“Another Swanage weekend diving has come and gone and I am pleased to report it was a stellar success, even though I organised it!” says Aaron
And it was…
Ten divers completed a total of 24 dives.
Friday 30th July
Weather was not great, a strong wind meant the planned Kimmeridge Bay was abandoned and a pier dive organised. Four brave divers had a dip, unfortunately vis wasn’t great but a few crabs, lobsters and small fry fish to be seen along with the grasses and anemones made a picturesque 45min dive. Back to shore and all headed for the pub, what else can you do when the weather is a little nautical!?
Saturday 1st August
The weather was on our side today, although a little splashy on the way out, thankfully Rick kept his brekkie in. We dived a site known as the ‘Pin Wreck’, unknown origin and named mainly because of the large brass pins holding the hull together. Vis was a good 5-6m at a depth of about 30m. A few conger eels and the usual fish life. A lovely dive well worth the chug out.
After a lovely ride back to shore, admiring the Jurassic coastline with a swap of cylinders and a spot of lunch we went back in a similar direction for the second dive of the day, although a much shorter journey to the famous Kyarra wreck. Again about 30m deep, with vis remaining at 5-8m and the sea state becoming smoother all enjoyed a great dive with Dave G finding a bottle in the wreck. I’ve personally dived this wreck 6-7 times and found something completely new each time. A really great wreck and one of the best sites in the UK to dive, if you get the chance make sure you do it, there’s everything from rust to critters…
Saturday night saw the famous BBQ hosted by Amy and I swing into action back at our campsite (that was the only swinging before anyone asks). Plenty of laughs a lot or ribbing (mainly me ?) and a few sausages and burgers. I think all had a great night and made the weekend really social with all swapping stories and discussing the diving with a few beers in hand.
Sunday 2nd August
With the weather improving further, our first dive of the day was on the Aeolian Sky, A massive modern wreck (148m long) lying at 30-35m. It rises 15m off the sea bed. My first time on this wreck and it didn’t disappoint. So much so that we ended up with a dive time of 66 minutes! A really interesting wreck with Landrover chassis visible in the holds. Lots of marine life taking over this modern cargo shop with shoals of Pouting.
Last dive of the weekend saw a quick swap of cylinders and a drift dive just in the bay as a few wanted to bring some tea home in the form of Scallops. The odd Dog Fish and Skate along the way made for a really relaxing final dive for the weekend. Paul C was lucky enough to come across a few historical pottery finds.
Exploring Kyarra
Section of Aolian Sky
Article by Aaron Hunt
