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 Final proof that Alasdair is full of hot air |
Day 3
My third day by Jason, PADI OW diver.
I had a somewhat rude awakening when various people bellowed through the door that we were 30 minutes from the dive site. So I bounded out of bed and made my way up on deck.
All the talk on the boat was of the previous night's exploits. Several people looked a bit fragile except Alasdair, who looked very fragile.
Since we'd come all the way to Scapa to see the German fleet, we'd decided to dive the James Barrie. This was a trawler which sank in 1969 and lies in about 42m of water.
Several people decided not to do the dive. Apparently the sea had been rather choppy as we left Stromness, though I missed it all. Still it did mean that there was plenty of people to help me kit up.
Eventually, after hanging around waiting for the slack to arrive, we hit the water. Down the shotline we went and there was the wreck lying on its starboard side more or less intact. So we bimbled along the bottom, poking around inside the various holes. Then we turned around at the stern came back along the top side. There were a few fish about and it was a pleasant enough dive.
Meanwhile, all the excitement was happening elsewhere. Steve had a bad case of the narcs and aborted the dive. Alasdair had a bad case of whisky the night before and threw up at 42m. Apparently it's best to take your regulator out completely, so a useful practical lesson for all of us.
Coming up from the dive, it was jellyfish city. They were everywhere. Just about everyone got stung a bit. Still we all made it safely back onto the boat, though the fog had started to come in and Alex had to use his flag. Back on the boat, I decided to have a bit of a lay down. It had been a hectic morning. Both hours of it.
At lunchtime the boat went into the thriving metropolis of Burray. We had our traditional greasy fry-up brunch and "planned" the next dive. We decided to do the U-116. This was a fairly intact U-boat until the navy discovered a live torpedo in the tube. They were a bit over-enthusiastic and now it's mostly tangled wreckage.
Still it was a reasonable dive in about 27m. I dived in a three with Keith S and Simon. Keith and I did our usual, leisurely amble whilst Simon hurtled around in circles.
After the dive, we headed back to Burray for the evening rather than returning to Stromness. Much hilarity was had whilst going through the IANTD Tech Nitrox manual. We decided that the best way to balance our "chakras" was to head down the only pub for a meal and a few beers. Sadly the master did not appear, so the student was obviously not ready! (see slide 76 IANTD workbook.
P.S. It ain't 'alf cold 'ere mum