Trip Report - Beautiful Plymouth

Driving down to Plymouth for the weekend this year left me feeling a little nervous. The trip had a lot to live up to. The 2004 excursion to the south coast had been a small (only 4 people) but memorable affair, the weather was great and the diving superb. This year the trip had grown in size with 10 members but the weather forecast wasn't looking good and getting any diving in might actually become a bonus.

When we arrived at Bovisand it was deserted and a quick phone call to one of the owners of the dive charter we had booked with left him feeling a little shaken, he hadn't expected us until the next morning. Despite this communication confusion we were all welcomed and settled into our rooms within the hour. The rooms were spacious twin bedded each with an en-suite bathroom, not exactly what were used to on diving trips. After a quick scurry to the pub for some food before they stopped serving we realised that this was the only aspect of the accommodation that wasn't catered for, the nearest pub was a good 5 to 10 minutes drive away.

The Scylla

On the Saturday morning everyone got up reasonably early and started configuring kit. We had plenty of time as the first dive wasn't booked until 12 noon and despite the poor weather predictions it was flat calm on the water. Due to the uncertainty of the weather we plumped to change our itinerary and dive the Persier as our first dive.

We all packed ourselves onto the Blue Raider and off we went under the expert direction of the skipper Danny. It was amazing - the life on this wreck is incredible. If you're in Plymouth this is definitely a not to miss dive in the 28 to 32 metre range. For our second dive we hit the HMS Scylla, a huge contrast but an interesting dive in its own right falling in the 11 to 24 metre range where you can pretty much pick your depth.

Diving over for the first day, bring on the barbecue. We all huddled into one of the sheltered courtyards of a room and stuffed ourselves on the barbecue fare produced by our willing chefs (cheers guys). After a few cans and a chat with our skipper for the Sunday, Dave, we all settled down for a good nights sleep.

Sunday morning brought the weather we had been promised with a rolling swell that didn't look good. Despite the weather Dave said he would get us on the Elk a trawler sunk in World War 2 that lies in about 32 metres of water. Unfortunately the latter half of the divers didn't find the wreck as the swell pulled the shot away. After a rough ride back to shore we decided not to pursue a second dive and instead got an early start on the road home.

The first dive on the Persier was enough to make the long drive worthwhile and despite the weather this was still a fantastic weekend away. Thank you to everyone for making it such good fun. Plans are afoot for a winter trip; apparently if you can catch the weather just right the visibility can be amazing!