Cornwall - 2003
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I then spent the next few days with broken legs, severe lacerations, burns and unconscious and that was just on land.
In the water I panicked, ran out of air, fell unconscious repeatedly, fell out of the RHIB a few times etc. etc. I must have been the buddy from hell, but at least it was all in the name of learning.
I thought the RDC was fun to do, it is even more fun to play the victim!
After all that fun it was time to get some proper diving in again, we had an afternoon to spare so I took the RDC students for a proper dive around Basket Rock. Another shallow dive but it was another chance to make sure my kit configuration was just right and to get to know these guys because we would be diving together the next day.
James Egan Layne - DIVE THIS WRECK - words are not enough to describe the feeling of awe as we descended the shot-line to the prow. Until I've done the wreck divers course I shall be stuck with only seeing the outside of this once magnificent vessel. Even though there was still plenty to see, and being a weekday we were the only four divers on it, vis was good, plenty of life to see I could go on but I won't, you've got to see for yourselves.
There was one hitch for the dive though...
...the ship is broken across the middle and the stern has settled some distance from the main superstructure, so the dive plan was to descend to 20m follow the port side of the ship to the break in the hull and review our respective tank pressures. At this stage we would either double back on ourselves or cross the vessel to the starboard side and return to the prow that way. Each of us had more than 120 bar and so the decision to travers e the vessel was taken.
Within a few metres of finning the vis closed right in so that seeing your hand in front of you face became near impossible, I kept checking on the three guys behind me and after only a few seconds lost sight of them completely. Initially (especially as this had never happened before) I was more than a little unnerved, however I searched for a minute and then surfaced, all three were on the surface waiting for me. On returning to the boat I found out they had surfaced only a few seconds before me.
Lessons Learned
Trust your training it works, 1 minute search, 3 minute safety stop and we still hit the surface at near enough the same time.
Maybe we were unlucky with current or surge or something affecting our vis, but... I shall never deviate from the exterior of a wreck again until I have the appropriate training. I didn't consider that traversing the broken section could be dangerous, now I know differently.
Sherbertary Reef, following the excitement of the JEL this was a nice relaxing dive, 19m, good vis and plenty of life (lobster, crab, urchins, fish etc. etc.), there was a slight current but nothing to shout home about.
All in all a very enjoyable week.