Well obviously dinner took a very long time as this is the first chance I have had to blog again.


Here goes......

Tuesday, Dive day 3

Dive 1, SMS Kroneprinz Wilhelm



Fantastic dive on the dreadnought, This wreck is almost upside down and you have to get underneath to see anything, but it is really worth the dive as you can see the HUUUUUUGE guns on the stern and then swimming up shallower through the rudders. A very nice deep and dark dive. Torches are a must or you see nothing and the bottom time is a bit short because of the depth. Recommended




Dive 2, SMS Tabarka and Doyle



here we split up as the two Light cruisers are quite close together, the SMS Tabarka need a negative entry so not every one was up to it, still some of gave it a fair crack.

Negative entry in a dry suit with all the stuff attached....special.... Fletch however had an extra special time with his little legs flapping out of the water, it was a sight to behold, unfortunately no one had a camera ready, they were too busy laughing anyhow. needless to say, he dived the Doyle in the end.

Tabarka, not shot lined so you need the tide to take you to the wreck or you miss it, hence the entry. Really nice wreck with lots of swim throughs and a big cavern engine room. lots to explore and covered in wild life, and I am not talking about the divers.

Doyle. similar dive to the day be for.

Everyone had an early night, the scapa diving is taking its toll.

Micks quote of the day "that boat is proper on its side"

Wednesday Dive day 4

Dive 1, SMS MarkGraf

Another Dreadnaught, again almost upside down on the seabed.

Tried to do the gun run on this vessel although if you were not at 40m you missed them. This was a deep dark dive and these ships are sooooo large that sometimes it is difficult to understand what you are looking at. There are 7 guns still in tact along the side of this vessel although again your bottom time is limited to take them all in.

in between the dive we all went to Lyness on Hoy to visit the museum.


Dive 2, F2 and the Barge.

The F2 is a light cruiser that was tied off to the barge. The salvage people moored her too tight for the tide and she sank taking the barge with her. These are two little nice wrecks to do at once in about 16m of water, full of life and fantastic to explore. a great dive. On exit from the dive Mick R had Emily, boat owner and captain, instigating a search pattern, not for him but for the smallest camera known to man that has been lost in Scapa flow. Emily is "a top bird" according to Mick, cos she found it. She is an Excellent skipper, definitely the boat of choice for up here and she gives great briefings and the "Emily drawings" are a site to behold.

once we were all back on land we sat outside in the sun for a few beers and then food. One of us ended up swimming across the harbour, wonder who that was. ( not me that's for sure )

Everyone is having a fantastic time.

Mick's quote of the day "If you catch a weasel asleep, wee in its lug 'ole"

Thursday Dive day 5,

The day started much as the rest, breakfast then all aboard.

Dive 1, SMS Konig.

Dreadnaught battleship, again upside down on the bottom at 46m. 24m to the hull. This dive really is about investigating the engine rooms through the blast hole, again these vessels are so large that it is often difficult to work out where you are and what you are looking at.

Dive 2, SMS Koln,

Fantastic light cruiser in 42m of water, covered in live and fish, "proper on its side", you followed the shot to the hull and then dropped down the side to about 37m and then swam towards the bow, on the way seeing the bridged followed by the conning tower, anchor capstans and where the front guns had been. if you swim of the bow and look back you start to get the feel of what these are like. A very good dive, everyone came up raving about it and want to dive it again tomorrow. So we are.

We are currently in the pub having been fed and watered and playing pool. this is a great trip.

Micks quote of the day "He had breath like Gandhi's flip flop"

Well thats it for now, we have the last day tomorrow. ;(