Blog

Since I’m presently gallivanting around foreign parts (Berlin as I write), I wasn’t around on Friday to witness the going’s on, however I can rely on others to step into the breach when the need arises: the following was written by Geoff Patch with some added words by Brian Lugg.

Due to recent cable laying a trench had been dug along the sand road where we access the dive club boat yard. (See attached photo). Recognising the potential challenges of man-handling a Discovery and 5 tonne boat across the void the workmen had been requested to fill in the ditch outside the gate before Friday. The ditch was filled in, just outside the wrong gate! So big Brian and Geoff spent the first 15 minutes of the day filling in the ditch – a nice warm up to the day.

Things got better when our other Brian arrived and promptly grounded his hire car in the sand trap at the yard entrance. More digging and manhandling managed to extricate the vehicle. We were fortunate to have two guests with us, retired 65 year old ‘brass hound’ Alan and his son Martin, both experienced divers originating from the garden county of Kent. The last but not least of the crew for the day was the irrepressible punctual ‘one fin Soren’ who had called to say he would meet us at Hamriyah.

The target for the day was the Ajman Glory. The wind was behind us and the seas were surprisingly flat, as we set out on an almost due north heading and we made good time to the site, hooking the wreck on the second attempt. The anchor had landed at the bow, which meant a swim of about 40m to the stern area with a mild current flowing across the wreck from starboard to port. Visibility was better than it had been in previous weeks but only around 4-5m at best and possibly was a result not a great deal of marine life was evident.

After the first dive the wind was beginning to pick up a little but everyone agreed to stay on site for the second dive, which followed a similar patter to the first, namely rummaging around in the fo’csle locker and bridge areas – guest diver Brass Hound Allan surfaced with a huge grin and a copper search lamp – apparently it was found just lying on the sand. At the end of the second dive Geoff unveiled half a dozen cans of decompression fluid and shared with all, except the last pair who had been waiting on fins and had yet to go down. This was  the last thing One Fin Soren needed to see before descending.

The mere though of going diving instead of having a cold one  had sever narcotic effects on Soran, so much so, that once kitted he stood up on the anchor locker only to find himself legless and executed a divers entry that words can only half describe – starting with a standing forward roll from the anchor locker to the port gunwale, landing momentarily in a seated upright position – seamlessly sliding into a side wards roll, with, a divers ‘OK” into the ocean, and all of this without a splash. I doubt anyone will ever be able to execute the “Soren Entry” ever again with such grace and perfection, if only BSAC 406 productions had caught this event for prosperity.

Unfortunately, the last pair of divers seemed to misinterpret the “don’t forget to free the anchor and tie a marker buoy to it to lift it” instruction, (clearly someone was still suffering from some narcotic effect), and we had to break the anchor line to get free. Brass Hound Allan then let us in on an old BSAC punishment, when One Fin Soren had de-kitted, and wiped the sweat from his brow, he was handed a can of not so “sweet” decompression fluid. The “Bud-sea-w-ater-iser” was not well received… The return journey was not smooth sailing as they say – heading straight into the wind and wave front made for a long, wet trip back to the quayside.

Before us chain gangers got to work on the Larkin Car Trap…

Some of you will know we were in Germany for Peter and Connie’s wedding in Lübeck. I’m happy to report the event went off without a hitch (apart from the hitch that was supposed to happen). Peter was as nervous as I’ve seen him but a few cogent words of advice (breath normally, don’t hold your breath etc) seemed to do the trick. The cake was cut on a boat travelling up the river to Travemünde where the reception was held. A good day all round and it was great to see Uwe again. 

Not one but two dives to report this week. To begin with we had a mid-week break – the Eid falling on Monday and Tuesday – so we took grateful advantage with a dive on Tuesday to the Victoria Star. For the trip we were able to welcome back a couple of familiar faces not much seen these days. Denis Rooney’s last dive with us was on the Anchor Barge in January 2010. Since then he’s been in Saudi Arabia by way of Qatar and was over here for the holiday weekend. Soren Kjaer has no such excuse – he’s been here all along – but family commitments limit his diving which is not so unreasonable if you think about it.

It would be nice to report flat seas and spectacular viz but these things would only be true in a negative sense. We’ve been out in much worse sea conditions it’s true but the viz was spectacularly awful. We did manage to grope our way around and inside the wreck – Brian Lugg claimed the conditions were better in the engine room but Denis was not so sure. I think someone spotted a turtle through the murk but in truth this wasn’t one to remember. Still it beats working any day!

There was always going to be something planned for Friday but after a couple of weeks of dodgy conditions on this side, we decided an east coast trip might not be out of order. There were seven of us including Volker on his last dive before his summer break and Sergey who came with us to the Victoria Star in May but again doesn’t come out as often as he used to.

Being a late booking our choices were a bit limited but we got a place on the Sandy Beach boat which was going to Inchcape 2 and Martini Rock. On arrival we found the Inchcape 2 boat full up and we were not qualified to do Inchcape 1 which at 30m exceeded the depth limit for PADI Open Water which was the qualification that some of us had. Shortly afterwards we found ourselves on a boat heading for… Inchcape 1. What caused the change of heart I don’t know for sure but had they read the disclaimer forms and done some simple arithmetic they would have realised our combined diving experience was something approaching 3,000 dives. Enough, I guess, to do Inchcape 1 without damaging ourselves too badly.

Arriving at the dive site we found we’d been beaten to it by a boat called “Sanaf” from some outfit in Dubai whose name escapes me right now. The Inchcape 1 is a small vessel, deliberately sunk as a dive site and stripped of anything interesting. It is nevertheless a good dive. To begin with the viz was markedly better than the west coast has been recently, which after all was the whole point in going. It is also a different dive from the west coast wreck – covered in soft corals and with fishes that for the most part seem unconcerned with the presence of divers. Going down the line the first thing we saw was a mating pair of puffer fish that swam along with us for a while. There a short swim-through along the centre of the ship coming out of a forward hatch. Inside is an aquarium of small fish that have to be pushed out of the way. Being a popular dive site, there were four boats in total meaning there were a lot of divers in the water in a small space. If you hanker for a solitary diving experience, the Inchcapes are not it but after the last couple of weeks it was nice to able to see the wreck we were diving on.

The second dive was the Pinnacles. The surface interval was minimal but the site is so shallow as to make the dive an extended safety stop. The viz was not as good as the Inchcape but there was some good things to be seen including a couple of seahorses some pipefish and the usual reef fishes, some in very dense shoals. After a relaxing hour or so underwater, we headed back to shore for a bite to eat and a couple of glasses of decompression fluid.

There are a few of away over the next couple of weeks including myself however I will be checking emails and will try and get a message out as normal. I’m confident that any crimes or misdemeanours against good diving practice will be reported to me so that the good news can be passed on.

As was widely predicted, the great and good of the Moon Sighting Committee managed to spot the crescent moon last night meaning that it’s officially Eid Al Fitr and we have a couple of days off work. A dive is planned for tomorrow of which more next week but for now a few words about last Friday.

PJ wanted to celebrate his impending nuptials by volunteering to be dive marshall for the day. We weren’t about to talk him out of it. The Ajman Glory was the target and although the forecast was not very promising we decided to go for it anyway despite the possibility of an uncomfortable ride home. The sea was pretty calm on the way out and we made very good time. Sadly the calm sea didn’t translate into good viz – it was like pea soup down there as has been the case rather too often this year. Most of us managed a reasonable dive nevertheless. There was a turtle down there spotted by one or two and it was possible to grope one’s way around the ship and in and out of the accommodation areas.

With the sea state picking up we headed closer to home for the second dive. This was the Tek – a small tug boat that we haven’t dived for a while. On our last trip we finished clearing the wreck of nets, a selfless undertaking but as it turned out a pointless one as it’s now more covered than ever. After a couple of circuits – which is all you need really – we set to again with knives and scissors. We didn’t get very far but at least it’s a start.

After that it was back to base to wash down the boat and indulge in a few refreshments. In the light of his upcoming happy day, I think it’s only fair to ignore Peter’s attempts to attach his BCD to his tank upside down. Instead I’ll tell the story of a certain lady diver who took good advice and instead of spitting in her mask to de-fog it, decided to use baby shampoo for the purpose. Very effective so I’m told but it’s crucial to rinse the mask thoroughly or you spend the dive with your eyes in a bubble bath which is pretty much what happened.

On which happy note…

The numbers were a bit down at the weekend compared to the giddy heights of the previous weekend. Still six in the boat makes for a comfortable trip particularly if the sea state is relatively benign as was the case on Friday. We welcomed another new diver and soon to be new member – Andrej Krnetic from Croatia. Andrej may have set a club record for the most unpronounceable surname.

We decided to go to the Neptune and Jumbo on the basis that we hadn’t been for a while, we needed a break from the Dara and Victoria Star and that the sea conditions looked favourable. Having spent so much time on nearby wrecks recently, it seemed a long way out although we used to make the trip regularly and will again.

The Neptune is a big barge that foundered after a collision. There are a few routes inside and through the wreck, for the most part unthreatening provided care is taken. The mid-section has started to collapse taking with it a nice swim-through that existed until a couple of years ago but the same process has opened up new areas so it’s still a good dive. The viz was not exactly stunning but was still a big improvement over a week ago. There were plenty of snappers down there and a shoal of jacks. We also spotted some batfish and a couple of small groupers.

The second dive was the Jumbo which is only about ten minutes away and is actually closer to the Neptune buoy than the Neptune itself is. The Jumbo is a 50m cargo vessel, known about but location lost for a number of years until rediscovered as an obstruction on a pre-dredge survey. It’s fairly broken up but the stern is recognisable although the bridge has tipped over. There is a large prop which looks good although one of the blades is twisted. From the cargo holds forward there are a couple of nice swim-throughs with no danger of getting lost. After that it was back to the club for some refreshments.

It turned into an interesting day last Friday. We had 13 divers out which meant that both boats had to be launched. With five different nations represented there was an international flavour to the trip that we once took for granted and which we have always valued. May it continue! To begin with though, we had a more pressing problem than uniting the human race, namely the fact that a mooring rope had wrapped itself around one of the props of SP312 while we were reversing away from the quay.

Janette manfully (womanfully?) volunteered to free the prop without getting wet and was soon wedged between the engines, perched precariously at right angles over the water pulling at the rope. It was only after the rope had been successfully removed that she realised that getting back in the boat would not be so easy. The gap between the engines was – if I may use London slang – rather smaller than her Khyber Pass. (No offence – anyone’s would have been!). To cut a long story short, with a bit of assistance she managed to haul herself upright and back on board but not before Peter had captured the glorious moment for posterity. I look forward to seeing the video on Tuesday with great interest.

The destination was the Victoria Star and the trip out was reasonably smooth although with a bit of a swell and we anchored the wreck at the second time of asking. A commercial dive boat joined us shortly afterwards and we were soon three boats in a line. It soon became apparent that the viz was below average to put it charitably. In fact it was like pea soup down there but we still managed a couple of good dives apiece. There were a couple of groupers and a family of batfish visible through the murk although the barracudas from a few weeks ago seem to have moved on. Having said that they could have been out of sight a couple of metres away and we wouldn’t have noticed.

It was better inside the wreck – with the internal partitions collapsing there are some good swim-throughs although care must still be taken. All the sediment floating in the water didn’t seem to have seeped inside and the viz seemed clearer than outside. 

After that it was back to the club for a few refreshments. A good day all round – many thanks go to Geoff for doing the marshalling. A couple of group photos are attached. Same to you Davidson!

A warm welcome to Andrea and Catherine who were making their first dives with us. Many more to follow we hope.

Rob Gill has regrettably left the UAE but he sent the following report from Aqaba in Jordan:

“When eventually leaving the UAE to return to the UK permanently, there’s a long list of things that need to be sorted:  Cars need to be sold, junk disposed of, plants given away, dive kit sold (who wants to dive in the UK anyway?), shippers organised, bank accounts closed, visa cancelled, landlord deposit returned………..  The list goes on and ought also to include “if visiting Jordan for a short holiday en-route to the UK, remember not to let the shippers pack your diving qualifications as you may wish to sample the underwater delights of the Red Sea”.

Hmmmmmmm.  Yeah, you can guess the next bit.  We rocked up in Aqaba where Toby’s PADI Junior Open Water qualification allowing him to dive to a maximum depth of 18 metres was immediately recognised and welcomed by our hotel’s dive outfit.  I, on the other hand was told that as I didn’t have any qualifications with me, I would have to do a ‘Discover Scuba’ dive to check me out with a properly qualified ‘Dive Master’ and even then I’d be limited to shore diving to a maximum depth of 12 metres on the house reef. Yeah great.

One quick call to Extra Divers however (yep, the same guys that have operations in Khasab and Muscat) who have an operation Aqaba’s South Beach and it was agreed that if I could get an email from BCAS 406 telling them that I am indeed qualified to dive, all would be fine.  One e-mail to Mr Hussey and a couple of phone calls via the Silver Fox to get his number to make sure he checked his personal e-mail and all was sorted.  Thanks buddies.

Well, all was kind of sorted…… Toby decided to answer ‘Yes’ to the Extra Diver’s medical questionnaire saying that he’s suffered from Asthma in the past.  This meant that we needed to take a taxi ride (an adventure in itself) to Aqaba’s brand new military hospital to sort out a medical certificate.  Here we were met with staff who couldn’t be more helpful and personal service from an NCO who took us from one department to the next to ensure everything was sorted.  I’d like to think that the service provided by the NHS for a Jordanian visiting the UK would be just as efficient.

Anyway, back to the diving:  Our first dive was on the Extra Divers house reef.  Frogfish, lion fish, nudibrancs. Lots of coral and a fair sized turtle.  The water may have only been a chilly 24degC (been diving in the Gulf too long) and the coral may not have been up to Damaniyats standards but with 20m visibility and only a 50m walk from the dive office, we couldn’t complain.

On the basis of this, we decided to sign up to the afternoon boat dive on the local wreck, the ‘Cedar Pride’.  This is a 100m long cargo ship which was deliberately sunk in the 1980s on the orders of King Hussain as he and his family liked diving and wanted to offer other divers something more than endless coral reefs.  The result is a FANTASTIC wreck in 25 metres with 30 metres of visibility.  Could it get much better?  Well yes it could actually.  Rather than being a stripped bare hull, The Cedar Pride was sunk with all the interesting bits left on it.  Windlasses, windows, masts and doors all covered with just the right amount of growth to make a really pleasant dive. A couple of King fish minding their own business within sight of the anchor line just topped it all off. 

It was another trip to the Dara last Friday. We didn’t mean to go there three weeks running but Geoff wanted a swift getaway so couldn’t manage one of our longer trips. In practice this meant either the Dara or the Victoria Star, both close to shore and both dived a lot recently. In the time-honoured fashion a coin went into the air (“jugs or dirhams?”) and came down Dara side up.

The trip out was reasonably calm and the anchor went securely into the wreck just above the cathedral. Compared to recent experience, the viz wasn’t as good as two weeks ago but much better than last week and the current was minimal. This made for a much better experience. What seems to be the resident turtle came up for a couple of gulps of air while we were on the boat and one or two lucky divers saw it under water as well.

Me and Cathy decided we were going to do a bit of net cutting which meant we didn’t see a lot of the wreck other than our chosen spot though we did have a tour of the cathedral on the way back to the anchor. Net cutting tends to disturb a lot of sediment producing poor viz in the vicinity but plenty of fish who ignore the divers in pursuit of an easy snack. It will take plenty more dives to make a significant difference overall but we left our little patch significantly cleaner.

And so back to the club for a 4th July glass or two – happy Independence Day!

We went back to the Dara last Friday in the hope that the good viz might have survived from the week before. This would have been counter to most previous experience but you never know. We were delayed leaving the slip when Mike Anthony failed to carry out an adequate “butty check” (ouch) and had to nip back to his car and retrieve his lunch.

On the way we were pleasantly surprised to find the sea almost flat calm and on hooking the wreck the current was almost non-existent. Sadly but predictably, this didn’t translate into good viz – it was pretty murky down there. Before we even got into the water a turtle came to the surface, took a couple of breaths and went back under. Although the spectacular clarity of last was missing, we did see an anemone with a couple of clownfish just forward of the promenade deck and a shoal of baby barracuda. There was also some booty – a long length of stainless steel chain that some boat must be upset about losing.

During the surface interval, both the sea and the current had picked up considerably which did nothing for the conditions underwater. Scope for exploration was limited by the current but some net cutting at left the wreck in a slightly better state than we found it but a sustained effort over a period of time will be needed to clear the entire wreck. Janette suggested a monthly net-cutting trip and that sounds like a good idea to me. Call that a belated New Year’s resolution.

A warm welcome to Davidson, making his first dive with us – we trust he’ll be making plenty more!

Last Friday we decided to revisit our old favourite, the Dara, hoping for better things after the previous week and its less than ideal conditions. Except having got there we found some resort divers splashing around so we decided to head off elsewhere first. The first idea was to go to Cathy’s Barge which was last dived three years ago. Having got there and had a look at the pimple on the seabed that the echo sounder revealed, we concluded that it wouldn’t be as exciting as all that so Plan C became the Nasteran.

The Nasteran is an upturned landing craft that was once little more than a metal box although with a few interesting swim-throughs that needed treating with some caution. The passage of time is causing the hull to break apart and revealing more areas to explore. It was in one of these that Uwe found the spare prop that now does sentry duty outside the Dive Bar.

Last time we visited there were three or four marble rays on the wreck but no such luck this time around. Still it was a pleasant dive in reasonable viz with very little current. After lunch we headed back to the Dara assuming that the other dive boat would have gone by now as was indeed the case.

It turned out to be well worth the effort. The viz was around 15m which is to say pretty spectacular. It was one of those rare occasions when you could just float around a few metres above the wreck seeing a good part of it. Mike did a bit of net clearing but the rest of us were mainly sightseeing. There was a huge shoal of snappers and assorted other batfish, angelfish, parrotfish and others. Right at the end of the dive on the bow of the ship, a turtle was swimming around and stayed for a while before gliding away into the distance.

PJ made a video of the dive, an edited version of which can be seen above.

Superstitious – moi? Last weekend was Friday 13th June and although nothing bad happened it did become a bit too much like hard work in the end. To start with the weather was dubious. There were waves inside the harbour and a heavy swell outside it although once moving it could have been a lot worse and we made respectable time. The targets were a couple of dhows – co-ordinates courtesy of Brian Lugg and some local fishermen. Aside from the fact that they definitely existed, nothing was known about the wrecks so there was an element of excitement about what could be down there.

The anchor hooked at the second time of asking and Mike Anthony and Brian Lugg went first over the side. Brian was in such a hurry that he overbalanced and went in a bit prematurely. “I meant to do that” he claimed afterwards. Of course! The sea had calmed a bit by now but this didn’t translate into good viz which was maybe a metre at best. The other discovery at this point was that we hadn’t hooked the wreck but a fishing pot. Mike and Brian followed the line attached the pot and a circular search located the wreck. It’s wasn’t that much to write home about to be honest although further exploration in better conditions might show the dhow in a better light (literally). 

The second dhow was only about 50m away and conditions weren’t going to be a great deal better so by popular vote we headed for the Victoria Star instead. The first divers came back reporting the visibility worse if anything with an ominous clanging as doors opened and shut in the current. Those who were left decided that enough was enough at this point which may have been a good move as the wind was picking up and the sea state with it. Although the journey back was hardly flat calm, we were travelling with the waves not against them and we escaped relatively dry.

For the next few weeks the dive club will be conspicuous for a large hole in the wall which is due to some improvements to the kid’s play area next door. Everything will be made good when the works are complete.

BSAC 406 went on tour last weekend, making a trip up to Khasab to do some diving in the Musandam with Extra Divers located at the Atana Resort (formerly Golden Tulip). We last went up there about a year ago. Compared to that trip the numbers were slightly down but at least this time we all made it over the border without the comedy of errors that nearly resulted in one or two of us not making it. No such trauma this time around – some of us arrived on Thursday night with the remainder travelling up on Friday morning. Those of travelling Thurday could not help but notice the rough sea state and we could only hope for better seas on Friday.

Leaving the harbour in the morning, the sea was appeared slightly calmer and we could relax and soak up the magnificent scenery of the Hajar mountains rising out of the sea with wooden dhows at anchor as they must have been since time immemorial. Says Mike Anthony “Just look at that block wall. Not sure about the breakwater though – the armour’s packed a bit tight”
Pure poetry! Engineers are born not made I always say and I speak as one myself.

Calm though the water may have been in harbour but in open sea as we headed up the coast it was quite a lot rougher. This didn’t seem to trouble Abdul, the boat skipper who simply put his head down and opened the throttles. “I wonder if he’s related to _____ or _____ ?” I thought, the two people in question being noted for their uncompromising approach to boat driving. Looking at Abdul, probably not.

After about an hour of travelling we arrived at Musandam Island at the tip of Oman in the Strait of Hormuz. The first dive site was named “Deep Purple” on account of the corals. It was a bit flat at the point of entry with assorted but not overly abundant fish swimming around. As we went around the reef the terrain became more rugged and the fish more plentiful. We saw angelfish, triggerfish, batfish, parrotfish and most of the usual reef suspects along with a solitary but enormous barracuda. The current was close to non-existent making for a very relaxing dive.

During the surface interval a couple of devil rays (like mantas but smaller) came flying out of the water. We also saw a solitary bird of prey perched on the cliff looking down, lord (or possibly lady) of all it surveyed.

The second dive was also on Musandam Island but round the corner on a site called “Barracuda Ride”. This was quite a contrast to the first dive. Dive Master Kurt had described it as a drift dive and he wasn’t joking – there was only one direction it was possible to travel (fast). This wasn’t to everyone’s taste but most made it round the corner. The highlight was a 1.5m leopard shark seen by a few of us – the last time I saw one was at least 12 years ago.

While we were de-kitting there was another surprise – a sailfish flying out of the water. The trip back was a lot smoother than the way out and hence a bit quicker. A night dive had been on offer if there were enough takers but the bar proved a more powerful attraction for the majority at this point. This was followed by a very good buffet meal on the terrace washed down by a glass or two. There are worse ways to spend a weekend.

Many thanks to Geoff who organised the weekend, to Kurt and Sandra of Extra Divers and to boat skipper Abdul. The divers were: Mike, Wendy, Ian, Cathy, Andy, Emily and Geoff. Mention should also be made of Martin, a Dutchman from Aberdeen who was sharing our boat and who joined us afterwards at the dinner table.