Maine (35m)
Persier (30m)
Eddystone (15-40m)
Hand Deeps (20- 55m)
Scylla (27m)
James Eagan Layne (25m)
A group of thirteen members and ex-members of Dacorum Scuba ventured to Plymouth for a three-day weekend of diving on “Size Matters”, the largest of the boats run by In Deep. We all stayed comfortably in the Mountbatten Watersports Centre, with a drying room to keep those undersuits toasty, breakfast included and a bar upstairs for post-diving chats!
Saturday morning was warm and sunny and meant the relatively long trip out to our first dive site – Maine (35m) was a very pleasant start to the weekend. We were a group with seven on rebreathers and six on open-circuit, all of us keen and looking forward to hitting the water. Visibility a good 10m at least, this first dive got everyone settled in, enjoying the shoals around the structure and boilers. A large ship to explore however, with lots to keep all the group interested.
A dive on the Belgian steamer Persier (30m) followed a short interval punctuated by hot drinks and steamingly perfect pasties provided by the boat crew. Heading out from the boilers (away from the many pink sea-fans towards the bow) following the propeller shaft most of the group came across the easily spotted rudder, lying mostly flat. Slightly beyond a Michell block was a feature of puzzlement for some of the group and excitement for others. Brian completed his dive managing for the day sending the group off to the Boringdon Arms (a short walk away) for a very welcome meal.
Sunday broke cooler initially, with reefs planned for the day under Andrew’s watchful eye. Once dive cylinders had been filled, of course! First up was Eddystone, a reef marked by the Eddystone Lighthouse. With a variety of routes to follow to drop over the wall, dive groups explored the gullies and wall which made up the bulk of the dive. A lobster was spotted, plumose anenomes & sea-fans dotted the walls in the higher-flow locations. One odd jellyfish apparently stuck to the rocks was spotted by multiple groups.
A quick pasty stop and surface interval later – in the warm sun which had now broken out – a dive on Hand Deeps nearby was next. Rebreather groups headed off to the depths around 40-50m, with open circuit divers spending their time around the 25m mark. Exploring the deep gullies and cracks showed unusually huge crayfish, with a plethora of other life visible on this very pretty scenic dive. Post-dive, evening groups split with some heading off via passenger ferry to the Barbican, and others staying local for a curry at the Lackys Balti House, perhaps a bit more spicy than some were originally intended.
The final day was much cloudier, looking deceptively cooler (it wasn’t). Thermals on & off for some once the weather had been gauged, and some monkey-bar practice preceded the ropes-off for others. Starting dive was the expectedly siltier of the two, the Scylla (27m). However visibility was decent and showed off the plumose anenomes festooning the handrails and structure. Dropping beneath the stern was a treat to peer at the remains of the structures there. No groups had been keen to penetrate the wreck on this dive, but ample doors in and out showed light and paths through the ship. Shoals of large cod hung just off the wreck. The group unanimously opted to skip the inter-dive pasty and move it to after the second dive, so the surface interval just found us sitting enjoying the extremely flat conditions (Rime of the Ancient Mariner-style) and breakouts of sunshine.
The James Eagan Layne (25m) was our final dive. Visibility being less than great however saddened some. But it was still a pleasure to explore this large shallow wreck, seeing cuttlefish on the girders, kelp on the shallower spots and starfish everywhere around the variety of odd cargo & rubble on display. Eventually all good things do have to come to an end so once all were back on the deck food was served and we steamed back to port to unload and repack whatever cars we’d arrived in.
Many thanks to the In Deep skippers and deck-hands who looked after us on Size Matters, to Mark for originally planning the trip more than a year earlier, but especially to Brian for organising the trip so well and keeping us all fed, watered and safe. We’ll have to go back for more.
