Wrecks, Reefs, and Seal Encounters

The Isles of Scilly is famend for its seal encounters, however as Roisin Maddison found, there’s far more to this vacation spot than playful marine mammals.

Scillies

Eyes closed and my head resting in opposition to my makeshift pillow, I assumed again on the already-hectic morning beginning with a 5am alarm, and thensomehow nonetheless managing to be late in leaving leading to a race from Falmouth to Penzance, with a view to get there in time to throw all our dive equipment within the container! But lastly,I bought to take a seat and loosen up on the Scillonian III, higher referred to as the ‘great white stomach pump’. But it was all value it as a result of on the finish of the three-hour journey,we’d be arriving within the Isles of Scilly for per week’s value of diving on a number of the most-amazing dive websites in England.

Northern Underwater Photography Group

I had been to the Scillies earlier than. Last yr, John Adams and I joined in with per week organised by the NUPG (Northern Underwater Photography Group) and fell in love. So we put collectively a bunch of ten made up of Seaways employees, common clients and shut associates and booked our personal week with Dave Mcbride.

There are solely three dive charters working within the Isles of Scilly and resulting from climate there’s a very quick dive season,so we had been extremely fortunate to get our personal week. We needed to guide it nearly a yr prematurely, so lastly 12months of ready and pleasure had previous and we had been lastly on our means. A 3-hour nap later, we arrived.

I had managed to sleep your entire means,which in all probability had one thing to do with the early begin -and the truth that Iam by no means a morning particular person –this was positively going to be an issue for the remainder of the week!Our first pit cease was the Mermaid for a spot of lunch and an opportunity to lastly collect our group in a single place.

Dive Brief

The means Dave runs his constitution is six days of diving Sunday to Friday, assembly early within the morning, beginning thefirst dive earlier than or round 8.30am and being again on the island after two dives round 2-3pm -just in timefor a portion of chips and a pint (or two) within the Atlantic for the obligatory post-dive debrief.

So shiny and early Sunday morning,there we had been, cameras in hand, half asleep and prepared for our first day of diving.

The first dive of the day was the Lady Charlotte and it was an ideal first dive to kick off the week. Even although the sky was a somewhat depressing shade of gray, the solar was making an attempt to shine by, the ocean was flat calm and the water a toasty 14 degreesC.

The Lady Charlotte

The Lady Charlotte is an outdated cargosteamer formally referred to as the Aphrodite. She was about 3,593 tons and was in-built 1905 by the Tyne Iron Steamboat Company. Sadly, on 11May 1917,shebecome misplaced in dense fog whiletravelling from Cardiff to France earlier than managing to run aground on St Mary’s Island. Thankfully, your entire crew managed to flee security however the ship was misplaced to the underside of the ocean.

100 and one years later and there’s nonetheless loads of this wreck left to find. Although it has been closely scavenged and damaged up, there are nonetheless recognisable traits to the ship that she was, essentially the most iconic of that are her grand boilers that tower above the seabed and are coated in life.

The wreck lies between 10m-35m,so she is an effective dive for all ranges of divers, though the actually fascinating bits of wreckage startat the boilers that lie at about 15m. From right here in case you step by step head down the slope getting barely deeper as you go you’ll come throughout piles and piles of metal plates and different items of wreckage.

Dueto the gray skies I made a decision to stay my macro lens on for this dive and I used to be so glad that I did. Dave had dropped the shot line on the boilers and earlier than I had even reached thebottom I used to be greeted by a free-swimming nudibranch. Granted it had in all probability been kicked up and disturbed by the divers that had bought in earlier than us, however it was nonetheless a beautiful welcome. The Lady Charlotte has been completely claimed by the ocean and is roofed in life, anemones and useless man’s fingers cowl practically each floor and starfish, nudibranchs and crabs might be discovered hiding amongthem. Myself and my buddy Annie (each avid photographers and lovers of macro and something small and ‘squishy’) barely moved by our whole 40-minute dive, there was simply a lot to see.

Second Dive

The second dive that day was the one we had been all wanting ahead to most, the shallowest and doubtless best dive we’d do that week however top-of-the-line by far. We headed over to the Eastern Isles, extra particularly to the east of Menawethern Rocks, the place the seals prefer to play. Dave dropped the anchor and all of us jumped into the water just about bang on excessive tide,when the seals had been at their most playful. Annie and I instantly discovered our pot of gold and positioned ourselveson a bit rocky platformin about 5mof water. It took some time for the seals to get snug with us.

At first, they simply stored diving down, giving us a bit eye up and down after which carrying on with their very own enterprise, however the little ones simply couldn’t resist enjoying and inside tenminutes, they had been throughout us. They particularly beloved my shiny blue fins and their reflection within the dome port. It was a tremendous dive, each time we rotated there was one other one nibbling our fins or asking for its stomach to be stroked. Seals actually are the puppies of the ocean and we had been unhappy to must tear ourselves away when our 60-minute dive time was up.

t felt proper that we’d dive the Italia solely the day after diving the Lady Charlotte, as each ships had been wrecked on the identical day.The Italia fell sufferer to the ocean just a few hours later whileall the islanders the place serving to the crew of the Lady Charlotte. The Italia was additionally a cargo steamer carrying coal from Cardiff to Taranto when she bought misplaced in the identical dense fog and managed towreck herself on Wingletang Rocks to the south of St Agnes.

With all the joy of the Lady Charlotte,not one of the islanders observed the Italia and, subsequently, there was no one to assist its 66crew members. After that night time,the Italia was misplaced till 1964 when it was found by Richard Larn,who managed to establish her utilizing the ship’s patent log.

Like the Lady Charlotte,101 years has not been too sort to the Italia and whereas it lies between 15m-40m, it’s properly damaged up and the entire fascinating wreckage likes round 30m-35m; so not an excellent dive for brand spanking new or nervous divers. If you’re snug to go so deep nonetheless you may be rewarded with some magnificent wreckage and photographic alternatives because the body work stands proudly off the underside ofthe seabed.

Dave dropped the shot in at round 15m and myself and John rapidly descended right down to about 35m to discover as a lot because the ship as potential, earlier than heading again up the slope and spending our deco exploring the shallower bits of wreckage. I’ve been informed that if you will discover it and in case you are ready to get that deep,the ship’s propeller continues to be there full with shaft and is a somewhat wonderful web site to see.

Jane Morgan and myself had been begging Dave to allow us to examine his crack ever since we bought on the boat the day earlier than,andfinally the climate and wind had been good. Now get your minds out of the gutter! Dave Mcbride found this reef throughout considered one of his many,many exploration dives across the islands and it was rightly named after him. It can also be much less crudely referred to as the ‘sweet shop’resulting from its wonderful array of jewel anemones.

The whole web site is a deep crevice between two partitions, solely a few metres large reaching right down to about 30m with boulders and swim-throughs to discover and your entire factor is roofed in vibrant clumps of jewel anemones. We hadn’t gota probability to dive this web site the yr earlier than so I used to be tremendous excited to dive it this time and it didn’t disappoint.

What makes diving within the Scilly Isles so iconic for me is its deep sheer partitions coated in life and this was an ideal instance. Annie and I had been the primary within the water and one of many final out. Dave had dropped the shot line on the highest of the wall, so we had been in a position to go down the shot line after which descend the remainder of the way in which down the rock face ourselves.

Our navigation was spot on, andwe ended proper again on the shot line on the finish of the dive and this was fully resulting from the truth that aside from swimming backwards and forwards beneath one of many boulders a number of instances,we simply barely moved wherever (a theme of the week it will seem). There was simply somuch to {photograph} in all places we seemed and time rapidly bought away from us.

We reached the midway level in our week in seemingly no time, so sticking to our normal theme we began out with one other wreck,the King Cadwollen. As with the Italia and the Lady Charlotte, the King Cadwollen additionally fell prey to the fog. Built in 1900 she was a 3,275-ton steamer of the Glasgow Kings line.

She left Barry on 21July 1906 on herway to Naples to ship her cargo of coal, however sadly she would by no means make her supply. On 22July shewould strike the japanese rocks. Thankfully the captain and crew managed to get away within the lifeboats, however the King Cadwallon would sink to her ultimate resting place. She now lies on a slope reaching from15m-33m, so an ideal dive for divers wanting to increase their depth experiences.

Dave dropped our anchor on the boilers that lie at about 28m, from there we explored the boilers and surrounding rocks that are coated in primrose and jewel anemones after which headed shallower to search out the remainder of the wreckage. It is an thrilling dive with loads of intact wreckage nonetheless accessible to discover and penetrate, my favorite of that are the ribs of the hull, the other way up they create a cradle that you would be able to swim by and create good frames for some wide-angle pictures.

The Cita is by far my favorite wreck on the Scillies, partially as a result of it’s so new and intact that you simply actually do really feel like you’re exploring theinsides of a ship and partially due to its unbelievable story. I don’t have sufficient phrases to enter your entire story now however in case you are within the Scillies, I extremely suggest going to considered one of Dave Mcbride’s talks on a Thursday night time within the Methodist church corridor.

Not solely is it a unbelievable speak with wonderful footage and insights into life on the Scillies,however there’s additionally concentrate on the sinking of the Cita, from a person who was there when it occurred and helped with the clean-up. It actually will make the expertise of diving it a lot extra intriguing.

St Mary’s Island

In quick, the Cita was a cargo ship which struck the rocks off St Mary’s Island on 26March 1997. She was carrying round 200 containers containing a variety of treasures and let’s simply say that to today,the island nonetheless has a hefty assortment of automobile tires.

As she sank,the Cita break up in half, the bow and the strict. While they lie pretty shut collectively there’s a massive pinnacle separating the 2 wrecks and there’s a lot to discover that attempting to do each sections of the wreck in a single dive could be a waste. The bow sits between 8m-27m so once more a pleasant dive for anyone desirous to work on their depth progressions. It is a surprising dive with a lot infrastructure nonetheless intact, you possibly can swim by beneath the hull and discover the entire winches and ropes nonetheless intact. It is wonderful for pictures, so be certain that your buddy is aware of their place and is completely satisfied to mannequin for you.

Friday was our final day of diving so we determined we needed to dive the strict of the Cita and after acouple of tries, together with a line happening with no buoy, the shot line lastly landed on the bridge. The stern part is deeper than the bow and lies between 15m-40m, so we had a comparatively shorter dive and I didn’t get to discover as a lot of the bridgeas I’d have preferred. It is a wonderful web site although to be met with, because it towers above the seabed with all of the railings and doorways nonetheless intact, so you possibly can stick your head contained in the compartments and see the entire inside buildings. The rock separating the 2 wrecks rises to about 8m and is roofed in life,so it’s a beautiful method to finish your dive and end off any decompression you’ll have constructed up.

All in all it was a unbelievable week within the Isles of Scilly and we had a wonderful time and a few wonderful diving. Although the climate could not have been what we had hoped for, we managed to dive on a regular basis and managed to discover all kinds of web sites. We have already booked subsequent yr’s week with Dave and I’m already counting down the times. Until subsequent yr, Scillies!

“The Lady Charlotte has been totally claimed by the sea and is covered in life, anemones and dead man’s fingers cover nearly every surface and starfish, nudibranchs and crabs can be found hiding amongthem”

“What makes diving in the Scilly Isles so iconic for me is its deep sheer walls covered in life and this was a perfect example”

Photographs by Roisin Maddison

FAQ

Q: When is the most effective time to dive the Isles of Scilly?

A: The diving season is brief resulting from climate, usually working from late spring by summer season. Most charters function between May and September.

Q: What type of marine life can divers anticipate within the Scillies?

A: The Isles of Scilly are well-known for frolicsome Atlantic gray seals, however divers can even encounter jewel anemones, starfish, nudibranchs, crabs, cuttlefish, and shoals of bream and wrasse.

Q: Are the wrecks within the Scillies appropriate for all ranges of divers?

A: Yes, some wrecks just like the Lady Charlotte and the bow of the Cita begin in shallower depths (8–15m) and are appropriate for freshmen, whereas others just like the Italia or stern of the Cita prolong to 35–40m and are finest for superior divers.

Q: How do you get to the Isles of Scilly for diving?

A: Most divers take the Scillonian III ferry from Penzance, a three-hour journey. Diving weeks and charters needs to be booked properly prematurely resulting from restricted operators.

Q: What makes diving within the Scillies distinctive in comparison with different UK locations?

A: The Scillies mix spectacular wreck diving, steep partitions encrusted in vibrant life, and close-up encounters with wild seals. The mixture of historical past, surroundings, and marine interplay makes it a standout UK diving hotspot.