DAHAB
28 NOVEMBER - 5 DECEMBER 2004
It all started off as a small trip. I was going out to Dahab to staff an IDC and run a few tech courses. The usual thing, happened to mention it one club night the next thing 5 mates are going and suddenly there is a group of 33!! And so it was that the largest club outing to date gathered outside the dive centre for the coach at 9.00 am on the Sunday morning. Except of course for Holly and Lisa who decided that as they were students they would still have to have a lie in. Slightly late the group departed for Gatwick. The rest of the journey was pretty uneventful and in no time we were sat in Tota's bar having our first cold Sakara.
With
such a large group the logistics were difficult but in no time Poseidon had
organized groups, issued hire gear and completed check dives.
The
diving itself was superb throughout the whole week. The dive on Mashraba
reef just outside the dive centre provided loads of surpises; Lion Rock and
the Swim Through, as well as huge grouper, snapper and even an Eagle Ray.
A shallow swim across the bay from Lighthouse came up with a wonderful
surprise: two seahorses, one of which was completely albino. What was
it I said? I wont bother with the camera on this dive as there is not
much too see on the whole. Don't you hate it when that happens.
We did not do the Thistlegorm (something to do with getting up at an ungodly hour) but nearly everyone took the boat to Gabr el Bint. A real treat, with 50m of visibility and some pristine coral wall, not to mention a huge and varied amount of marine life.
Other superb dive sites were the Canyons (see the gallery) and the Bells to the Blue Hole dive. These amazing rock formations offered exciting diving for all levels. Eel Garden and Coral Gardens were slightly shallower, but again, provided some wonderful dives and loads to see.
The
social side of the trip was pretty frenetic. With plenty of cheap restaurants
and bars it was an inexpensive holiday all in all. Most eveings involved
a gathering around the camp fire in Totas and then onwards to the Blue Beach,
usually via one or two watering holes. Brett and Andy managed to get
onto first name terms with most of the bar owners which is not surprising
but would explain why they missed some of the more early morning departures.
The hotel was basic, rooms were en suite and the staff clearly spent most
of their time conjouring up a family of 4 with a pet scorpion out of towels,
a lamp shade and your best
Versace sweater. We will go up a level on the accommodation next year
and perhaps move slightly further away from the mosque! I am all for
free speech but the volume at 5.00 in the morning was a bit of a shock to
the majority. The end of the holiday saw a mass charge into the desert
on quad bikes. Surprisingly for Egypt the tyres had tread and everyone
came through it unscathed (apart from Graham with his Dehli Belly).
Thanks to Farmer, Vicky, Toyah, John Frenchie, Sophie, Ed, Lol Sophia, Dean
and everyone else. We will be running a couple of trips next year so
anyone who wants some great fun, superb diving and excellent value why not
book in for the trip.
SCAPA FLOW 4 - 11 SEPTEMBER 2004
The club trip to Scapa flow came quickly after the Philippines, so barely had we had the time to dry out our gear than we were off again. The plan was that everyone would fly, except for two who would be press-ganged to drive the van up to the wilds of Scotland with all the gear in it. When we said gear we meant the heavy items that could not be taken on the plane; Ryan thought that meant everything including the kitchen sink and was duly packed off again when he turned up with his spare underwear for the week. All the equipment was dropped off on Wednesday and the van was loaded.
Day 1
Brett
had volunteered to accompany me on the road tip and we set off at 9.30 on
Thursday morning for Glasgow. As road trips go it was pretty uneventful and
we made good time up the M6 stopping regularly en route. As soon as we got
to Gretna Green it started raining and we hoped that it was not an indication
of the week ahead. After hitting Glasgow in the rush hour (a very big mistake)
we finally found Gill and Vince (the Philippines 29 will remember them well!)
Greeted with a hug and a cold beer ? that's my girl! We spent the evening
cruising the West End of Glasgow, trying desperately to understand what people
were saying and finally gave up and used the universal nod and shake of the
head at various junctures in the conversation.
Day 2
Surprisingly
we both woke up with a sore head and the taste of kebab ? why do the two go
together so often?. Anyway, after a cooked breakfast we were ready for the
next 280 miles to Thurso. Having already covered 450 in 7 hours we reckoned
on about 4 hours! However, that line from a Beatles' classic springs to mind;
this was a long and winding road. Quite clearly if you wear a flat cap in
Scotland you were not allowed to exceed 30 miles an hour no matter what. And
we got behind a lot of flat caps. We finally arrived 5 and ¾ hours
later feeling worse than we did on the first day. Thurso was wet, grey and
uninspiring. However, their pubs never close ? bonus. We settled into our
hotel and went for a meal in the most expensive and crappiest Chinese we have
ever had. Tell me the address of the tourist board so I can complain. £30
for some noodles and rice! Be warned future travelers to Thurso.
Day
3 
We had a few hours to spare and didn't know what to do in the morning, so whipped down the road to take the mandatory photo at John O' Groats. 40 mile drive, been there and got the t shirt. Not much to see really. We then went to the ferry terminal, waved hello to the university club who were just leaving (glad you had a good time chaps) and boarded the ferry. Everyone basically got to Stromness at the same time; flights came in and the ferry arrived. We booked into our 2 cottages on the harbour front and that night we sampled the local hospitality ?.. for quite some considerable time actually!
Day 4
We
woke to flat calm sea and sunshine. On board our boat ?Crombie? we sorted
out the gear during the 1 ½ hour journey to the Karlsruhe. No-one new
what to expect, was it cold, was the vis good, how big were the wrecks? We
were not disappointed. 15 ? 20m of vis on a huge wreck that allowed easy access
inside, huge wrasse, machinery, gun turrets, the mother of all starfish ?..
everything we wanted was there. After lunch and still on a high, we then dived
the bottle dive in Gutter Sound, which was a rummage over the area that the
British fleet had been moored in. Bottles, crockery, and other items litter
the seabed ? as well as scallops, which went into the tuna pasta bake that
evening. Surprisingly we all went to the pub in the evening!
Day 5
Another
glorious day. Not a ripple on the sea when we woke. The first dive was on
the Dresden, another light cruiser lying on its side in 34m of water. The
wreck was covered in marine life, including 20lb plus cod, conger and huge
Pollock. Lunch was on the island of Lyness again. The second dive was on the
F2 and the barge. Although only 18m down, they were both great wrecks, especially
the barge which provided some great swim-throughs and masses of soft sponges
and carpets of anemones . In the centre of the boat an AAC gun lies on its
side. Wyn and his guys took the Seadoos and reckon they circumnavigated both
wrecks about 3 times. Richard got a hole in his neck seal so ended up slightly
damp. On the way back to Stromness we dropped a few feathers over the side
and hauled out some mackerel, for the BBQ planned that evening. Roy and Kirsty
came along, Charlie played with the kids, and Dan burnt the steaks and got
the sack from the cooking. Roy stuck a mackerel on his mums fishing line and,
bless her, she thought she had caught one. They come ready gutted these days.
Day 6
9
O'Clock and Richard's suit, complete with new neck seal turned up at the boat.
You pay extra for an overnight service, but a very good job. Today's dive
was the big one. The Markgraf. The dive was 46m to the bottom and 24m to the
top of this upside down Konig Class Battleship. It is very impressive. At
the bottom it is possible to swim underneath the 26,000 tons wreck with the
deck above your head. Huge guns line the side and for those with the gas (CCRs
and a bit of Helium start to come into their own) you can explore deep into
the wreck. There was a lot of marine life, but most of us were struck by the
sheer size of this monster. She had 10 x 12 inch guns, 14 x 6 inch guns and
10 x 4 inch guns. This was a floating fortress in its day. The second dive
was at the Barrel of Butter where we hoped to see some seals. Well, they were
there, but they were also elusive little beggars. Half the group saw them
in the distance, but they didn't want to play. Still, a good dive; nice and
shallow after the Markgraf. After a good evening meal we went out for a couple
of beers, but the B team were flagging and stayed at home. Richard was responsible
for irradiating the locals with gamma rays that were emitted from his fluorescent
t-shirt and the national grid saw a huge power drop as the need for electric
lights was considerably reduced. As one of the locals said, we can see you
coming for f***ing miles!
Day
7 
Getting colder? A bit of fog and a chill wind was blowing. Shorts went back in the drawer and the fleeces came out. The first dive was on the Kronprinz Wilhelm. This was another battleship laying upside down not far away from her sister ship the Markgraf. It is well broken in the center section and there are loads of areas to penetrate this wreck, but silt inside very heavy so distance lines are a must. However, if you want to swim along the decks you can do so without even using a torch. Richard had a slightly fast ascent at the end of the dive and although no harm came of it he sensibly decided to sit out the second dive. A bit of a shame really the second dive on the Colne turned out to be superb. Because of the direction it was lying it was lit up by the sun (which had finally come out again). The wreck is virtually intact with the exception of a blast area and lying 36m of water on its side. There are plenty of places to explore without getting too adventurous or risky and you can swim through the entire bridge section of the ship. It is covered in anemones, shoals of fish and congers, and we reckoned to be the best dive of the trip. plan to do it again. Charlie and Ian played with the Seadoos, David got a leaky suit, Brett got a leaky suit, Wyn got a leaky suit, Richard missed the dive. The way home was bathed in sunshine. In the evening after a hearty helping of fish and chips we popped into the legion for a pint and then it was off to the Ferry Inn for a night of traditional entertainment ? the local folk music group were performing. Well it is the Orkneys what did you expect.
Day
8 
With
the sounds of Orkadian Pan Pipes still reverberating in our ears we woke to
another fine day. Giles and Gill took the day off sight seeing (might have
partially had something to do with a hangover) but the rest of us headed off
for the Brummer. The last of the big German ships. It was similar dive to
the Colne (although a different class) with the exception that it is well
broken up. The surprise of the dive was a seal at 35m, which followed us around
the wreck but always stayed too far away for a photograph. Visibility was
good and the shoals of marine life were vast. We had lunch on board watching
seals bask in the sun on the beach and then did a spot of mackerel fishing
before heading off to the Block Ships. A B 
asking
Shark cruised by on the port side much to the surprise of Charlie and Mark
and cries WHALE brought everyone running along the decks. And Charlie is doing
marine biology! Doh! The Block Ships need to be dived at slack water as the
current can rip through the small gap between the islands. We dived the Gobernador
Bories, a large steamer lying slightly on its starboard side. It was full
of friendly wrasse that came extremely close and provided good photo opportunities.
Visibility was around 20m and it was possible to see divers jumping in on
the surface while you swam on the bottom. Kelp covered the wrecks and there
are some great swim-throughs making it fun as well as attractive. Another
excellent dive.
Day 9
Our
last diving day. The popular opinion was that we should go back to the Colne
so we did. Second time around was even better. We had a good idea where things
were and were able to head straight to those areas. Once again visibility
was superb. The last dive was on the Doyle, another Block Ship in Burra Sound.
This was similar to the Gobernador but slightly large (at least it appeared
so. It was easy to swim inside the wreck with no real fear of entrapment and
yet again the wreck was covered in marine life. A great way to finish off
the trip. That evening the whole group, Jim (the boat owner) and Roy (the
Skipper) went out for some food at the Royal and then it was off to the Ferry
Inn for a last bit of hospitality.
The trip to Scapa was, without doubt, an outstanding success. We had some fantastic dives, excellent weather for the whole trip and several good sociable evenings. Flying to Kirkwall was a good option as the journey by vehicle is a drag. We plan to run another trip next year, which should be along similar lines and for about the same price. If you are interested in going let us know.
PHILIPPINES 7 - 21 AUGUST 2004
This is just a short clip from the report. For a full report click
here
Shake down dives. After a quick tour around the dive centre we were in the water (some looking slightly jaded around the edges). There was a brief break in the weather which was welcome but didn't last. Many had never dived anywhere but the Solent and Horsea so after the first dive onto Sabang Point, which saw, giant trevally, tuna, turtles and morays there were lots of smiles. The second dive was onto the Sabang wrecks, 3 purposefully sunk ship wrecks that are home to huge shoals of giant batfish. That evening we had a little welcoming party, followed by an excursion to the Point bar for a couple of shooters and the nightlife of Sabang........click here for more
DARTMOUTH 12 - 13 JUNE 2004
The
club trip to the lovely town of Dartmouth over the weekend 12/13 th June was
a great success.
Weather
was excellent and with plenty of great wreck dives everyone had a good time.
While some of us were preparing for a sound thrashing by the French (Nathalie
you are in big trouble when you get back from France!!), the more sensible
club members took advantage of the sunshine and went diving on the hard boat
“Samuel Irvine”. The highlight was undoubtedly the Maine, a liberty ship sunk
during the war. It is a huge wreck with great swim throughs and plenty of
life. Visibility was around 7 – 10 metres. Other notable dives were the Soudan
and the Bretagne. On the social and 
telling
tales side of life Pat discovered the delights of the local cider which doubles
as paint stripper (it does what it says on the tin Pat), Mini Me lost his
sun glasses in the middle of the night! and Donny failed to behave disgracefully
which was most upsetting. Both nights were spent sampling the local brew in
the Windjammer, which also serves excellent food at a reasonable price. I
also have received photos of some very strange cushions in the B&B!!!
The next Dartmouth trip is planned for 11 and 12 th September. Those of you who want to give it a go call the dive centre. Only 10 places available.
BAHAMAS 5 - 13 MAY 2004
The
word Bahamas apparently comes from the Spanish term Baja (pronounced Baha)
Mar which means shallow sea, and as you fly over the hundreds of Islands that
make up this country you can see why. Although the “Tongue of the Ocean” plunges
down thousands of feet in places, the low lying islands are surrounded by
water only a few metres deep. This results in the amazing turquoise coloured
waters that you see on all the post cards..... (Click
here for a full report)
TENERIFE 3 - 10 APRIL 2004
I
was one of eight members of the club who went to Tenerife over Easter and
dived with Tenerife Scuba. There was some great diving, including the
Arches, the Mushrooms, the Steps and the Caves. Starts to sound like
an adventure theme park doesn't it. What, no turtle point or shark cave??
Visibility was good and water temperature was a refreshing 17 degrees so a
two piece 5mm wetsuit was in order.
We were based at Las Galletas in the Costa del Silencio (yep, it was a pretty quiet part of town) but it was close enough to the livelier areas if you wanted to let your hair (or anything else for that matter) down.
All
in all, we were pretty impressed with Tenerife. The island has a lot
to offer and while the "Americas and Christianos" areas are best
not spoken about Los Gigantes and Costa del Silencio were really nice.
The diving was also a surprise. The volcanic rock has formed some wonderful
features and marine life is plentiful. So if you are into caverns,
gullies and swim throughs, this is the place for you. I would definitely
go back and am looking forward to the next trip in 2005
 |
||
|
||
 |
||