Most divers go to Orkney for the wrecks of Scapa Flow, but exploring beyond its sheltered confines can be even more rewarding. Words and photographs by Richard Dean
Right in front of me, a large grey seal lies motionless on the sea bed while two
pups dart around our heads, excited by the presence of visitors. As I adjust my
photographic light, its glow flashes over the wreck of the Tommelina, then pans
down across the surrounding sea bed, illuminating a carpet of brilliantly coloured
jewel anemones. The water is the clearest I’ve experienced in Britain and
the sun is beaming shafts of light towards me, 12m below the surface.
This dive took place during a Scapa Flow diving trip aboard the Jean Elaine liveaboard
that somehow went well beyond its original remit. It was halfway through the allotted
week when skipper Andy Cuthbertson suggested that we break from our schedule and
head out of the Flow to dive the northwest coastline. The sheer quality of this
dive whetted my appetite to return again and learn more about life outside the
Flow.
The Orkney Islands are surrounded by the nutrient-rich waters of the Atlantic
Ocean and support an abundance of marine life. As well as octopus, seals and porpoises,
which are seen regularly by divers, dolphins and even whales have been seen here.
Colourful flora and fauna thrive in these waters.
The diver’s interest here is not limited to marine life. A combination of
strong winter storms and local geology has created some unusual and spectacular
rock formations both above and below the surface. The coastline boasts an amazing
number of caves, caverns, arches, sea stacks, underwater pinnacles and giant boulder
formations. It’s a marine playground.
And, of course, there are wrecks. While those found inside Scapa Flow remain the
largest and most intact – due to their protection from the elements –
strong winds and two world wars have ensured there are plenty of wreck sites to
explore further afield. In fact, as well as those regularly dived on a North Orkney
charter, there are at least 15 wrecks which have yet to be discovered. So, you
never know when you might stumble across one on a dive.
Having dived from the Jean Elaine before, I was aware of the likely schedule.
As with most boats that are based in Orkney, diving runs from Sunday through to
Friday, with two dives each day, allowing the Saturday for travel at each end.
Andy likes to make at least one dive inside the Flow before heading off. ‘It’s
far easier to sort out equipment problems while still close to home,’ he
told me. We selected the wreck of the Cöln, which is one of four light cruisers
remaining from the scuttled German High Seas Fleet. It lies on its side at a maximum
depth of 35m, is 170m long and largely intact. The Cöln is regarded as one
of the UK’s most impressive wreck dives. Not a bad start to the trip, even
if we weren’t really there for the wrecks.
For our second dive we left Scapa Flow and headed north for several hours along
the west coast of mainland Orkney to Inga Ness. This site features a prominent
pinnacle which is probably the remains of a collapsed sea stack. To the side of
the pinnacle, a vertical wall drops and gently slopes to a sandy, boulder-covered
plateau at 24m, where lobsters roam day and night. A number of gullies have developed
over time, along with thick kelp which undulates in the surface swell. On a bright
day with good visibility Inga Ness makes for a stunning scenic dive. It is also
on the way to the wreck of the Tommelina at Noup Head, the very site which encouraged
me to make a second journey to Orkney.
We spent the next two days based around Noup Head, twice diving the Tommelina
site and a stunning wall just to the south. This is a truly fantastic area, offering
clear waters and a colony of grey seals, with a stunning geological backdrop housing
Europe’s largest colony of guillemot (250,000) which look magnificent as
they circle the cliffs above.
The Tommelina is a real treat, combining seal, wreck and beautiful scenic diving
all in one place. The wreck is quite small and sits in a large gully where the
seals love to play. It’s worth noting that water conditions around Noup Head
in particular can change in a matter of minutes depending on tides. It may look
calm from the boat but underwater it can be a completely different story!
The wall south of Noup is a huge cliff face which plunges into the water from
high above sea level, featuring enormous cracks which have been eroded to form
large gulleys and caverns in the rock. These areas are covered in jewel anemones
and have become home to thousands of squat lobsters which cover the sea floor.
When we dived here in August the site was also swarming with hundreds of translucent
pink jellyfish – quite a sight on a sunny day.
At the end of each day on a North Isles trip, the boat moors up for the night.
As well as providing a pleasant change of scene, it’s an opportunity to explore
on land. The journey along the coastline also offers a perfect opportunity to
view some of the many species of bird that reside here, including: puffin, arctic
tern, fulmar, guillemot, skua, shag and sea ducks, to name but a few. Orkney’s
huge bird colonies are of international importance, and show how wild this part
of the world really is.
Andy’s choice of mooring generally depends on the current, weather conditions,
dive plans for the next day and the proximity of a decent pub for food and a couple
of drinks. An evening meal, combined with a brunch feast between dives cooked
by Ronnie, the first mate and a professionally trained chef, is enough to see
me through each day. However, the Jean Elaine has fine facilities on board for
those who want to cook additional food.
Day four of our trip was spent diving two wrecks, the Endeavour and the Disperser,
which lie close to one another – so close that a diver discovered the latter
while attempting to dive the former. Although both wrecks are no more than 40m
in length, they are teeming with marine life, including large conger eels and
lobsters. Visibility here is excellent, but bear in mind tidal currents of between
three and four knots mean the wrecks can only be dived at slack water.
Without doubt it is the variety of opportunity on a North Isles trip which makes
the experience so rewarding. During our voyage, we were able to dive the wreck
of the Zarefah, which lies at 40m off Mull Head near Deerness. The ship went down
in 1917, but had only just been located during a Jean Elaine trip that took place
one month prior to mine. To tell the truth, it wasn’t the best dive of the
trip, but it serves as a reminder that for divers this is still very much an area
of discovery. And for the divers who found the wreck, seeing it underwater for
the first time must have been an unforgettable experience.
We headed back towards the Flow, where we would make our final day’s diving,
but there was still time for one last scenic dive at Stanger Head. This is one
of the most popular sites on Andy’s trips. It features a wall dropping to
20m, which continues as a boulder-strewn slope, leading to the sea bed at around
40m. The wall face is covered with dead men’s fingers and anemones, while
large cuckoo wrasse, ling and cod patrol the lower slopes. A keen eye might see
an octopus among the boulders. At certain tides the site makes a nice drift dive.
For the final day of diving, any number of the Flow’s blockships or shallower
wrecks, such as the F2, can be selected. As long as the weather is on your side,
this is the perfect end to a fantastic week of astonishingly diverse British diving,
leaving just a gentle saunter home to Stromness. For me, the week was nothing
short of a revelation: even in 2003, there are parts of Britain which are as fulfilling
and mysterious as the remotest of tropical jewels.
• Andy Cuthbertson runs the Jean Elaine and co-owns the Sharon Rose liveaboard.
Both boats can be chartered for trips beyond Scapa Flow.
For more details on the
North Isles, contact Andy or Zoe of Scapa Flow Charters on tel: 01856 850879;
website: www.jeanelaine.co.uk.
Details on how best to get to Orkney can be found at www.outbrecks.freeserve.co.uk/travel.htm
