Even ’Arder Trip To Oban - Dec 2004

Peter Pelosi and Sophie Rennie joined members of Colchester BSAC for their annual trip to Oban on 11/12/13th December. The guys met at Glasgow airport as Sophie had flown from Exeter and were driven by minibus up to Oban to get there in the pouring rain, but in time for a well earned beer before closing time. One snag - the heating on the boat was broken and a chilly night was had by all. Sophie has since gone out and got a big boy’s sleeping bag so that if the same happens in the future, she will be prepared!

After a big bowl of Scots porridge with Golden Syrup (mmm delicious!), the first dive was on the Thesis (30m) in the Sound of Mull. Peter and Sophie did all their dives together and Peter did a bit more of his Dive Leader at the same time. With water temperatures about 11 degrees (10 degrees warmer than the boat!), the whole wreck was dived and the visibility was pretty good at about 5m. The afternoon dive was a wreck near a fish farm and hence pretty awful viz . We didn’t really take to that one funnily enough!

The evening was spent in the warmth of the local pub on Tobermoray, which was heaven since it was warm and a great band were playing, so no one seemed to notice the cold once back on the boat!

Sunday morning dawned and after another excellent bowl of porridge, we dived the Hispania, which was the best dive of the weekend! The afternoon dive was about as bad as the Saturday afternoon dive, so not too great really. The high point of the weekend was getting the heating fixed so that we could spend the last night lying on rather than in our sleeping bags (Not Sophie though!) and all feeling rather warm!

With a dreadfully early start back for Glasgow airport and a mad scramble to get to the plane on time, it was rather an abrupt end to the trip! Sophie ended up in a completely different part of the airport and good byes were carried out by Text Message!

All safely back and hopefully an article for DIVE magazine written on the boat, it was our last dive of 2004. A pretty good end to the season. And definitely WELL ’ARD !