SCAPA FLOW
Scapa Flow is a natural harbour in the
Orkney Islands off the north coast
of Scotland.
At the close of the First World War, the German High Seas Fleet was interned
there, while armistice negotiations were taking place.
At one point it was feared that the negotiations were about to break down, and
on the 21st of June 1919, rather than surrender the fleet, the order went out to
scuttle the ships where they lay at anchor.
Although a great deal of salvage has gone on since, there are still many
ships laying on the seabed .........
I wonder how many of us UK divers really appreciate the fact that we have a
diving Mecca right on our back doorstep? At least I thought it was our back
doorstep, until I undertook to drive the first 4 hours, of our 9 hour journey
that should eventually lead us to the wrecks of Scapa Flow!
But my two co-drivers and I , in my very tightly packed car, made good time and
arrived to meet up with the other 16 divers that made up our party.
So why am I telling you all this?
You are probably not into reading about somebody else’s “flamin bleedin Scapa
report” are you? Tough! I’m telling you anyway because its AWESOME!
To be honest, those of you that have been already know this!
You are sitting there on your behinds, grudgingly agreeing with me while you
surf the net, and in particular this tiny microcosm of it!
But for those of you who have never been, and those of you who just don’t get
it. Maybe I have to set the scene a bit more for you!
So who am I?
That's me looking like Godzilla climbing out after one of the dives.
I am a new guy in this club! No I am not new to diving. I’ve been diving 12
years and mostly all in UK waters. Although other members of the branch have
been many times before, I’d never been to Scapa. YEP a SCAPA VIRGIN!
I Don’t know why I , but I always seemed to have some other commitment, and
anyway, its just a bunch of wrecks Isn’t it?
WRONG. Big mistake, HUGE MISTAKE ! Calling them just another bunch of wrecks
is like calling The Buddy Inspiration PORTABLE, or Stoney Cove on a winter
Sunday as a tad chilly!
Mind you ! I’ve always been a wreck junkie. It may be Cokey Mills Scrap Yard out
of water, but in the water its a journey of exploration, that excites and
tingles me to my very bronchial capillaries!
I roused myself from my weekend routine of kit fettling in the private
confines of my garage, and decided to do something about it. As easy as that!
We had 2 boats:- The Karyn, skippered by the renowned John Thornton of
IANTD and IMMERSED fame, and The Adlegrund,
skippered by an equally experienced local, Keith Thompson.
The Karyn is a large well equipped live aboard, with Nitrox and Trimix
available on board for those interested.
I have to admit being very excited at the prospect of using nitrox in anger, at
depths that were near perfect for oxygen enriched air.
The dives are interesting enough to warrant extended bottom times, and demanding
enough to be as challenging as you wish them to be.
So having such a well equipped platform to dive and live on was great.
What about creature comforts?
Well the Royal Yacht it isn't, but the 2 berth cabins are a good size, and the
boat has 3 showers and a drying room.
The Adlegrund is also well equipped , but only as a day boat , but its size
meant it was extremely comfortable, and it too has Nitrox available.
The Adlegrund.
Each boat went its own way during the day, and occasionally moored up
together for the compulsory pub or cafe lunch, and again back in Stromness in
the evening, for the Post Dive Rehydration Therapy that invariably goes on this
kind of trip!
Our weather was great. Mostly sunny and calm, dry every day except the last
which chucked it down, but when you’ve had a good diving and weather for 5 days
who cares if it rains on the last.
The dives themselves were simply splendid. We dove some of the shallower
wrecks on the first day or two, building up to the larger dreadnought class
boats, in deeper waters later in the week.
These are so big, that one dive on them really doesn't give you an opportunity
to see very much of them.
Part of the beauty of a trip like this, is the scope that it offers divers.
If you just want to single tank no stop dive, you can do this with a like minded
buddy, while if you want to tech it up a bit, and push longer bottom times, you
can do so, subject to your experience level, training and of course the right
Buddy.
This way, pretty much everybody has a dive that they can rave about afterwards.
My buddy and I spent considerable time and effort, planning and training for
more technical diving using nitrox. On the deeper dives we generally used twin
manifolded 12L back mounted cylinders, containing a suitable blend of nitrox,
with either a side or front slung, 3L or 7L pony containing 80 % oxygen for our
lengthy deco times.
Head mounted torches reduce the in water workload on your hands, leaving 2 hands
free to lay lines etc.
The only snag is that you are pretty bulky with all this gear, no matter how
well it's arranged, and entries into confined spaces are made much more
difficult.
Run times on these deeper dives were typically 70 minutes, with 35 minutes of
deco on average, although this is still conservative, since these deco
requirements are worked out with an air computer. By breathing Nitrox as a
travel and bottom gas, and then switching to EAN 80 for your shallow long stops,
you have absorbed a lot less nitrogen than your computer thinks.
It also makes you a lot less tired after a heavy days diving, apparently a
symptom of reduced sub clinical DCS by using Nitrox. (It really does work !)
We were able to put in some great dives that were interesting and worth
staying down for, while technically pushing our experience with some challenging
run times and profiles.
We also got to use in water decompression techniques, using a lazy shot, which
makes extended 'strap hanging' a lot more comfortable.
Getting back onto our boat was easy , and once back on board, its on with the
kettle, off with the gear, and off to the shower or cabin. What could be better?
For me, the best big dives were the Konig in 35-38 metres, which is just
bristling with guns, and gave the best impression of the former glory of these
sunken Leviathans.
The James Barry, a modern trawler is also well worth a dive in about 43 meters.
But to be honest, Scapa is the kind of place where even the second dives are
quality.
For instance the block ships that were sunk across the entrances to the harbour,
to prevent enemy submarine access, produce memorable enjoyable dives.
The block ship Inverlane.
The Doyle was particularly special as you can swim from bow to stern inside.
All these wrecks let in plenty of light, and have many points to get in and out
safely. They can get pretty exciting as the current starts to rip through and
around them. Towards the end of your dives, when they turn into washing machines
its definitely time to leave!
As a parting shot, I think every self respecting diver should avail
themselves of the opportunity of doing a hard hat dive.
This will be a memory that will stay with me forever.
Clambering into the Ceibe Gorman Mk3 standard dress diving suit and helmet,
is an experience in itself.
When they load you with the lead boots , back and breast plate, and seal you in,
give a thought to the men who did this for a job. Respect is instantly
forthcoming!
MK3 Standard Dress.
Even a "plop" dive off the steps at the end of Stromness Pier was an
experience that is unique.
When you get to the end of the lowest step, there’s nothing for it but to just
step off, and free fall down to a landing in soft sand. Talk about feeling out
of control.
Moving around is nearly impossible, visibility is really poor out of the
small windows, and as for performing even the simple task of picking up a
discarded coffee mug, it took me 5 goes of groaning, leaning and clutching at
mud until I got it!
It’s an exhilarating and even possibly frightening experience.
Most of us sport divers, never get to experience being so reliant on other
people to keep you alive and safe, while being so helpless to extricate yourself
from danger or difficulty.
While this is done in the safe shelter of a harbour, in controlled and
supervised conditions is one thing, but you have no concept of how hard and
dangerous it must have been for the people who did it for real, until you try it
for yourself!
Jason.
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