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West Lothian Sub Aqua Club
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| dive team | diving | dive boat |
The Diving |
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Day 1, 6 April.A couple of us had a couple of lovely dives at Ballachulish and Loch Nan Uamh on the way up. We all assembled on the pier at Mallaig and after stepping through the obligatory 'foot-and-mouth-bath' we boarded the MV Mary Doune for the short crossing to the outdoor centre at Doune on Knoydart. |
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Day 2, 7 April.We crossed over to Canna on a beautiful sunny morning with the breeze blowing in from the north north east at a brisk 3 to 4. The first dive was on the famous 'big cliff' Dunmore reef. This superb site is best dived at slack water when there is no swell running as we can all attest diving it as we did in a swell and running tide. The wall drops vertically from a sharp edge at 15 metres to 60 + covered all the way, so we are told, with huge Boring sponges and Jewel anenomes. After lunch moored in the harbour bay we motored back out and dived the reef across the harbour mouth, Sgeir a Phuirt. A 46 minute dive down to 21 metres depth in excellent 15 metre visibility along a beautiful wall covered in Plumose and Jewel aneneome, Dead Mens' Finger soft corals and huge Devonshire Cup corals. tiny Onchidoris nudibranch were spawning prolifically on the brown weedy bryazoan that they prefer.The trip back to Knoydart was softer than the trip out as we relaxed with our coffees discussing the diving. Dinner at the Lodge followed and after a couple of refreshments we all retired to our bunks tired and happy. |
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Day 3, 8 April.The wind dropped a couple of points overnight and this let us head up north to Skye to the point of Rubh an Dunain with its iron age fortifications and engineering works. |
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| View
of Rubh an Dunain from the South. |
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| The first dive was along the cliff on the southern face of the point. A vertical wall drops down to a shelf at 22 metres. Another 2 metres out it drops again vertically to 28 then 33 metres with horizontal shelfs and vertical cuts providing homes for big crabs, lobsters and congers. The wall was covered with a splendid variety of all the colourfull invert life that Scottish diving offers in abundance and with 15 metres visibility it was lovely to spend 54 minutes gradually ascending along the cliff to the shallows. The foot and mouth restrictions again prevented us from going ashore but after our packed lunches we dived again. This dive was on Sgeir Mhor, an isolated stack and reef complex half a mile or so south from the morning dive. 44 minutes passed so quickly as we drifted along the wall. The highlights were the jumbo scallops on the clean sand at 25 metres and the deep undercut at 22 metres that stretched back into the gloom and runs along the reef for 50 to 70 metres.. another wonderful dive. Finally we were deposited back at mallaig by 5 o'clock in time for fish suppers and the long drive home. |
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The Dive Team The sunny Sunday off Skye we are from left to right, back row: Ian Whyte Senior, Colin McDonald, Douglas Potter, Gordon Young, Ian Whyte Junior, Craig Lyon middle row: Jenny Young, Fiona McDonald, Anne Potter front row: Jim Anderson, Derek Bryce. |
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The Dive Boat The Mary Doune lying alongside the pier in the bay at
Doune on the Knoydart peninsula. The accommodation in the bunkhouse
was excellent with lots of hot water, clean downies and comfortable
warm conditions. We dined in the restaurant on the Saturday night and enjoyed an enormous dish of Langouste with Mayonnaise and salad, washed down with our own excellent selection of wines. |
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 Skipper Andy Tibbetts |
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