The seaside town of Swanage in Dorset is a favourite haunt of Dacorum Scuba that offers a variety of diving ranging from under the pier to shuttles visiting a number of wrecks both near or far. So it wasn’t a surprise when the club decided to celebrate its 50th anniversary with a summer diving weekend there.
With a particular focus on wrecks in the 30m range, divers visited four wreck sites and some of the local scenic dives and drifts.
Saturday was hot and sunny. Simon arrived at the pier at 5.20am just pipping Nick to the head of the queue, for what promised to be a busy day. A staggered start saw the first full boat of 10 divers aboard Viper depart at 10.10am for the Kyarra, with Geoff setting the stage for the weekend with a masterful briefing. A CO2 cartridge failed to play nicely for Bob, but all were soon back on board and heading back to the pier for lunch after exploring the wreck.
Mary Jo headed off to the Peveril Ledges just as Viper returned: where a shallower drift got members warmed up for the weekend.
After lunch Mary Jo headed back off to the Carentan, a short distance away from the pier. However finding no shot to descend, it redirected to the Kyarra and the divers had a second chance to explore this favourite wreck. Viper meanwhile packed full of a dozen divers headed off to the Betsy Anna. All day the viz was a cloudy few metres so didn’t allow divers to fully appreciate the beauty of these wreck.
Dan, having completed his Ocean Diver just a few days earlier, joined the dive team for his first sea-dives. Two chilled and relaxed dives under the pier were the order of the day for him before having to head home.
Remaining members & friends and family – a group of nearly 30 – met in the evening at Durlston Country Park, in the Seventh Wave restaurant. Overlooking the sea the hill behind Swanage, we enjoyed fabulous views towards Poole and the Isle of Wight, a buffet and some cake in a relaxed room all to ourselves. Dinner completed, there was an unexpected visit from a local blue light team prompted by the coastguard looking for a lost diver. The locator beacon in the back of a car was silenced and wrapped in aluminium foil begged from the kitchen to prevent further transmissions. The beacon did its job, but its canister did not allowing water in to trigger the transmission – look after your O-rings everyone.
Sunday dawned cooler with dampness in the air, a far cry from the evening before. A bleary-eyed group met around 6am waiting for the pier to open. You never know how busy it will be at the pier and this time round the entire queue made it onto the pier, with spaces still available at 7.20am. After breakfast, a somewhat reduced group assembled at 9:30am to decide which boats they might end up on, before splitting for their respective briefings. One group of just five divers headed out to the Valentine Tanks, a shallow dive teeming with life. Andy polished his prawn-whispering act, while others searched for lobsters and conger eels by the tracks. A second group of eight tried again to get to the Carentan after having been foiled the previous day. This time conditions – and the shotline – were co-operative. A pleasant low-current dive on slack allowed everyone ample time to see the famous sonar eye and (in)famous toilet, or to grub around the depth charges and other wreckage.
After lunch more of the group headed home to dry their undersuits, leaving eight for the final dive – a scalloping drift just outside Swanage Bay. Skipper Bryan insisted it was a slow drift at around 1/3 knot, but it didn’t feel that way for everyone, and it was an enjoyable and productive way to round off the weekend.
Well done to all – diving or not – who joined the trip. The many helpers, dive managers, divers and all who came along helped to make it a safe and successful weekend.
Happy anniversary to Dacorum Scuba, aka DSAC.
