Tuesday, July 12, 2011

LSSAU - weekend away to Lyme Regis on 8 to 10 July 2011

LSSAU – weekend away to Lyme Regis on 8 to 10 July 2011

 

This is the first time that LSSAU has dived out of Lyme Regis for many years. Attendees were Roger Cooper, Matt Davies, Geoff Duggan, Mark Hartburn, Matt Drage, Ben Lomax, Jack Hall, Jack Walker, Simon Pilsworth, Tim Beaver and Dan Pilsworth.

 

Dive sites for ocean divers were limited, the best being the Baygitano (Baggy), a steam collier torpedoed in 1917. Whilst much of the vessel is flattened, the two boilers stand 3m high along with some sections and the bows remain intact.  The Baggy is at 18 - 22m and is located one and a half miles due south of Lyme Regis. It is said by many to be one of the all time favourite dives, known by divers everywhere as The Baggy. There is loads of life, fish congers, lobsters, crabs etc and it is an ideal training wreck, perfect for observing the construction of a WW1 steamship. The LP cylinder is broken open so the 60” piston can be seen. There are no tidal problems and it is ideal for RIB divers. http://i105.photobucket.com/albums/m236/salsettediving/File0340.jpg

http://i105.photobucket.com/albums/m236/salsettediving/File0341.jpg

 

Other potential sites were scenic, other wrecks being too deep. A scenic dive was also close by at Pinhay, c2m due west.

 

Mindful of costs, it was decided to take one boat, Vixen, with the aim of shuttling back and fore with two separate waves of divers and Coops helming.

 

Saturday morning was delayed due to launching without a four by four, the harbour drying out at low tide. All bar one dived the Baggy, albeit the weather was force 4/5 rising 6 from the south west – straight into the bay. We went for a walk in the afternoon, returning at 5pm to agree that there was time for one boat load to dive off Pinhay. Matt Drage and Geoff returned to the scout hut at Uplyme to prepare tea.

 

Vixen was left overnight on a pontoon in the outer harbour, so allowing an early start without the problems of launching. All had an enjoyable 45min dive on the baggy, four returning after lunch for a second dive, the rest either returning to the hut to clean up or retrieving Vixen. Vixen was washed down at the hut ready to be dropped off at a secure boat yard in Castletown for use the following weekend by Marg.

 

All inclusive cost came to £60 per head.

 

The Baggy was an interesting wreck with huge boilers, a couple of swim throughs and lots of sea life. There were shoals of fish all over the top of the wreck and we saw a couple of huge conger eels side by side under the plating, they looked ten inches in diameter, five feet long and had huge heads. We also saw a couple of smaller ones elsewhere along with lobster, edible crabs, spider crabs, a multitude of different fish, including Dab, and filter feeders galore.

 

The Pinhay site was interesting but nothing special indicating that maybe it wasn’t right on the site that had been recommended.

 

Buddy pairs were Matt Drage/ Geoff Duggan, Matt Davies/ Jack Walker, Mark Hartburn/ Ben Lomax/ Tim Beaver, Simon Pilsworth/ Jack Hall.

 

From a planning viewpoint, due to the lack of an air-bar in Lyme, air was only available in the evening from a very helpful local farmer called John, each diver therefore having to have two cylinders. Additionally, as the harbour dried out at low tide, equipment had to be carried/ carted round the harbour to the far side which remains in water throughout. We had to plan this carefully to avoid loss of time when switching over for the second dive.

 

Thanks go to everyone for mucking in and making it an enjoyable and successful weekend.

 

11/7/11