Arsend (Big Crab ) Wreck Dive ~ 10th April

Silly hat contest winners
Photo courtesy of Rob King TWSAC

Saturday I was due to dive out of Shoreham with Chris West and after setting my alarm clock for 4.45am I then pressed snooze and the upshot of that was that I got up at 6 loaded the car and set out but realised that Shoreham wasn't doable in an hour so after profuse apologies on the phone to Chris I drove back home and back to bed.

In every dark cloud there is they say a silver lining which in this case came from an offer from Ian from TWSAC to go out in his boat Wasp Sunday morning so rather than risk another over sleep I headed down to Sussex that evening crashed at my parents and made sure that I was in Newhaven for plenty of time for ropes off.

I always prefer to do something reasonably shallow for the first dive of the season plus just having the kit serviced I like to err on the side of caution so it was instead of the 15m dive I was going to do on Saturday I found myself heading out to do a TWSAC favourite lovingly named the Arse End or to the Charters The Big Crab Wreck sitting at around 31m on a low tide. I was joined on the boat by TWSAC stalwarts Jamie (mankini) Smith, Rob(I have a stiff one) King, Jools (a penny for them)Attwood Ian (for gods sake speak English) Davis and Dawn (does my bum look big in this) .....

Having just done my boat handling course with Ian on Wasp confidence is high on reaching the wreck and shotting it which was done with expert precision by Ian. The sea was a bit choppy and didn't look as clear as hoped but we were here and we were going to dive. Rob and Jools were first in and sent up the shot confirming that we on the wreck. Jamie and I were soon kitted up and rolling over the side and down the shot vis worries were soon allayed as we reached the wreck at 30m plus there was reasonable ambient light.

Being a new wreck to me Jamie led the dive as it is one of his favourites and he was soon wriggling in a gap in search for goodies and out again with a couple of Victorian pennies how the bloody hell he does that I don't know he can just smell the spidge. we worked around the stern area and across towards the engines. I have to admit that not having a warm under suit the 9.c water wasn't helping my concentration plus I needed a piss badly.

The wreck is split in two with the bow section slightly away from the main body of the wreck we didn't get to this as there was plenty of the main wreck to explore. I hadn't taken the camera in as it was my first dive of the years plus I had just had my regs serviced so wanted to be ready in case there was a problem, but if you want to see a previously shot video shot by sheila from TWSAC there is one on the TWSAC blog shot a couple of years ago www.twsac.blogspot.com look at the twsac wreck tours.

Starting to get very chilly I was relieved to see Jamie shoot the blob after 30 mins which meant that we were doing a minimum of stops so no long hangs in the cold. Once back on the rib we waited for Ian and Dawn who had dropped in once Rob and Jools had surfaced and I was given the chance to put my newly acquired boat handling skills into practice by retrieving them both and taking the rib back to port.

Sitting in the warm spring sunshine back in Newhaven it was great to reflect on a great first dive of the year although reports were coming in of 10 -15m vis on the wrecks further west and the words to Ian "Go West Young Man" echoing in my ears from earlier that morning when deciding where to go.

Thanks to Ian Rob Jools Dawn and Jamie from TWSAC for a great first 2011 dive and introducing another new wreck to me.

Tad

Taba Heights , March 2011

Frog Fish (aren't they hard to photo!)

What with a few tourists being nibbled by an Oceanic White-Tip shark a few weeks ago and political unrest in major cities like Cairo & Luxor , it might not be surprising to learn that the occupancy rate for hotels in Taba Heights was lower than normal.  Of course, no marine life incidents have been reported recently and it was quiet and very peaceful  during my visit.

My visit was a 'Holiday with Diving' status trip , as opposed to a diving holiday! I went with an ol'buddy who I taught to dive some years ago, his son and our better halves!  The airline's as SUCH a pain these days, for the first time I decided to hire a wet suit rather than take my own (and carry the weight!).

We had planned to do only four dives , but my plans were reduced by 50% when on the second day, it transpired the wet suit on board was (despite assurances from Waterworld to the contrary) was used by another diver ... well he got to it first and there were no other hire suits on board!  So the second day was a 'lovely' boat ride along the coast of Taba Heights. Waterworld did (thankfully) refund the whole day.

So my TWO dives were :-

a). Mugabila , 47mins at max depth of 21.3m , and

b). Jack's Tables, 46mins at max depth of 18.6m

The better dive was the second dive at Jack's Tables, as the names suggests plenty of big table corals. Highlights on that dive were sightings of an octopus, a big green and red frog fish, stone fish and a devil scorpion fish.

The water temperature was 21/22 degrees C and the air temperature varied from 26 to 34 degrees, it was quite breezy on occasions , but that is not unusual in that part of the Sinai.

A very pleasant and relaxed trip ... oh, if any finds a fuji underwater camera (no , not mine) , my buddy managed to part company with his on a second Jack's Table dive!

Clown Fish (You always have to photo one!)

Diving The Wreck Of The Holland V Submarine

video clips from the Holland V dive 17th October with TWSAC I used jamies footage as mine was very grainy.

MDMA ~ Diving in Ecstasy

Turtle returning to the Sea Grass with Remoras

The MD Team are just back from diving in Marsa Alam. A quick few lines and some photos to set the 'dive report' ball rolling!  Phil, Heidi, Ross, Angela, Simon, Linda , Sue & I got back late last night after a week in Marsa Alam diving (again) with Emperor Divers based in the Marina Lodge Hotel. Most had booked the five day diving package of two boat dives for four days and two shore dives. A lovely warm contrast to home with air temperatures around 33 Deg C and water at around 27 Deg C.

The Dives sites were:-

1.  Marsa Morena (North Reef) : 58 mins at Max 23.8m

2.  Marsa Mornea (South Reef) : 61 mins at Max 17.1 m

3.  Marsa Shoni Kebir (North Reef) : 48mins at Max 26.5m

4.  Marsa Shoni Kebir (South Reef) : 48mins at Max 23.5m

5.  Marsa Shoni Soraya (North Reef) : 60mins at Max 21.0m

6.  Marsa Shoni Soraya (South Reef)  : 51mins at Max 21.0m

7.  Abu Dubab : 71mins at Max 15.6m

8.  Abu Dubab : 70 mins at Max 16.2m

9.  Torfet Ali (North Reef)  : 62mins at Max 25.3m

10. Torfet Ali (South Reef) : 70mins at Max 19.8m

Well Camouflaged Flat Fish (with Sea Grass-like eyes)

Giving an average dive time of just about an hour which seemed quite respectable. Underwater highlights of the trip (for me) were surface sightings of the Dugong, and some quality time with the Hawksbill Turtles at Abu Dubab, a reasonably shallow and now only a shore dive to help protect the marine life.

About time for a breath!

Above water, the Port Ghalib area continues to develop and the MD group made excursions to the more built-up North side of the Marina to extend our range of refreshment opportunities !
A Lebanese restaurant had lovely outdoor seating along side a water feature and TGI Friday's (well we enjoy local culture!) met our more Western needs!

Life is all Ups & Downs!

There were plenty of opportunities to debrief the dives over a Sakara in the evenings and to compare notes on the belly dancers moves!  Sadly (or may be not!) for the ladies , the Whirling Dervish dancer remained fully clothed , well give or take a whirling skirt or two , for the duration.

The Paparazzi and others hangers-on are such a drag!

The Emperor Team were excellent and our principle guide MSDT Hannah "Montana" knew the sites well gave detailed briefings and added  fun & smiles. She and colleague Chris presented a very professional but natural image .

Keeping a Low Profile

Thanks to all the MD buddies for making the visit so enjoyable , it was so good I nearly found myself staying another night ....but that's another story!

Hannah "Montana"

Lanzarote Diving

An offer to dive in Lanzarote came to me from Brighton Diver’s a 10 dive package through the company Active adventures  . Our shared apartment at the Hotel Santa Rosa was clean and totally acceptable although a hot 15 minutes walk to social events. Calypso divers  arranged pick ups for the 10 dives at a prompt PLT (Peter Lanzarote Time) Peter the owner of calypso divers a large man of impressive man management skills gave a sense of calm to divers new and old with a cheeky banter and unmistakeable control in a high risk environment. The island has all year round diving with the weather warm and comfortable; we eat out regularly and found it was excellent value. My thanks to all the staff at Calypso and adventure holidays I was more than satisfied with my dive week and would be more then happy to dive them again and look forward to return to Lanzarote 

Posted obo Phil-P

Holland V ~ Protected Historic Submarine Wreck

Many thanks to TWSAC and Jamie, in particular, for inviting Meridian Divers Tad, Ernie & I aboard "My Sharon" skippered by Ray for a dive on the historic submarine wreck of the Holland V.

As the NAS web site says the  "submarine is a remarkable piece of our naval heritage. She was the first submarine to actually be commissioned in the Royal Navy, on the 19th January 1903 at the same time as Holland 3. The Holland class of submarine rapidly become obsolete and in 1912 Holland 5 was destined for destruction and was being towed to Sheerness when she foundered and sunk at her present location 6 miles SE of the Royal Sovereign Lighthouse, Sussex, England"

Preparing the Video Camera

TWSAC, having a licence to dive the wreck, set course for the her using their Club RIB as a pathfinder and MV My Sharon which carried six of us and all the MD divers. It's a long run from Newhaven, 21 miles each way, taking about two hours on each leg of the journey. The run out was a bit bumpy (but we've all seen a lot worse!)  but day remained bright (though overcast) , the journey home was across a far smoother sea and was a delight in itself as we watched the sun set.

Some of the TWSAC & MD Divers

The RIB divers had shot the wreck and so on arrival we kitted-up and went down. Jamie had promised us 6m viz, well who would argue with about 3m on a special wreck like this. A submarine lying (upright) on the bottom doesn't offer much in the way of a multi-level dive so we stayed most of our time around the max depth of about 32 meters. A drop of Nitrox 31% made my NDL more tolerable,and with a slow ascent we clocked 47 minutes on the dive.

Propeller Blade

The shot took us to midships from where we examined the main hatch and small glass porthole (intact), from there we moved to the stern to check-out the three blade propeller, before going to the bow and the torpedo hatch (open, as a result of the hatch cover being absent). It was thought the cover had been stolen but theft was by no means certain. Some divers have always said that the cover would take a lot of force to have removed and thought a trawl net may have been the culprit. Well, there were signs of heavy duty netting adjacent to the bow (lying in the seabed), may be this theory is correct after all.

Torpedo Tube (Bow)

Two of our number videoed the wreck and I took some pot shots with my camera. No doubt we will soon see an edited video being released!

On ascent to the dive boat we had a peaceful ride back to Newhaven. We has left port at 12.30pm and got back at 6pm to watch a beautiful sunset bathe the coast in golden sun. Tea & biscuits on the boat back was very English (but no cucumber sandwiches I note!).

Top (Main) Hatch Porthole

A long day when you add prep & travel to and from port time , but a really good day and very memorable. Fantastic opportunity to see such a historic wreck, and especially after having seen Holland I at the Gosport Submarine museum some years ago.

Netting adjacent to bow torpedo hatch

Indiana Wreck Dive ~ 25th September (from Buccaneer)

Come out to play Mr C



Sponge thing




Ernie doing a Diver thing

I hadn't planned to dive this weekend but a phone call to Chris West of Buccaneer late friday changed that. Chris hadn't planned to go out but with John B wanting to try out a wet suit with his rebreather for a forthcoming Red Sea trip Chris offered to go out to do a shallow wreck as the vis was better close in. So Ernie, John and I headed out to the wreck of the Indiana in bright sunshine with Chris and Dave crewing.
I had dived the Indy in April and had around 10m vis but wasnt expecting the same.

30 minutes later we had dropped the shot and were soon kitted up and over the side.Well there wasn't 10m vis but a good 6m so was well pleased with that. At 11m depth and a bit of an overkill on a equipment 2 sets of twins and a rebreather we could have stayed down for hours.

The first thing that struck me was the amount of life compared with earlier in the year,the wreck was an aquarium. We set off exploring the flattened wrecks nooks and crannies. With Ernie teasing congers and me trying to film the time flew. After 50 minutes we had seen most of the wreck and decided to head back up also as it was a very big tide the current was starting to rip through. Topside Dave had made soup and with all the usual Buccaneer banter we headed back to port.

Thanks to Chris, Dave and John for the trip out another great little dive. Video to follow shortly.

Tad

Night Dive ~ Sovereign Harbour North

Thanks to Planet Divers, Dustin , Kuba and colleagues for the opportunity to do a night dive in their training location, Sovereign Harbour North.

The arrangements were good and we were pleased with the support and friendship of the Planet Divers crew, who were well equipped and organised, a credit to their training.

We set off in two groups to explore the reasonably shallow water and found there were plenty of eels, small fish/fry along with gobies & crabs. Some small cuttlefish were also seen but the North Harbour shark kept a low profile.

Taking part from MD were:-

Ernie

Simon

Mandy

Paul

Phil

Chris

Sheila provided additional surface cover. The Planet Divers RIB , skippered by Chris , was in the water and acted as safety boat. Water temperature 17Deg C and a few metres viz.

Wreck Dive ~ Saturday 18th September

From Chris West

We have space on BUCCANEER on this Saturday leaving at 12-00hrs. For some reason everyone seems to be doing something on Saturday. However the weather will be excellent with the wind as northerly F1 or F2, sunny and it is almost the smallest tides of the summer, so the vis should be good.

The dive is advertised for the Jaffa which will be about 18metres deep on a low tide slack, this Saturday.

Let me know ASAP so that we can fill up the boat.

Regards,

Chris
Buccaneer Charters
Tel: 01273 464225
Mob: 07802571056

ris West Buccaneer

Buccaneer Dives 19th September

As posted earlier by Simon there are spaces on Buccaneer on Sunday 19th Sept. There are 2 dives the first is the Stanwold (38M) and 2nd small Gun Wreck (28M). Ropes off 13-15hrs.

Divers so far

Simon
Trez
Phil
Tad

With small tides this week and weather permitting there should be some viz.
Post a comment if interested

Nerja Diving ~ Spain

There are diving holidays and holidays with diving , my trip to Nerja (near Malaga on the Costa del Sol) was a holiday with some diving! Just two dives in fact! Both with Buceo Costa Nerja based on the Burriana beach , on the East side of the town.

The Med is generally not regarded as a 'diving destination' as it's principal attraction beyond (usually) warm water tends to be rock formations and occasional swim-throughs. Hence a holiday with some dives!

I did two shores dives on the same site (Marina Delesté, itself East of Nerja) over two days, so not what you would call full-on diving! Entry was a simple walk-in off the beach over a gentle slope of pebbles. Having descended we hugged the shoreline on our right shoulder and gained depth as we worked around the bay until 'U-Turning' and retracing our 'steps'! There were a few shoals of small fish and a lone (small) octopus. A few dozen tiny fluorescent purple fish (sorry , I don't know the species) were the colour highlight.

Marina Delesté is about a 30min drive from the PADI Dive Centre which is Spanish owned & run. Briefings were in English at the Centre and the dives were led by Spanish speaking guides. Formalities at the Centre were kept to a minimum, no PADI medical forms or a need to show cards. I had to certify that I wouldn't urinate in the rented wet suit or if I did I would have to buy it at a price of €150 ! I assume it was not just me that had to sign that , perhaps they took me for someone who needs a self-heating suit! I asked if I could have a dry suit on the basis that I could pee in it and get it for €150 (deal!) but no, I think they had spotted my ruse!

I have no underwater photos to attach as I didn't take the u/w camera ... I have dived the Med before and have plenty of rock photos.

Shore dives were priced at a heavy (I thought) €50 but reduced to €40 for me as I had taken some of my own kit. Another Brit did a 1:1 Scuba Discovery (one shore dive) and paid €100 ... whoa! Cheaper to dive in the Maldives, let alone Egypt!

Not surprisingly my dive profiles were very similar, 14.3m/14.6m and 50mins/58mins respectively. The most surprising thing of the diving experience was the degree in water temperature fluctuation over the space of three days, on the first dive the water temp was 25Deg C at the bottom and two days later it was astonishingly (well to me!) down to 14 Deg C at the bottom. So the second dive in the same kit was cool! The massive temp change was put down to Atlantic water flushing into the Med! I feared that coolness might cost me €150 but honour & wallet was saved to fight another day!

If I visit Nerja again , which is quite possible, I don't imagine doing more than two dives again.

Thanks to my diving buddies, in particular, Rudy from Belgium.

Quail Dive 5th Sept from Buccaneer By Jools from TWSAC

A steam/sailing ship built in 1870 but by 1886 had sunk in the Channel. With a beam of less than 30ft and a little over 220ft in length she sits in a general depth of 40 odd meters. A mishap in the fog, colliding with another vessel, sent her to the bottom, complete with general cargo.

Tad had called me up to say they had space on ‘Buccaneer’ out of Shoreham. Jumping at the chance I called in a third man. (Safety in numbers)!!

Parking is just above the jetty so loading was easy, no sooner was kit stowed the crew were dishing out tea and biscuits. Out past the harbour entrance all onboard opted for the wheel house. The easterly wind pushed the waves hard, against the port side. Just in time.... more tea and biscuits.

The boat was full of eager divers donning suits before the shot was placed. Tad, Dave and I waited till last to have clear deck space. With another chance at this endless supply of Rosie lee.

Departure is over the port gunnels, freefall and splash. Being short in the leg, I could have done with a box. A well timed wave sent me nuts skywards; the rest of me fell into the abyss!!!

Regrouping at the shot the decent begins. The light soon disappears; the graininess of the water is picked out in the torch beam.

Roger is just leaving as we arrive on the upper deck. 37m on L/W. Working our way around the perimeter to start, we peer through the rusted hull plates.

The soft layer of silt easily disturbed. The wreck has been split in two and you can swim into the upper holds. Clearer water is ahead, with a ladder leading up and out. Tad and I continue forward, under the deck and into a second. Dave goes over the top, meeting us as we exit at the helm. This had stopped us going further as it has collapsed through the deck. The wheel is still attached in part. The outer rim has gone leaving the hub and spokes. I’m sure there is a third hold but my deco meter is running a tab. coming back out, Dave has found something of interest. (Will have to let the ROW, know first). Dave blows the delayed as Tad and I bag up his catch. Just enough time to clip it to the delayed as it goes top side. Piece of cake.

Talking of which we had a few minutes of deco time to think about tea and cake. Tad and I had a game of scissors, rock, and paper. I threw in my own version of dynamite, which soon stopped the game. It’s the same sign for going up!!!

It’s a must do again dive now I have a better orientation of the Quail.<

Thanks to Jools for the write up reproduced from the TWSAC Blog www.twsac.blogspot.com

Thanks to Chris and Buccaneer team for another jolly day out

Tad

Aishow Dive Images ~ The Dive Team

SueT checks her dump valve!

Sara & Mr Blobby

Da 'Boys' !

No Rayban's here!

Wet v. Dry

Wreck Dive ~ City of Brisbane Saturday 14th August

Oh dear Lord ... another early start! We started loading Seazones (Skipper Mick Luff) at 7.00am at Newhaven. Four seasoned divers from Essex, Mark, Paul,Terry & Tom together with Simon & myself. The sky was overcast but the sea very calm and we made our way in no time to the Brisbane, a quick kit-up & in plan. Bit of current still running as Simon & I were the first down. We tied-off the line and sent the shot up on a crack-bottled lifting bag. The vis was low , about a meter at tops but there was some light once your eyes adjusted and your lamps were on!

Pretty much a haphazard tour around the wreck , quite a few lobsters and some edible crabs plus loads of bib. We stumbled back to where we had tied the line off, the sacrificial line was just floating with the shot line missing! We later found out it had snapped on the third pairs descent but that they had still managed to find the wreck! Well done Paul & Terry!

After 55 mins we thought it was time to get back on board and enjoy the Seazones world famous (well East Sussex anyway) Scones and a cuppa!

Taking our refs we chugged across to Brighton (well nearly Shoreham) to drift dive on the Brighton Ledge. Again low vis but a fair dive which we all enjoyed, spent the first half sticking in on the ledge (loads of crabs and a BIG spotted wrasse) before just going with the current. As we ascended from another 50mins worth the skies over Brighton were brighter but very dark over Newhaven. And ! Low and behold it rained as we unloaded at Newhaven - cheers!

Wreck Dive ~ Oceana , BBQ & Airbourne 12th Augustt

Another great day out on 'Channel Diver' with skipper Steve Johnson. Mind you an early start, loading the boat at Sovereign Harbour at 6.30am (ouch!) . Calm seas with the promise of sunshine (er, false promise). We made good speed out to the Ocean and were kitted and ready to dive as soon as the shot line was down. Not the greatest of vis (what's new!) but a good long bimble about the wreck as it was a 8m tide on low. As we surfaced the skies were bright and the promise still looked good. After the surface interval we relocated for the hardy few to do a drift dive. In they went for a short while before buoys-up and back onboard! We then motored off to a point a few hundred metres off of the Eastbourne West Lawns beach to watch Airbourne 2010.

Off the beach the weather turned for the worse and it was largely overcast and breezy, Skipper Steve struggled with deck BBQ (every bit of heat was being blown away), but managed to find some lee and we got stuck-in whilst watching the aircraft antics. Amazing stuff , as ever, very impressive. Impressive too was Tad's long distance relationship with a blonde wing walker on top. Oh, on top of a Breitling bi-plane that is.

After the airshow we whizzed back to Sovereign Harbour , straight through the locks and unloaded before a rather pleasant pizza party at Sheila & Ernie's . Nice one you too , very enjoyable, even if I did spend much of my time in mortal unarmed combat with your Pattendale Terrier . Realising I was beaten I surrendered before I was finished-off by 'Take no prisoners Poppy'.

All-in-all a grand day out Grommet!

Ramsgarth Dive from Buccaneer 10th July

with last weekends weather looking like classic diving weather I had nothing booked but that soon changed with a text from Chris West offering spaces on Buccaneer for a trip out to the wreck of the Ramsgarth. I hadnt dived the wreck before so I was definitely up for it. A quick txt out to the MD crew saw that with one exception Trez everyone was busy.

so 8am Saturday morning Tez and me loading our kit aboard Buccaneer and heading out to the wreck site. Banks of sea fog drifted across the sea but all was clear on the Ramsgarth. Shot in we were soon rolling over the side and heading down to the wreck.

Built in 1910 this 1.553 ton British Merchantman was sunk on the 28th November 1916. After she was captured she was sunk with explosives by the crew of UB-39.

Once on the wreck we swam of in the direction of the stern and were instantly struck by the huge shoals of bib and pollock that were so thick that at times blocked out the light. With the vis around 5m we swam across a huge cargo winch and came up on the remains of the propshaft tunnel which was pretty much intact.

We were soon at the stern which although was laying on its side still towered above us covered in deadmans fingers. We retraced our dive back to the shot and headed of towards midships and the boilers but time was running out and so was homebody's air.

We found our way back to the shot and started up towards the surface to do our stops.

Once back on Buccaneer the fog decided to come in and with 2 divers still in the water in was all hands to keep watch but the fog drifted off and was well gone before the last 2 surfaced right next to the shot.

Heading back to port we did a slight detour the collect an anchor from the Pentrych which was lost by a fisherman. Divers on a Thursday night dive with Chris (Simon was on that one) had found it and tied a line to it to which Chris had attached a buoy. Chris and Tapsa went in and bagged the anchor and sent it up I think the fisherman owes him a drink.

Another great dive thanks to Chris for the spaces and as always cant wait for the next one.

Video to follow

Tad

Kerrygo/Keryado Dive 4th of July from Buccaneer

The forecast was for strong winds on Sunday but Buccaneer Skipper Chris West thought that we may still be able to get out and dive before the wind picked up too much. Texts early Sunday morning confirmed that we wre going diving and the go ahead to meet at Shoreham was sent out. The plan was to dive a wreck Kerrygo but there is nothing listed on this, the nearest match was HMS Keryado but the marks for this are listed a lot further East.

TWSAC member Rob King dived the listed marks earlier in the week and believed that it was not an armed trawler like the Keryado but maybe the George Sutton. So with this info we looked forward to seeing if it was a Trawler and indeed the Kerryado.

Boat loaded, MD members Phil, Simon and myself were joined by Tony from Rother Diving Club on for the trip out with Skipper Chris and crew Dave and Roger. With only four of us diving there was stacks of room and the sea, although a little choppy, was still along way off of being uncomfortable for the hours journey out to the site. Skipper Chris decided that the conditions were looking so good that he would go in first and tie-off the shot which left a very envious Roger out of action with an ear infection in charge up top.

With the shot in and Chris down, Tony and I were soon rolling over the side and heading down to the wreck which sits in between 34m and 38m. The Keryado is listed in as being an Admiralty requesitioned trawler built in 1920 and sunk by a mine on March 6th 1941, originally a French minesweeper (ironic that) she was taken over by the Navy in 1940.

We landed on the very impressive bow that stretches up about 4-5m from the bottom at 38m, it was covered in deamans fingers, which would provide a great photo opportunity on a good day. The vis was around 6-8m with plenty of light. We worked our way from the bow when Tony spotted a big edible crab and with thoughts of that's ' supper sorted' then scooped it out from under the hull, but on closer inspection she was full of berry so she was saved from a hot steamy demise by her future offspring. On the way we passed Phil waiting for Simon at the bottom of the shot, quick exchange of 'OK' signals, things were fine and Simon was just coming into view.

Dive Sussex lists the wreck as being well broken-up but the hull looked pretty intact to me. We worked our way to the stern over hatch covers, winches and what looked like a gun mounting although there was no sign of the gun. At the stern the sand had built up to just below the hull with the rudder and prop just poking out of the top at around 34m. We swam back towards midships where Tony released the SMB whilst fighting a lanyard with a life of its own.

With 7 minutes of deco time we were kept amused by a jelly fish and a little fish darting in and out of its tentacles looking for cover. Once back on the surface the sea had started to get a little choppy but not bad enough to make boarding Buccaneer a little more interesting. During the trip back the wind increased and the sea got progressively choppier, we were glad there was only the one dive, although a certain hardcore group did get out on the club rib in the afternoon, RESPECT, guys. Another great day out with Chris West's Buccaneer and crew of Roger and Dave. When's the next one Chris? It just gets better. Thanks Chaps.

Video to follow

Tad

Fortuna Dive 26th June from Sea Zones

I hadn't planned to dive on Saturday as I was hoping to get out on Sunday but other commitments for Sunday left me desperate to make the best of the flat sea's and hot weather. I had noticed on Friday night that Mick Luff had some spaces still left on Seazones for Saturday so a quick phone call bagged a couple of spaces on the hope I could fill the other space Ernie was also booked on to do his first dives of his TDI course. After TXTing out Trez came back first and filled the space apologies to everyone else this was a last minute thing so the spaces couldn't be advertised on the blog.

A perfect day flat calm a real cherry of a diving day got me licking my lips with anticipation. a fire in Newhaven made the journey in a bit frustrating as all the roads were closed and traffic was being diverted but got there in the end.

Boat loaded and we headed out to the Fortuna an old favourite. When we arrived another boat had dropped a shot as was disgorging a deck full of divers "that's the vis gone then" I thought. Soon we were kitted up and it was a relief to get into the water and down the shot. Once on the wreck the vis was a little disappointing being around 4-5m but still acceptable with plenty of light.

We headed to the stern and the steering quadrant and I was hit by how much the wreck is broken up since my last visit. Swinging around the stern we cut back into midships and the holds still stacked full of bags of cement.

We then had a little episode of underwater kit adjustment for Trez before heading towards the bow through the shoals of Bib and Pollack. It was soon time to think about ascending and Trez sent her SMB up but the reel jammed so she had to release it and I sent mine up instead.

Once back on board it was time to tuck into Micks now legendary Seascones and head of towards Birling Gap for a drift but on arrival the water colour was looking very off colour and we opted out of the drift but Ernie and the tekkie team went in to do some skills and guess what a minute later they popped back up not being able to see their hands in front of their faces, although 2 other divers who had travelled down from Bedfordshire decided to dive it out for at least 30 minutes tied together on a buddy line god knows what they were looking at.

Diving over we headed back to Newhaven for a drink and a chat and to find that Newhaven was still closed due to the earlier fire so getting out was very slow going.

Summer is well and truly here England are out of the World Cup but Sussex still offers world class diving. Bring It On.

Video to follow.

Tad

Clodmore Dive 12th June from Buccaneer

Trez and Tad the MD contigent joined Ocean View divers for a merry jaunt out the wrecks of the Clodmore and Inverclyde aboard the good ship Buccaneer. The sun was shining and the sea was flat the sea gods were smiling.

An hour out saw Captain Chris dropping the shot and soon we were all walking the plank for a jaunt down to Davy Jones Locker and his bedfellow the wreck of the Clodmore. Trez and me teamed up with OV dive chick Hels and descended the 27m to the bottom where we met with the usual suspects Barry Bib and Jackson Pollack. The vis was a grainy 3-4m but with plenty of light conditions were acceptable for a quick mooch along the upturned part of the hull before returning to a higher part of the wreck to release the blob and assend for a jug of the hot grogg.

We soon relocated to the site of the inverclyde and as the tide was running and we were on springs we did not expect anything special.Hels soon got fed up of playing flags on the line and indicated she was going to surface (good move Hels)whilst Trez and me drop down into the wreck to release the shot for Chris and send it up on the bag.A quick scout around we had soon had enough of fighting the current and popped back up where the rest of the team had eaten all the pies.

Another great day out with the ever jovial crew of Skipper Chris and Roger The Cabin boy and the Ocean view guys.

Reports from my TWSAC contacts indicate that there was 10m vis on the The wreck of the Mohlen Pries in 38m a bit further out on Sunday so get ready boys and girls the Plankton has gone and the vis is picking up.

Tad

Malta Dive Trip ~ Marine Life

A few of our Malta Dive Trip marine life members:-

Oh, and lets not forget the Maltese Swimming Spaniel!!!