A long weekend to the Scottish Islands.
With a weekend available for diving on the Gaelic Rose members of the club headed up to Oban on the Friday to take the opportunity of the forecast good weather.
The problem with a weekend is that it doesn’t give the opportunity to go far but, as it’s the Sound of Mull, there is always plenty of good diving to be had and when the sea is as flat calm as predicted then the options are easy to access. In addition it is just an excuse for good company and a bit of socialising in an are of stunning beauty.
The Saturday morning boded well and we headed South down the Sound to dive the ever faithful Breda. This is a classic wreck that has been heavily salvaged but still sits upright on the sea bed between 24 and 30 meters in depth. The top deck was swept with wire to make her navigable but the holds are still intact. The wreck is a haven for sea life and, with the good visibility we had, proved to be a great dive to start.
The second dive was an old favourite, Calve Island, a stunning drop off just outside of Tobermory. The dive is simple jump in go down and explore the wall slowly working up until reaching the shelf at about 7m. This provides a great spot for the safety stop an to explore some of the life living amongst the kelp.
That evening we docked at Tobermory and after a good meal headed to our local haunts starting, as ever, at the Mishnish and working our way back to the boat.
The second day was different and had a strong wind blowing so (sadly) the Hispania dive was called off, we dived Auliston point and then a scenic dive in Loch Stuart. Both were superb and had plenty of life to observe. What is good to see is that, with less dredging, the scallop beds are returning and many smaller species, such as jewel anemones are beginning to return.
We stayed overnight in Lochaline and had a few drinks onboard, as there is little or no shore based social areas. It was still an enjoyable night and the scenery is excellent.
The last day and last dive loomed and was once again an old favourite, the Shuna. This always lives up to it being a good dive. the wreck acts as a large reef and was full of life. It finished off the weekend well.
We headed back to Oban to unload and head home after a good weekends diving.
