[PaulC]

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Just a quick report on the doings of yours truly, the Gavster and Ben over Easter. I replied to Ben's post about a space on a dive trip over Easter near Oban on the speccest of spec - to be rewarded with a classic weekend.

A mere 6 hours up the M74 and 20 minutes driving aimlessly round the island of Seil (and those who know will realise I covered it twice in the time) led me to Olrig bungalow, where Ben's mates the Buddy Divers had set up camp for the weekend. I have to say a universally great bunch of lads with sufficient bad jokes, generosity and spare diving equipment to make even a poor numpty like me's weekend go with a swing.

So after too much Tartan Special (yes, half a pint) and Ben's imitation of Rab C Nesbitt (you know what I mean, Ben) on Friday night, it was all systems go on the Saturday for some egregious diving.

David Ainsley (Porpoise Diving) is a great skipper. He knows the sites, has tea, coffee, and a loo on board, and gives what is singularly the most comprehensive safety briefing I have ever heard. Anywhere. Not surprising from a BSAC First Class diver and advanced instructor. Nice chap anyway.

Dive 1: about 36m on a wall covered in sessile life but little else going on. Sufficiently narked to be convinced my backup light was another diver who had mysteriously appeared behind me.

Dive 2: The Meldon. A nice little wreck in 12m with a lot of structure still intact, just on the S Coast of Mull.

The Tigh an Truish (loosely translated as 'Donald Where's ya Troosers?') Inn providing the evening's entertainment but no more Tartan Special for me I tell you.

On Sunday, Dive 1 another deep wall: 40m and the sneaking suspicion that God was having a dive with us (bit of a 30m screamer, me!).

Dive 2, a nice drift along a wall with crabs, lobsters and even a fish or 2.

All weekend: sun fit to make the Greeks (and the southerners!) jealous, good company and an especial mention to: Gav and Ben for diving as a 3 (which I have to say went exceptionally smoothly); and Nick from Buddy divers who lent a certain numpty his back up 'puter when said article was left on passenger seat of car. D'oh!

In short the wekeend was a treat and I only hope the next trip I go on on spec is half as good.

Now come on the Gavster, tell them what really happened!

 

[Alistair]

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Must just add a few comments.......ben had by 11pm decided that his buddy for saturdays diving was the upright freezer in the kitchen......must say, that suited the rest of us!! only joking Benny.........

Fabulous weather and a flat calm sea made for easy motoring out to the islands through the tidal races (11+ knots in places) as it was a spring tide. First dive was a wall called the steps - vert wall down to 37/40m dropping off again from a small shelf to 70m+ vis not that special at about 5- 6m, but much better at depth. then over to the SSMeldon in Loch Buie on the south side of mull for a shallow wreck dive with a few massive pollack

Day 2 and blue skies everywhere - jusst a hint more wind, which changed the dive site from Eagles on the north side of the Garvellachs to a site called Slippers on the very south western edge of the islands - extremely sheltered and a magnificent smooth vertical wall with a couple if huge overhangs down to a white shell seabed at 44m, superb plant/ animal  growth and a dive that made me grin! What the first 4 pairs couldnt see was the young male seal doing  double back flips, spins and belly flops right above them and through between the SMB bouys.

second dive at a site called Dunchonnuil, between two islands at slack/ turn of slack to give a gentle drift, as the last pair in, some 30 minutes after the first, we got a menaiii straits type speed - up down across sideways backwards - wherever it wanted - I popped the DMSB after 10 minutes as we were heading north west at some speed rather than a gentle drift to the NE, still an enjoyable drift and no finning necessary!

Glad to have met a few more YD ers and hope to be organising another trip up there at some point - after all its not every day that you come across a self catering bungalow that sleeps 12/14 for £10 ppn!! if anyone wants details I can supply.

www.divescotland.com for the info on the porpoise.

August weather and april seas - I can see that this place will be incredible given a little warmer sea and the shoals of fish back in residence!

Alistair

 

[Gavin Yates]

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<font color='#000F22'>I can really only concur with the comments above - an excellent weekend with an accent on both fun and safe diving.

Basically we were doing deepish walls in the mornings then fun poddle-about dives in the afternoons.

Perfect water conditions made the boat journey out to the sites past the infamous Correyvecken Whirlpool pleasant and the variety of animal life above water, sea otters, seals, Golden Eagle etc was a delight.

The currents we experienced were very mild but I could imagine the area to be a bit of a beasty on a bad day. The fun thing about the deeper walls is the variety of life and good viz - the problem could be vicious down and up currents so these are not dives to go to sleep on!

There's really no need to go pareticularly deep with the best stuff being around the 25-32m mark on most of the walls we did. Getting to 40-odd metres and the life thins out quite a lot.

Diving as a three is not something I usually like in the sea - but Ben(who I dive with regularly - I haven't had time to do our last Clyde wreck report yet) and Paul C - who I'd dived with before) were excellent.

Would I go again? I can't wait. Anybody for August?

 

[peter k]

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Quote[/b] (PaulC @ April 21 2003,23:15)]The Tigh an Truish (loosely translated as 'Donald Where's ya Troosers?') Inn providing the evening's entertainment but no more Tartan Special for me I tell you.

Somebody was winding you up. "Tigh an Truish" means House of the Trousers. It's because a certain country which shall remain nameless ordered that Scotsmen were no longer allowed to wear kilts, on threat of death, as they were seen as a sign of rebellion.    
 The country which shall remain nameless probably had army barracks on Seil and thus every Scotsman who wanted to go there had to hide behind a tree, take his kilt off and put a pair of trousers on, thus everyone inside or near the house had trousers on. And that's the end of todays history lesson.

Alistair- Can you PM or mail me with those details? They're new to me and look like a future trip in the making. Thanks.

Peter

 

[Ben Harris]

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<font color='#FF00FF'>Always nice to bring a bit of culture up the m6 to the scots!!
Only joking pete!!!!

 Must almost be a first for me to be on a dive trip where 95% of the people are actually from yorkshire!!!

Cant remember being that drunk on friday but do occasionally break into a bad scotish accent when pissed up north!! Ah well. Remember drinking about 10 litres of water to re hydrate myself and spending the entire boat triup and dive either on or needing the loo.

great weekend and much better diving than I honestly thought we would get and who would think you would get a sun tan in scotland in april!!!!

Bonus. 10/10 for nash tours for all the organising he did.