Diving in the UK?
What diving is there to do (other than Scapa Flow) in the UK, end-June?
Will be there for a wedding (Harrogate) and so already have a ton of stuff and can't bring any serious gear, or devote a lot of time. Along the same lines, is the diving there worth schelpping all that gear over to begin with?
Last edited by littleleemur; 02-05-2008 at 07:10 AM.
UK diving is fantastic. There are thousands(?) of wrecks around the coast. Over 380 known wrecks just off the coast of Sussex (where I live) on our side of the Channel.
I don't do reef or shore diving myself (mainly because the inshore conditions where I live are usually poor) but I love wreck diving and I love UK diving. It wouldn't have such a large following if it wasn't so good. I've been a confirmed UK wreck diver for over 10 years. The standard UK wreck diver set up is a twin set and most charter dives are in the 35 to 40 mtr range (the shallower wrecks tend to be more beaten up and prone to poorer vis) but, of course, they do run some charters to the shallower wrecks.
You do need to be 'of a certain standard' to cope with the possible poor conditions. You need a good dive light (plus backup) and a DSMB (essential due to the tidal conditions). In my personal opinion I think it essential that a UK diver configured for solo diving because it is very easy to lose a buddy on a wreck if the vis is poor.
UK diving can be at the "tougher" end of the diving scale due to the sometimes poor visibility' (one dive the vis was so poor and it was so dark that I found the wreck when I head butted it), sometimes lack of ambient light and cooler sea temperatures but get it on a good day and it is awesome. You need to dive prepared for the worst but in June you should get pretty good conditions and the plankton bloom should have died off.
Have a look on Youtube and search for UK diving. is in my part of the world - the TR Thompson.
Generally speaking the best vis is on the West Coast but I have seen 30 mtrs vis at 40 mtrs with good ambient light (no need for a dive light) in the English Channel when diving a wreck in between the shipping lanes.
I think it would be worth bringing your own gear but it depends really on how many dives you can do and if charter boat wreck dives are your thing.
TBH I don't know of anywhere you could hire dive equipment but if you are serious then let me know and can easily find out for you.
If you mean Harrogate (oop North) then PM me and I can recommend a UK forum to join where you may ask relevant questions. I won't post the link on the forum as I consider it to be impolite to the forum hosts.
Oh, Scapa Flow is just an awesome place to dive. The wrecks are fantastic but beginning to show their age so don't leave it for 50 years if you intend to go.
Feel free to ask any Q's.
Rgds
Bryan
Ace, did you read that? We need to organize a Wreck Safari this summer!Originally Posted by Finless
I think I may need an additional class or two for that
What would a standard dive profile be like?
Yes they are!
Finless,Oh, Scapa Flow is just an awesome place to dive. The wrecks are fantastic but beginning to show their age so don't leave it for 50 years if you intend to go.
Thanks for the detailed reply. I realized I asked a rather broad question. I was just getting a little frustrated going thru various dive club pages & cross-referencing them to google maps and basically trying to figure out north-south & what to do. :P
Looks like I should take another course or two and really make it a diving trip. Thanks for your help.
The number of wrecks is listed in my "dive Sussex" book.
That is a tricky question to answer. Most of the dives I do would involve a bit of accelerated deco. People do turn up and dive the same dives with a single + pony cylinder but due there being nothing to see between the wreck and the surface their bottom time is necessarily limited. Certainly in my part of the world everything is on the sea bed and with a long sloping shoreline (as opposed to drop offs etc) you need a boat.I think I may need an additional class or two for that
What would a standard dive profile be like?
I don't really have much idea of the situation in the coast easily (relatively) accesible from Harrogate. I would recommend you join a UK based forum as well as this and you will doubtless get information from local divers. I can recommend some UK forums if you are interested.
I would definitely recommend a forum to ask your questions. You will get a lot more diverse information from one source - I will PM you one specific site that I use.Finless,
Thanks for the detailed reply. I realized I asked a rather broad question. I was just getting a little frustrated going thru various dive club pages & cross-referencing them to google maps and basically trying to figure out north-south & what to do. :P
There may well be dive sites out ofLooks like I should take another course or two and really make it a diving trip. Thanks for your help.
my area that aren't so deep but I guess, by definition, any wreck of any size is going to be in deeper water?
The West Country in particular has beautiful waters with generally excellent vis and, due to a rocky coastline, quite a few places for shore dives.
Feel free to ask any questions.
Rgds
Bryan
Last edited by Finless; 02-08-2008 at 10:39 AM.
Below is an example of the diving on offer from one of my local charter boats.
Below are all our planned trips for the season, if you want a mid week date
that's not listed please call or e-mail and we'll put together a trip for
you
Sat 1st March - Nyon (40m) - 9:15am load
Sun 2nd March - Mid Channel Persania (45m) - 9:15am load
Sat 15th March - Caleb Sprague (35-45m) - 9:15am load
Sun 16th March - Mid Channel Seaford Ferry (45m) = 9:15am load
Good Friday 21st March - Heathpool (25m) - 8:15am load
E Sunday 23rd March - Grabwell (25m) - 9:15am load
E Monday 24th March - FD Lambert (30m) - 9:45am load
Sat 29th March - Ashford (35m) - 7:45am load
Sat 5th April - Oceana (25-30m) - 8:45am load
Sun 6th April - 1906 (25-30m) - 9:15am load
Wed 9th April - Holland V Historic Sub with Innes McCartney -1 space - £40pp
Friday 18th April - Dungy area exploration (40m range) - 9:15am load
Friday 2nd May - Dungy area exploration (40m range) - 7:45am load Sun 11th May - 7 Seas (35-40m) - 9:15am load
Friday 16th May - Dungy area exploration (40m range) - 8:15am load
Friday 30th May - Argonaut (38m) - 7am load
Friday 13th June - HMS Gurka - (35m approx) - 6:45am load
Thur 26th and Fri 27th June - 2 day trip Lanfranc/Warilda and France - £135pp for 2 days
Wed 9th - Fri 11th July - 3 day Lanfranc/Warilda and French wreck trip - £180pp for 3 days
Sat 19th July - FROM DOVER - Sailing ship (35m) followed by Loanda (18m) Mon 21st July - FROM DOVER - Large Unknown of Dungeness Point (40m max)
DIVING FRIDAY 25th July to MONDAY 4th August inc FROM NIEUWPOORT (Belgium)
Fri 25th July - UB13 (30m) followed by HMS Achilles
Sat 26th - Tubantia (30-35m) weather permitting
Sun 27th - Tubantia (weather permitting)
Mon 28th - Bouraque followed by SS Triffles (30m)
Tue 29th - Laura followed by Grafton
Wed 30th - Peppinella followed by Sigurds
Thur 31st - Killmore followed by Empire Path
Fri 1st August - John Mahn followed by 'Queen'
Sat 2nd - Tubantia (weather permitting)
Sun 3rd - Garden City (35m)
Mon 4th - Bruno Heinemann (German Z-Class destroyer)
Mon 11th August - FROM DOVER Filleigh (35-55m) if conditions suitable or HMS Hermes (38m)
Tue 12th August - FROM DOVER Unknown Hydrograhic survey mark (45-50m)
Friday 29th August - Dungy area exploration (40m range) - 9:45am load
Mon 8th to Wed 10th Sept - 3 day Lanfranc, Warilda and French mid channel
wreck trip - £180pp for 3 days
Friday 12th Sept - Dungy area exploration (40m range) - 8:45am load
Friday 26th Sept - Afghanistan (50m) - 8:45am load
You guys are bringing back memories for me from way back. As an expat who hasn't dived (dove?) in the UK in a lot of years, I am encouraged by these comments. Perhaps I should include a little diving expedition next time I get back to the old country.
As a 16 year old, I knew I was hooked after my first dive, in a creek, in borrowed gear, an ill fitting wet suit and about 8 inches of visibility ...... fantastic, I loved every minute of it!
I was originally trained by BSAC in Chichester and we did a lot of dives off the coast of Selsey and Bognor. Sadly, I am talking pre-BCDs, although Fenzys were around (horse collar type with a pony bottle attached, Fenzy was the manufacturer) but you had to be on the cutting edge to have one of those.
Do people still dive the Mixon Hole or the Mulberry Harbours out there? Also, we spent weekends down in the Weymouth, Portland area. Is HMS Hood still diveable in the harbour entrance there? That was a fun dive, but a little hairy when the current started to pick up.
Ah, the memories come flooding back. Enough of the old fart talk, hook up with someone in the UK and get out and dive.
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