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Wednesday, 14 August 2013

MV SPREE

After completing my TDI Full Cave Course in May this year (blog here) Henrietta and I headed down to the Keys to dive Dry Tortugas and Gen. Hoyt S. Vandenberg (simply known as Vandenberg) aboard MV Spree. Unfortunately 2 months after the trip some of the finer detail may have been forgotten however I’ve tried to describe the itinerary as accurately as I can using my logbook. I’ve also made references to the Red Sea, as apart from the Maldives it’s the only other place I’ve been on board a liveaboard.

The Boat

Docked in Key West MV Spree is 100ft long and can hold 22 passengers, 2 DMs and 8 crew. The accommodation is bunks, not the luxury twin or double rooms you will find in the Red Sea. Everyone has their own individual bunk and they are arranged in 4 cabins of 4 and a large common area of 8; each bunk with its own privacy curtain. Sheets, blankets and pillows are provided but no towels or robes. If your baggage allowance allows I would suggest bringing a robe from home as it would come in very handy as no wet clothing is allowed inside the boat.

The communal area has 4 large seating areas, a charging station and a widescreen television with DVD. This area also doubles as the galley at meal times. The food served is excellent and there is lots of it. There are also plenty of snacks during the day you can nibble. Additionally there is a beverage dispenser with coke, diet coke, sprite, root beer, ginger beer, pink lemonade, soda and water as well as beer and wine in the cooler. All of this is included in the price.

For washing, there are 2 showers located on the dive deck and one inside the toilet room on the dive deck. There are 2 additional toilets inside the communal area.

On the dive deck there is a cylinder placement for each diver, a large camera table; camera and SCUBA rinse tanks and 2 ladders. On top there is a large sundeck complete with sun loungers, bean bags and traditional picnic tables.

Safety

Captain Frank and his crew are very safety conscious and this was evident throughout. A thorough safety brief was delivered before the boat departed including a boat brief and a diver safety brief and an abandon ship drill was carried out after dive one.

Before each dive a dive brief was conducted and before entering the water a physical cylinder valve, computer check and bunk number booking out was conducted. Upon surfacing dive time and depth were recorded and once everyone was back on board a final health/ok was carried out.

Diving

The general daily programme was as follows; 0700 wakeup call, continental breakfast (fruit, porridge, cake), dive 1, cooked breakfast, dive 2, lunch, dive 3, snacks, dive 4, dinner, night dive and finally, desert. Yes that’s right, five dives a day!

The water temperature was a very warm 28°^c so I was wearing my 3mm long wetsuit whilst Henrietta was wearing her Fourth Element Thermoclines.

The dive sites we dived within the Dry Tortugas National Park were Keenys Wall, Bat Cave, Dante’s Inferno and Texas Rock. The only thing I can really say about the reef dives is that they are similar (but probably better) to the reef dives found in the Red Sea. Personally I’m not a reef fan, I prefer wrecks and caves, but the Americans can’t get enough so it seems. For some on our trip this is an annual vacation. We finished up with 2 dives on Gen. Hoyt S. Vandenberg (simply known as Vandenberg); what a wreck. The Vandenberg dwarfs anything we have here in the UK but be warned, as it’s an artificial reef like a lot of the wrecks around the Florida Keys it’s not yet covered in marine life however it is home to some very large grouper. The largest I’ve ever seen.

My one warning regarding diving around Dry Tortugas or the Keys is that there are ripping currents. If you don’t hold on to the shot line, especially on your safety stops, be prepared to become separated from the dive boat.

Summary

Overall it was a great week and if I happen to go back to the Keys I’d happily dive off the MV Spree again. For those who have dived the luxury Red Sea liveaboards this is nothing like them so be warned, but 12 dives in 2.5 days plus the food and beverages it’s excellent value. My only real complaint is that we tended to do 2-3 dives per site; maybe it’s just me but I’d prefer to do just the one, maybe 2 if it’s a spectacular dive, and see more of the sites the Dry Tortugas has to offer. Captain Frank’s report of the week can be found here.

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 and SDI/TDI diver training
l Mob: 07968148261 l Email: tim@rectotec.co.uk l

CONCH REPUBLIC DIVERS

After diving the Dry Tortugas and Gen. Hoyt S. Vandenberg (blog here) the wife and I had 3 days diving booked with Conch Republic Divers. Unfortunately 2 months after the trip some of the finer detail may have been forgotten however I’ve tried to describe the itinerary as accurately as I can using my logbook.

Conch Republic Divers is located in Tavernier, just South of Key Largo. Located just off the highway Conch Republic Divers are able to provide air and Nitrox, have a dive shop plus warm showers and changing areas for its customers. It also has 2 dive boats; Republic Diver and Aquatic Diver.

Republic Diver is a 46' long dive boat with the dive deck and heads located below the sun deck. Ice water, showers, camera storage and rinse bins are also provided. Aquatic Diver is a 30’ long dive boat with all the same features of its bigger brother. The cost of diving with Conch Republic Divers is $85 for a 2 dive half day trip; comparable to the UK for a dive charter (although at half a day it’s over much quicker).

Henrietta and I were due to do 3 days dive; both am and pm however due to bad weather the majority of the diving was cancelled. Finally on the very last the weather improved and I managed to go diving. Sadly Henrietta had ear problems so was unable to go. Diving on Republic Diver I was due to dive the Spiegel Grove and Molasses Reef.

Arriving early there was still a little water on the ground (as the area around the adjacent buildings are liable to flooding) but I pulled up outside and spoke to Brenda that we were still on. Once confirmed the gas was analysed and I set my kit up on Republic Diver. There were 2 small groups of divers under instruction, the DM plus 2 other day divers. Following a safety brief we headed off to the Spiegel Grove. The Spiegel is a lovely wreck but just like the Vandenberg it’s not yet overgrown in life however we saw the largest grouper I’ve ever seen. It dwarfed the one I saw on the Vandenberg. Unfortunately time was short as the other divers managed to breathe through their gas quicker than me so we started to ascend at around 28 minutes.

Once the cylinders had been swapped over we headed over to Molasses Reef. Now I know on my Dry Tortugas blog (blog here) I said I’m not a reef man but this is a spectacular dive. At around 6-8m deep you can stay down for hours and the colours and life are amazing. There is a simply a lot to see. After an hour (the agreed time) we ascended and then headed back to the shop.

Although I only got to do 2 dives with Conch Republic Divers they are a professional dive centre and I would gladly dive with them again. Conch Republic Divers can be found at the Florida Keys and Key West stand at the Birmingham Dive Show so feel free to pop in and say hello to them.

The boring bit!

Safe diving!

Timothy Gort

BSAC, PADI and SDI/TDI diver training
l Mob: 07968148261 l Email: tim@rectotec.co.uk l

Sunday, 14 July 2013

SCIMITAR DIVING

Last weekend I was lucky enough to grab an afternoon off work so I managed to sneak in a cheeky dive with Scimitar Diving.

So who are Scimitar Diving? They’re probably (my opinion) one of the most popular charters on the South Coast. And in addition to their charter boats they also supply air/Nitrox/Trimix plus boast their own Dive School with SSI, PADI and SDI/TDI (possibly IANTD soon as former Vobster instructor Gemma had just started?), their own Dive Club (LAPD; Loose Association of Portland Divers) and have a well-stocked shop including brands like GoPro, Hollis and Light Monkey.

Scimitar Diving have come a long way in a very short time. From starting in 2006, I remember diving with them in summer 2007 when their first boat ‘Scimitar’ was based in Weymouth Harbour. They then moved to Castletown, Portland where they grew from strength to strength before moving to their current location at Portland Marina. Scimitar Diving now operate a fleet of 3 boats; ‘Scimitar’ and ‘Cutlass’ are Evolution 38 hardboats and are of very similar specification, equipped with toilets, dive lifts and kit benches. ‘Sabre’ is a 7.8m Ribcraft which is fitted with a side ladder. All of the boats carry emergency oxygen and both hard boats also carry 80% oxygen drop tanks. Although Smudge has an Army background so one may think ‘Scimitar’ was named after an armoured fighting vehicle, the boats are in fact named after three fast Royal Navy patrol boats that used to be based in Portland.

So, back to the diving. This was not my first trip with Scimitar Diving, having dived off both ‘Scimitar’ and ‘Sabre’ before but as this was arranged last minute; the only available spaces were on ‘Sabre’ which I had never dived from before. The dive site; The Countess of Erne. Built in Dublin in 1868 as an iron hulled paddle steamer, she had a short career working as a passenger ferry before being converted into a coal hulk. The Countess of Erne sank next to the north-east breakwater in September 1935 after breaking her moorings and running against the inside of the harbour wall. The weather was amazing; glorious sunshine, no wind and the underwater visibility was great. It may have been inside the harbour but it was a blissful hour under the water. To top it off when you return you’ve got full access to the showers and changing facilities at the Marina.

Scimitar Diving have a loyal fan base and it’s not hard to see why. Smudge, Sarah and all of the crew are really friendly and could quite happily chat to anyone for hours about anything. They have a relaxed attitude but safety is paramount. I wish them all the best for the future.

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 and SDI/TDI diver training
l Mob: 07968148261 l Email: tim@rectotec.co.uk l

Tuesday, 9 July 2013

DIVERS DOWN SWANAGE

A little later than I had hoped but as usual, when diving with an operator I feel as though I should write a few words, especially if they’re good and more importantly if they’re not. Luckily for me (and them) this falls into the former.

Being the romantic I am I decided to stay in the UK and go diving on my (our) first wedding anniversary. Henrietta and I looked at Plymouth, Weymouth and Falmouth which are our usual haunts but in the end decided we wanted to try somewhere new. Swanage Pier and Kyarra have always been on my to do list so we booked a day’s diving with Divers Down.

Divers Down is conveniently located on Swanage Pier and is ‘apparently’ Britain’s oldest dive school; established in 1958. The centre has small shop, equipment hire, air/nitrox and a diving school. It’s also conveniently adjacent to the boat moorings and steps making it easily assessable to boat and pier divers.

We both arrived fairly late on the Friday night and arrived at our accommodation; Clare House; a five star bed and breakfast located just off the high street. After a few beers Henrietta headed off to bed but unfortunately for me I had reports to write having been examining on a BSAC Practical Instructors Exam (PIE) earlier that day.

It was an early breakfast as ropes off was at 0900. We arrived at the pier and paid £8.00 for parking plus another £2.50 for diving. Please note that you will be charged for entry, even if strolling (prices here). We managed to find a parking space but only just. Even at this hour it was very busy. We quickly made our way to the shop, booked in and loaded our kit onto Skua. Divers Down have 3 boats; Swanage Diver, Skua and Spike; all licenced for 12 divers. We were on Skua. Skua has a divers lift, a wet area, head (toilets), plenty of kitting up benches and very importantly hot chocolate for the divers.

The first dive was to be the Kyarra. The Kyarra is a 4383 ton, twin-screw passenger and cargo liner, 415ft long with a beam of 52ft, launched in 1903. She lies 1½ miles from Swanage Pier, at a depth of 30m, rising to 18m in some places. She is also known as "the ship that was made of brass" owing to the large numbers of brass fittings used in her construction. The skipper told us it would be very rough heading out and that if we didn’t want to go we wouldn’t be charged. The four of us decided that we’d brave it so we headed out. It was possible the choppiest conditions I had ever been in and without my sea legs I was struggling. Luckily the transit was short and we arrived very quickly. We kitted up as soon as we could before jumping in. Underwater it couldn’t have been different. Clear, calm and great visibility. The wreck itself is a decent size and I can see why it’s very popular; I need to dive this wreck again. Unfortunately we were limited to bottom time and ascended after 25 minutes. Once all aboard we headed back in; luckily the wind was behind us and it was a smoother journey.

Once back we grabbed our hot chocolate and placed our cylinders in for a fill. The system couldn’t be simpler; drop your cylinder off, pay for a fill and get a tag, tag goes on cylinder, collect when finished.

We loaded up for the second dive which was to be on the Fleur De Lys. The Fleur De Lys is a 64' fishing trawler that sunk around 4 years ago while being towed to Poole. She is now fairly broken up but at 13m makes a good easy shallow dive, with plenty of fish life. This time the boat was full, probably because the wreck was inside the bay and sheltered from the wind. Following a brief from the skipper we kitted up first and then headed out. This wreck, like the Kyarra was shotted so within no time we were heading down. The wreck itself is very small so after around 10 minutes we sent up our DSMB and decided to drift off. There isn’t much on the sea bed so we headed up after around 20 minutes. The same procedure was followed after this dive but we decided to bow out from a third boat dive and opted for a pier dive.

Underneath the pier it’s teeming with marine life; Eels, Edible and Spider Crabs, Blennys, Cuttlefish plus an array of other fish can be seen. It is also an ideal training site for beginner divers with a flat sandy bottom.

Divers Down Swanage are a great dive centre which I could recommend to anyone; from letting people bow out from dives if the conditions weren’t ideal, lending out spare kit if required and giving lots of local advice. I will definitely be back.

In addition to the diving there is a lot to do in the area. We completed the weekend with a visit to Corfe Castle and Old Harry Rocks.

The boring bit!

Safe diving!

Timothy Gort

BSAC, PADI and SDI/TDI diver training

l Mob: 07968148261 l Email: tim@rectotec.co.uk l

Saturday, 8 June 2013

FOURTH ELEMENT THERMOCLINE

I have always disliked wearing wet suits: apart from cosmetic reasons, putting on a soaked wetsuit is probably my pet hate. So much so that my diving destinations are either 30 degree Celsius water bikini diving or heaven forbid, a dry suit in the red sea during winter months.

After booking myself for a week of diving in Florida Keys during May, I realized water temperature of 26-27°^c was too cold to be bikini diving, especially doing up to 4 dives a day. I looked round and found the Fourth Element Thermocline range, a neutrally buoyant wetsuit. I bought the Thermocline Explorer, which is a sleeveless one piece. In addition I also purchased the Thermocline Women’s Shorts and Women’s Short Sleeve Top.

I wore a rash vest underneath the Thermocline Explorer and Women’s Short Sleeve Top over. It was cosy and easy to put on. The fleece layer was comfortable on land, without feeling too hot when kitted up (yes even in the tropical Florida Keys weather in May). Underwater at 26 degree Celsius I was snug and the garment also flexible range of moments.

In the afternoon dives I opted for my rash vest with the Women’s Short Sleeve top and Women’s Shorts. The best thing I like about the Thermocline range is the rapid drying. No ‘wet’ wet suit! It is light to pack, important with the luggage allowance for travellers. It is also machine washable, nothing beats a fresh smelling suit! In addition, it can also be used as an undergarment for a dry suit. One improvement that I would suggest is perhaps the Thermocline Explorer could have a “foot strap” or “stirrups” that could keep the hem from occasionally riding up. I think I would complete my collection with a new Thermocline Women’s Long Sleeve top.