What do I do when the divers are in the water?
I get asked this question the whole time.
I have a cup of tea. What would you do? What did you expect? A skipper’s life is not all glamour and red carpets, you know.
Orcas were sighted in Hoy Sound so I set off with the Norwegians to see if we could see them.
Taking Norwegians to find whales. It was always going to end in tears.
Suffice to say they were gone by the time we got there.
Crew.
Thought they were meant to make tea, not drink it.
“See, told you. Your analysers knackered.. it’s reading 12 percent.. that’s a 50 deco”
I could stop sweating at that. The mixes from the night before, wasn’t my fault: their analyser was up the swanny.
“Oy. Your analyser reads 12 too”
“Can you guys not calibrate.. give it here”
12 percent.
“LC, which J bottle did you use for this deco bottle….?”
“yes the one you just stuck 85bar in……….”
“Eh?”
“….the brown one”
“what, the all brown one…”
Psssssssssssssssssssssssssssssshsssshshhhshshshhhhhhhhhhh……………….
Guess I did f$*k up the mixes last night.
Well having spent all last week moaning about the weather we now have a high preasure sitting over us and beautiful sunny flat calm conditions.
Do I wish it had been last week……?
Well to be fair, does anyone deserve good weather more than any other? I think not. I would have prefered it last week as we could have got away then but then the Norwegians enjoy the sun too.
I guess we all take our chances.
“Jump”
Splash.
Norwegians this week, but their english is very good.
Karlsruhe the F2/Barge. Flat calm and beautiful sunshine.
Well the last day about summed up the weak. A dreek (sp?) finish in a gale of wind.
It has been frustrating in many ways but mostly, if not completely because of the weather.
A week has it’s conception a long time before the troops arrive on the boat. Each time I visit somewhere I try to think who the ground would appeal to, would it be worth bringing divers here, would this group like what these others have enjoyed and so forth. Each thought goes into a mental space so that I have an approximate game plan before the group has even thought what they would want themselves. Then the planning starts, the simple logistics in the first instance, oxygen, fuel, general preparation and then the weather watching: what will the isobars do, can I get away with this or that.. what’s the tide….. So on and so forth. By the time they get here the week is reasonably set in my head, or rather the strategy is laid out. If they want to do this we can go there, if they want to do that we have to be aware of that and so on.
And then the weather put a kibosh on things.
I was confident that we would have a bonnie first day to get into the diving in the flow, a couple of moderately windy days Mon and Tues, then, when the high pressure hit wed, we would be off and round the week to a close with an extended trip to new pastures. Except the weather never broke. It just got worse.
Don’t get me wrong. The diving in the flow is superb, but it is a question of expectation. If you are expecting to be somewhere else, where you are just seems somehow less. And then frustration sets in whilst time runs out. That frustration is with me now as I type but as I look back through the photos it eases: I hope the troops had a good week, they looked as if they were enjoying themselves. And let’s face it, it is Scapa Flow and you have to go a long way to beat that.
……………now a text to say they have used the last of the teabags. A dive boat without teabags. My reputation will be tatters.
Friday 2nd June
At 07:30, we headed out of Longhope with the vibrations of the diesel engines rousing the last of our late sleepers better than any alarm clock. Soon we were heading for the German cruisers, which have lain oblivious to the Orkney weather for ninety years. As the force 5 storm began to break over the wheelhouse, the crew snatched moments between the waves and spray in a game of ‘don the suit’ which the weather clearly won.
Arriving on site we fell into the familiar routine, and were swiftly kitted up, gear checked, and overboard heading for the security of the flailing shot line. Dropping down, we were returned to the familiar world of the calm sub aqua realm, with the wreck of the Koln, offering herself to our descending party like a dockside harlot. After the turbulence of the surface the contrast underwater was almost tangible and allowed us to relax for the first time that morning. The wreck was as spectacular as the one in our memories and the marine life watched us perambulate the wreck in the clumsy fashion adopted by mammon in the underwater world. All too soon we headed back up the line and remade our acquaintance with the Orkney summer.
Dive #2 Karlsruhe
After a bacchanalian feast in the lee of the harbour at Lyness, we set of once again into the overpowering Orkney swells for the short ride to the shot line. Bob, the skipper was able to indulge in his hobby of ‘candid camera’ as the waves and spray lashed the crew on the foredeck. Once again we dropped down into the calm of the flow and swam over the crumpled remains left both by salvage attempts and the ravages of time. The final dive went well and with a safe pickup we were finished both our 13th dive and our Orkney experience, our crew in unison eager to repeat the experience on the best boat in Scapa Flow.
IB
Blustery day. Wind been strong all day and hampering plans. Dived the Markgraf in the morning, Lyness for lunch then up to do the Gobernador Bories. Now sat in Longhope waiting for mince and dumplings. If it tastes as good as it smells, it will be treat.
The first day of June dawned with gale force westerlies and fine mist and rain, excellent Orkney diving weather.
Set off to dive the site of the Markgraf, a German battleship scuttled with colleagues in June almost ninety years ago. Ploughed through the sound, in ever worsening weather, in our spray lashed but confidant boat, until reaching the site in developing swell.
Stride into the Flow to drop down an insignificant marker to this mighty wreck. Down line into ever darkening gloom before reaching the seabed overcast by shadows from the massive sides of the upturned hull. Exploratory search of the awesome wreck found massive cod lurking in the darkness under the threat of the now resting side mounted guns. Depth allowed only a short stay before we were able to make our way up the side of the hull and commence our return from the historic silence to the crashing waves of today.
After dive interval at Lyness while our intrepid skipper waited for the weather to worsen, we set off for Burra Sound to dive the block ships. Standing in line sheltering from the wind and spray we leapt into the sea on command of Skipper Bob, assured we only had to “keep an eye on the line”, very easy to say from the wheelhouse but by tremendous feats of strength and almost brotherly love, all divers were able to drop safely down the line. Leaving the boiling surface and dropping down revealed a new world of peace and tranquillity that only divers can visit. The Gobernador Bories now lying upturned, and at peace, providing shelter from the storm. Entering its cathedral like structure we were privileged with views of marine life including undisturbed giant lobsters and ancient cod whilst looking through the picture windows into the kelp and pebble strewn sound. Returning to boat via SMB in a current can be tricky at best of times but add a gale force wind and it gives new meaning to “challenging”.
Return to spend another evening of fine on boat cuisine at Longhope. Another exciting day in the history of the MV Halton and Bishop Auckland SAC.
RB
