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SCOTLAND'S SECRET
by Scott Laddiman
Where do you find wrecks that range from suitable depth for novices and can also satisfy the deep technical diver in vizability that often is in excess of 20M? This is also an area, which has numerous reefs and seal colonies and its own resident dolphins. Minke whales have also been spotted in the past and you can be sure that you will probably be the only dive party you see the whole day.
Where is it you ask? Welcome to my local area- The Moray Firth!!
The Moray Firth covers an area from Peterhead in the North East of Scotland up to the very tip. It is an area, which is normally bypassed by those who go to Oban or are travelling to Scapa Flow. Good news for anyone who wishes to explore the Moray area as there is very little dive traffic. You will not get the crowds you see with other areas.
The main airport is Aberdeen, although you can get flights to smaller areas like Inverness. Inverness might be better if you wish to hunt for The Loch Ness monster and take a shore dive from the banks of the Loch. Aberdeen has grown with the Oil Industry and is now one of the largest oil capitals of the world. It is a major harbour town on the East Coast and is approximately 40 miles from the Southern Moray Firth. Aberdeenshire and the Highlands boast a healthy tourism industry and for the non-diving partner there is plenty to see and do. Several Whiskies trails can keep your partner occupied although they may lose the use of their legs afterwards! If you are not tempted with our fine single malts then there are tours around our old Scottish castles and ruins. Several birds, dolphin and fishing tours run from some of the old small quaint fishing villages. Many of these old coastal towns have a character, which will be hard to find elsewhere. You must sample some of the local pubs and try a local dish or two. Seafood is normally freshly caught that day and if the season is right you must try the local Haggis. For those brave people a Haggis Hunt can be organised up in the Scottish Mountains, just ask the local barman when the next one will be. B & Bs line the coast but few spend much on advertising. A call to the Tourist Board should help or try asking one of the local dive shops or dive charter boats. There are two dive shops in Aberdeen. Aberdeen Watersports and Ocean Dive.
Aberdeen Watersports has an impressive list of qualified Instructors. It also is very technical diver friendly so no problems for the Nitrox/Trimix diver looking for gas or the Inspiration diver looking for.... Errr... buddies!
www.aberdeenwatersports.com
To my knowledge there are only two dive charter boats that cover the Moray Firth area. Conveniently one covers the Southern area and the other the North.
In the North, John Thorton can run liveaboard trips from Wick and Nitrox and Trimix can be mixed onboard. In the south Bill Ruck runs 'Moray Diving' from Lossimouth harbour and has a very impressive Blyth 33ft, 16ft beam catamaran which can easily take 12 divers with twin sets and stage mounts.
His lunch menu is world famous!!
Mixed gas and accommodation can be arranged through Bill. Contact : Owner/ skipper Bill on 01309 690421/ 07775 802963 Or moraydiving@hotmail.com www.moraydiving.com
For those wishing to use their own RIB then there are numerous slipways but make sure you check the tides as some can only be used during high tide.
Just when you think it couldn't get better? This area is a wreck divers heaven. There is everything from Valantine Tanks, Oil Tankers, Fishing boats, Yachts and even a Submarine all within the air divers reach and several deeper wrecks with countless undived marks waiting to be explored. A team is currently working on searching for a second Submarine.
THE WRECKS IN 'SOUTH' MORAY FIRTH
San Tibercio
The Jewel of The Moray Firth in my opinion is the 'San Tibercio'. She is a tanker of the Eagle Shipping Company and was lost after hitting a mine in 1940. The British steam tanker San Tiburcio was a 5995 ton vessel of overall dimensions 413ft x 53ft x 31 ft that sank in the Moray Firth due to the explosive effect of a mine during the early stages of World War 2. The ship had been converted to fit a stern mounted 3-inch gun for its war service. This gun was fitted for defensive purposes to Merchant shipping on charter to the Admiralty during both World Wars. On the fateful day it was on His Majesty's Service from Scapa Flow to Invergordon when it struck a mine in the Moray Firth. After hitting the mine she broke in two. The cargo comprised fuel oil and Sunderland aeroplane floats destined for the seaplane base in the Cromarty Firth.
The wreck is in two distinct sections. The bow sits upright and its deck is at 30M and it is 40M to the sea bed where you can see the Port side anchor hanging and swaying in the current. The bow section is easily navigatable as there is a 'flying bridge' running the full length. Once you have descended onto the bow you can easily swim across numerous hatches which allow a view into the huge holds. Do not enter these as they are massive and a diver can become easily lost.
There is a swim through at the back of the bow section where the remains of the accomodation can be found. This will bring you to an obvious break in the wreck at about 35M. You can follow a permenant line, which attaches the bow to the stern section. The stern section lies at an angle in about 35M and I have only had brief visits to the stern but hope to change that this year. Both the stern and bow sections are normally buoyed and the ships bell has never been found!
Verona
The Verona used to be a luxury yacht built in Scotland in 1890 and was used by the Navy during World War I until she hit a mine. She sits in 40M of water and the first thing you will notice when descending the shot is her hugh boiler in the middle of the wreck. The wreck sits at an angle and moving along the stern section you must stop and look at the ships toilet bowls! They have beautiful decorations on the inside of the bowl. Continuing along the stern you will come across one of the ship guns, which must have been fitted by the Navy. It is quite strange to see the remains of a once beautiful yacht with the signs of war scattered around the same area. There used to be a very impressive bow but this has now broken off. The Verona normally has very good viz and can be a photographers dream.
Tantivy
The Tantivy submarine was deliberately sunk and sits upright in 40M, it is now owned by the Inverness club. All the hatches have been welded shut. The conning tower is an awesome site but look out for the remains of a fishing net around the tower. The visibility on the wreck is variable and is best avoided after prolonged rain because of the run off from the rivers as she lies quite close to shore. Moving towards the stern you can see many fish below the deck gratings and large congers in most of the open pipes. The stern torpedo tube along the top of the boat is missing and the stern is draped in a variety of large fishing nets. Towards the bow you can see the ballast hull just below the decking and again the deck grating is full of fish and congers in most open pipes. At the very bow, which comes to a sharp point, you can drop down and view the forward torpedo tubes. A drop to the seabed here will put you in about 42m. The wreck is not normally affected by tides but you can get a surface tide during springs.
Unity
The Unity is an excellent second dive. It is in 25M and is a small fishing boat, which is quite ironic as it normally has an abundance of fish swimming around the wreck. It is very small so it is easy to circumnavigate around it in 5 mins, which allows you plenty of time to look into the open holds. It is very close to Lossimouth Harbour so it is a very quick ride out to the site. This is a very good site for training or an evening dive.
Fram Bow
The FRAM lies about four miles out from Pennan Harbour. Depths are 42m to the seabed. Best location to launch is Rosehearty harbour.
The wreck is flat and most of the dive is spent at 40M but the bows are impressive as they rise 5M to 6M above the seabed. This a favourite with local dive clubs as it is close to shore and viz can be excess of 20M.
When the Fram sunk, the Bow section descended to the seabed while the stern section stayed afloat for some time before sinking. Therefore the stern section is some distance from the bow. I have never dived this but I have been told it is a better dive than the bow and at 50M it is only visited by experienced air diver or Trimix divers.
Others of interest
The Moray Firth has plenty to offer and other wrecks to see are-
Valentine Tank - Sunk WW2 in very good condition, lots of life, upright in 12m
Harmony - Steam puffer in great condition, sat upright in 58m, lots of fish life
Jock Wokie - Steam puffer but more broken in 60m
St Geraldine - Fishing boat, mostly large boiler but 4 miles out of Lossiemouth in 60m
Chrissie Craig - Fishing boat, broken in 68m, 4miles from Lossie
Jacona - 3000 ton, sits upright 66m to 75m seabed, great condition
Meteor-British merchant turned German raider, broken in 65m
Wynor - Old merchantman in very good condition in 56m
ALSO - various aircraft, other military ships, scenic sites and reefs, and U-boats?!
The Moray Firth has it all for any diver. The only thing to watch is the weather as if there are Northerly winds then there are very little sheltered areas and if it is a strong northerly then you will be forced to stay onshore or visit one of our inland sites.
Some useful information for visiting diver is - Aberdeen Coastguard: (01224) 592334. Local dive club web page www.deesidedivers.org and for more info about other dive sites around the area check out this local divers web page he has more info and his own opinion about other local dives.
www.zyworld.com/NeilMasson
I must say thank you to Iain Paul and Bill Ruck for the supply of photos for this article.
Now Scotland's secret is out I hope visiting divers will enjoy what The Moray Firth has to offer and if anyone has any other questions they can e-mail me at Laddimans@aol.com
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