Top Cat was prepped on Thursday evening. The BRUV was secured. Phil towed the boat to Anglesey on Friday evening after work.

Saturday:

The forecast was for strong (force3 -4) westerly winds decreasing in the afternoon. Phil had planned a one dive day on The Cartegena with a neaps high-water slack around 4pm.

The Cartegena is a steam trawler that sank in 1928, five miles northeast of Moelfre Island.  She now lies on a flat sandy seabed at 37-40m, is intact, almost upright with a slight list to the port side.

We met at Traeth Buchan car park at 12pm to load our kit on to Top Cat and to prepare the bait tube, cameras and lights on the BRUV. Steve Welton kindly offered to be our non-diving cox. The launch was incident free. The BRUV was dropped onto a non-tidal flat muddy seabed before we headed out to the dive site. We saw a small pod of dolphin on the way out and passed tankers waiting to make their way to the docks at Liverpool. We arrived on site early, located the wreck, dropped the shot and then had a 35-minute wait in relatively big seas, for the tide to ease. Everyone kitted up carefully with help from others to make sure the process was as safe as possible.

The water temperature was 16C and the vis on the wreck itself 5/6m. Strobes and a lift bag were placed at the base of the shot line to ensure divers returned to it before ascending and it was snag free for a safe recovery on to the boat.

Like all wrecks in a strong tidal current the metal work was covered in orange and white plumose anemones. Mermaids Glove Sponges, Antennae Hydroids and Hornwrack were spotted. Torch light illuminated shoals of Bib and several Poor Cod, sheltering in and around the wreck. Phil and I also saw a juvenile Conger Eel, Gold Sinny, several Tompot Blennies and a large red and silver Ballan Wrasse. The bridge, holds and winch were easily identifiable as was the starboard hull and railings.