Dives Carantan, 30m, Betsy Anna 25m
While the rest of the country basked in searing early summer heat, an intrepid group of members from Dacorum Scuba headed south to Swanage for some Sports Diver-level diving. On the itinerary were the Carantan in the Sunday morning, with a civilized ropes-off at 10.35am, followed by the Betsy Anna in the afternoon.
Members met on the pier for a briefing, some driving down in the morning, others having stayed either in Poole or closer by in a hostel in Swanage after a dive on the Borgny the afternoon before. The divers dispersed to fix or prep kit and load Mary Jo (the “yellow” boat run by Swanage Boat Divers) from the pier.
The wreck of the Carantan (30m) is only a few minutes out of Swanage, and lies very close to the popular Kyarra. Much smaller however, this French “Submarine Chaser” sported anti-aircraft guns and was loaded with depth charges. The stern gun is still visible just to the side of the prop shaft and for divers descending the (permanent) shot was the first point of interest to visit. Visibility was not great, a snotty 3m, and initially it seemed quite dark until our eyes had all adjusted. Most pairs (and one three) made at least one or more rounds of the small ship, looking for an oval-shaped sonar housing, Y-shaped depth-charge gun or toilet with blue and white tile floor – before ascending on a DSMB.
Back onto the boat it was time for a variety of soups or drinks from the skipper, then back onto the pier for a leisurely lunch.
Ropes off for the second dive was posted for 3.20pm and members duly re-loaded the boat and assembled in plenty of time, only to have the skipper mention he was off on a taxi run to Studland … did we really hear that correctly? Thankfully weather was cool, which kept thoughts of mutiny at bay (just), and we did eventually head off for the second dive. A good 35 minutes away, the Betsy Anna (25m) proved to be a real treat. After a little while circling and waiting for the slack to actually arrive, the first group were down on the shot and once this was secured into the wreck launched the “lemon” was released as a signal for the rest of the group to descend. Visibility was still around 3-4m but at shallower depths, this wreck seemed very much lighter to explore. A large main boiler sported tompot blennies and conger a-plenty, with some nudibranchs also spotted. Lots of interesting structure to explore and the ripples on the sand-bed gave the wreck an almost tropical feel.
Sadly the surface beckoned all too soon, then back onto the Mary Jo for the run back to port and a quick unpack before we dispersed and quickly headed home. Overall, a slightly longer than anticipated two-wreck day with the Betsy Anna being the firm favourite for best dive of the day.