Menai Straits - 22-23 April 2023
With the weather improving and boat owners prepping their boats for the summer, we weren’t the only ones with the bright idea of a little trip to Anglesey. This made weekend storage challenging, however the wonderful ABC Marine in Beaumaris came to our rescue. We arrived Friday afternoon, with ABC Marine parking us in the prime spot at the top of the slip. You couldn’t ask for a better position!
Our plans for the weekend had a focus on boat handling opportunities, RIB diving skills, and exploration, so there were no time pressures at all on Saturday. This made for a relaxed, fun day of diving. We spent the morning introducing Top Cat to Vladimir and Meg and the process for prepping her for launch and diving, then Sue expertly navigated us out of the Menai and northwards towards Point Lynas. She successfully completed this in spite of the added challenge I gave her after inadvertently placing a magnetic whiteboard behind the compass. My apologies, Sue!
Our first dive site was selected by Vladimir and Meg and was Dulas Reef, located just off Ynys Dulas, a small island just out of Dulas Bay. It was selected in the hope of encountering a resident octopus. Whilst we didn’t find the octopus, we were treated to inquisitive seals and a fantastic roller-coaster drift dive. With depths ranging from a comfortable 5m to 15m, the site was rich in marine life, and we would highly recommend it to club members. The long passage to our first dive site meant we needed to select somewhere closer to home for our second site. We returned to the entrance of the Menai and chose the north side of Puffin Island for a second dip of the day before returning to ABC Marine.
In the run up to the weekend, we had been advised by Steve W that our license to dive the protected wreck of the submarine Resurgam had been renewed. After such a successful day on Saturday, and with tides times and weather all falling into place for Sunday, we decided there was no better time than the present to give it a go! So, with a plan mapped out for the day, we were up and out of our bunkhouse early to shift the boat to it’s second launch site for the weekend: Colwyn Bay.
Sunday was to prove to be an example in precision planning. We owe a huge thank you to Vladimir and Meg for all their help on the day, and on just their second day of diving off Top Cat too! And to Sue for her expert coxing and diver support. With everyone working to a tight running schedule and restrictions on launch and recovery windows, we not only successfully made it to site in time for our slack window, we then just as successfully navigated from the shot to the wreck (as a protected site, you are not permitted to drop a shot on the wreck itself). It’s a fantastic little dive site, made even more interesting by its history. Like our drift dive the previous day, it was thriving with life. I wish I were a better photographer to capture the sight of the submarine’s conning tower sitting upright in the water with an eery vapour rising out of its depths thanks to the current. Whilst the submarine’s size meant we were able to navigate it multiple times, there was so much to see that our slack window and air passed far too quickly, even at 18m. It was with some reluctance that we all made our way back to the shot line at the end of our dive.
It was a wonderful weekend. We saw and did so much, and had such great company, it felt like a holiday rather than just two short days. Thanks to all that joined us, and those that supported us from afar (Steve – providing killcord technical support from Spain!). We’re already looking forward to seeing everyone again on the next club trip.
Underwater photos taken by Meg.
Clemmie & Dave
