alexmaclennan
08-05-07, 15:38
Claire on CA arranged for 10 of us to dive on the Gemini Storm this past weekend. The hope was to go to Coll & Tiree or maybe Bo Fascadale on Ardnamurchan. It was not to be. Weather had been glorious during the week but the forecast was to change on the Saturday.
We met upstairs in the Oban Bar. Alan (dive buddy) & I arrived late as I had forgot my drysuit and had to return home for it from Luss. Met John & Marion (Ding & Mermaid), Claire & Andrew (Claire & GasGuzzler), Charlie & Sarah (CharlieMcG) and Gordon (Gord). Stuart (Lizardland) did not turn up by the time we went to sleep on the Gemini Storm.
Next morning Gord leaves full of the cold and humphs his gear off the boat to go home. Stuart turns up at 6am having kipped in a laybye as he didn't want to wake us at midnight when the boat was in darkness, more humphing stuff over two boats wakes the skipper of the Gaelic Rose up (black mark to the man in the padded sleeveless bodywarmer - you know who you are).
Breakfast at 8am and left Oban by 8.30am. Weather fine clear and calm.
Gemini Storm is owned by George Mair. It is a Severn class lifeboat and was the training boat used in Poole. He has had it for about 2 years but has only begun to charter it this year due to extensive refitting. 17m, sleeps 10 divers plus skipper. 2 x 1000hp engines. Diver lift (more of a ladder than lift) and every electronic aid for safety and nav you can think of. It looks like a SAS boat with its black and grey paintjob and heavyduty locking doors throughout the boat. Berths are small but comfortable - noise from drunken snoring does penetrate throughout the berths. Two toilets and a shower forward. Drying area in front of engine room. Equipment lockers for stowing gear outside. No compressor installed at present. George is a martinet about keeping the saloon spic and span.
We did 2 dives per day, staying Sat and Sun night on the pontoon at Tobermory and getting our tanks refilled by Seafare in Tobermory.
Dive 1. Rubha an Ridire - boulder slope to 23m. OK but not v exciting. George thought that current would drift us onto the wall at the very point of rubha an Ridire but that did not happen. Viz 4 to 6m. Temp 10 degrees. 26m max for 41 mins.
Dive 2. Hispania - Stunning dive with great viz and lovely colors on the wreck. Dived down the port hull to the rudder and remnants of prop shaft/boss. Then over/through decaying open superstructure. Viz 10m. 27 m max for 27 mins.
Tied up on the pontoon at Tobermory. Several went onshore to Mishnish for pre dinner drinks. Tea on board then more drinks. Stuart has lost few hours in search of chips ending up in an Indian takeaway. Too much of CharlieMcG's whisky for me.
Dive 3 Calve Island Wall - Stunning wall after the first 8m of kelp. Vertical wall with vertical striations/ gullies to 40m. Lots of Devon cup corals. Ding says in the summer this is a mass of color to rival the Hispania. 8 to 10m viz. 30m max for 31 mins.
Tied up at Tobermory for lunch. Managed to buy a new set of fins from Seafare, as one of my fins blew off the bow of the Gemini storm as I tied on my tank.
Dive 4 Hispania (as Rondo blown out) - . Saw a blast of speed from George when he realised the Rondo was not do able and he wanted to get us onto the Hispania at slack water. Just as good a dive as yesterday. 10m viz. 26 m max for 30 mins.
Back to Tobermory. Steak and kidney pie with pastry. Some of us have a quiet night - others go for the Tequila slammers till 1am. Terrible snoring ensues.
Dive 5 Rondo (in water at 8 am) - 6 in the water. Stunning dive onto vertical rudderpost then down to shattered wreckage at 40m. Looking back up we could see the wreck rising in front of us. There are lots of plates, masts, winches etc inside hull. Again the outside hull is a riot of colour. Viz 8 to 10m. 39 m max for 32 mins.
Dive 6 Breda - Only 4 in the water! Dived with CharlieMcG as Alan's suit had flooded. Poorest viz of all. Only 2 to 5m. We cruised around the decks from shot to bow to stern to back up shot. Lots to see although not as colourful as the Hispania or as dramatic as the Rondo. 19m max for 40 mins.
Lovely final lunch of roast chicken and new potatoes in Oban harbour then off with the gear in pouring rain and set off home by 2pm. George keeps the Gemini Storm in Fort William so has a 3 1/2 hour journey ahead of him.
Overall good weekend. Pity about not getting west of Mull but there will be other times.
alex
We met upstairs in the Oban Bar. Alan (dive buddy) & I arrived late as I had forgot my drysuit and had to return home for it from Luss. Met John & Marion (Ding & Mermaid), Claire & Andrew (Claire & GasGuzzler), Charlie & Sarah (CharlieMcG) and Gordon (Gord). Stuart (Lizardland) did not turn up by the time we went to sleep on the Gemini Storm.
Next morning Gord leaves full of the cold and humphs his gear off the boat to go home. Stuart turns up at 6am having kipped in a laybye as he didn't want to wake us at midnight when the boat was in darkness, more humphing stuff over two boats wakes the skipper of the Gaelic Rose up (black mark to the man in the padded sleeveless bodywarmer - you know who you are).
Breakfast at 8am and left Oban by 8.30am. Weather fine clear and calm.
Gemini Storm is owned by George Mair. It is a Severn class lifeboat and was the training boat used in Poole. He has had it for about 2 years but has only begun to charter it this year due to extensive refitting. 17m, sleeps 10 divers plus skipper. 2 x 1000hp engines. Diver lift (more of a ladder than lift) and every electronic aid for safety and nav you can think of. It looks like a SAS boat with its black and grey paintjob and heavyduty locking doors throughout the boat. Berths are small but comfortable - noise from drunken snoring does penetrate throughout the berths. Two toilets and a shower forward. Drying area in front of engine room. Equipment lockers for stowing gear outside. No compressor installed at present. George is a martinet about keeping the saloon spic and span.
We did 2 dives per day, staying Sat and Sun night on the pontoon at Tobermory and getting our tanks refilled by Seafare in Tobermory.
Dive 1. Rubha an Ridire - boulder slope to 23m. OK but not v exciting. George thought that current would drift us onto the wall at the very point of rubha an Ridire but that did not happen. Viz 4 to 6m. Temp 10 degrees. 26m max for 41 mins.
Dive 2. Hispania - Stunning dive with great viz and lovely colors on the wreck. Dived down the port hull to the rudder and remnants of prop shaft/boss. Then over/through decaying open superstructure. Viz 10m. 27 m max for 27 mins.
Tied up on the pontoon at Tobermory. Several went onshore to Mishnish for pre dinner drinks. Tea on board then more drinks. Stuart has lost few hours in search of chips ending up in an Indian takeaway. Too much of CharlieMcG's whisky for me.
Dive 3 Calve Island Wall - Stunning wall after the first 8m of kelp. Vertical wall with vertical striations/ gullies to 40m. Lots of Devon cup corals. Ding says in the summer this is a mass of color to rival the Hispania. 8 to 10m viz. 30m max for 31 mins.
Tied up at Tobermory for lunch. Managed to buy a new set of fins from Seafare, as one of my fins blew off the bow of the Gemini storm as I tied on my tank.
Dive 4 Hispania (as Rondo blown out) - . Saw a blast of speed from George when he realised the Rondo was not do able and he wanted to get us onto the Hispania at slack water. Just as good a dive as yesterday. 10m viz. 26 m max for 30 mins.
Back to Tobermory. Steak and kidney pie with pastry. Some of us have a quiet night - others go for the Tequila slammers till 1am. Terrible snoring ensues.
Dive 5 Rondo (in water at 8 am) - 6 in the water. Stunning dive onto vertical rudderpost then down to shattered wreckage at 40m. Looking back up we could see the wreck rising in front of us. There are lots of plates, masts, winches etc inside hull. Again the outside hull is a riot of colour. Viz 8 to 10m. 39 m max for 32 mins.
Dive 6 Breda - Only 4 in the water! Dived with CharlieMcG as Alan's suit had flooded. Poorest viz of all. Only 2 to 5m. We cruised around the decks from shot to bow to stern to back up shot. Lots to see although not as colourful as the Hispania or as dramatic as the Rondo. 19m max for 40 mins.
Lovely final lunch of roast chicken and new potatoes in Oban harbour then off with the gear in pouring rain and set off home by 2pm. George keeps the Gemini Storm in Fort William so has a 3 1/2 hour journey ahead of him.
Overall good weekend. Pity about not getting west of Mull but there will be other times.
alex