Category Archive
The following is a list of all entries from the Dive Sites category. Noteworthy entries are filed topmost.
The U90 Jinx strikes back
Off the Isle of Wight (an island off the south coast of England) lies the wreck of the U90, a First World War U-boat that is believed to have sunk whilst under tow to a salvage yard at the end of the war. Some believe that the sinking was not entirely accidental as the value of scrap was so low after the Great War that rather than tow it all the way to a suitable yard the Royal Navy sent it to the bottom.
Whatever the reason for its consignment to the sea, the rediscovery of this wreck in recent years is a veritable bonus for divers. It is in a wonderful condition of intact, and yet with sufficient holes in the hull to let light through and divers in. The conning tower is in almost immaculate condition, although, of course, the thoughtless actions of spidge-hunters degrades her state with every dive.
Diving British Columbia - Quadra Island
Introduction
Like many, I did my first dive training in the warm waters of the Egyptian Red Sea. However, unlike some cold water quickly called me and I found I enjoyed UK diving immensely. So the viz wasn’t as good, and you had to wear enormous amounts of gear to cope with the cold water, but there was something about it.
The pleasure of finding a creature to hover and admire for a while was special in comparison to all those tropical fish that flirted shamelessly for one’s attention on tropical reefs. The variety of environments with seabeds made from the finest sand or the largest boulders, of crushed shells or mud or metres of thick silt, and of kelp forests with hidden promises within. Ah, yes, kelp forests- a particular favourite of mine. I could spend a whole dive poking around in the trailing blades or thick stems or kelp, stalking the beasties that use this amazing plant as home.
Then a friend told me of a place for a different diving holiday. It had cold water, giant kelp, fish very different from what we see around our shores and to top it all everything was “three times larger than here”. Surely this was too good to be true? Apparently not, the same friend also informed me that it was described by Jacque Cousteau as “the best cold-water diving in the world”. Continue reading this entry »