Greenfaulds Divers

Day 3 – Unfortunately the predicted storm was upon us! Bill (and his weak stomach) thought it wise to stay ashore. Four of us ventured back out on the boat with some of our Edinburgh colleagues to try to find a sheltered diving spot in the Sound.

Dive 7: We found a suitably sheltered spot for a wall dive around Calve island in the north of the Sound with a little protection from the island of Mull. As with the previous wall dives we had fairly good visibility revealing a picturesque wall covered in life for a very pleasant and gentle drift dive.

On our return to the boat we could see the gathering storm but still hoped to find another sheltered area for a further dive. However the worsening weather and a recurrent alarm from the boat’s warning systems meant we had to take the disappointing decision to cancel the rest of the diving. We had a choppy return to the harbour to be greeted with high winds and torrential rain. After a quick change we left Lochaline for the drive back through some of the most severe weather I have seen for some time. A number of trailers and campervans, which had blown over, littered the Rannoch moor.

Despite the early finish all agreed that this was a great trip (thanks to Scott for organising it) and we all hope to return again for further diving.

Day 2 – A 9am start saw us join the boat for a series of three dives including two wrecks. The weather held although we were aware of a gathering storm that was to hit us the following day.

Dive 4: Our first port of call was the wreck of the SS Shuna which sits on the bottom at around 25 metres. We descended the shot line to approximately midships and toured the wreck in two groups of three. Visibility was only a few metres but this still allowed us to get a good feel for the wreck. The wreck was covered in corals and Plumose anemones plus some smaller finds including some polycera nudibranchs. You can see the pics on our Flickr page, link to the right hand side.

Dive 5: Another wall dive for our next dive at Auliston point. We dropped in from the boat for a leisurely drift along the wall at around 25 metres. The wall was covered in an awesome display of corals, anemones and tube worms with hardly a bare patch to be seen. Following the dive we had a brief shore break for a wander around Tobermory including a trip to a cake shop!

Dive 6: The next dive took us to another wreck, The Rondo. This wreck lies on a very steep incline with the bow at only 5-6 metres and the stern at a narcosis inducing 50m. We were not prepared for those depths so we were given a strict warning to watch our depth and not be lured to greater depths as we explored the wreck. As with the wall it was hard to find a bare patch of metal on the ship. A covering of anemones and corals and a variety of fish lurking around the superstructure makes this ship a pleasure for lovers of wildlife as well as those who prefer rusting metal!

Back on shore we returned to the lodge for a hearty chilli served by our chef (and expedition officer) Scott before visiting the Lochaline Social club for some beers, a game of pool and the most embarrassing attempt at darts!

Day 1 – Scott, Colin, Darryl & Andrew got an early start on the Friday morning, meeting up in Crianlarich for morning coffee, before heading further north for a few dives on the way to Mull.

Dive 1: For our first dive we went to Bonawe Quarry on the north side of Loch Etive. A small sheltered inlet from the body of the loch itself. As there is little tidal flow the loch was very silty which reduced vision considerably. A few minutes into the dive you encounter a small wreck which was the highlight of the dive. Returning by the same route it was hard to keep track of each other.

Dive 2: Travelling further north to Loch Creran we paused for lunch before our second dive on Queenie reef. As we kitted up for the dive a lone seal popped it’s head up just off the shore and watched us for a few minutes. It obviously didn’t like what it saw as it disappeared as we entered the water. We initially crossed a sandy bottom, encountering a small patch of Firework anemones before encountering the reef. amongst the stones of the reef we found many brittle stars and larger starfish and one large dogfish. A number of tube worms and anemones decorated the rocks themselves.

Dive 3: So on to Mull and Lochaline itself. We arrived late afternoon and were grateful to get a tank fill from the local dive centre at 7pm in order to do an evening dive. We dived from the Hotel shore beach just before dusk. A seemingly endless backwards walk across the shallow beach finally reaches a drop-off and a picturesque wall dive. As night was approaching we saw a number of creatures which may be more shy during the day including large numbers of feather stars and a cute little cuttlefish. The wall itself was covered in life with large numbers of peacock tube worms which were also less timid than usual.

On returning to land we were met by our skipper for the weekend and also by Robert and Bill who had driven up after work. We were sorry to hear that Paul would not be joining us as he had a bad cold with thoroughly blocked sinuses. We had our evening meal in the Hotel and retired to the lodge for some sleep. Here we met new friends from Edinburgh who were to join us for the boat diving.