The Weymouth dive weekend, held on 20th and 21st September, proved to be a memorable and lively event. The trip was organised by Rick Westwood, and divers were accommodated in two static caravans at Chesil Beach Holiday Park, located on Portland Road, Weymouth, DT4 9AG. The plan was for two dives Saturday, two dives Sunday and drive home on Monday morning, unless we had a spectacular weather window for morning diving – we didn’t.
Most divers arrived on Friday evening, ensuring they were ready to start diving the following morning. Preparations began early on Saturday, with the group launching their boat at the slipway at Osprey Quay, Portland.
The weekend saw spirited weather conditions, with wind speeds reaching Force 4 to Force 5 on Saturday. Fortunately, the weather eased slightly on Sunday, providing improved diving conditions. Tidal movements were not too dominant, as the dives took place midway between Neap and Spring tides.
On Saturday morning, the group set out in two RIBs from Portland at approximately 08:00, aiming to catch the low water slack forecast for 08:30.
After preparations on the slipway, we set out into a heavy swell for around 6.9 nautical miles with a steady rain for the journey, and arrived at the site on time.
The planned dive site was the wreck of the British Explorer, situated just outside Durdle Door at a depth of around 15 metres. Some divers, however, drifted away from the wreck and reached depths of up to 21 metres. Nobody reported a strong current.
At lunchtime we stopped by the Osprey’s ‘Salt’ café, whilst the air fills were in progress. The sun was warm, the food was good, what’s not to like?
The afternoon was just as wild, and the team set off through the rain and swell but decided to try for the landing Craft just outside the harbour. Retrieving divers from the landing Craft was a challenge, with a Lee shore, and heavy swell, although some had picked up the parallel-shore current and had a slow drift dive.
Sunday saw a much better sea, and we had a good run out to the Durdle Door reef (heading 73˚ True), towards Lulworth Cove. Many divers stayed on the reef then followed the contours down to 20 metres, and a few witnessed scallops in abundance.
We again returned for lunch, air fills, and decompression, after then taking off back to the reef with some divers taking 40 minutes to get the best of the sea life. Returning to Osprey Quay, we de-kitted and returned to our caravans, with many opting for a takeaway for dinner.
Beyond the diving itself, the group enjoyed some energetic behaviour, highlighted by performance singing and dancing during a karaoke event. These social moments contributed to the overall enjoyment of the weekend. There was also some exploration of Weymouth on Saturday evening – what goes on tour stays on tour!
