Scapa Flow September 2009 - interested?

[Mike W]

Following some discussion on here, I'm organising a Scapa Flow trip in September 2009, subject to there being enough interest!

Exact details later, but at the moment it's looking something like £300 for the week, liveaboard and breakfast, including AIR and 12 dives. Nitrox (And fancier gases ) available.

Boat is Valkyrie, more details and links when I have exact prices and can put together a proper post.

12 spaces max available, if there are less people we can throw open to others or split the extra cost and have a quieter boat.

Let me know if you're interested.

1 Mike Ward
2

[DDT uk]

You can put Maria and I down for this. You may have to tell her that we can't dive the Tarbaka 12 times though

Daniel

[TimIngmire]

Put me and the kit bitch down for this Mike - I'm sure he'll confirm later.

Tim

[Cussy]

I'm interested, and a few from EMUP have shown interest too (but one is a teacher!!! so September would be a problem for him).
Rob

[Mike W]

That's six, plus your EMUPs, Rob.

Sounds like a goer to me.

I've emailed Helen for some more details and had an acknowledgement, so as soon as the full info arrives I'll put together a proper post.

Meanwhile - Rob, could you either circulate your guys to ask or let me have a distribution list for them and I'll do it?

As far as your teacher goes, when are school holidays? What about the half term between Summer and Xmas? Helen said September when I asked about vis, but other Scapa skippers have told me October, so moving it back a bit might be OK.

[Cussy]

Mike,
There are at least 2 others, markbsac said yes if it fits in with shifts (although this is so far in advance I hope he can book it), and I had someone asking last night at EMUP what time of year as he's making plans for '09 already. Half-term is usually mid-October, which I would have thought was a bit dodgy in terms of weather.

I'll be doing an EMUP newsletter early next week, so I'll put something in there. We wouldn't be able to get 12 on our own I doubt, but this now sounds like a definite possibility.

What sort of plan would you have? I'm as happy as larry just staying dead shallow nowadays. What I'd like to do is do some of the deeper stuff, but stay generally more shallow. I don't fancy two deep dives a day and that's one of the reasons I haven't been to Scapa; the fear of having a boat of twinset depth freaks all week. Can Valkyrie cater for more than two dives a day? What I was wondering is if people want to sit out one dive they can do a different one slightly later. Otherwise it might become difficult to cater for everyone's taste. I know Mike will be happy diving the wrecks all week!!
Rob

[Cerianthus]

I misread it for this september, but it's next year, better....Is that scapa, or the more northerly stuff helen was talking of before...

I might be interested as well, if I could arrange it in such a way that getting there wont be too much......

[Mike W]

Originally Posted by Cussy

What sort of plan would you have? I'm as happy as larry just staying dead shallow nowadays. What I'd like to do is do some of the deeper stuff, but stay generally more shallow. I don't fancy two deep dives a day and that's one of the reasons I haven't been to Scapa; the fear of having a boat of twinset depth freaks all week. Can Valkyrie cater for more than two dives a day? What I was wondering is if people want to sit out one dive they can do a different one slightly later. Otherwise it might become difficult to cater for everyone's taste. I know Mike will be happy diving the wrecks all week!!
Rob

Quite right I'd be happy on the High Seas Fleet all week!

The answers to your questions will come when Helen gets back to me. I've told her that photographers are likely to want longer shallower dives and asked about third dives and night dives. I'll post all that when she gets back to me.
From the chart, and what I remember of Scapa, the German wrecks sit pretty much centrally in the Flow, with the blockships at either end. Dependant on steaming times and mooring places, probably the best plan would be something like one of the High Seas Fleet in the am and a blockship or other shallower dive pm, so you'd get a 30 to 40m dive and a 15m dive, plus whatever else we can blag. Of course this could be so much twaddle when Helen gets back to me with proper info!
FWIW Scapa is, in my opinion, relatively straightforward UK wreck diving, and has a scary reputation not merited by the actual conditions. Twins and stages, OK if you like, but single 12s are going to get you good diving,

TBH, this is when it gets tough, with everyone on the trip wanting a different ideal itinerary. If everyone interested posts what they'd like to do we'll (Well, I'll) make a call, and that'll be it. I'll do that prior to taking any money for deposits, though, so no-one gets a trip they don't want.

[DDT uk]

I would be happy with mornings on the big wrecks and afternoons on the shallow blockships or scenic stuff. I don't know how feasible it is to steam over to the Shetlands for a couple of days (wrecks and caverns) but if that is possible....

[Cussy]

Originally Posted by Cerianthus

I might be interested as well, if I could arrange it in such a way that getting there wont be too much......

Gerard,
If you can get a budget airline ticket to somewhere in the UK I'm sure there will be cars travelling north to get to Scrabster that can pick you up. One of the problems of flying to Orkney is its a very small aircraft and you aren't guaranteed to be on the same flight as your bag!!

Mike,
I agree with Daniel. A deep wreck am and a nice shallow dive in the afternoon sounds good. Last time I looked into Scapa there was a group that only wanted to do the deep stuff. They laughed when I sugessted the Tabarka would be good. They are the kind of divers I want to avoid.
Rob