Your Best dives in the Scillys

[Gareth]

Hi one & all.

This is a question for those of you who have dived the Scillys.
I'm considering planning a trip to the Scillys, I want to know which is your Favourite dive & why?

In anticipation

Gareth

[Andy Wade]

Hi one & all.

This is a question for those of you who have dived the Scillys.
I'm considering planning a trip to the Scillys, I want to know which is your Favourite dive & why?

In anticipation

Gareth

Torrey Canyon on the Seven Stones reef.
It's just so huge. There's so much to see.
The engine block is as big as a semi detached house, it has to be seen to be believed. Watch out for the unexploded bombs on it too.
And there aren't that many oil tankers you can dive on in such shallow water. It taught the world about oil pollution, and at the time of it's sinking in 1969 it was a massive story, what with the RAF bombing it to set fire to the oil, so it's a big part of our maritime history.

[Alan Ewart]

Can I answer the question after the Whitsun Holiday week as that will be my first visit to the Scillies :D

[Odin]

Bishop's Rock.
Last/First bastionof England.
Get it wrong and your next port of call is the America's!
Plymton & Hathor - 2 wrecks for 1 dive. They sit one on 'tother!
Italia for the swim throughs.
Need to find my log book for the others...
Best dive in the Scillies?
Bishop & Wolf pub!

[MarkA]

Torrey Canyon on the Seven Stones reef.
It's just so huge. There's so much to see.
The engine block is as big as a semi detached house, it has to be seen to be believed. Watch out for the unexploded bombs on it too.
And there aren't that many oil tankers you can dive on in such shallow water. It taught the world about oil pollution, and at the time of it's sinking in 1969 it was a massive story, what with the RAF bombing it to set fire to the oil, so it's a big part of our maritime history.


1967

[Mike Halligan]

Torrey Canyon on the Seven Stones reef.

The engine block is as big as a semi detached house, it has to be seen to be believed. Watch out for the unexploded bombs on it too.

it was a massive story, what with the RAF bombing it to set fire to the oil, so it's a big part of our maritime history.

Yeah. How come they had such trouble with it? It wasn't firing back, IIRC
:D

Mike

[Andy Wade]

1967

Well I was only nine years old at the time..... :D

[Andy Wade]

Yeah. How come they had such trouble with it? It wasn't firing back, IIRC
:D

Mike

It was an old fashioned mid section superstructure ship, which ran aground trying to sneak between the Scillies and the mainland of Cornwall. :eek:
Old trick, many have failed.
Apparently they tried to float her off but to no avail and she broke into big bits.
The word is... (I was in the RAF much later) that it happened on a bank holiday and the jockeys they used to bomb her were a bit out of practice, ie, flying a desk, 'cos the best pilot's were all away on holiday. Can't confirm that, but they did miss the ship quite a lot. :D
They eventually set fire to the oil, which was seen as the best option to deal with the massive oil slick. You can still find great big tar balls (medicine ball sized) in gulleys on both the Scillies coast, and all along the Cornish coastline. Some of which might be from other sources, but AIUI the vast majority are from Torrey canyon.
'Torrey canyon - the wreck that taught the world about oil pollution'
If only we had taken more notice. :(

[MattS]

Have to be the Plympton and Hathor closely followed by the Italia.

Unfortunately the weather kept us away from the Torrey Canyon.

[Paul Beal]

I would agree with Plympton and Hathor being a good dive however the best dive I had when I was out there was the small rock 50 yard off Old Town Beach. It doesn't sound much but was similar to Eddystone rock but about a tenth of the size. The south side is a sheer wall to 50 m, the rest is more of a slope. Very high energy, walls covered in squidgies.

Avoid the Cita, I thought it was rubbish!!

Paul

[Andy Wade]

Have to be the Plympton and Hathor closely followed by the Italia.

Unfortunately the weather kept us away from the Torrey Canyon.

That's a shame, it's a great dive.
I'd been to the Scillies on three seperate one week liveaboard trips over a five year period. We got on to the Torrey Canyon only once out of all the available days. And it wasn't diveable at all in the afternoon of that day as the swell over the reef was too heavy because of the tide.
Our Skipper said that it was rarely dived as the conditions had to be pretty much perfect to get on it.
Which is another reason I'd recommend attempting to dive it, take the chance if and when the weather offers it to you.

I agree about the Plympton and Hathor, and the Italia.

[MattS]

That's a shame, it's a great diveThanks for the confirmation Andy. The local skipper did not rate it....odd how skippers never rate the dives furthest from port ;)

I'd been to the Scillies on three seperate one week liveaboard trips over a five year period.This was my first trip, we were shore based and it was intended as a bit of a recce. There will definitely be a next time but on a livaboard. I really enjoyed the week but in a mid-nineties, nostalgic sort of way. I was quite suprised to find somewhere in the UK where you still can not get Nitrox :eek: It didn't affect me as I tend to dive air + 80 but one or two of the others were a little dissapointed. It was a reminder of just how far things have moved on elsewhere.

It's a bit of a shame really. As much as I prefer to support the local economy, getting the most from the diving opportunities has to come first. The local skippers definitely have the knowledge and the seamanship but the olde fashioned service isn't going to appeal to all. I genuinely enjoyed my shore based week and I am sure the schedule would fit in with a lot of clubs. But next time I will be looking for a livaboard and a skipper who's up for some extended dives on the larger wrecks.

Points out of 10 for diplomacy :D

[Giles]

I was quite suprised to find somewhere in the UK where you still can not get Nitrox :eek: It didn't affect me as I tend to dive air + 80 but one or two of the others were a little dissapointed. It was a reminder of just how far things have moved on elsewhere.

I think you'll find the reason that there is no nitrox available on the islands, is because the Isles of Scilly Steamship Company that run the Scillonian & the Gry Maritha (the only ferry company to operate to the islands) won't allow O2 to be transported aboard their vessels. So the local dive centers can't get the O2 out there to do the mixing.

Cheers

Giles

[PeteM]

I think you'll find the reason that there is no nitrox available on the islands, is because the Isles of Scilly Steamship Company that run the Scillonian & the Gry Maritha (the only ferry company to operate to the islands) won't allow O2 to be transported aboard their vessels. So the local dive centers can't get the O2 out there to do the mixing.

That may be true but how do the medical services get thier O2? I would be extremely surprised to find the answer is they don't so there must be a way to get it on to the islands

[Giles]

That may be true but how do the medical services get thier O2? I would be extremely surprised to find the answer is they don't so there must be a way to get it on to the islands

You'd have to ask them Pete ;) however, I can only relay the answer I was given from one of the owners of a dive center on one of the islands. He's a friend, so it wasn't as if I was trying to book a dive with him & him trying to make excuses for not providing NX.

Cheers

Giles

[Mike Rowley]

That may be true but how do the medical services get thier O2? I would be extremely surprised to find the answer is they don't so there must be a way to get it on to the islands

You will probably find that there are official agreements to transport medical oxygen. However, when it comes to diving gases they are not interested. The point is that it is not the operators fault that oxygen is not available to divers on the Scillies.

Regarding good dives, I am surprised no one has mentioned the Isabo or Trenenemen Ledges, Western Ledges and The Crim, all stunning dives. As far as the Seven Stones goes, the Fantee is a far better dive than the Torrey Canyon, the local skipper was quite right in his/her advice.

Cheers

Mike

[magentaseas]

Hi
The dives that really stood out for me were the Plympton & Hathor , The Cita and the amazing Trenemenen Rock which is a wall dive and a half with huge Jewel Anemones.

cheers

sharon

[Rich Foster]

Plympton and Hathor - Two wrecks on top of each other - Top Dive
Bishops Rock - Really Scenic
Italia - Good for swimthroughs
Cita - Good to swim around on a 'modern' wreck and the engine room was huge.

HMS Association (if you can get on it) - Cannons and cannonballs galore in gullies.

Other we dived that were a bit broken but fun all the same were:
TW Lawson
Lady Charlotte
King Cadwallon

Shore Dives
Porthcressa Inn - watch out for the nightclub in the basement after last orders!!
Mermaid - Good place to stop on the way back into town
The week we spent on Moonshadow, skippered by Jim Heslin was one of the best weeks diving i have done. Hot sunshine and fantastic viz and pleasant evenings!!