View Full Version : Bridge of Orchy Friday 3rd Aug
Anyone fancy diving the Bridge of Orchy on next Friday.
Names so far:
Regthing
Stewart
http://www.finstrokes.com/divelinks/inland/orchy.html
Looks an interesting wee site, however I am out on Selkie out of St Abbs next Friday.
I could be up for that, what time ?. I work in Bishopbriggs, well if you call what i do work :D , so could meet up and carry some other divers as well.
I'm easy on the time. Whatever suits most folk.
I'll be coming from Greenock so we could meet at the Milton Little Chef (or whatever they are now)
This is a great fresh water dive, take a camera and get pictures of the eels in the boulders at the bottom, watch your depth 8-9 max so bottom times are as long as your tank lasts you. Don't know the times of the year for salmon but brown trout should be there all the time. The weather is looking good for friday.....
Anyone fancy diving the Bridge of Orchy on next Friday.
Names so far:
Regthing
Stewart
http://www.finstrokes.com/divelinks/inland/orchy.html
i'm in, might have another guy up for it as well.
i'm in, might have another guy up for it as well.
Excellent.
Stewart has double booked himself so he might drop out.
Ding.
What is the current like? Can you fin against it or is it a scramble along the bottom?
Excellent.
Stewart has double booked himself so he might drop out.
Ding.
What is the current like? Can you fin against it or is it a scramble along the bottom?
i was almost there at the weekend, the water looks pretty calm at that part as its deep pools.
yup im double booked! port napier verses midges..hmm! so dont count me out just yet;)
yup im double booked! port napier verses midges..hmm! so dont count me out just yet;)
it's alright for some! :rolleyes: :eek:
PM'd Ding and he says that the current is only a problem in the shallows. Genrally you can hover.
Sounds good.
ok im most likely defiantly not going to make this date.
i will be getting eaten alive in Plockton that very evening after diving the Port Napier.
i will however be punished & return home looking like the 'elephant man' as im the most tastiest thing around... well according to the midges anyway
been doing this 3 years running, i can hear them licking their lips already !:mad:
midge report... 1-5 lmao... more like 20 up there.
did i mention i hate midges?:o ...groan!
ok im most likely defiantly not going to make this date.
i will be getting eaten alive in Plockton that very evening after diving the Port Napier.
i will however be punished & return home looking like the 'elephant man' as im the most tastiest thing around... well according to the midges anyway
been doing this 3 years running, i can hear them licking their lips already !:mad:
midge report... 1-5 lmao... more like 20 up there.
did i mention i hate midges?:o ...groan!
you need some Avon Skin so soft, you might smell like a gay man in Sydney during the Mardi Gra parade, but you wont be eaten as much.....
you need some Avon Skin so soft, you might smell like a gay man in Sydney during the Mardi Gra parade, but you wont be eaten as much.....
it dont work, it only lasts for a few minutes at best.
i bathed in it last year and ended up with some collection of beads.:rolleyes:
I'd be up for this but i'll need to play it by ear just now as i'm out diving alot this/next week,indoors will be giving me grief :rolleyes:
but should be ok :D
I'd be up for this but i'll need to play it by ear just now as i'm out diving alot this/next week,indoors will be giving me grief :rolleyes:
but should be ok :D
Excellent. Get her telt..:eek:
Forget about currents its like a pool, the only time you have a problem is when you have had torrential rain for weeks. so no probs now;)
Might join you as its my last day of freedom....start a contract on monday...AAaaaggggg
Brilliant. The more the merrier.
I'll finally get to meet the infamous Ding ;) :D
INfamouse get it right Famous.....LOL
What time at the thief.....?
I'm easy but I'm thinking 1900-1930 for the east coasters. Any advance on that?
We can ditch a car or two here as well to save the environment.
So far we have:
Regthing
Gedan
Gedans mate
Loudy331
Last but not least Ding
And I think infamous was correct. I've heard the tequila stories :D
Start work mon mon 29th AAAAaaagggg suppose I have to do it some time...
What's the water temp likely to be, can i wear a shortie?:D
dive granny
28-07-07, 15:07
I quite like the sound of this as I haven't done a fresh water dive! Looking at Finnstrokes site guide it says it is steep!! Is it very steep. I would need a lift if I went:)
ps Just realised it sounds like I need an 'elevator' to get in the water. I mean a lift from Glasgow if possible.
What's the water temp likely to be, can i wear a shortie?:D
probably be around 25 degrees or so.
a shortie will probably do but a full wet suit might be better. :)
Howdy
Shog69 is going to join us as well and I might have one or two from the club coming.
What time suits you all for meeting at the Milton Little Chef? Me and Shog69 are available quite early.
Ding, can you still make it or is this busy new job going to hold you back ;)
Granny, I'm sure one of the nice chaps coming from the east will offer to pick you up but if your stuck let me know.
I'm having the day off, just need to pop into work to hand over a Hilux in the morning. Loudy is coming as well, I think he's finishing work at 2pm and might be coming in the Van with me. Taking my new Hiace 280 120bhp Panel Van, so we have a midge free zone to get changed in :D . PM me and let me know what your plans are.
dive granny
30-07-07, 22:14
Howdy
Shog69 is going to join us as well and I might have one or two from the club coming.
What time suits you all for meeting at the Milton Little Chef? Me and Shog69 are available quite early.
Ding, can you still make it or is this busy new job going to hold you back ;)
Granny, I'm sure one of the nice chaps coming from the east will offer to pick you up but if your stuck let me know.
Thank you. I'll let you know. I'm still a bit concerned about the steepness of entry.:eek:
Mr Flibble
30-07-07, 22:52
I could be up for this also if thats OK.
not one to miss the opportunity, i plan to do this on Sunday on the way back down from Plockton.
perhaps around mid afternoon, depending on the hangover.:rolleyes:
will have the video camera at hand im sure & almost got my 2 lights rigged up. :)
I could be up for this also if thats OK.
The more the merrier
I'm having the day off, just need to pop into work to hand over a Hilux in the morning. Loudy is coming as well, I think he's finishing work at 2pm and might be coming in the Van with me. Taking my new Hiace 280 120bhp Panel Van, so we have a midge free zone to get changed in :D . PM me and let me know what your plans are.
Sweet :D
Mr Flibble
01-08-07, 23:28
What time and where are you lads planning to meet up for this. This sounds like fun.
Don't know but I will be bring the BBQ :D
Gonna have to bail on this, mother inlaw from NZ and wife arrive at 5.30pm. more than my life's worth not to be there. Have a great dive and i'll maybe meet everyone another time.
Mr Flibble
03-08-07, 09:31
Shog,
I can be at the Little Chef in Milton from 4.30pm onwards.
Shog,
I can be at the Little Chef in Milton from 4.30pm onwards.
4.30 is fine for me.
Loudy, have you completed the necessary negotiations yet?
How long's the drive up from Milton ?
Gonna have to bail on this, mother inlaw from NZ and wife arrive at 5.30pm. more than my life's worth not to be there. Have a great dive and i'll maybe meet everyone another time.
That's a shame. The mother in law that is :eek: (Hope Shmeeg doesn't read this :D )
Bugger you can't come diving either. However I do like how you seemed to foget that the wife was coming home at half 5 on Friday and said you would go diving :D
That's a shame. The mother in law that is :eek: (Hope Shmeeg doesn't read this :D )
Bugger you can't come diving either. However I do like how you seemed to foget that the wife was coming home at half 5 on Friday and said you would go diving :D
I thought they were arriving later which would have given me the all clear!! Just been to pick up my repaired drysuit as well.
I thought they were arriving later which would have given me the all clear!! Just been to pick up my repaired drysuit as well.
I'll post some pics for you :rolleyes: ;)
I'll post some pics for you :rolleyes: ;)
Great, be interested to hear what you guys think, it's fairly easy for me to get to, so hopefully will give it a go soon.
Mr Flibble
03-08-07, 14:36
Regthing you have a PM
Regthing you have a PM
No I don't
oh yes you do!! this could go on for some time.
oh yes you do!! this could go on for some time.
I did.... :p
I did.... :p
oh no you did'nt. ok ok just bored on a Friday afternoon trying to keep my spirit up for things to come.
Just back from Bridge of Orchy. Well the dive guide on Finstrokes states - 10m - 15m viz! Err not quite more like 10mm - 15mm :D . Amazing rock formations, small caves and overhangs but very dark, starting at 1.5m you need a good torch for this dive. Lots to explore and we will be going back again, but during the daytime and hopefully we get a dry spell as this should help with the viz.
Good Dive, thanks to Loudy, Regthing and DB1
Night
It was a good couple of dives though,the river was fairly flowing and it was like diving in a cup of tea,bouyancy? whats that :D most of the dives were spent with no air in our suits crawling along the bottom,if you made yourself neutral you were offski in the current :eek:
We saw brown trout,eels and some cracking rock formations but the highlight was a big salmon still scraping the sea lice from it's body,on the downside was a plaque where someone had drowned in 95 with the words "danger lies beneath yon water" which was sobering.
Thanks to db1,regthing and most of all shog for the lift and the bbq ;)
It was a good couple of dives though,the river was fairly flowing and it was like diving in a cup of tea,bouyancy? whats that :D most of the dives were spent with no air in our suits crawling along the bottom,if you made yourself neutral you were offski in the current :eek:
We saw brown trout,eels and some cracking rock formations but the highlight was a big salmon still scraping the sea lice from it's body,on the downside was a plaque where someone had drowned in 95 with the words "danger lies beneath yon water" which was sobering.
Thanks to db1,regthing and most of all shog for the lift and the bbq ;)
sounds like a good site and well worth a visit, maybe when we've had less rain. A good time was had by all. Back to the mother inlaw!
Aye. It was interesting. A bit further off road than the guide hints at as well.
I decided to not bother with the light cannon on the first dive due to the reported 10-15m viz. I knew I was in for a cracking dive when it hardly lit up my fins when we first got in :eek:
Good dive though. Decided not to take the camera in on the first dive to see what it was like. Would have needed a stadium lights to get a good pic not a strobe.
But it was cool playing amongst the rock formations. Definatley going back.
If anyone is going soon and finds some roof rack straps tied to a tree at the entrance their mine :( :o
Mr Flibble
05-08-07, 12:30
AAAHHHHH!!! We forgot about the straps didn't we.Access to the site is down some large steps cut in the rock just upstream of the bridge, most of the sides of the river are steep, very slippy rocks, getting out would be impossible and forget swimming back to the entry (saw Loudy at one point finning on the surface for all he was worth and only managing to stay still), just downstream of the bridge is a small bay to the right, we dropped a weighted rope down there (remembering to tie it to a tree first:o ) this is where we got out, and funnily enough this is the deepest part of the dive. We had left our gear at the waters edge here between dives, but it must have been raining heavily further north as by the time we got back for the second dive (after eating all Shog and Regthings grub :D ) the water level had risen about 3 feet and the river was running harder and we nearly lost half our gear, so we decided to stay in the wee bay and not venture out into the flow. This dive was a bit like diving in a washing machine as the current spun you round continually. It's an interesting site, would be a good second dive after maybe the Slate (you get to wash your gear out), Oh and it tastes nicer than the Clyde. Is your missus talking to you yet Loudy? I didn't get back till 2am. Thanks to the lads for a good couple of dives.
Sounds like a good day out. Sorry I couldn't make it coz the Landy is still in the garage getting the drag links replaced and I have been waiting in all weekend waiting on timewasters coming to buy my bike, then don't bother to show up :( Having said that, it has been piddling down, enough to put anybody off.
i did the Orchy today on the way back down from Plockton.
the river was flowing a little faster than i had expected, but there has been quite a bit of rain over the last few days up there.
some safety precautions put in place first, surface support with ropes, 3 exit points established, the water surface read as there was evidently strong up & down currants & one test diver to be thrown in first, that was me!
armed with the video camera i splashed, negative.
within 3 seconds i could hardly see my video camera in my hands & the lights were no use at all, very tea stained colour.
the large boulders on the river bed were very interesting as i traveled at them in low viz & at speed. trying to dodge my camera of the rocks was pretty much the adventure i didn't want.
it was a little like playing pinball in a washing machine.
i will do this again some time but i think a dry spell prior would be the order of the day.
my total dive time was somewhere around 2 minutes, thats how long it took me to enter the water & arrive at the exit point, there was no fighting or hiding from the currents today.
discretion is the better part of valor, so i bailed out.
Yeah i bet the rivers stonking now as it's been pouring up there all day,glad you made it out ok.
On friday night when we were flying along in the current i had my hand out in front of my face as the boulders just appeared in front of you,didn't fancy a face plant :eek:
I have modified the dive guide to warn about diving it in spate. Pity you guys didnt get the viz wilson and I got.
We had about 15mm vis never mind 15M,maybe it'll be better in the errr....summer :)
It's worthy to note that just down stream of the bridge there is a depth marker on the far shore (didn't get a pic of it :o ), normally used by Kayakers to gauge the river.
On our first dive it was at about 1.5, didn't look after the 2nd dive as it was pitch black, and I forgot to look...., but must of been over 2. (the figures don't stand for any specific unit, just a general marker)
Stewart, I'm guessing by the rain we had it would have been higher. Did you notice it. I guess the water being much higher than our dive would call it before you got you kit out the car.
You didn't happen to find any straps tied to a tree did you :)
yes i saw the marker,it was 3... i remember thinking to myself, is this meters? :)
i saw straps tied at the entrance from a tree then down on to a large ring bolt.
i assume these are the ones. came in handy, thanks :)
we toyed with the idea of throwing a snorkler in first, which would have been a better option.
i had the video camera running all the time, not watched it yet. but if its anything worth looking at i might host it for a limited time.
yes i saw the marker,it was 3... i remember thinking to myself, is this meters? :)
i saw straps tied at the entrance from a tree then down on to a large ring bolt.
i assume these are the ones. came in handy, thanks :)
we toyed with the idea of throwing a snorkler in first, which would have been a better option.
i had the video camera running all the time, not watched it yet. but if its anything worth looking at i might host it for a limited time.
Definately not meters. I'm thinking anything above 2 you should think twice about it.
Glad the straps where of use :rolleyes: :D
Definately not meters. I'm thinking anything above 2 you should think twice about it.
Glad the straps where of use :rolleyes: :D
I bet that if you entered where we did for the 2nd dive and just hung around there it would have been ok,as it was kinda sheltered.
I bet that if you entered where we did for the 2nd dive and just hung around there it would have been ok,as it was kinda sheltered.
Aye. But in that viz would it be worth the hassle for one dive?
Aye. But in that viz would it be worth the hassle for one dive?
Aye :D
Aye :D
If you had a spear gun for that Salmon :D :eek:
I would have tried guddlin if i had a decent torch at the time instead of my back up :(
I would have tried guddlin if i had a decent torch at the time instead of my back up :(
You will buy these cheap torches :D
Ahem,if you remember i couldn't charge it as that would have gave the game away that i was going diving :o.
Maybe if you'd bought an expensive drysuit you might stay dry :p
Ahem,if you remember i couldn't charge it as that would have gave the game away that i was going diving :o.
Maybe if you'd bought an expensive drysuit you might stay dry :p
Touché :D :D
Good to see you're still alive. Unless your wireless internet stretches to under the patio.. :p
Touché :D :D
Good to see you're still alive. Unless your wireless internet stretches to under the patio.. :p
Not the patio the Tent!!! lol
She's a fly bugger i was trying to make out it was a last minute thing but she logged onto conger alley and read "pick me up at 3pm it'll be ok" :D
Captured lol :)
Not the patio the Tent!!! lol
She's a fly bugger i was trying to make out it was a last minute thing but she logged onto conger alley and read "pick me up at 3pm it'll be ok" :D
Captured lol :)
:D :D :D
dive granny
06-08-07, 20:35
Be sure your sins will find you out (or telling porkies:D ) as my old teacher used to say.:D