Mrs Gavsters drysuit boots tho' ... maybe Runningbear Bunch can help?

[Davey Willo]

Nice report Gav, s'funny..... even the scary bit

Sorry about the weather, Abbs had the sun crackin the flagstones mate, my foreheads as red as a baboons arse, much to the delight of my missus....