Battleships and Block ships 31/05/06
First dive Kronprinz Wilhelm
The day started early, a beautiful sunny morning, and all raring to go for the first dive. We kitted up waiting excitedly for the call from the skipper Bob Anderson. Go was the call and go we did, one by one we jumped, straight down the line a pack of divers like sharks on a feeding frenzy. We landed on the upturned hull, swam over the side and eventually reached the seabed. The wreck was covered in the most beautiful colours you can imagine, orange, lime green, white, violet, Plumose and Dahlia anemones covered the exposed plating. We explored the wreck and came to the huge forward gun, we swam up to and under it, in awe of its size. A strange feeling crossed over me as if a spirit was watching, and telling me to “look but please don’t touch”. The Kronprinz Wilhelm is a majestic wreck, prince by name and royal even in its current rusting state. Slowly we made our way up through the salvers entrance holes and arches, hung as if with decorations, up to the line and back on deck.
Awaiting us was a full English and lots of banter.
Second dive Tabarka
Once again we waited, Go, we all dropped in and straight down, no time for hesitation (or tea-bagging in Bobs words) glided like jets onto the wreck, the current splitting the group apart. We moved with the flow of the current, and swam and penetrated in and out of the Tabarka’s cathedral like passages. We passed through and beside both the traffic of divers from other boats and the endless stream of sea life. The wreck has not worn well in the strong currents and now appears to be very sensitive but still as beautiful. We decided to head off and had a last lap and on the way we found a lost diver who was looking for his buddy, at this point we decided to head home. Buoys went up and we gracefully flowed with the current passing a second wreck the Inverlane. A challenging and exciting dive.
Third dive of the day Roedean
This dive we decided to jump in and have a general play around. It was late afternoon, the wreck littered the seabed, wreckage scattered all points of the compass. The visibility was not so good, maybe because of the location. Wrasse were coming close to our faces and were following our every fin stroke, obviously looking for a free meal. We slowly made way through various parts of the wreck, looking for scallops on the way, (which were cooked by our special team of master chefs later in the evening, while we were moored at Lyness for the night). This wreck has had a good battering over the years; and you can see the pain that she has suffered, but she is still a good relaxing dive.
GB
