Lochaline is quite a long way away so getting up there took most of the first weekend with Steve, James and Craig staying in Glasgow with Simon M; Andy and Simon F towing Sea Horse via a rellie in Whitehaven and the rest of us stopping at Paul’s folks. Some of us were more fashionably late than others due to being too weak and pathetic to physically lift the over-efficiently packed crates of food to the car and having to find a man to help. The detour to the Lakes involved a legendary tea-slurping competition, a very late night, much appreciation of an adorable cat/dog combo and Clare breaking the loo. Sensibly Tom marshalled no diving on Sunday so after a yummy breakfast we were off, stopping off at Loch Lomond and Glencoe (and Glasgow for a siesta) en route before accidentally rendezvousing at the Corran Ferry with Steve and Orca.

There was much boat fixing and breaking (usually in that order). Poor Orca’s hull met with some rocks as her owner was recovering her for us to use. Despite Craig’s best efforts to fix her it became apparent that she was out of the equation. But not before Steve towed her all the way to Lochaline anyway, thus ensuring Ali’s excellent t-shirt design remained current. So it was down to Sea Horse and the valiant Sea Moose who, despite having waves in the floor (and the sides when she wasn’t pumped up properly), and Craig bursting the keel (twice), made it possible for everyone to go diving all of the time. Which most people did apart from Clare.

The diving was fantastic and the vis was pretty good. The wrecks were amazing and varied enough to all be interesting. The Hispania looked more beautiful than a lump of metal really aught, covered in plumrose anemones, tube worms and dead mans fingers. The Rondo, almost vertical, was dramatic and disorientating and good for safety stops. The Shuna was upright and intact but silty. The Breda was full of cool stuff (tyres, tiles, rubber, cans, glass, planes, gasmasks etc) and the Thesis (which Tom inevitably had to face in the end!) had loads of amazing swim-throughs lit through the ribs in the hull.

Unfortunately three people ran out of air which, although they were all fine, is obviously three people too many. So in future we all need to check our air more. And our buddy’s. Lots. Seriously.

Pretty much everyone went deeper than ever before. Most remarkably Paul and Luke who took days to plan and prepare for an extreme 91m dive on the Buitenzorg which worried everyone, especially as we listened to the Mayday calls over the VHF radio and the unfurling story of a lost diver just up the Sound. But after 2 hours (6 mins descent and 12 mins bottom time) they were back and fine. Except for Luke who was a bit clicky for a while.

Lots of people took fab pics (see FB), including Muhan’s seminal shot ‘not a nudi’. Ali and Mary eventually established that they did, in fact, have a video camera after all and once they’d corrected the buoyancy with lead from the Rondo, took lots of footage of buddy checks and descending the shot line. Lochaline :The Movie is currently in post-production and will be on general release next term.

The weather went rain, sun, rain, sun, mist, rain, sun, sun, rain, mist, rain, sun, etc but we didn’t lose any days diving. We saw conga eels, nudibranch, cuttlefish and butterfish, seals, porpoises, shooting stars and a man with a half-white moustache. We lost the shot on the Buitenzorg, Ali and Mary’s pink squiddie, our patience with Piotr’s reel, my sunnies (due to BH James somehow stopping dead in the water from 25 knots), Clare and Craig and the Whale. We gained Simon Milling.

And there was meat. Lots of it, thanks to Meat Officer Simon F. Steve set the bar high on the first night with his Chicken and Chorizo rice but we continued to enjoy consistently yummy dinners and bacon for brekkie each and every day. We foraged scallops, crabs, horse mussels, squat lobsters and rum cake. On Lochaline peer between dives we dodged wasps and rain for haggis and barge specials and bambi burgers. We had real ale on tap (which was lucky coz the pub was slightly disappointing), Lochaline cocktails, rum parties in the Dive Bus and whiskey with lager chasers. Somehow we failed to get through the 35 plus malt loaves and all the beer though. Definitely not enough drinking games / eating challenges.

There are, of course, many memories I don’t have (Steve’s sugar high with the glow sticks? Muhan’s jellyfish impression? Swimming in Lake Windermere and Loch Lomond? Wrestling over a Custard Cream wrapper?) so please excuse what is missing and feel free to add anything that really should be recorded for posterity. Thanks so much for reading and to all those who came along for being brilliant. Below is a proper record of the diving we did.

Thanks again and happy diving 🙂

Dive Log

Monday Marshal Paul        
           
Wave 1          
           
Sea Horse Hispania   Sea Moose Shuna  
Tom     Paul    
Steve     Sarah    
Muhan     Andy    
Craig          
Piotr          
Ali          
Mary          
           
Wave 2          
           
SH Hispania   SM Shuna  
           
Mary Margriet   Clare Muhan  
Steve Sarah   Piotr Craig  
Simon Andy Tom      
Paul Luke        
           
Wave 3 Shore (used tanks)      
Ali Mary        
           
           
Tuesday Marshal Craig        
           
Wave 1          
           
SH Rondo BH James SM Shuna BH Craig
Sarah Ali   Craig Tom  
Paul Luke   Simon Margriet  
Muhan Piotr   (Clare no dive)    
Mary Andy        
           
Wave 2          
           
SH Pennygown Quarry SM Thesis BH Paul  
Craig Steve   Mary Ali  
Simon Margriet Andy Sarah Piotr  
Luke Tom        
           
Wave 3 Shore (used tanks)      
Piotr Andy        
           
           
Wednesday Marshal Clare        
           
Wave 1          
           
SH Rondo BH James SM Thesis BH Luke
Paul Piotr   Sarah Muhan Margriet
Steve Craig   (Andy no dive)    
Ali Mary Tom      
Simon Clare        
           
Wave 2          
           
SH Pennygown Quarry BH James SM Avon Rock BH Steve
Luke Paul   Tom Andy Craig
Ali Simon Clare      
Sarah Mary        
           
           
Thursday Marshal Tom        
           
Wave 1          
           
SH & SM Shuna        
Sarah Piotr Andy      
Muhan Tom        
Mary Ali        
Paul Luke        
Margriet Steve        
Simon F Simon M        
           
Wave 2          
           
SH Funiary Rocks BH Simon F      
Tom Sarah        
Muhan Margriet        
Simon M Andy        
Ali Piotr        
(Mary no dive)          
           
Wave 3 Night Dive        
Simon Andy Piotr      
           
           
Friday Marshal Steve        
           
Wave 1          
           
SH *Breda BH Paul SM Shuna  
Sarah Simon M   Tom Steve Mary
Piotr Margriet        
Ali Muhan        
Andy Simon F        
           
Wave 2          
           
SH John Preston   SM Buitenzorg  
Andy Sarah   Paul Luke  
Muhan Steve Simon F      
Piotr Mary        
           
           
Saturday Marshal Piotr        
           
Wave 1          
           
SH *Breda BH James SM Thesis  
Sarah Paul   Andy Simon F  
Mary Luke   Simon M Ali  
Steve Muhan        
Piotr Margriet        
           
Wave 2          
           
SH Drift BH James SM Thesis BH Piotr
Margriet Simon F Sarah Paul Luke Mary
Ali Andy   Muhan Tom