UKRS Dive#2 weekend in Plymouth
Some other web-links on UKRS dive#2 weekend:
UKRS write-up
More pictures (above water)
More pictures (under water)
As I popped the envelope with the deposit cheque into the post-box I wondered what I was letting myself in for in Plymouth on UKRS dive#2. A weekend away with people I only knew as names on a NG on the internet! Recently qualified as a PADI Rescue diver with only 75 dives under my belt, I was a little apprehensive at diving with a new, more experienced group. I was not to be disappointed and thoroughly enjoyed the 'experience'.
Friday 23 July
Dive 1: Persier wreck
Depth:28.2m Time:33min
Buddy Alasdair & Tim
With nine of us on the boat on the first day it meant someone was going to have to dive as a three. I dive quite regularly in a three with two good mates of mine and it can work well but relies on good viz and our 'knowledge' of each other, that sort of sixth sense one develops with a regular buddy(s). This was to be an eventful dive. As the three of us completed our final kit up, my mask appeared not be sealing around my face. After playing for a few moments and checking the hood wasn't trapped under the silicon skirt, I whipped off my mask to discover the silicon had popped out from under the lens. The mask was useless. Luckily, Tim always carries a spare in his BCD pocket so I was able to borrow his mask and we were away on our first UKRS dive. We grouped around the shot and Tim and Alasdair descended with myself following. As they fired down the shot in very poor viz I descended behind them. As I equalised my ears and pumped air in my suit to stop the squeeze, my mask started to fill with water, I slowed to attempt to clear the mask but after several attempts, it continued to refill. The other two were well ahead of me and I knew they would be wondering were I was so I continued down the shot to the bottom. They watched as I continued to unsuccessfully clear the mask, after a few minutes, Tim rightly gave the up signal. Basically the mask just didn't fit my face! So it was back up the shot continually clearing the mask just to keep the water below my eyes to see the depth on my computer for the ascent. A change of mask on the surface and a quick check under water to ensure I was a go-er this time and we were off again. Unfortunately Alasdair was last to descent. After a short wait at 5m's we ascend to find him caught-up in the shotline, or "playing with his little buoy" as the skipper but it. The shot had two buoys and it was the connecting rope on the surface that had caught Alasdair's tank. We cleared the rope and were finally off. Alasdiar had problems clearing his ears, but we got down to the wreck and finally got onto the dive proper! The dive was quite uneventful after that! We completed one loop around the boiler of the wreck but by this point I was down to just less than 100bar after guzzling so much air attempting to clear my mask through the earlier performance. And so, it was back up the shot to end the dive. Not the best of starts.
Friday 23 July
Dive2: Hillsea Point drift
Depth:27.8m Time:37min
Buddy Alasdair & Tim
After some quick instruction from KeithL on mask servicing we managed to repair my mask for the second dive. As Alasdair and Tim descended, this time is was my turn to play with the skippers little buoy when the line caught the back of my tank valve. No sooner had I signalled to the boat to assist than the pair had surfaced and I was soon unwrapped and away we went. The viz was poor'ish at 3-5m's as we at first went against the slight current. Highlights of the dive were Tim's encounter with a sea cucumber, a dogfish I spotted and a large edible crab I uncovered under a bit of rock. We soon turned into the current and had a slightly pleasant drift for a bit. I haven't done many drift dives were there has been a true current of any kind, so I found the sensation of travelling along with no finning a new'ish experience. As the time ticked by we ended the dive. I was nominated DSMB deployer but some slight confusion ensued when Alasdair offered me a hand on deploying the DSMB and he had to find the trigger on the reel quite quickly! But all was well and I wound us up to the surface.
Saturday 24 July
Dive 3: The Hand Deep
Depth:26.3m Time:41min
Buddy: Emma
Second day meant a full 12 on the boat so back to normal buddy pairs. Tim and Tom were keen on some deeper stuff and a little deco so they paired up leaving Emma and myself as a pair. I think I was the only one on the boat who was limited to no-stop diving and with Emma as a wee girlie with no lungs on a single 10L we were quite well matched up. Just before we started to kit up, a worrying hiss appeared from my pony first stage. The O ring looked okay but I tried a quick change. This still didn't fix the problem so I ditched the pony for the dive and remembered to add some extra weight. Emma and I descended the shot and bimbled along the wall. Not that much to see with the awful 2-4m viz. As we slowly ascended up to about 12m's we ended up on a plateau of kelp, and with us both on about 90bar we deployed the DSMB (I had shown Emma my reel trigger on the boat this time) and off home we went.
Saturday 24 July
Dive 4: James Egan Layne
Depth:22.4m Time: 46min
Buddy: Emma
Another surface interval spent on kit servicing. Turned out that the O-ring on the inside on the Din converter on the pony value was completely split and the source of the morning's problems. Easily fixed and I was pony'ed up again for the afternoon. We stuck to our buddy pairs for the second dive. I was amazed that Emma and Tom could bear to be parted for so long! Emma had dive the JEL before but was happy for myself to lead. I hadn't ditched all the extra pounds I'd put on in the morning when I dropped the pony. I was therefore overweighed and could easily tell as I was pumping more air into my suit than normal. I'd also forgotten to do up my drysuit braces and the extra air was sloshing around my drysuit with resulting affect on my buoyancy control through the dive, Emma must of wondered what I was on. I should know better! Exploring the JEL was quite interesting. We followed the starboard side up-to the bow and then turned back and through some debris lying on the starboard seabed. We took a route through some easy swim-through's and then ascended slightly and crossed the wreck to the port side. Came across all matter of junk including a large white battery, probably from a dive-boat. Then, suddenly a mystery diver came out of nowhere and accosted my buddy. I waas just about to pull my big dive knife and ward off this vagabond when I realised it was our Emma's Tom, over for a quick underwater snog. They managed to separate themselves and parted company and we continued the dive along the portside. Nothing of real interest and our air was starting to dip below 100bar so we returned along the side and found a suitable place on the wreck to strap on the DSMB and we were off home again. Not a bad wreck, though I'm surprised that it's considered the most dived wreck in the UK. Maybe I missed something.
Sunday 25 July
Dive 5: The Elk
Depth:30.1m Time: 30min
Buddy: Tim
In the past I've dived the Carnatic, Ghiannis D and the Zenobia wrecks to namedrop a few, but this innocuous little wreck was one of the most enjoyable wreck dives I've ever done. Emma had ditched me for her Tom (can't understand why!), so I was left to dive with Tim. We were the second pair down the shot, which the skipper had placed perfectly on the port side. Tim had mentioned he liked to root around in wrecks and he wasn't kidding. We were straight into the hold, which was easily, and safely entered and encountered lots of large fish (pollock?). I quickly flashed my torch on one of them and he swam up-to my torch inquisitively. When he saw it was an ugly diver and not a meal-for-one he quickly swam off. We rooted around the wreck more and soon we were no longer alone as the rest of the crew landed on the wreck. As we came out of the hold and crossed the top of the deck a very large shoal crossed the wreck completely unfazed by our bubbles as they passed through us. This is what I always dreamt diving would be like and had a grin on my face from ear to ear. We moved up the wreck finning out from the bow a few meters to look back at the intact bow standing proud and intact. Even with over 130bar in my tank, my 20 minutes of bottom time were over and we had end the dive and return to the shot to keep me within my no-stop dive. As we slowly ascended my Aladin did click in and out of a deco several times but cleared at 15m. As I ascended up the shot I really wished I had been able to stay on the wreck longer.
Sunday 25 July
Dive 5: Mewstone Ledges
Depth:22.9m Time: 42min
Buddy: Tim
After such an excellent dive in the morning it was back down to earth with a bump as this dive was shite. Not sure if the skipper placed the shot correctly but Tim and I circled around looking for the wall but could find nothing but ridges with very little to see other than one dogfish we spotted. Tim was game for a dogfish hunt and we switched off our torches in a vein attempt to catch up with it but it had the better of us and disappeared off into the murkiness of the 3m viz. A disappointing dive to end the UKRS weekend as I had to return home on Sunday night. As I packed up to go home the rest of the gang dreamed of 20m viz on the Monday.
Overall, a very enjoyable weekend. As one of least experienced on trip, I picked up quite a few tips n' tricks over the weekend and even with my few kit mishaps I don't think I let myself down - even for a PADI diver! Although we moaned about the viz through the weekend, I think we all enjoyed ourselves. My thanks to all the gang who made it what it was, and special thanks to our illustrious DM, Jason P. who organised the weekend.
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