Chris and I decided to split up for our diving today, just to be different. So I dived Brummer with Joss, whilst he dived it with Ade. It was a very nice and chilled dive. Apart from the divers that jumped in as we were doing our 6 metre deco stop. At least one novice and all were rude. Not one okay sign in thanks for the fact that we had put ourselves as far from the shot line as possible in parallel flag formation so that they had as little manoeuvring as possible.


Ade’s DSMB, the one that kept trying to escape, having failed twice, this time tried for suicide. Chris and Ade popped it up, and it was promptly run over by another dive boat, The Invincible, with the boys hanging on the end of it.

Stopped off at Moaness for lunch. This was a random cafe 300 yards along a windswept and rainy road.

Dived the Tabarka in the afternoon, which sounded a bit scary with its negative buoyancy entry and full penetration as she is completely upside down. But actually it was easy. The entry wasn’t even close to the adrenaline rush of the only other negative entry I’ve done at Elphistone, and the skipper really did put us right on top of the wreck. I was diving with Steve, and we spent the entire time inside the wreck; it was stunning.

Although we lucked out and managed to take a route where we met only one other pair in passing, we ended up in a shoal of divers from The Invincible, and surfaced with them. Thus, we had to sit in the water as Invincible picked up some of her divers before she had to move out and circle round in another pass to pick up the rest. At this point, John L nipped in to retrieve us. Whilst waiting, we managed to acquire an offer of drinks from Invincible, but sadly didn’t have the opportunity.

Once aboard, we cleared our kit in time for arrival at Stromness and put everything in the van. I think we were all sad to leave the John L, and for one would love to dive from her again.

The final meal was at a Chinese, and after Steve (with his nice Scottish accent) valiantly drove the Dive Cellar wreck, um, van to Kirkwall, we spent an amusing half hour walking its tiny streets before locating a pub for pre-dinner drinks. Richard was awarded the wooden spoon for the Wettest Dry Suit Diver, and Dameon won the Most Environmentally Unfriendly cork.