Only a week late but I
thought that I should write up the diving I did with Gary on Top Gun at South West Diving. The wife & I
along with our local dive club here in Birmingham (The Dive Club) embarked on one of Gary’s Winter Specials.
So, what is a Winter Special? £1000 for the whole boat (based on 10 divers) for the whole weekend including:
· Two days diving; two
dives per day*.
· Hot pasties between
dives, hot sausage rolls on return, hot drinks & snacks throughout.
· There is also the
option for an extra night bed and breakfast at a cost of £25 per person.
*Usually 25m max and
sites are dictated by the weather.
South West
Diving's boat Top Gun is located
at the Mount Batten Centre and is a modern 10m hard boat with a stern mounted diver
lift, large benches complete with tie downs and cylinder racks underneath. Inside the cabin is a ‘drip dry’ wet area and
further towards the bow is the completely dry area. Located inside there is a galley fitted with
a microwave and hot kettle and an electric marine toilet. In addition to all of the MCA required safety
equipment there are plus medical oxygen kits and a drop tank if you should need
it. Although the boat generally takes 10
divers/non-divers they are licenced for up to 12 plus crew.
Day 1. Unfortunately with the weather we’ve been
having recently the diving was always going to be a little hit and miss, and
when the report said southerly winds force 2-3 we knew it may be lumpy. We arrived bright and early on Saturday
morning to load the boat and found Gary waiting for us. After a bit of kit prep the boat was loaded
and we set off for the HMS Scylla. Once past the
shelter of the Breakwater, as predicted the sea was a little lumpy but we
motored out. When we arrived at the dive
site there was another boat there (that shall remain nameless) and it was agreed
that we could use their shot (as long a Gary recovered it and handed it back
later as is the local etiquette). He
however neglected to tell us that his divers did a bounce dive due to nil visibility
and the shot wasn’t even on the wreck. 5
minutes later we were back up and the other boat had buggered off. Not happy.
We headed back inside the Breakwater and to be honest I was glad as I had
seemed to have left my sea legs behind and was feeling a little queasy. After a ‘light’ lunch we headed out to the
Mewstone only hoping things would improve.
We duly jumped in and everyone descended expect for the wife and I as I proceeded
to feed the fish as I thought they needed the food more than I. Once I
was feeling a little better we descended and actually the visibility was quite
good. The Mewstone was as you would
expect, although I had never dived this particular spot so it was a mixture of
sandy bottom & long kelp. Our dive time
was limited by the cold so after a gentle dive I deployed the DSMB and we
ascended. Once all divers were on board
we headed back to the Mount Batten
Centre, dekitted what we
needed to, dropped of the cylinders at InDeep, and headed back to the Boringdon Arms for a shower and agreed to meet Gary for dinner.
Day 2. Looking out of the window the weather had
worsened and we were not optimistic however we headed down to the Mount Batten Centre. Immediately after I
arrived I text Rob to say the diving was off as there was swell inside the
shelter of the harbour. However Gary
arrived and managed to persuade most of us (less 2) that we should go out so
being the sheep I was I followed the others and collected our cylinders. Why wasn’t I surprised when the staff at InDeep
said we were mad? Anyway after
rebuilding our kit we headed out to Devils Point. Due to its location inside the harbour it was
sheltered so in we dropped. At depth it
was VERY dark so after a quick bounce we spent the majority of the dive at
around 8m and we drifted with the current.
Lots of squidge but not much spidge however I did come back with a nice
glass bottle. All back on board we
stuffed our faces with pasties, sausage rolls and chocolate all washed down
with a nice mug of tea. We spent the
next hour or so waiting for the submarine to come in before heading back to the
Mount Batten Centre. Everyone was happy
so we all decided to only do the one dive allowing us time for a nice leisurely
drive home.
The Mount Batten Centre is located just outside Plymouth and is home to many water
and land based activity centres. If you
wish to know more please visit their website.
Whilst we were diving
we used the Mount Batten Centre for loading/unloading and its changing facilities. Hot showers and changing facilities are
available for paying customers and are controlled via a locked door. However if you speak to the reception and
inform them that you’re with South West
Diving they will buzz you
through. The facilities provided are
spacious and clean and certainly beat changing outside in the wind.
Car parking is
available but only to pass holders and those using the Mount Batten Centre accommodation.
Otherwise there is a strict 40 minute loading/unloading rule which is
clearly stated on the many notice boards in the area. If you overstay this time
there are cameras and expect to receive a fine in the most (based on previous
experience). If you're not stopping at
the Mount Batten Centre but wish to use their car park and facilities there is a £5
fee. Once we unloaded (and time will
tell if we were less than 40 minutes) there are plenty of spaces in the council
car park over the road and on street parking; all free of charge and all within
a couple of minutes’ walk!
InDeep is a dive centre
located within the Mount Batten Centre offering commercial diving, PADI, TDI and GUE courses. It also boasts a dive
shop and is equipped with the biggest & best gas filling system in Europe. When we arrived back at the Mount Batten Centre one of their staff was waiting for us with a trolley. We were able to leave our wing, back plate and harness attached. We only had to remove the regulators. Unlike other dive centres I’ve been to InDeep require payment in advance of filling. The cost of twin 12s with 32% Nitrox is £14. The advantage of InDeep however is that they have 32% banked so your cylinders can be filled in minutes.
I witnessed the gas station being built last a couple of years ago and I have to admit it is one of the cleanest I’ve seen. And with the walls filled with storage banks getting a fill is never a problem.
Dating back to the
1700s, Boringdon Arms is a traditional inn is located on the south-west coastal
path above the shorefront in Turnchapel.
The Boringdon Arms has a variety of rooms available from family, double and
multiple-occupancy. The family rooms are
en-suite whilst the remainder share toilets and shower facilities. The pub itself is only a 10 minute walk from
the Mount Batten Centre and if you’d rather not drive into town the water taxi
operates nearby. Due to a late finish on Friday night we decided against travelling down and opted for an early start in the morning arriving just in time for breakfast. As you near the pub some of the streets are narrow but do not let this put you off. As you arrive at the pub if you drive straight past there is a free car park located on the right hand side opposite the Royal Marine barracks.
For breakfast there
is a selection of cooked breakfasts available along with cereals, juices and
teas. However it’s the evening meals
that surpass themselves and I only wish I had taken a picture of the food. Having order mussels to start I was given a
pot full of them along with a side order of chips (as a starter!). This could have easily been a main course at
most pubs. Then for the main course I ordered
ribs. An elongated plate came out and
the ribs were at least a foot long.
Honestly. Then there was the side
orders on a separate plate. Regardless
of choice; steak, lamb shank etc… the results were the same and the price was
the same as any other normal pub. Oh,
plus it tasted amazing. Although I opted
out of a desert for those that had one it was as you would expect. I cannot rate the food enough.
The accommodation was clean and cheerful and suited our needs. Towels were provided and there were plenty of charging points. I would happily stay there again.
Summary
Overall, despite the
weather it was a great weekend. However
much we would like to we couldn’t blame Gary for the weather or the incident on
the HMS Scylla. We had some fun
dives, some excellent food and brilliant company. At £100 per person for a weekends diving,
accommodation and dinner Saturday, breakfast Sunday plus lunch both days it’s a
steal. The Mount Batten Centre
has excellent facilities (although be aware of the parking restriction) and Gary
is an excellent skipper; knowledgeable friendly and accommodating. A thank you must go to members of The Dive Club for organising an excellent weekend but the final thank
you must go to Martin (Janner) of Janners Mugs for being an excellent deck hand. Always making himself busy with tea, hot
food, manning the lift, rinsing masks, putting on fins etc… We
did Fundies together (report here). Top man!
If you’re in the
market for mugs, steins or phone covers then give Martin a shout. He has standard designs such as the one shown
or can do a custom design; from a single mug to mass orders.
Go on give him a
call, you know you want to!!!
The boring bit!
All opinions
expressed in my articles are my own and may differ to other instructor’s and
agency guidelines; by no means are they wrong and I would not wish to disrepute
any of them. This article is for
information only and should not replace proper training.
Safe diving!
Timothy Gort
BSAC, PADI
& SDI/TDI diver trainingl Mob: 07968148261 l Email: tim@rectotec.co.uk l
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