Shetland 22nd - 29th August 2020
This was not a planned club trip however owing to Covid 19 cancellations and last minute spaces 6 divers from ECSAC ended up on board Bob Anderson’s new boat Clasina in Lerwick harbour ready to dive on Sunday morning. It must be said that the new boat is fantastic, undercover drysuit area, massive flat deck space, twin cabins, dive lift, dining/kitchen area, 3 showers and best of all Ainsley and Rachel as crew.
Fellow divers were Jane and Junho from London, Underwater Photography competition winner Rob Bailey and photographer Charles Erb. A full article written by Rob will appear in Scuba magazine shortly.
We were blessed with good weather, 15m+ viz and 12C water temperature. We dived a mixture of wrecks and scenic sites between Lerwick and Balta Sound. We even had time to walk to Hermaness National Nature Reserve overlooking Muckle Flugga to watch the gannets, fulmars, giant skua gulls and kittiwakes.
Wreck and scenic sites
- Fraioch Bahn a trawler lying in 36m, plastered in life on a white sandy bottom which is covered in plaice plus resident angler fish and octopus.
- Lunarhods 36m and The Pionersk 34m: both Russian fish factory ships.
- The Jane 25m -a Swedish steamship in Bluemull Sound
- The classic submarine E49
- Noss Head with resident Gannet colony.
- Maerl bed drift which was Cat Shark city.
- Giants Legs. 3 sea cliff swim throughs. A riot of colour especially the Dahlia Anemones.
The beauty of the Shetland both above and below water is stunning and a relatively easy place to get to thanks to the overnight ferry from Aberdeen.
A great week with ECSAC buddies Pat/Phil, Mark/Anna Alison and Tim.
Thanks as always to Bob Anderson and his amazing crew.
Video courtesy of Alison Brammer
