This simple diving weekend proved to be more than a reconnaissance trip to plan a future week long expedition.  Read on.

The west coast of Scotland has been a destination of choice for many expedition minded divers over the years including myself.  In 35 years of diving the area I’ve only known 1 day of boat diving cancelled because of extreme weather and even then we managed to get an excellent shore dive in to 50m.
As Vectis Expeditions the lure of Scotland is still there despite the circa 10 hours drive north from the Isle of Wight (Vectis is Roman name for Isle of Wight) the west coast has a lure – not only because of pretty much guaranteed diving in good visibility but also for the quality of the dives available.

Wreck diving has been a key attraction of divers to the area with some of the UK’s best wrecks located out of Oban and up the Sound of Mull.  However, the area is now home to some world leading environmental projects involving seagrass and native oysters in Loch Melfort, Loch Craignish and Loch Aline which add another dimension to diving in the area; one that is growing in popularity.  Indeed on my first expedition a few years ago the highlight for the younger generation of divers was finding a live ‘native oyster’ where we weren’t expecting to find one!

Vectis Expeditions is a supporter of BSAC Operation Oyster which aims to find and record remnant populations of but also of a project called Plant an Oyster which seeks to build an effective native oyster biogenic reef.  The weekend of the 17/18/19th April  was an opportunity to meet up with some key stakeholders and road test a couple of ideas for a future planned expedition in October (week 19th -25th).  It evolved into something a bit richer involving unexpected reunions and meeting the next generation of divers who greatly encouraged me with their endurance in some interesting diving conditions and engagement in the all important banter over meals and engaging conversations past bedtime!.

Getting there for me involved a ferry to the mainland to collect Danny, a member of Southsea BSAC and Portsmouth University club.  We had an epic trip up to Inverarey discussing all sorts of diving topics.  We didn’t seem to run out of topics!  We stayed in the Hostel overnight.

The next day after a slightly later start and a remote working breakfast from Brambles cafe, we set off to dive Furnace,  only to discover in the decade or more since I’d last visited the area, shore access points for three sites were no longer available; Quarry companies, Water Companies and Fish Farms had all moved in.  We checked out one of my secret sites a bit further along (one that is not on the Fin Strokes website) which was viable but time was pressing for our RV at Sealife Adventures pontoon to meet the team for kit check out dives and help Sarah and Rohan deliver some Sport Diver training for members of Highlands and Islands University Sub Aqua Club (HISAC).

David Ainsley, a BSAC First Class Diver and skipper of Porpoise II dropped by to say hello.  Dave used to take divers out regularly in the 1990s and early 2000’s but now runs Sealife Adventures focussing on the wildlife visible above the water (e.g, Golden Eagles) and on the water – dolphins, whales, otters etc. He is an extremely knowledge chap and very safety focussed.

We met up with my friend Charlie (and Edinburgh University Alumni) who was getting back in the water after 8 years of parenting. Having completed kit checks, checked weights and completed some compass training we headed to the boat.  We soon learned that another old friend, Max,  was also coming along with a group of students from Edinburgh University SAC.   It wasn’t long before conversations were started around the diving table on Honeydew and notes compared between the old divers (myself included) and the next generation of divers from HISAC and EUSAC.  We also spent quite a bit of time discussing oyster restoration projects and the challenges those face and how divers with all sorts of backgrounds and skillsets can contribute.

Next day we dived the SS Breda, drifted along Sassenach Point and then dropped in off the pontoons in Loch Aline on the Saturday.  On the last dive we trialled the deployment of a prototype ‘oyster pod’.  We overnighted in Loch Aline where we also met some more old friends onboard MV Clasina – not only the crew but also members of the BSAC North East Regional Coaching team.  Conversations continued into the night – on diving in the good old days and then life, the universe and everything.

Sunday followed with scenic dive and the SS Breda again this time with some HISAC students completing their Ocean Diver qualifying dives.  What a dive site to complete it on!

My mission objectives for this weekend were completed successfully so we can pursue the October Expeditions dates, That was the recce bit. We discovered non-native oysters in a unexpected location which has added another dimension to future expeditions and another BSAC Operation Oyster data point.

The reunions happened by chance.  It was an unexpected and pleasant surprise to meet up with old friends.  Sure we might stalk each other on Facebook but nothing beats getting together face to face over a tea/coffee or something stronger.  Mind you, it was noted that the dedicated, hard core UK diving community isn’t that large and as we noted from the ‘reunions’, it is getting older.  That’s where the renewal and the next generation comes in.

The weekend community that was brought together onboard MV Honeydew included young and old divers, with the latter group recognising a need to encourage the former.  There was diving and training with a purpose.  There was an exchange of ideas and dedication from instructors, students and divers alike.  Maybe more trips like this would help renew in the diving community at large in the UK. Maybe we are simply re-inventing the wheel discovered by Home – British Sub-Aqua Club years ago.

So with that in mind I look forward to the week long trip in October and diving with an eclectic group of young and old as we explore the wonders of the West Coast of Scotland and play our role in exploring and restoring the seabed and hopefully inspiring and encouraging the next generation of UK divers.