Liquidstate

I need to check my facts, but Im sure Alex said is was the Ludlow we were diving today - just outside North Berwick. Unfortunately, the Internet seems to be a bit dry (pun intended) on wreck info for this one. I found a couple of Ludlow wrecks, but most of them appear to have been sold for scrap. Anyway, more info once I get confirmation!

Diving wise, the wreck sits in approximately 6 metres of water, on a sandy bottom and is covered in kelp. This is certainly one where you need to get up close and personal and have a good poke around. I was diving on limited air, because I still had 70 bar left from my previous dive at the Bass Rock. I didn’t find any of the brass that Alex promised, but it was fun rooting around and shining my torch in various holes! As I said, the wreck is covered in kelp, so there’s quite a bit wild life, including a few lobsters. I left Alex and Steven to it once I ran out of air. Quite nice doing a warm, bright, shallow dive to finish of the day :o)

Once a year, someone (usually Ann) organises an Isle Of May invasion, on or around May Day. A number of RIBs all go out to the Isle Of May with 20-30 divers. This year was no different, with 4 RIBs carrying approximately 25 divers. Sadly, we had to delay our day out this year because of everyone’s scheduling.

Anyway, we all battered down to North Berwick to be there bright an breezy. Rachel very kindly gave Will and I lift down. The only downside was that she was picking me up “around 7″ … secret code for “too bloody early!”. Rachel’s new pimp wagon got us down there with plenty of time to help out with the boats. Unfortunately, the weather was a bit against us, so rather than Isle Of May, we chose to do the first dive at Bass Rock, and the second at Craigleith island.

The first dive to Bass Rock was a really easy scenic dive to around 20 metres. Alex, Steve and I dived as a group, with Alex leading on his KISS rebreather, and Steve and I operating as a buddy pair. We saw plenty of lobsters, a few fish (quell surprise), and plenty of sponges as we passed by the wall. All in all, a nice simple, pleasant dive. The water temperature was pretty toasty, so were down there for 50 minutes! I think I heard the figure 10 degrees passed around … my god … double figures! A little different to my previous dives this year!

A scenic dive at the Bass Rock from Gary Lawson’s Rib, Pegasus. A few problems with kit on the way in though. First of all, my mask strap broke just before i went in the water, so I managed to botch a fix to that by tieing it off. Once I got into the water, then my BCD decided to free-flow! DOH! Disconnected it, re-connected, then no more problems. Im guessing salt crystals on the inlet :-/

Anyway, great dive - although very different for me! We were on a ebbing tide and it swept us quickly around the east side of the rock. We think there was 3-4 knots of tide … quite an exciting trip when you’re diving at night!