DIVE THE SOUND OF MULL 1 - 8 JULY 2012
This is a week long trip, travelling up to Lochaline By Oban, a small village located 44 miles west of Fort William, on Sunday, 1st July for six days diving from Monday, 2nd to Saturday, 7th - returning home on Sunday, 8 July 2012.
This is a wreck and reef recreational trip for 12 divers, including three dives per day - that's 18 dives in total with Lochaline Boat Charters http://www.lochaline-boats.co.uk/AboutUs.html, with additional oppotunities to shore dive. We will be diving from 'Peregrine' 13.3 metres long & 'Brendan' 11.3 metres long, virtually identical Aquastar M.C.A. boats, providing easy access to the clear waters of the Sound of Mull. Both boats will have hydraulic diver lifts at the stern (by the time we arrive), heated cabins, on board air compressors (for refills between dives), cooking facilities and deep 'V' hulls, noted for their seakeeping qualities. Nitrox fills are available from the Lochaline Dive Centre, a few minutes walk away from our mooring. Trimix and Helium are also available (by prior arrangement). Below are links to articals about diving in the Sound of Mull from Diver & Dive Magazine.
The Sound of Mull is a superb dive destination on the west coast of Scotland, boasting some of Britain's best wreck dives, in addition to an abundance of drift, scenic and shore dives. Most of the dive sites accessable by boat I've researched tend to be in the 25M to 35M depth range. Well known dives from Lochaline are the Hispania, John Preston, Rondo, Meldon, Breda, Thesis, Shuna, Swan (with prior permission), Falls of Lora, The Garvellach Islands, Ardtornish Point, Pennygown Quarry, Tapti, Nevada, General Consul, Aurania, Ardmore Point, Auliston Point, Calve Island, Bo Fascadale, Danny's Buoy, Elizabeth Rock, Loch Sunart and diving around the Isle of Muck. In recent years, there has been an increase in sighting of Basking Sharks, so keep your fingers crossed! Below are links to four Divernet Wreck Tours - we'll be diving all of these wrecks. A detailed list of many of the dive sites can be found at the bottom of this post, please use the map for reference.
We will be staying at the nearby Morvern Dive Lodge for seven nights (Sunday night to the following Saturday night, inclusive), which offers spacious and comfortable accommodation http://www.morverndivelodge.com/. The property has six twin bedrooms, all recently refurbished in a modern house. Facilities include central heating throughout with a cosy woodburning stove in the lounge (if required), and large private grounds with off road parking. Linen, towels, dinner, bed & breakfast are all included in the package price. Packed lunches are provided at extra cost, more details will follow shortly. The Morvern Dive Lodge is only five minutes walk away from the mooring and local shops, so we have plenty of options for lunch something to do in the evenings.
This trip costs £475 for club members or £495 for non club members, it includes six days diving, with three dives per day and seven nights accommodation from Sunday, 1 to Saturday, 7 July 2012 including dinner, bed & breakast.
It excludes the cost of getting there (diving the 556 miles from SW19, South West London is the most ecomonical option, we'll sort out car sharing arrangements nearer the time), gas-fills, other meals and drinks and general spending money.
Gas prices:
On board air fills for 12ltr, 15ltr and twin-set cylinders - £3.50 each
32% Nitrox fills from the Lochaline Dive Centre:
12ltr & 15ltr cylinders - £8.50 each.
12ltr twin-sets - £12.50 each.
O2 is - 1.5p per ltr.
Trimix & Helium prices, available on request.
Diver certification, dive kit and previous experience. All diving will be planned within recreational limits down to 40 metres, and subject to prevailing weather and sea conditions each day. Minimum diver qualification is PADI Advanced Open Water or equivalent, the ability to deploy a DSMB is essential, some recent boat diving experience would be useful. Having further PADI certifications in Enriched Air Diving, Deep Diving and Wreck Diving or equivalents, will help you to get the most out of this trip. Full scuba diving kit, including an appropriate exposure suit, DSMB, reel and a good torch, having a back up mask, DSMB and torch is a good idea. If you plan to use a single cylinder, carrying a redundant air supply such as a Pony cylinder is highly recommended. Divers must be over 21 years of age and logged 50 dives. If this is your first trip with the organiser, you will be asked to provide evidence of your certification and experience, remember to bring your logbook and certification cards with you.
To book a place on this trip, a £165 deposit is required, the balance is payable 6 weeks (42 days) before the trip, that's Monday, 21 May 2012.
Health and saftey on the trip. It is important you listen carefully to all safety briefings while you are on this trip and follow the instructions you are given at all times, both in and out of the water. Make sure you dive within the limits of your dive certification, experience and comfort level. If you experience a dive related problem, make others aware of it immediately. Familiarise yourself with each dive site where possible and agree a dive plan with your buddy. In an emergency, you are reminded you have responsibility for the first actions to effect a successful rescue, without endangering yourself.
Please note. Care has been taken to ensure the information about this trip is both a fair and accurate representation of what you will receive and the magnitude of cost you will incur. Neither Dive Wimbledon or the trip organiser accept any responsibility for errors, omissions or changes which may result in an increase in cost and/or changes to the itinerary. By booking a place/s on this trip, you accept that Dive Wimbledon and the trip organiser have no duty of care to you or others on the trip and understand we are merely facilitating the hire of the boat and accommodation.
For more information, diver training courses and to hire dive gear at competitive rates:
Contact Roger Hirst and the team at Dive Wimbledon on 020 8540 6874
Details of dive sites in the Sound of Mull.
- Hispania: This Swedish merchant vessel (644 net tonnes) sank in 1954. This wreck remains fairly intact and although she is gradually disintegrating with time, she remains one of Scotland's finest wreck dives. The amount of marine growth over the hull during the summer months is quite exceptional. A slack water dive.
- Shuna: Wrecked in 1913 while carrying a cargo of coal, the steel steamship Shuna, built in Holland (880 net tonnes) was discovered in 1991, and lies intact and upright in 30 metres (16 metres to the deck). The wreck is diveable at all states of the tide.
- Fuinary Rocks: An interesting scenic dive inside of the navigation marker amidst a series of reefs and gullies close to the shore. Plenty of life among the rocks.
- Rondo: Wrecked in 1935, this tramp steamer (2363 gross tonnes and 80 metres in length), lies bow down in 54 metres on a steep slope with the stern in 9 metres. The ship is still reasonably intact and there is a route between the keel and the rock face at about 27 metres. A slack water dive.
- Pennygown Quarry: Running out from the shore, the sand slopes down to 20 metres before hitting a sheer cliff-face to 70 metres. Rock strata here run diagonally, forming lots of crevices for marine life.
- John Preston: The wreck of the Welsh Schooner John Preston, built in 1855 in North Wales, lies on a ledge in 14-18 metres of water. This scattered wreck, and the steep wall nearby, make for an interesting dive at all states of the tide.
- Lochaline Pier: This is an excellent shore dive on a drop-off to over 90 metres. Sponges, anemones, soft corals and lots of fish make this a very enjoyable dive. The site is well known as a deep dive training location.
- Lochaline Hotel Beach: Another shore dive and a variation of Dive No.1. The sandy beach in front of the hotel shelves gradually off onto a steep wall, but the lagoon area, with its sandy bottom and interesting marine life makes a good training site for inexperienced divers.
- Avon Rock: Shallow reef inshore of the red navigation marker directly opposite Lochaline. Boulders, crevices, and a steep slope to 50 metres on the outer side provide an interesting scenic dive.
- Evelyn Rose: The Grimsby Trawler Evelyn Rose (130 net tonnes) was wrecked on Ardtornish Point in 1954 with the loss of all but two of her crew. To the best of our knowledge, this wreck lies in deep water and has not been found.
- Ardtornish Bay: Often a productive scallop dive where gravel and mud lie on the flat gradual sea-bed gradients of the inner bay. For a good scenic dive, follow the boulder slope inshore from Ardtornish Point towards the bay. Be aware that strong currents can occur around the point and plan any dive here carefully.
- Scallastle Bay: Marked on old charts as an Admiralty Anchorage Area, this bay is littered with wreckage. Somewhere in the bay lies the remains of a wartime bomber (Lancaster or Shackleton). There are still witnesses in Lochaline who remember her going down.
- Ballista: Lost in 1975, while salvaging coal from another ship lost nearby, her funnel is visible at low water making her easy to locate. A good shallow dive or wreck dive for novices, lying in a reasonably sheltered position.
- HMS Dartmouth: Fifth Rate Royal Naval Frigate lost in 1690 and designated under the Protection of Wrecks Act 1973. This wreck can only be dived under licence from Historic Scotland. The Lochaline Dive Centre currently runs a visitor scheme enabling sport divers to dive on the wreck. See course information for further details.
- Thesis: Wreck of a Belfast steamer (151 net tonnes) lost in 1889 lies at right angles to the shore, with her bow in 12 metres, and her stern in 30-35 metres. Structurally intact and encrusted with marine life. Fantastic photographic dive.
- The Swan: This wreck of a small warship lost in 1653, lies against the rocks beneath Duart Castle and is currently being investigated by professional underwater archaeologists. She is designated under the Protection of Wrecks Act 1973. This wreck can only be dived under licence from Historic Scotland by prior arrangement.
These are some of the dive sites easily accessible from Lochaline. There are many more. Lochaline Boat Charters is also well located for diving areas outside the Sound of Mull. Weather permitting, dive sites in Loch Sunart, Coll or Tiree, the west coast of Mull, Oban, and the Firth of Lorne are all within reach.
Cancellation Policy. Deposit refunds for cancellations made in advance of the balance due date can only be given once the trip is full and another diver has taken your place. For cancellations made after the balance has been paid, no refund can be given until your place is sold to another diver. If we are successfull, you will receive a full refund, minus any reduction agreed between you and the buyer of your place. In the event of adverse weather conditions or "force majeur" causing cancellation of the arrangements, your payment for that part of the booking will be refunded after the trip. This only applies to day boat charter fees, it excludes accommodation, admission fees and liveaboards, unless specifically stated in the trip details.