Summer solstice weekend dives 2025

So from yesterday's dive:

A great trip out to dive the M2. The sea state was lumpy going around the Bill, but both crews coped admirably.

The club had a crack crew of Chris, Warren, Anna and Mark in C-Servant and Martin and Ken with Gill kindly acting as non-diving cox in Fido.

We arrived as planned at 11am and promptly shotted the wreck. We then waited for the current to drop to a diveable level. Sadly, the charterboat Waverider then turned up, so we'd have to share the wreck. Slack water was 12:40pm but given the need to dive in waves the first pairs were planned and did go in at 11:50am. Martin and Ken were the first out, and Martin took over coxing C-Servant, allowing Anna and Mark to kit up and get in.

Visibilty was excellent at around 6m. The wreck sits upright in 34m of water. On the seabed queenie scallops snapped about with crabs and a lobster in the scour near the shot. Up on the hull the seaplane rails led back from an impressively sharp bow to the plane hanger. Here a profusion of bib hovered above the deck, peppered with the odd very large pollack. Passed the hanger the conning tow sits tall, and behind that are structures that once held the gun. All this is at approx. 30m. Back and up to the conning tower with various tubes, pipes and the remains of the periscope at 20m. It seemed every tube contained congers or tompot blennies. Much of the inner section of the conning tower is covered with colonies of jewel anemones.

All divers happy and back aboard the boats, the wind hadn't dropped, the decision was made to get back to Portland and dive the Countess of Erne as the second dive. Warren and Mark chose to sit this one out and acted as boat cover (chatting with Gill) while pairs Martin and Ken, and Anna and Chris spent most of their dives playing with seals, rather than paying much attention to the wreck.

At the end of the day, we had all had a great time and the boats were washed down ready for their next trip.