[Driftwood]

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Anyone got their pencils out for Jan? Wouldn't mind a sur-30m (well 25 really) pootle to get me going for my New Years Reso(lve) of hitting the ton.

Offers of diving, hospitality will be met with a bottle of whiskey (not necessarily full o'course)

 

[Dr Stevil]

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Quote[/b] ]Quote: from Driftwood on 2:22 pm on Dec. 30, 2002
Anyone got their pencils out for Jan? Wouldn't mind a sur-30m (well 25 really) pootle to get me going for my New Years Reso(lve) of hitting the ton.

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The ton? What, a hundred metres?

You crazy SSAC diver you....

You wanting to hit the briny or would you be happy enough in the Lakes?  
Re Lakes - Crummock has a deep dark wall, goes to about 25ish with great ease, but I reckon you can find a few more metres if you keep going (I've always done it with a single 12 or 15 before so didn't want to push it to much).

Re briny - we could always book a small hardboat for a day at Abbs, you can do two dives from Peter Gibsons hardboat for about £8 a dive, its small and basic but does the job.

I might be willing to do a foray into "dive-organizing" that if anyone else is interested (could end up regretting that last bit !)
Chee-az
Steve

 

[Driftwood]

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Abbs at the moment? And you have the cheek to call me crazy!

 

[Dr Stevil]

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Well...perhaps not this weekend, but in the past I've had some nice dives there in January, including an interesting  nudibranch 'bloom', there were dozens of supposedly immature nudibranchs everywhere in the water column, very curious.

 

[Mark Chase]

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Me and the crew (i think thats the hip word) are off to sunney Weymouth on the 25/26 diving 11.00 on the Hood and I think 3.00 on the Countess then Sunday we are on the Spanyard and some other piece of Junk. There is a biiiiig caviet that if the sea is calm we might pip out and say Hi to the M2 but I was later told Viz is poor on the M2 till March so maby not.

There are 11 divers going ranging from realy good divers to total numpties like me frankley. So if you want to join in let me know. Cost £66.00 for two days diving plus a bunk bed on the 24th and 25th.

Currey and beer costs extra so bring about £200.

All the best,

Mark Chase
 

 

[Driftwood]

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Cheers for the offer Mark but a 1,200 mile round trip does not appeal for the YD Scottish Fraction Member Drifty......

 

[Lou]

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*whispers* we really like the Countess...but Caroline point blank refuses to dive to the Hood.  We had a chat about it last night, again, when talking about things we would like to do this year, and she just won't consider it.  Got any convinceing arguments that I can use to get her interested in diving it, Mark?

 

[Mark Chase]

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Errrr its not the Stangarth

??? hows that

I havn't dived it so Im am not the best person for the job.

I have dived the Countess in 15m viz and found tropical fish and oysters and I have dived it when I could only tell it was a ship by feel. The blind dive came first so imagin my enthusiasium when we got blown out on the M2 and dived the countess again. But shock horrer in good viz it's a great littl wreck with easy penitration and some nice life on too.

Point is if you dive any wreck and have a bad one, your never too keen to do it again.

What's the problem with the Hood??

Mark

 

[Dr Stevil]

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Pardon my ignorance but as this wreck is obviously on the south coast I'm not familiar with it, What's the deal with  "The Hood" ?  Is it particularly deep ? For a while I thought you were talking about the WWII battleship HMS Hood till I looked on the web
Chee-az
Steve

 

[Driftwood]

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Remember when I first heard of it thought my geography was badly wrong and Jutland was doon saarf... Not ther case

HMS Hood was sunk as a blockship across the South Ship Channel of Portland Harbour and is "turtle'd" in about 18m I think.

Not too sure where I first heard of it (might be Izzy's site?)

EDIT:

Tell a lie, it was Handbagnet as it's No. 32 in the Top 100 Wrecks....

32 HMS HOOD
14,150-ton battleship, built 1891. 380ft x 75ft. Well armed. Position: 50 34.10N; 02 25.22W. Depth: 18m.
Sunk: 4 November, 1914, as blockship for southern entrance to Portland Harbour, designed to stop U-boats entering or firing torpedoes into Channel Fleet anchorage. Both seacocks and explosives were used to sink her, but she rolled to port and capsized onto seabed.
Diving: Upside-down with kelp covering bottom plates 2m under surface. Rusting side plating collapsing, leaving dodgy entrance holes. Swarming with fish. Beware fierce currents.
Launch: Castletown.



(Edited by Driftwood at 11:41 am on Jan. 10, 2003)

 

[Lou]

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It is the WW1 battleship "The Hood" which was sunk to block the entrance to Portland Harbour.  It sits in shallow water (about 15m I think) across one of the entrances and is upside down as it turned turtle.  The bottom of the hull is only a couple of metres below the surface at low tide I think.
(Oops - crossed postings there - never mind, same info twice over is better than none!)
And that is what she doesn't like.  The thought of being immediately upon it and then all the gubbins being underneath.  

She likes wrecks and as I say we have done the COuntess three times which she really enjoys, but there is a mental block on the Hood.  I think it might stem from some stories she was told about giant eels inside and a face to face meeting with e seal who looked out a hole as someone looked in......who knows, but the excuse now is what can there be to see on an upside down ship.  Hence looking for some good reasons, coz I fancy doing it!

Seen the Spaniard and also the wreck next to who whose name escapes me for the moment, and done the "dredger" outside the harbour wall, but that is it as far as Portland goes.

(Edited by Lou at 11:55 am on Jan. 10, 2003)

 

[Andy Phillips]

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Hi Lou,

I guess the main point to see the Hood is the history, sure she is upside down and for that matter not particually deep (the sea bed is about 20M), but she was one of the most important ships we had for a while, just to go down and see her will be a treat.

I'm there and so will mister camera, tell Caroline she has to dive, I need a photogenic model, once you guys meet my regular buddy, Alex, all will become understood.

Andrew

 

[MATTBIN]

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Lou
I'd like that (The Hood) to be one of our sea dives this year but it would have to be on a Sunday (the boy works Saturdays) so if you and Caroline dont mind us coming along with some others the less enthusiastic wreck penetrators (me and Adam included) could hover around outside and hold hands waiting for your return. Everybody happy situation.
Might need to be a bit later in the Year though given the current weather.
Matt

 

[John Gulliver]

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For the more experienced/adventurous of you, I just wanted to point out that you've got Britain's number one wreck, the Salsette, not far from there. I've dived it and can promise it's a fantastic wreck.

 

[Dr Stevil]

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Giant eeels and seals too! sounds like a good dive to me, perhps if we get a YD troop gig to the sarf coast I might see it
Chee-az
Steve

 

[Andy Phillips]

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Salsette - Fantastic
January - bad,

One for later in the year I feel, do a weekend and do the Kyarra also. HoHum, another couple of months to go.

Andrew

Andrew

 

[John Gulliver]

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I was there in August some years ago. At least 10 m visibility and no current, which I'm told is very unusual.

 

[Andy Phillips]

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August is usually great, dived a lot around that coast last year, saw vis at 1M and Vis at better than 15M this was 2 weeks apart This is why I love the Kyarra you can dive it both ways, with good vis it's nice to paddle around the outside, when it's bad you can go treasure hunting for bottles of perfume, wax n gold watches inside.

I will definatly set up a trip for all later in the year, but it is pointless right now. Lizzy's mum lives in Swanage so we get a good insight into places to stay etc

Andrew

 

[Mark Chase]

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Good on you Andy I am well up for that M8

Sitting here getting realy frustrated coz the Moldavia is on tomorow I feel fine and I cant go

Partly CO hit and partly work but all together a major bummer.

They say it will be flat calm, dam dam dam dam dam

Still never mind I am taking my wife for a test dive to 8m in Laybourn lakes on Sunday to try out her new dry suit before the Weymouth trip. So that will be nice

Role on the 25th

Mark Chase

 

[Diving Dude]

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I`ll hold you to that as well Andy.

Only dived Swanage twice, the first day we dived the pier twice and they were my first sea dives and were great.
Second was to the wreck near the Kyarra, the castle..something and then in the afternoon to the Aeolian Sky the first a good wreck the second brill.

Laybourn lakes, done that once with a newly qualified OW diver & my son, suprisingly had a great day then as well.

So Andy we have four so far if you include my daughter as well.