St. Mary's,
Tyneside BSAC 114 Trip To The Scilly Isles, June 2005

by Richard Booth

Based in the North East of England, it had been several years since members of Tyneside 114 club last ventured so far south to the Scilly Isles. On previous visits we had used the services of Tim Allsop, but on planning the trip several months before the intended departure date discovered that he was already booked up for the week we had chosen to go. Fortunately he put us in touch with his daughter, Jo Allsop, who has recently set up her own dive charter business operating out of St Mary's harbour, using her boat 'Moonshadow', a Lochin 33 dive boat. Whilst this craft is not as fast as her father's 105 Offshore boat 'Morvoren', her boat provides plenty of dive storage space on steel baskets built over the stern, as well as offering easy access both into and out of the water. Moonshadow also has a small forward enclosed cabin complete with cooker and kettle for those essential post dive cups of tea and coffee. She is also equipped with a toilet in the bow compartment and plenty of storage space for dry gear.

The Isles of Scilly are situated 28 miles west of Lands End and their location at the cross roads of the English and Bristol channels, has over many centuries resulted in numerous shipping casualties amongst its many treacherous reefs and rocky shores. It is actually an archipelago of 150 islands and rocky islets. Five of these islands are inhabited by a population of just over 2000, with St Mary's being the main business and administrative centre. We chose to stay on St Mary's in B & B accommodation. From past experience we knew that early booking of accommodation is well advised particularly if you wish to stay close to the harbour. St Mary's also has more pubs and restaurants than the other islands so is able to offer more in the way of evening entertainment.

What is the best way of travelling to the Isles of Scilly for a land based dive trip?

The Scilly Isles can be reached by either helicopter or small aircraft via the airport at St Mary's. This means of transport is fine for tourists visiting the Island, but less suited to the demands of visiting divers equipped with all their diving equipment. We, like most visiting divers encumbered with all the weight and sheer quantity of diving gear, chose to use the regular ferry service from Penzance to St Mary's, the Scillonian 111. From previous trips we knew the simplest and most efficient way of keeping all our dive kit safely together was to hire a container from the ferry company.

The journey from Penzance to St Mary's usually only takes a few hours. The passage however is across open exposed waters. Those prone to sea sickness are well advised to come prepared with appropriate medication. Fortunately in our case the passage across to St Mary's proved to be a smooth one. On arrival our hired container was off loaded onto the main quay. One of the advantages of hiring a container in this manner is that your dive gear can remain safely stored within it until the following morning when it can be off loaded directly into the waiting dive boat.




What is the diving like?

The Scilly Isles offers a great combination of wrecks and scenic dives. Its offshore location means that the islands are swept by Atlantic oceanic tides resulting in waters that are free from the pollution so often found around the UK mainland, resulting often in exceptional u/w visibility more akin to tropical waters. With over 150 potential dive sites to choose from around its rocky shores, the Scillies offers diving which can cope with most of the demands and uncertainties of the UK weather system. The Scillies are subject to strong tidal flows and many of the more interesting dive sites are situated close to the shoreline requiring excellent local knowledge to make the most of the diving. Many of these sites are more easily accessed by smaller dive boats skippered by locals with expert knowledge, rather than via larger and more cumbersome liveaboard boats which sometime venture across from the mainland to dive these waters. This advice is based on the past experiences of some of our club members who have dived the Scillies on a number of previous occasions having tried both options.

Dive sites visited in June 2005.

Wrecks sites:

SS Italia:
This 2,792 ton steamship was wrecked on the Wingletang ledge, St Agnes, whilst on passage from Cardiff to Taranto on the 11/05/1917. Today she lies at the bottom of a small sheltered bay with the remains of her stern lying close to the rocky shoreline in 10 metres of water. Whilst well broken up, there is much recognisable wreckage to be seen, with her large impressive boilers resting in 30 metres of water. The forward end of the vessel lies down a steeply shelving slope with her bow resting at 46 metres. This wreck is a relatively sheltered dive suitable for a wide range of diving experiences.



SS Plymton & SS Hathor, St Agnes.
This dive site is slightly unusual in that it features the remains of two separate wrecks which were lost at the same location but eleven years apart.
The SS Plymton was a 2869 ton steamship which was wrecked on the 14/08/1909. Eleven years later on the 12/12/1920, the 7060 ton steamship Hathor was wrecked against the same rocky shore line and came to rest across the remains of the smaller Plymton.

When we dived this site, Jo dropped the shot into a shallow gully along which the remains of the Hathor's propeller shaft runs. Follow this gully upwards and you come across a large rock and some chain, behind which lie the photogenic remains of the Hathor's stern, complete with a number of intact life boat davits and deck rails in place. Descend down the gully and the prop shaft leads you into deeper water and onto the imposing boilers. Descend deeper and at around 36 metres, the Hathor crosses the flattened remains of the Plymton. The bows of the Hathor lie in 45 metres. This is one dive site that really requires several dives to fully appreciate.

SS King Cadwallon, Hard Lewis Rocks, St Martins
The 3,275 ton steamship King Cadwallon was wrecked on the 22/07/1906 after running on to the Hard Lewis reef off St Martins Island, whilst on passage from Barry to Naples. Her wreckage lies dispersed in a large gully running out from the reef. The area is swept by strong tidal currents making this site a slack water dive. When we last dived this site the shot line was dropped close to the boilers. Descending further down the sloping bottom one comes across the remains of another boiler complete with the remains of an engine room wall and overhead walkway still standing upright, making an attractive swim through richly decorated with plumrose anemones.

Following the wreckage down the slope you come across the remains of the stern in 42 metres of water. The strong currents that sweep this wreck have left the stern wreckage covered in a mass of orange and white anemones. This scene is made even more photogenic by a large steering quadrant. Ascending back up the slope you come across a u/w gully wall covered in jewelled anemones. All in all a stunning dive.

SS Brinkburn, Maiden Bower rocks
This 3229 ton steamship was wrecked at midnight on the 15/12/1898 on the Maiden Bower reef close to Bryher Island. She has been extensively salvaged but nevertheless still makes for a fascinating dive, with a nice small swim through between the boiler and the wall of the gully against which it is firmly wedged. Descend down the slope and you come across the remains of the stern and a large steering quadrant lying on the sandy bottom.

SS Zelda, Maiden Bower rocks
Lying in a nearby gully to the Brinkburn are the remains of the SS Zelda. This 1411 ton steamship was wrecked on the 16th April 1874 on her maiden voyage. Most of her wreckage lies in a south facing gully in 18 metres of water. The wreckage consists of ribs and plates, much of which is covered by kelp. A large admiralty anchor marks the entrance to the gully. Nearby, are a series of other scenic gully's which are quite interesting to explore.

MV Cita.
The 3,086 ton MV Cita is a very recent marine casualty having been lost in the early hours of the 26th March 1997 whilst on passage from Southampton to Belfast, carrying 145 containers of general cargo. She provides two distinct dives. The majority of the wreckage lies in 32 metres of water. The Cita's broken hull is still relatively intact and she lies on her port side, complete with rudder and propeller still in place. The accommodation and bridge block have become detached from the hull and now lie separately on the seabed several yards away from the hull. An impressive dive, although its exposed location makes this site a slack water dive.

The separated remains of the bow is situated a short distance away from the main wreckage, and usually constitutes a dive in its own right. The bow itself is upright and wedged fast against a small u/w cliff face. Indeed it is possible to swim between the bow and this cliff against and peer into one of the vessels bow thrusters... Maximum depth is 25 metres on this site. Both sites appear to be permanently buoyed.






Historic wreck dives:

The Scillies also offers the visiting diver the opportunity to dive a number of historic wreck sites. The geographical location of the Scilly islands make them a natural navigation hazard, which over many centuries has resulted in the destruction of numerous vessels against its rocky shores and treacherous reefs, particularly during those times when ships were dependent upon sail in an age of few reliable navigation aids.

The remains left behind by these individual tragedies provide a different dive experience from exploring the piles of rusting plates and boilers associated with more modern steam driven wrecks. Instead one has to train ones eye to recognise man made objects that over many years have become encrusted and embedded into the seabed. Once mighty wooden ships have been broken up and eaten away by the creatures of the sea, leaving only occasional wooden remains protected under the sand and silt along with rusting iron cannons and old anchors. Many of these sites however still contain many fascinating archaeological treasures hidden in the gully's and beneath the shifting sands. Broken china, musket balls and coins can still be found amongst the debris of these sites. Some of these sites because of their archaeological significance are subject to license and require special permission to dive. On this trip we took the opportunity to dive three of these historic wreck sites.

Sailing barque Minnihaha, Peninnes Head, St Mary's.
The 158ft wooden barque Minnehaha, struck the south-east corner of Pennines Head whilst on passage from Falmouth for Dublin on the 18th January 1874. Whilst her wooden hull has long since disintegrated, much of her deck iron work still remains scattered amongst the dramatic and scenic gullies which make up this site. The wreckage includes a large admiralty anchor lodged into a gully that penetrates into the rocky shore line. Maximum depth is around 19 metres, making this a good second dive site.

HM Fireship Firebrand.
The Firebrand was part of the ill fated royal navy fleet under the command of Sir Clowdisley Shovell, which blundered into the Western Rocks off the Isles of Scilly on the 22nd October 1707 with disastrous consequences, resulting in the loss of 4 naval vessels and over 1400 sailor's lives, including that of the great Admiral himself. The ships lost included the fleets flagship, HMS Association, the Romney and the Eagle. HMS Firebrand's name is much less well known, no doubt due to the fact that she was much smaller than the other lost vessels, at 268 tons, and armed with only 8 cannons. Her designated role as an 'expendable' fleet fireship also marked her out as a much less glamorous vessel compared to that of the other ships of the line lost on that fateful night. Having struck the Gilstone rock, the Firebrand drifted away into the night to eventually sink several miles away.

The location of this site is not well known and can only be dived with the permission of the salvor in possession. The wreck is located in 24 metres of water on a silty seabed which can easily be stirred up by a careless fin. The wreckage includes numerous iron cannon, anchors, as well as tantalising glimpses of other artefacts half covered by the shifting sands. Prior to us diving on this site, Jo anchored up and put on her own diving gear and took the trouble to lay a line around the main features of this wreck site, thus making sure that everyone gained the maximum experience from diving this site. Much archaeological work still remains to be completed on this site. Whilst it is a case of look but don't touch on this dive site, it nevertheless provides a fascinating insight into a lost bygone age of sail.

Sailing barque Juno.
The Juno was an armed merchantman of 330 tons displacement who met her end on the Hard Lewis rocks, not far from the wreck of the King Cadwallon. Exact dates for her sinking are not known, but she is believed to have been wrecked sometime in 1784, as her name ceases to appear in Lloyds records for the following year. The remains of the Juno lie scattered in a series of stepped gullies leading down to an area of sandy seabed, where numerous artefacts have been uncovered by visiting divers over the years. Further up the gullies cannon and anchors can be found amongst the thick kelp. The site makes a good second dive, as the gullies provide shelter from the tide. This site also features some dramatic u/w walls close to the wreck, which are very scenic and covered in a mass of jewelled anemones.


Scenic dive:

Trenemene wall, Western rocks.
When conditions are right this site is a truly world class dive. Its exposed location and strong tidal currents make it a slack water dive which can only be dived when the swell allows. The dive starts in a gully which leads out onto a steep wall that drops down to 60 metres. This wall is covered in an amazing array of marine life far more colourful than any tropical reef I have encountered to date. In the 20 metre plus u/w visibility the wall is covered in banded layers of white and orange anemones. Between each layer of anemones colony's of jewelled anemones in an amazing riot of colours including reds, purples and greens. In the excellent conditions which we were fortunate enough to encounter on this recent trip, this dive proved to be a truly stunning experience.

What dive equipment is required?

Whilst the water temperature encountered in June was relatively warm at 13 centigrade, I would still recommend a drysuit rather than a wet suit for this kind of a trip. We were also all required to bring our dive cylinders with us.

Jo however, provides a cylinder for the second dive. There is no compressor on board her boat, so each morning and on return to St Mary's harbour, it's all hands to the pump to load/unload dive cylinders into a small trailer. The cylinders are then towed away to be filled. The compressor that is used is tripled filtered and uses oils that are compatible with O2 cleaned cylinders.

Nitrox unfortunately is not available on any of the islands. On our particular trip we had two rebreather divers. They had to make their own independent arrangements for bringing cylinders of oxygen across to St Mary's.

I would also recommend that visiting divers bring a good selection of dive spares, including drysuit seals, glue etc, as there are no dive shops on St Mary's.


In summary:

The Scillies, like all UK diving areas, is subject to the vagaries of the British weather system. In June 2005, Tyneside club trip hit the weather jackpot, with six days of unbroken bright sunshine, calm seas and exceptional u/w visibility.

Whilst the Scilly Isles offers some of the finest diving in the UK, it also requires expert knowledge to maximise the opportunities available. Jo Allsop provided a first class service in this respect, so much so, that we booked a return charter on her boat for May 2006 immediately at the end of this last trip.



Contact details:

Tim and Jo Allsop can be contacted via their website.
Scilly Diving
tel. 01720 422848


For travel information to the Scilly Isles:
Isles of Scilly Travel
tel. 0845 7105555



Isles of Scilly tourist information centre
Hugh town
St Mary's
Isle of Scilly
TR21 0LLL
Tel 01720 422536

email: tic@scilly.gov.uk

Website

Recommended dive guide to the Scillies.

Dive the Isles of Scilly & North Cornwall, a Diver Guide by Richard Larn and David McBride, published by underwater World publications Ltd
ISBN 0 946020 33 7

Buy Now....