View Full Version : Scottish Dive Site Guides
bubblemaker
28-10-06, 18:47
I was just having a wee look through some of the site guides because I'm diving Finnart tomorrow, and i haven't done it in a while... i thought I'd see if there was a best way to dive it. I've never really been impressed with it before. Anyway some of the guides are brilliant, and lots of sites I've never dived, but will now consider.
However... There must be hundreds of dive sites in Scotland, there are only 24 currently on the site. They have very kindly been created by only 3 or 4 members, but we have nearly 200 members.
So, i think everybody should endeavour to do at least one!!!
I had a look through my log book, and have found about 30 sites in Scotland, that don't have a guide. Most of them though i haven't dived enough to give any detail on it.
I think i might try and do some of the clubs usual haunts around the Clyde... though i think i might need to re-acquire charts!!
Watch this space... and get to work you lot!!
bubblemaker
28-10-06, 19:10
In case anyone needs some inspiration, or knows a site particularly well, these are the sites from my logbook that don't currently have site guides...I have no doubt that there are hundreds more.
I'll be honest.. i can't actually remember where all of these are!!!
1. The caves - Loch Long
2. Stallion rock - Loch Fyne
3. maiden island - Oban direction i think
4. Weasel Loch - eyemouth sort of way
5. trail island - off cumbrae
6. St Abbs harbour
7. craiglieth island - might not technically be in Scotland?!?
8. Bo fascadale - SOM??
9. Calf Island - Oban direction somewhere, i think
10. Ard-na-Cuille - Oban way maybe?? Gord knows..
11. Dogfish Dive - Furnace. I might do that one!!!
12. greenends Gully - over St Abbs way somewhere
13. the Gantocks - off Dunoon
14. Seal reef - just the other side of St Catherines
15. May Island - Out off anstruther possibly??
16. St Abbs, tyes Tunnel
17. the other wee dive at conger, near the pier
18. Little Cumbrae - i could maybe do that one as well
19. Lephinmore point/reef - Eh.. not sure where it is.. i know we found it by accident if that helps???
20. West harker - St Abbs way
21. the Skellies _ St Abbs way again
22. Insh Island - Garvellachs
23. john Connall Sound - garvellachs
24. Grey rocks - SOM
25. Tornish - SOM
26. Blacks Memorial - SOM
27. Bach Island - Oban
there's a couple in there i reckon i know well enough to write a guide on... any takers for the rest???
In case anyone needs some inspiration, or knows a site particularly well, these are the sites from my logbook that don't currently have site guides...I have no doubt that there are hundreds more.
I'll be honest.. i can't actually remember where all of these are!!!
1. The caves - Loch Long
2. Stallion rock - Loch Fyne
3. maiden island - Oban direction i think
4. Weasel Loch - eyemouth sort of way
5. trail island - off cumbrae
6. St Abbs harbour
7. craiglieth island - might not technically be in Scotland?!?
8. Bo fascadale - SOM??
9. Calf Island - Oban direction somewhere, i think
10. Ard-na-Cuille - Oban way maybe?? Gord knows..
11. Dogfish Dive - Furnace. I might do that one!!!
12. greenends Gully - over St Abbs way somewhere
13. the Gantocks - off Dunoon
14. Seal reef - just the other side of St Catherines
15. May Island - Out off anstruther possibly??
16. St Abbs, tyes Tunnel
17. the other wee dive at conger, near the pier
18. Little Cumbrae - i could maybe do that one as well
19. Lephinmore point/reef - Eh.. not sure where it is.. i know we found it by accident if that helps???
20. West harker - St Abbs way
21. the Skellies _ St Abbs way again
22. Insh Island - Garvellachs
23. john Connall Sound - garvellachs
24. Grey rocks - SOM
25. Tornish - SOM
26. Blacks Memorial - SOM
27. Bach Island - Oban
there's a couple in there i reckon i know well enough to write a guide on... any takers for the rest???
1. The caves - Loch Long Done
2. Stallion rock - Loch Fyne Done
5. trail island - off little cumbrae
8. Bo fascadale - south of eigg
9. Calf Island - tobermory bay SOM
12. greenends Gully - Eyemouth
17. the other wee dive at conger, near the pier done
We could start dive sites from a boat but we have been concentrating on shore dive sites cause they are the easy ones to do. And can help most divers.
bubblemaker
29-10-06, 00:19
We could start dive sites from a boat but we have been concentrating on shore dive sites cause they are the easy ones to do. And can help most divers.
Indeed, I'm merely trying to encourage people to think about dive sites where they are (as we have members from all over) to get some more up on the site. I think it is good to have boat dives as well. if it's in Scotland, and you can dive it, then get a guide up!!! though i did wonder about wrecks... most wreck dives are well documented else where in books and online. i suppose it's something that could be worked on at a later date!!
i have already spoke to gord about organising the sites, so that you don't have to trawl through loads of sites, and instead have them categorised by area.
alexmaclennan
29-10-06, 06:59
Bubblemaker & Ding,
I 've been thinking about these as well. I have only done a couple of weekends of boat dives in SOM, tho' diving the Clyde on the Clutha in a few weekends.
I guess there are three differences compared to shoredives.
1. Apart from a few divers, most of us will not have the same experiece of any one boat dive or wreck as compared to our local shore dive sites.
2. Need to include info on Launching sites for club ribs, transits and GPS for locating divesite and if site is tide dependant then tidal info is important. Alternatively you initially assume that it will be on a diveboat like Clutha/ Diving Belle/ Brendan & Peregrine etc and just write up your divesite impression.
3. Wrecks have often been written up so Wreck dive site descriptions, should also have an extensive list of other links & a bibliography. However, there are obviously a number of well visited wrecks that there is detailed personnal knowledge about, that could still be useful on this site. I'm thinking particularly of the thread on penetrating the Wallachia that was here a couple of months ago. Vital info for those who want to do that.
We could post the names of a number of the well known wrecks eg. Akka/ Breda/ Rondo etc on the 'Dive Site' part of the forum and invite comments. If enough people comment then that alone would be the basis of a good divesite description once edited.
I agree with Bubblemaker that our lord & master's next step in the Divesite descriptions part of this site is to have a pictorial representation of the West Coast and arrows to where each divesite site is and a link to that divesite description. Checkout Bo'ness Scot SAC website - I think the way they locate the sites are really good - an arrow that gives the site name accurately located on a map. You can then open the divesite description from there. Very intuitive.
alex
bubblemaker
29-10-06, 18:11
i guess for the well known wrecks, there is loads of info available out there... so like you say, people's comments about the dives they have had, general impressions of it and such would probably be sufficient.
I was more thinking of scenic dives people do off boats. a lot of divers have access to a boat, be it friends, clubs, their own, a charter.. whatever... i think that information on some of the sites that people know, and have dived is what we need on here.
I think there is a tendency to assume that because you might have been to a particular site a few times, that everybody knows about it... but it isn't necessarily the case. I just reckon iti'd be nice to find out about sites that we haven't dived before..
I for one, would be interested in an online directory of wrecks.
i would say around 60%+ of my diving is wreck diving.
only so many rocks n fish out there to look at!
I can search the internet for guides or read books, but if they are here online within Conger then this is where i would look for them, i suppoes it may attract further site users.
I'm thinking particularly of the thread on penetrating the Wallachia that was here a couple of months ago. Vital info for those who want to do that.
On the other side of the coin, if it promotes safety, then it has to be a bonus!
I would be happy to do a site guide on the Wallachia, unless you wish to do it Alex?
if so, i'm happy to provide you with info should you require it.
just my nitrogen fueled tuppence worth for the day :)
alexmaclennan
30-10-06, 07:34
Stewart please go right ahead. Most of my Scottish diving has been in the sealochs & SOM. I cannot comment on Clyde wrecks. I look forward to your guide.
My tuppenceworth:
Bibliography:
Clyde Shipwrecks 3rd Ed. P Moir & I Crawford. Moir Crawford. 2004. pages 84 -7.
Shipwreck Index of the British Isles, Volume 4 Scotland. R & B Larn. Lloyds Register of Shipping. 1998. Volume 4 Section 8.
Links:
http://www.shipwrecksofscotland.com/ss_wallachia.htm
http://www.bsactravelclub.co.uk/reports/clyde1.htm
http://www.ukdiving.co.uk/wrecks/wreck.php?id=367
http://www.clyde-diving.co.uk/wrecks.htm
http://website.lineone.net/~reivers.sac/clyde_wrecks/wallachia.htm
http://us.geocities.com/wreckdivingscotland/wall.html
alex.
I have a spreadsheet with shipwreck info. I intended to make a database. If we start doing shipwrecks we will need to either have a database or individual sheets like the divesites. Personally I think the sheets are more user friendly and easy to use.
thanks for the info, read most of them before except the geocities link, which looks like a scan from peters book.
i will have it ready in a couple of weeks or so, as im off the the sea moses parted many moons ago, this friday. :D
might do a few of the regular wrecks i have dived.
i also have a spread sheet of clyde wrecks, wonder if it's the same one :confused:
thanks for the info, read most of them before except the geocities link, which looks like a scan from peters book.
i will have it ready in a couple of weeks or so, as im off the the sea moses parted many moons ago, this friday. :D
might do a few of the regular wrecks i have dived.
i also have a spread sheet of clyde wrecks, wonder if it's the same one :confused:
If it is its a copy of mine!!!!
If it is its a copy of mine!!!!
i know the author of the one i have.;)
i know the author of the one i have.;)
Maybe we should merge them