A Great Weekend in Plymouth, April 2007

by Dave Simpson

Together with Ian1904 and Foggy Duster I was invited by BSAC1018 a Hampshire based club for a weekends diving in Plymouth.

Everyone drove down on Friday evening to the Clovelly Bay Inn Website [Formally the New Inn] where after a few pints, not all real ale, although they are a BSAC club, we turned in. We'd booked the whole B&B accommodation as there were 11 divers and several others just along for the social. We three were in room of 4 along with John who was up at the crack of dawn [or at least that's what it felt like] rummaging through his kit, turned out he couldn't remember packing his hood. Down to breakfast which at the Clovelly Bay is a massive affair [as are all their meals] which beat everyone.

We were meeting the boat at Mountbatten. A couple of us needed fills so down to Inn Deep Website where Sean and Lorna looked after us providing 2 Nitrox and some air fills in about 10 minutes flat. Then down to the pontoon where Endeavour has suffered a breakdown but Rich Stevenson had arranged "Fintan" [err I think as a replacement].

Skippered and owned by Cliff, she's a new boat to the area. Cliff is most obviously not new to the business as he obviously knew his stuff. Fintan can be booked through the Plymouth Diving Website although she's not mentioned on there yet. She's new to the scene so she's not booked up yet if you're still scrapping around for a dive boat she's likely to be available. She's an Offshore 105, a bit short on cabin space but with a red hot water boiler which is on constantly and space for all 11 of us to set our kit up on the benches at the same time.

1018 are a mixed experience club, but most of this trip were very experienced but with a good mix of kit configurations: a couple of Inspirations, John from the club and Claire Boxall the DO from East Cornwall Divers who's training him at present; 5 on twin sets including Ian1904 and 4 on singles. There's no elitism in the club: no-one is looked down upon for not diving a twin or because they don't have the latest gadget. The banter was rife throughout the day's diving as well as the evening's drinking and any slips of the tongue were jumped upon with lightening speed. Stu the organiser had also brought lunch for us all so there was nothing to do but turn up and dive, eat, drink, sleep and take the piss.

What did we dive? Not everyone had dived all winter so it began gently :-

Saturday

Dive 1. James Egan Layne we were dropped onto the bow. Seeker was also dropping of at the same time so my buddy and I decided to drop of the bow and run down the length of the ship with the hull on our right shoulder. When we got to the back of the main wreck we crossed over followed the plate out at 45C to hit the stern where which we swam around examining the Gun mount etc, then back up to the main hull, and back up the length inside ducking through the hold supports [not too much breakfast still fitted] up to the bow where we carried out our stop before ascending the shot again I touched 19.4m but you could had been deeper if you'd wanted. Vis 8+m., temp 11.1C.

Dive 2. Scylla, I was surprised with the growth since I'd last dived it. The shot was on the stern [permanent marks washed away during the winter] so we swam across the Helipad, and into the hanger. When I say into, it no-longer has a roof, so we went up and around the main structure and into the bridge. Whilst inside the bridge a fair sized Cuttlefish swam past, how big we were inside looking out through the windows it was 5 or 6m away swimming past but I'd guess 1m+ [how big do they grow? It looked fair size thing] that made my dive as I'd never seen one before. We then exited the bridge down onto the starboard side and back under the covered walkway looking into various cabins as we went. Onto the stern and over the side where we swam under the stern between the prop shafts then back onto the Helipad and up the shat where we carried out our stop. My stats: depth 24.5m, temp 10.9C, Vis 8+m.

Sunday

Dive 1, Elk, well shotted by Cliff right onto the bow. As ever the Elk was a pleasure to dive with loads of life to see. The hull is still standing up nicely and I always enjoy diving a wreck which still looks like a boat not some confusing scrap metal which I can't get orientated on. We had a minor drama when John became caught in some invisible fishing line hanging off the bow, [how does that stuff manage to knot its self so well around your kit?]. We stayed with the hull doing a couple of circuits others made their way off to Elk reef and everyone had a good dive. My depth: 28.9m although you could have got deeper and temp 10.5C, Vis 8+m.

Dive 2, Persier is a massive wreck , my buddy and I were under the impression that there is an upright bow with an anchor still hanging from it and thought we'd make that our goal but despite seeing a lot of plates [and I mean a lot] the boilers and various other bits of scrap we ran out of dive before we found it, it being our second 30m of the day and neither of us wishing to make it a deco dive. There was again loads of life and the great Vis making it an easier dive that when I'd been there in the past. We'd strayed some distance from the shot so blobbed off with no dramas. once all back on the "Fintan” it became apparent the shot had snagged so John on his Box and Jed on a twin [1018's DO] had to go back and rescue it which involved cutting the line and re-tying it so Fintan's 30m shot isn't quite anymore!. Stats: depth 29.3, temp 10.6C, Vis 8+m.

A big thanks go out to everyone that was there for there good company and humour, but especially Stu for organising the weekend, John Fahy for being such a good Buddy, In Deep for filling my cylinders at short notice and Cliff for doing a fine job as the skipper.

Some more pictures (thanks to Ian Hicks) of a merry weekend's diving!































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