Isle of Man - 7th - 12th August 2025
Thursday the 7th of August
Having never visited the Isle of Man before, we arranged to catch an early morning ferry over and an afternoon ferry back. This would top and tail our dive trip with two extra days for sightseeing. Joining Dave and me in our car share were Clive and Debra (from HGSAC). Also travelling to the Isle of Man were Nathan (ECSAC/HGSAC); Adam, Fraser, Mark (HGSAC); and Andreas and Arne (VdST – think German BSAC). As the clouds of Storm Floris cleared and the sun came out, it was with much anticipation that we arrived at Liverpool ferry port.
Our high spirits were quickly dampened however, with the disappointing news that the ferry wasn’t running. What followed was a 27-hour debacle from the Isle of Man Steam Packet Company. It was going 9 AM Friday morning (i.e. the next day!!) before we finally reached our destination. Our plans for an easy passage and day of sight-seeing had long faded into the fog of travel fatigue and exhaustion.
Friday the 8th of August
One thing working in our favour was the weather. Less than favourable conditions meant that the first two diving days of our trip were cancelled, and we would be doing three-dive days on the remaining days to make the most of our visit.
We used the first non-diving day to recover from our journey. At Mark’s recommendation, we travelled a short 10-minute journey from our accommodation to The Sound Café for brunch. With panoramic views of the Calf of Man, this was a stunning location to get into the holiday mood. The twinkling turquoise waters below us looked fabulous as we all tucked into hearty breakfasts. The rest of the day alternated between naps, walks to get our bearings, and a stroll over the Port Erin. Like all nights, dinner proved challenging and this was to be the only night we were able to eat out, having a delicious meal at the local Indian restaurant.
Saturday the 9th of August
Saturday dawned bright, sunny – and windy. Knowing our diving was canned, we already had a busy day of sight-seeing mapped out. A short drive to Douglas and we were soon tucking into another hearty breakfast. Meal portions in the Isle of Man are BIG! This was followed up a visit to the impressive Great Laxey Wheel and its old mining shafts, ice cream in Ramsey, a lap of the TT circuit, before returning to the dive shop to complete our paperwork.
Sunday the 10th of August
At last! A bright day of diving beckoned. We collected cylinders from the dive shop and drove to the marina to meet our boat.
Dive #1 was Kiane Halby on the east side of the Calf of Man. I would like to tell you all about the wonders of this dive, however upon entering the water promptly lost my new camera on it’s very first sea outing. After much urgent gesturing to Dave to halt the descent, we spent our 58 minutes of dive time diligently searching our entry site. I am eternally grateful to Dave for his assistance – and thrilled that I still own a camera! We discovered upon surfacing that my fancy new camera floats. Phew! I don’t think I will live that dive entry down anytime soon. Everyone tells me that the dive site was lovely, too!
Dive #2 was Gibdale on the west side of the Calf of Man. Although very close in proximity to dive 1, the topography was totally different. With large boulders, wrasse, lobsters and a fluorescent covering of jewel anemones in the most amazing colours and masses.
Dive #3 was the Skerranes. This for me was one of the top dives. Full of gullies and channels to explore bursting with life, we had a magical time with a seal for company the entire dive. Our German dive buddies were following Dave and I on this dive and were over the moon with its presence. After a long day, and so very many steps, it was lovely to finish the day on such a wonderful dive experience.
Monday the 11th of August
Dive #1 was bay 5, on the east side of the island. This was supposed to be a wall dive, however the current was too strong to fin against, and we stayed in the shelter around our entry point, exploring the pinnacle and rocks to be found here.
Dive #2 was the Citrine Wreck, also on the east side of the island. A lovely little wreck in close proximity to the shore. Although broken up, the boilers and some parts are still easily identifiable and provide plentiful cover for all sorts of fish and crustaceans to make their home in.
Dive #3 was Castletown Bay. The is a top contender with the Skerranes for top dive. The layers of rock in the bay create stacked crevices for marine life to dwell in. In every gap you shone your torch would be a new discovery. Towards the end of our dive, the layers opened out into a natural bowl which was like entering an aquarium. Fish of every type and variety filled the area and darted around and between us, without any concern to our presence. It was a great dive on which to end the trip.
Tuesday the 12th of August
On Tuesday, we returned to The Sound Café for another one of their fabulous breakfasts. We then drove to Castletown to visit the nautical museum, before boarding the on time (hurrah!) ferry departure to Liverpool. There were sighs of relief all round as the ferry docked in a timely manner back in the UK.
Many thanks to Mark H from HGSAC for organising the trip. He did a stellar job dealing with the organisational challenges that were thrown his way. Joint trips between BSAC clubs are a great way to meet diving buddies from the wider region. It also allows clubs to share the load in fulling spaces on a boat, allowing trips we might not otherwise be able to put on as frequently to run and members to participate in a wider variety of diving. It was great to see everyone from HGSAC and make some new diving buddies from the German VdST diving club, Andreas and Arne. You will find two bottles behind the bar from Andreas; a green liquor made from Woodruff and a German honey/mead type drink. So next time you’re at the club, have a shot and raise a glass to our new diving friends!
– Clemmie and Dave (ECSAC) and Mark (HGSAC)
