Dives: Valentine Tanks 15m, Fleur de Lys 12m
A mix of Dacorum Scuba members ranging from Ocean Divers on their first sea trip to very experienced club members who first dived out of Swanage decades ago headed south to the Dorset coast for a day of diving on Saturday 9 July.
A heatwave settling in across the UK meant conditions topside were dry, hot and sunny and Swanage Pier was busy with sightseers. Diving from the Divers’ Down hard boat Spike, the group huddled in the shade by the cabin on the trip out to the first dive.
Just 20 minutes out from the pier, we reached our first dive site the Valentine Tanks. Down the shot to the rope connecting the two, groups split to head either right or left to start on alternate tanks. Most managed to hit about 14.5m, with viz in the 4m range once down the shot. Conger, the usual shoals of bib and wrasse were present, with some taking advantage of the shrimp nail-salon on the side of one of the tanks.
We returned to the pier, now under patchy cloud, for a quick cylinder swap/fill. Then the group headed off just across Swanage Bay to the Fleur De Lys, another staple of Swanage diving. Again this was a chilled dive around the Fleur and nearby barge. Some pairs ascended back up the shot, others used delayed surface marker buoys to surface.
Overall the group experienced a relaxed fun set of dives in some unusually great weather. Well done to all who took part in this club trip. Swanage always provides great diving, suitable for Ocean Diver students through to seasoned wreck divers.