[Helen F H]

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My fave wreck is the Tabarka, a block ship in scapa flow, orkney.  It has to be dived on slack really, otherwise it is a mad kick down, or a bumpy ride up, sometimes getting up close and personal with the Inverlane, or the Gorbenador Bories...hehe.
She sits upside down, and is like a cathederal.  The fierce current means there is no silt to kick up, and she sits on small cobbles.  The engine is surprisingly intact, it feels almost as if you could dry her off and start her up!  Many of the upright ribs are still there, but most of the way around the hull there is a hole eaten through the plating making it look like windows.  I went around a corner on the wreck only to come face to face with a cormorant diving for fish.  I dont know who got more of a shock.  She is a shallow dive, but because of the current, not a novice dive.

 

[Benjiballs]

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I agree, the Tabarka is great, and it's nice and simple to do a spot of wreck penetration. I did this wreck in a strong current and Porg is right, it's not for the novice when it's like that. Great fun!!
Ben

 

[Paul Beal]

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Dived this wreck in june, my god it is impressive. Hit it on slack, then had a drift at the end once the tide had picked up a bit. Went stern to bow (squeezed into the very front with twin 10's on!!) then out midships for a 15 minute drift. This dive is the only time I have had to do deco on a 15m dive! Was assessing someone for combined Nitrox too, so I was even led around - fantastic!

We didn't see it, but others saw a free swimming conger in the engine room.

Viz so good that when about 8 of us ended up together we took some group photos that came out better than the usual ones of us all standing on the bow of our boat!

It gets my vote for the best "second dive" site in the country! Would love to do it at night!

Paul

 

[[email protected]]

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Excellent dive

I was lucky enough to get a week of brilliant weather in Scapa this August. Even seen a pod of Orca just outside the flow while returning from a scenic dive. (me not the orca).

The Tabarks is your original "Mary Poppins" dive with an DSMB.

 James

 

[Helen F H]

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<font color='#000080'>the first time i was up there we saw minkes off the ferry on the way over.  We then got buzzed by them on the way up to Westray, which i have to say was a lifechanging moment.  The fact that these creatures had chosen to spend a few seconds surfing our bow wave, out of all the "big sky" that you get up there, made me feel, i dunno, very weird.  I had just lost a colleague three days beforehand in an accident, which makes you very philosophical about life i think.

We saw dolphins, and went snorkelling with them around where the block ships are the second time we were up there.

I would reccomend scapa to anyone, i went twice in three months!