Summer Isles – 27th and 28th August 2006

We were a select group this year. Jonathan & Joan Taylor, Steve Adamson, Chris Emmett, and Maurice Van der Meuwe. Non-divers Helen and Stephanie were the voices of reason and sobriety. On the first day, the weather started bad but cleared later - sadly, it didn’t clear where we were, only where we’d been. As we moved between dive sites, there were clear skies behind us and dark clouds ahead. We managed three dives a day, which saw Maurice reach his 50th and Chris his 150th. There were pool session in the evening but these involved long sticks and coloured balls. Ever humble in victory, Jonathan limited his celebrations to pulling the front of his shirt over his head and doing aeroplane imitations round the pub. We saw lots of sponges, anemones, various crustaceans, cod and John Dory. And, just when we thought it was all over, we saw a whole new side to Richard, our jovial skipper - more later.

Day One

Jambo

In Swahili, Jambo means ‘good morning,’ which was apt, given that she sank just after dawn in June 2003. She now lies upside down in thirty-one meters. We followed the shot line to the bow and explored her for about thirty minutes. There were clams, pollocks, rass and plaice but the hull itself is pretty featureless. Time will solve that and it was a nice start dive. If you type ‘Jambo Summer Isles’ into your search window, you’ll find dramatic shots of Jambo’s last minutes; it’s a shame she’s no longer right side up.

Keyhole

This was a lovely scenic dive to eleven meters. We dropped down onto a kelp garden in very clear water and swam to a large grotto that shelved up to one meter.

Durnamack Sandbar

We finished the day with a clam dive to ten meters. Not too many clams but there were lots of crabs and a small John Dory. Richard, our skipper says that when he was away, commercial divers came in and stripped out every clam in his private clam bed. Hmmm - clam rustlers; fetch the shotgun.

Day Two

Innisjura

This wooden coastal trader sank during World War One but it’s in remarkable condition. She lies on her keel in thirty-six meters. Visibility was so good, we could almost see the whole wreck from the shot line. There was a fair amount of life on her and she’s home to a shoal of juvenile cod. However, there were reports of strange noises:

Muffled : Jonathan!
Muffled and a bit testy : What?
Indistinct but very testy : (might have been) No, you come here!
Muffled but really, really testy : &%@#!

Back on the boat, Maurice noticed a tiny crustacean on the upper leg of his dry suit. He promptly declared he had crabs but quietened down before doing lasting damage to his social life.

Fairweather V

The weather cleared and there was bright sunshine as we went into the water. We’ve done this wreck before but it’s always worth another look. Her keel’s at twenty-eight meters but her deck’s at twenty, making this a non-challenging dive. A club member once said that Fairweather looks like she’s been blasted by a giant shotgun loaded with marshmallows.

Bad Bay

Nice unchallenging dive at twelve meters. There were some lobsters and a couple of hermit crabs. Not a spectacular dive but a nice way to finish the weekend.

Epilogue

During our final get together at Maggie’s Tea Rooms, Richard the skipper joined us having just checked another guest into Annie Ross’ B&B. He assured Jonathan, Joan and Maurice that the guest was a quiet gentleman who wouldn’t disturb their slumber. We should have taken our clue from Richard’s sombre suit and black tie. Frequent references to the Chapel of Rest should have been a giveaway. Jonathan later crept into the small outbuilding next to his motor home and found the gentleman there. He was indeed, very very quiet and he didn’t join us for breakfast

And Finally

Special thanks to Richard Ross, who knows all the good dive sites; to his wife Helena and mother Annie for the fine accommodation and excellent breakfasts; and to Angus and Maggie who gave us such a wonderful evening meal.