View Full Version : Scapa flow
Anybody have a fav wreck at scapa flow? Im off tomorrow to do some trimix reabreather diving on the wrecks and hopefully get some great pictures, Viz permitting. Weather not looking good, so the diving might be done in Flatties. A week without posting on Conger Alley, mabee there's an internet cafe there.
Cheers
Safe diving....
I went with a few guys to scapa last week on the Karen. I dived with them last may and had a great time and good diving, this week was to be the same. All the divers but one were on rebreathers.
http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j62/johnnicolson/Scapa%20Flow%2006/Rebreathers.jpg
Most of the reabreathers were YBODs and two horrible boris and a kiss.
Two of the divers were doing there Mod 1, we put L plates on their boxes
http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j62/johnnicolson/Scapa%20Flow%2006/Thelearners.jpg
The new YBODs and Evouloutions have Vision electronics and filter.
http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j62/johnnicolson/Scapa%20Flow%2006/Vision.jpg
It looks good and the O2 cells can be removed easier than the classic, but at three and a half grand for the upgrade I will use the old system for now. Two other divers were doing their Mod 3 which lets them dive to 100m
http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j62/johnnicolson/Scapa%20Flow%2006/Sharky.jpg
This is sharky at 45m on one of the wrecks with twin ally 7L side slings. It looks cumbersome but in the water its not too bad and it gives you peace of mind at depth. If you enter a wreck its a pain in the ass. so sometimes you just dump them on the outside, line off and collect them on the way out.
http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j62/johnnicolson/Scapa%20Flow%2006/wreck3.jpg
Some times the entry point is quite obvious, but if you dont line off the exit can be hard to find with the viz dropping to zero behind you, only a fool would go into places like this without lining off. A good idea is to put a strobe or a diver with a torch at the exit and a strobe on the shotline to save bagging off.
The weather was a bit unpredictable at times
http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j62/johnnicolson/Scapa%20Flow%2006/Weather.jpg
It meant we had to dive on different wrecks but there are plenty of wrecks here. We had sun, snow, hail, wind and rain in one week...
http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j62/johnnicolson/Scapa%20Flow%2006/Meeko1.jpg
This is Meeko with side slings walking on water. Meeko is now qualified to dive to 100m till he does his Mod 4 and then he can dive the Titanic.. When is was sunny the viz was good. The picture below is off Armour plate from the side of one of the wrecks.
http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j62/johnnicolson/Scapa%20Flow%2006/Armourplate.jpg
The side of the wreck now only has the stiffeners,
http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j62/johnnicolson/Scapa%20Flow%2006/Wreck4.jpg
Dont know how long the wrecks will last up there so if you havent dived Scapa, do it quick
This is Bruce and Billy, both trimix rebreatherd divers. Both of them use the classic insperation with a DT box. Note the horrible boris at the left of the picture. The guy who owns it, paid eight and a half grand for it, had it delivered to scapa and had to borrow o-rings to get it working. If I'd just bought this I would expect it to work.....
http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j62/johnnicolson/Scapa%20Flow%2006/Bruce1.jpg
I fancy a DT box it lets you use any size of cylenders. Big cylinders for more bailout.
http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j62/johnnicolson/Scapa%20Flow%2006/Bruce.jpg
This is Bruce at 40m using two 3s and a 5l cylinder
This KISS can take any size of cylinders and also has a bailout valve.
http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j62/johnnicolson/Scapa%20Flow%2006/Kiss.jpg
The guy in the picture Jason makes his own rebreathers out of lots of things, pipe ect. He made one from a Dyson carpet cleaner, and named it Dysen with death. Our skipper for the week was Roy, (top left of the picture) or Red eye Roy as we called him in the morning after a few beers. A good skipper, he put the boat in the right place every time and would always help you on the boat and take off your finns and side slings.
The photos are great. I have only been to Scapa a couple of times but reckon the diving in the Flow equals anything that I have done in Egypt.
The most fun I had was on the Bayern Turrets, think it was the West one. The Vis was excellent, the basketball ball bearings and their 'races' make anything you find in everyday life puny by comparison.
Someone told me that there is around 900 tonnes of steel in each turret (?), by comparison there's 500tonnes of steel in a typical Asda superstore.
It always stikes me that really significant advances in Engineering are usually only make in times of war...
Trimix one way or the other for me and the guys next year, just need to work out how I can get back up there without upsetting the wife...:rolleyes:
The Orkneys are great, catch the Blues festival in Sept. absolutely heaven...
You always need a week to recover tho...:D
Just noticed Roy in the picture.... What a mental barsteward... Sure its Bacardi and coke.
Regards To Roy, Good skipper
The most fun I had was on the Bayern Turrets, think it was the West one. The Vis was excellent, the basketball ball bearings and their 'races' make anything you find in everyday life puny by comparison.D
Meeko went into one of the Turrets 5m below the seabed. The main part of the turret that is seen above the ships deck is now sunk into the seabed and the round part that holds the bearings ect now sticks up from the seabed. Only Meeko would squeeze into a small hole and swim round the breeches and under the two barrels.
The Turrets fell out the ship when it was being salvaged. They blew air into the wreck and on the way to the surface it turned over and the turrets fell to the seabed and sank in.
Yep,
My mate Tommy is also slightly nuts, (2nd hand air diver also) I remember him being below the sea bed trying to get into the gun breach.
I was told that there are 4 floors of turret below the sea bed... Is this correct??. Sea bed sits at 42ish I think, must go well in..
... it's like rebreather porno ...
welcome back!
:)
Yep,
My mate Tommy is also slightly nuts, (2nd hand air diver also) I remember him being below the sea bed trying to get into the gun breach.
I was told that there are 4 floors of turret below the sea bed... Is this correct??. Sea bed sits at 42ish I think, must go well in..
I'l ask meeko he was right in, but I think its a big hollow space with brass lights sticking up from the floor (was the roof) and two masive breaches. I could only get to the entrance.