Halton Ocean

Gentle finish: Koln then F2. Weather perfect.

Blustery night in Longhope but managed to find shelter in the Royal Hotel. Food fantastic as usual.

Dropped troops on the Brummer first thing, Lyness and Wea Fea for lunch and now making slow amble towards Karlsruhe.

Today was organised by CH, who did a magnificent job. She and her buddy had the pleasure of Porpoises swimming past them in the water while they were after scallops near the Roedean. First time I have heard divers see cetaceans in the water in the Flow, so they were lucky, I guess.

An early start after a blustery night in Burray seen us headed for the Flow. Four managed the arduos trip from bunk to dry suit to do a drop on the Barrie and reportedly superb vis.

In to Lyness for lunch then F2. Saw porpoises on the way in.

Off to the Roedean/scallop run then Longhope for the night.

KPW then Tabarka.

Windy from the SE as we head toward Burray for the night.

Dropped on the stern of the Dresden, then the Doyle.

Home for tea.

Gave the troops a gentle start: Dresden then Gobernador Bories.

They have worked out the international signal for “Tea, white with one”…..

which, to be frank, seems to work.

Snuck thru the fog to sit on the KPW first thing followed by a bottle dive in the sunshine.

Home at last. Been living in a bubble for that long, everything seems a bit unreal at the moment. Now that the bubble has burst and the floodgates of reality have been breached, it is time for a touch of dispasionate thinking and some hard decisions. Not something that can be done with a head like mince, bobbing around on a 60ft boat in the middle of Shetland.

Oh well, off to push my cap back and have a scratch.

Dived the EGG again twice before heading south and back home.

…..left Fair Isle at 1500, got to Longhope by 0100 having just sneaked thru on the last of the tide in the Firth. Not even I can claim to have planned that.

going past Auskerry.

Windy today so the boat has not left the pier.

Still, we managed to get a few dives in caves etc off the Zodiac.

Found another cannon just round the corner, gawd only knows what from.

We even added another caveat to the footsie: the Jbindex, awarded in addition to the footsie to dives that show a certain curiosity above and beyond their normal asthetic appeal: an “amuse bouche”, if you will.

Todays tally AB 7/8 +1 BA 6/7/9 +2

Troops dived the EGG again.

Lovely day….

Vis ok..

LF went down to measure the cannon and take pictures….

The troops dive the El Gran Griffon.

We nipped over the other side of the bay and dropped thru the cuts. Footsie BA 8, AB 8.5.

Last day, last dive. Giants Legs. Troops sniffy about the 15m vis.

In for a sail on the Swan: poor JB, ferried AB about all week then the rest of the punters on the last day.

Missed out myself: loaded O2, fuel, supplies etc etc. Mind now on next week which is an interesting break from the norm. A week on the El Gran Grifon.

Fog came down in the night and was still lingering first thing so it was with some trepidation that we left in the morning: however it had cleared by the time we got to Gruney in the Ramna Stacks. Another footsie 9 and a 10 from AB from the outer most arch.

Quick drop on the East side of Lunna Ness on the boulder slope then home to Lerwick.

Round the top and the corner to do a drop just south of Muckle Flugga before heading further south again for the Clapper. Despite being chosen for it’s name, both dives earned footsie 9s.

Into Whale Firth for the night and a JB dive 2. Slighly disappointing cave this time but cathartic non the less.

Troops dived the Tonis Chandris (scenic wreck!) then round the top for a drop on Da Cave (or rather the wall there at) and at anchor in Burra Firth for the night.

I did a drop on the E49 to remove the shot: this must be one of the top 10 dives in the UK.

JB successfully completed her first cold water dry suit dive after dark in a cave, with a dodgy torch. Think that’s about 10 specialities in a oner. She coped with verve and aplomb despite being in my suit and with AB’s kit…. which is normally a recipe form some form of nasty infection.

Up to Fetlar to do some split wave spotting on a number of new sites: Snap/Likilk and the SE point.

Round and thru Colgrave Sound to do a drfit on the Jane and up to Balta Sound for the night.

Managed to get a sneaky drop on the Tonis Chandris myself: well chuffed.

Gwladmena then off to the Rumble and Grif Skerry.

The group are ardent scenic so rust was little appreciated on this occasion!

Angus tried to dive the Pacific but failed. Let you work that one out for yourselves.

The new Zodiac driver passed with flying colours.

Inside Out Skerries for the night. (couldn’t resist!)

Off we go again… new bunch straight off the ferry and down the Giant’s Legs and then thru the Orkneyman’s cave.

Troops did quick drop on the Valkyrie and then we headed in to pack up, cry and wail and wave white knotted hankies as they sailed into the distance and back to their homes south…

Maybe they were not such a bad bunch after all…!!

Repeated Glen Isla then dropped the troops on the Giants Legs.

I managed a drop in the Orkney Mans Cvae then the Lunohods. Chuffed with both drops.