Summer/Autumn 2012 unknown sites bring delight Tim Slow The dive boat Unknown Sites is a part of the the early bird Advanced Diver course, a part The tides dictated early starts to get which many regard as the most two slacks at the lighthouse on both challenging and trickiest to get days so I opted for a later start on the signed off. It involves planning, first day to get a cracking wreck The managing and navigating to sites Alaunia on Saturday at slack in the unknown to the dive organiser lighthouse area and then a drift over over a weekend period. The Shoals. This was followed by a 6:15am start Last year, my first attempt at this in on Sunday taking us beyond Hastings Salcombe was blown out so when down the coast where the slack was in The harbour Steve Lawson said he was going the middle of the tidal range for a great to arrange an Eastbourne boat, I wreck, The Argonaut, then back for thought perhaps I could take it over slack on low tide for another liner and manage it as an Unknown Sites The Oceana. weekend. Besides, the old man was Added bonuses were the easy going to be a Grandad just after the access into Eastbourne, the excellent weekend, so I thought it only fair! new marina/harbour complex with So the boat ‘Dive125’ was booked free nearby parking, a loading jetty for Eastbourne and twelve of us duly right opposite and facilites for beer agreed to head off to the south coast afterwards in the marina complex. in the second week of August. Saturday’s diving was followed by a Thai meal in the evening which was Divers enjoy the air show wreck diving delights enjoyed by all. Not to mention that we The boat was advertised as Sports also chose the same weekend as the Diver (35m max) and after a quick chat Eastbourne Airshow. with the skipper it appeared that there are some great wrecks not too far out housemaids knee of Eastbourne in that exact range. Our Dive Officer – Mr Jewson – was There is a lighthouse (that looks like invigilating your poor luckless author an oil rig) about 7.5 Nm off shore with on the weekend: “where are we now”, some wrecks around it – I wonder “what is the depth likely to be”, “what why! Note this is not a lightship as the does that buoy mean”, “how far to charts indicate as the lightship was replaced in the 1970s. continues on page 2 Steph finds a handy place for a kip www.bracknellscuba.org.uk deep unknown sites bring delight thoughts continued from front page Martin Hamilton the wreck” and making him jump off due to conditions being borderline a soggy season through various other navigational impacting ingress onto the boat. and assorted hoops much to the I can’t talk about the fantastic diving amusement (but heartfelt and warming early doors we’ve had over the summer because support) from the fellow divers as Sunday is that early start, 6.15am. most was cancelled and although the well as the skipper and his missus. Even earlier if you have to be up to hosepipe ban was inconvenient for The presence of ‘housemaids knee’ add the finishing touches to the ruddy washing dive gear, just leaving it out in the rain for a day had a similar effect. was felt on my scuffed knees for passage plans and charts. But its a over a week afterwards as I resorted long chug to The Argonaut, a luxury Personally most of my diving has been under blue skies and calm waters to balancing maps on the seat and steam yacht sitting upright with 38m because I have been in NDAC and squatting on the floor with the boat in the scour holes but 25m to the top Wraysbury for my rebreather course, bouncing all over the place with of the deck. The vessel is famous for and had dives in Italy with Terry Ede – various instruments flying about. being used as a tour cruise ship and now a potential dive holiday location. The distance off shore also made being the first package tour to sink. The rebreather is my next stage in the spotting of transits difficult at the She sits mainly intact, a great dive diving allowing me to safely dive more wreck sites but the site was duly found enjoyed by all. adventurously. Not long ago I never and shotted for the first dive on The Full steam back to The Oceana gave wanted to go deeper than 40m or do Alaunia – a large Cunard liner. us a surface interval, and another more than 10 minutes deco. I have learnt to never say never and that using a A great dive to a maximum depth of liner – a bit smaller but still massive – rebreather is like learning to dive again. about 28m at the sea bed with the bow rumoured to still have some of the gold For our new divers, trust me I feel your forming a lattice work of girders and a and silver bars and many of the P&O pain, buoyancy, mask clears, which massive ten tonne anchor suspended artefacts still intact...but none found after 20 years of diving should be over the side – motionless in the by us. She is another great wreck with second nature to me. gloom that you had resist the urge to fabulous visibility up to 10 metres. This reminds me how fortunate we push – an effort that only results in the All in all, fantastic wreck diving with are as a club to have so many of our diver going backwards (something another chance for some penetration members giving up their time to training and keeping our club running. We have to do with Newton and some second and easy swim throughs. 30 or more qualified instructors, who law)...Jeff Reed could explain! regularly give up their time to help us Getting a bit lumpy as we headed back again next year with our diving. There is a financial cost back to shore to watch the airshow So Eastbourne then...they are all and often you guys sacrifice your own during the surface interval. Then plusses generally. Great diving – better diving to go to Wraysbury, or dive The heading back past the lighthouse than expected from those that hadn’t Countess when The Sky would be so much more tempting. I can’t name you to The Shoals for the second dive, a been before. I think it would be safe to all, but please take this as a personal hardy five divers had to be told it was say there are some cracking wrecks thanks for everything. within easy access, and the tidal At the upcoming AGM we elect a new patterns mean it is possible to get two committee, and we need volunteers. It great wrecks dives in a day albeit with can be hard, frustrating but rewarding an early start. work. This year our membership has The general view from the whole boat grown so we must be doing something was that Eastbourne should not remain right. Nic Hallett has nomination forms, so please come forward. an ‘Unknown Site’ for regular club dives. It’s easy to get to, less than two Finally in an attempt to take the dullness hours drive and great diving. We also out of the winter, our Social Secretary has organised a number of events, and had good weather and visibility – ideal we have a number of invited speakers. for club diving. Any more ideas please let me know. Next year then, likely that Lawson Safe diving and Slow or someone similar with be Surface interval booking Eastbourne again. 2 making strides our first sea dives Nick Kendrick-Thomas At last! After almost a year we’re she returned to the boat for Ian Vine’s finally on our first sea dive. This help whilst we held on to the shot. In would not be happening for me the meantime Gill decided to take-up but for the sterling efforts of our or invent a new sport, scuba macrame, instructors, who gave up their time using the nearest bit of rope available, to cover missed lectures and lake the one attached to the marker buoy. dives that we were unable to attend. What a tangle! Good lesson for us To you all I offer my thanks. beginners on how easily things can happen. Erica returned and we were Not the best start to the weekend, car able to complete our CBL and towing accident on the way home, delay to exercise. Poor Erica, what a weight she setting off, have we got everything? had to pull. Back on board using the Yes thanks to pre-planning and a lift, – that was fun – I wonder how easy brilliant wife. The journey down was that would be in a choppy sea? thankfully uneventful and we arrived Gill delivers the dive briefing to Nick at our B&B at 10pm. Erica went to surface interval our room to study whilst I took a short The boat moved off astern, a quick constitutional – a medicinal visit to a rev of the engine, a lung full of diesel local hostelry was in order – a good fumes and the gentle swell...I was end to a frantic start. sorting my kit for the second dive head down, big mistake! Whoops there taking the plunge goes my hearty breakfast. Brian, the A good breakfast and off to the boat.