Organiser - Geoff Steel. Report by Sue Tuckett. Photos by: Ian Salmons, Gary Cameron. Dive boat: 'Hjalmar Borge'
Day 1 - Friday - First dive on the Thesis - a small beautiful wreck in the Sound of Mull Sank in 1891 but still plenty to see, the framework of her hull home to some of the largest Pollack I've seen! Marked by rather an inadequate buoy which unfortunately not everyone managed to locate after leaping from the deck of HB!
It was following this first dive that we were all treated to the magical sight of a pod of 20 + bottlenose dolphins frolicking and leaping out of the water, some of them daring to approach the boat and ride the bow wave showing off their aquatic skills to the full. As if this wasn't stunning enough, a Golden Eagle swooped down over the splashing fins, maybe hopeful of catching an easy meal as the dolphins fed on a their captive shoal of fish.
For some bizarre reason a few folks thought the dolphins would like them to jump in the water and play with them. The Dolphins, being very intelligent creatures, left immediately. If dolphins are never seen again in the Sound of Mull - here are the people to blame..
After mooring up at Tobermory for lunch it was off to dive Bo Faskadale in the Sound of Sleet - reputed to be the 'Best Wall Dive in Scotland' and it was pretty good… a drop off to about 80m covered in soft coral, anemonies, huge, vibrant coloured cuckoo wrasse, ling, crabs, sea squirts etc in fact a Wall Diver's veritable paradise according to Gary. As instructed by skipper Mark, we all perfectly executed mid water deployment of DSMB to end the dive (well, nearly all of us!)
Moored up at Mallaig that night and were robbed of all our holiday beer money by a pool hustler from Boston who has infiltrated the club by bribing the membership secretary.
Day 2 - Next day was warm and sunny and we motored up towards Kyle of Lochalsh as the sun rose over the timeless Scottish mountains. It was beautiful and no picture does it justice. Our diving destination that day was the Port Napier. A 150 metre long mine layer which sank in 1940 after a fire and now lies in 21m of water about 300m from the shores of the Isle of Skye. At low tide her port side shows above the water and she is a stunning dive.
Picture two shows location of the Port Napier - the black bits in the water just below where the mountains hit the loch are the wreck sticking up
Due to the shallow depth and therefore light levels on the wreck she is covered in hydroids and soft corals with fronds of kelp swirling around the shallower sections. The hull plates on the upper port side have been largely removed allowing easy access to the ships interior. It is possible to enter the stern and follow the rail tracks that carried the mine laying bogies through the ship. Twisted rails and the trucks they carried lie scattered through the hull along with countless fascinating bits and pieces. There was so much to see, we dived her twice that day and spent the midday surface interval sunbathing on the top deck of Hjalmar Bjorge - was it really October in Scotland?
Saturday night spent moored up alongside in Kyle of Lochalsh - another fabulous meal served up by Kirsty and then off to the local for more 80/- to wash it all down.
Here are some of those who eventually made it back to the boat putting on a brave face after their scenic underwater orienteering experience. Wreckie Dave refused to be in the photo or record anything about this dive in his log book
This is what the island looks like with no obvious sign of the rats….
This is what the island looks like when the rats come out of hiding…..Second from the right is not a rat - this is Mark Henrys - the Best Skipper in Scotland! This was also taken while moored up at Canna for the night…
Day 4 - back down to Mull and a dive on the very broken up Aurania followed by the ever enchanting Hispania. The latter being one of the most attractive wreck dives in the UK. 81m long she was lost in the 1950s and sits in 25-30m with a strong list to starboard. There are many access points to her still very intact form and a trip into the engine room is a must - in fact, it may be the only way you can stay on the wreck - it is said that this wreck should be dived at slack water - whenever that is! Final night spent at Tobermory and a trip to the ever popular Mishnish pub - oh the tales that have been told…..
Day 5 and just time for a final dive on the Breda before packing up and wending our way home all too soon. This really was a perfect trip - a fantastic boat, skipper, crew and catering, unbelievably good weather for the time of year, dolphins, great diving, new territory and dive sites and the company of York SAC - what more could you ask!