Twelve members of the club made their way up to Lochaline to meet up with the Gaelic Rose for a long weekends diving around the island of Mull. At this time of the year, more than any other time, it’s pot luck with the weather and what opportunities will avail themselves.
The weather on the Friday for a road trip through the Scottish Highlands was superb and we enjoyed views of the mountains dusted in early snow.
Saturday dawned fair and for a number of folk on board it was a first dive for a while so a couple of easy test dives were chosen. One along a fairly shallow sloping beach on the east side of the sound of Mull where plenty of Scallops were to be found the second on a scenic wall along the south shore of Loch Sunart.
Following our second dive we headed into Tobermoray harbour for a stretch of our legs around the harbour.
Saturday dawned fine although a breeze was freshening. We managed a great dive on the classic Hispania. A wreck completely covered in Marine life of all kinds.
The Hispania, a 644 tonne Swedish steamship is in the narrowest part of the sound and is very tidal and catching slack is critical to avoid the unpredictable currents on this wreck. We timed the dive perfectly and had little or no current to contend with. We also had good visibility.
One of the most enduring facts about this wreck is it’s one of the most recent known examples of the captain of a vessel choosing to go down along with his ship. Eyewitnesses in the escaping crew reported seeing Captain Ivan Dahn saluting them from the deck as the Hispania finally sank beneath the waves in December 1954.
The wind was strengthening during our dive and there was quite a swell by the time we exited the water. A second dive was undertaken at Bloody pay in the lee of the wind just north of Tobermoray.
Sunday night was spent once again in Tobermoray as a weather front passed over.
The weather was not ideal on Monday but did allow for another Wreck dive on our was back to Lochaline on another classic wreck the Shuna.
The steamship Shuna was wrecked in the Sound of Mull on 8 May 1913. She was on a voyage from Glasgow to Gothenburg carrying a cargo of coal. The wreck is perhaps the most intact wreck in the Sound of Mull although perhaps not the most pretty. It is situated out of the main current and can be a little silty when there are lots of divers on it.
Much of the inner workings of the ship are still intact and the triple expansion steam engine can be seen through the doorways of the engine room. The ships spare propeller is still on the aft deck along with winches and other machinery. The shot line brings you down to a mast amidships, giving you a good view of the whole wreck in good visibility.
Getting five dives in over a long weekend is good at this time of the year and they did provide some variety including some classic wrecks.
