Plymouth Sound SAC annual dive trip to the Isle of Scillies, using Dave McBride’s Dive Scilly Tiburon dive boat. We stay in a lovely four bedroom cottage located in the centre of St Mary’s town close to the Co-op. This is always a brilliant dive trip, two dives a day for 6 days. Once we are finished diving for the day, there is always time to go for a walk, cycle ride, kayaking or just chill out and reminisc over the day’s diving. Below is a log of each day’s diving.
First dive of the week with Dave McBride DiveScilly on the King Cadwallon today – 15m vis at the bottom around the steering quadrant 12c sea temp. Nice and slack with good sunlight and vis on the reef.
Second dive on first day in the Scillies on Peters Ledge – vis around 10m sea temp around 12c – very pretty indeed
Second Day in the Scillies, what a difference a day makes! vis not quite as good, lots of particles in the water column, but the two dive sites were The Ridge and Sponge Hill and quite stunning. Lots to see, including crawfish, dog fish, cuckoo wrasse, crabs, loads of jellies etc etc. Weather pretty good too!
Third day in the Scillies, first dive was the Plympton & Hather wrecks. We found the bow, the anchor, hawse pipe and chains and head with jewel anenomes inside them at 41/42m. Not much light but vis quite good with lots of particles. Travelled back up along wreck found the engine and then deco on the reef wall. Brilliant dive, well chuffed we did what we set out to do – thanks to my buddies John Deb Acle and Catherine Gill. Photos not that good due to depth and restricted time
Third day, Second dive was on Wingletang reef a very pretty wall dive with lots of jewel anemones, nudibranchs, plumose anenomes, crawfish, lots of colour – good vis.
Fourth day diving Isle of Scillies, with Dave McBride Dive Scilly. First dive was the Bow of the Sita – dropped in on the bow then down under the mast through the swimthrough and then along gully to the wall following wreckage rubbish to find the stern – finishing up along a high reef wall – some current – vis not as good as we have had but still a most enjoyable dive. No photos of the wreck due to Poor vis. Second dive was a reef of three pinnacles, called Gugh Reef – absolutely gorgeous covered in plumose anenomes, jewel anenomes – lots of jelly fish some eating the anenomes. Vis much better on this reef.
Fifth day in the Scillies with Dave McBride. First dive was a seal dive, water was quite milky with lots of white particles and we was being swirled around quite a bit too, as it was a very shallow hour long dive. The seals are such fun, but sadly I didn’t get much interaction with them, they only swam around me
Second dive on our fifth day with Dive Scilly, Dave McBride, just had to be the Plympton and Hathor again. Another great dive on this wreckage. Vis around 10m + although due to depth (42m) it was a bit dark. MassiveNot sure if I managed to get any better photos though, but here are a few. Lots of jelly fish on the deco – some of the blue jelly fish have tiny fishes swimming around them the size of my small finger nail.
Last day diving the Isle of Scillies with Dave McBride – first dive on the Italia – starts shallow and goes down the reef wall to 43m – visibility around 10m+ and particularly good at the bottom around the light with the railings around it. Catherine Gill saw a lobster – but I didn’t! there is just so much to see on this wreck and finishes off on the wall and top of a reef. Just wish I had 80% stage with me on this dive to stay down longer with less deco!! (no I am not getting a CCR!!!)
Last dive on the last day in the Isle of Scillies with Dave McBride. This site was Tim’s Crack – which reminds me of Hillsea Point – just the swimthrough bit though! swimming through the walls are covered in jewel anenomes, and lots of nudibranchs but really strange that hardly any anenomes were open, even the plumose were mostly closed. There was a bit of a current and some plankton about, so why was the anenomes closed??? At the end of the dive on our deco stop, Elaine le Claire, my buddy, and I enjoyed the company of a few seals swimming around us and one decided to have a nimble on my fins. Another fantastic dive. Thanks to Dave McBride for a brilliant week’s diving – weather was great, sea conditions were great – considering some days were a bit windy and we had spring tides.
