Go with the flow

Scapa Flow is one of the world’s most prolific wreck sites, a treasure on the UK’s doorstep which is more accessible to recreational divers than many might think. Matt Crowther checks out the diving. Photographs by Richard Dean

 

Imagine dropping down the shot-line to 20m and landing on an object so large it could be the sea bed. In fact, the bottom is another 15m below and this is the port-side hull of a 170m-long German warship. It is the wreck of the Cöln, and the largest wreck I have ever seen in British waters.

Scapa Flow is an expanse of water approximately 12 miles across, surrounded almost entirely by the islands of Orkney, which for centuries has been used as a safe, sheltered anchorage for the Royal Navy. It is also the site of one of the most memorable events in naval history; when the entire German High Seas Fleet, more than 70 warships, were simultaneously scuttled to avoid handing them over to the British at the end of the First World War. Today, it is one of the most famous dive sites in the British Isles.

Scapa is one of those almost mythical places that all divers have heard of but few know a great deal about. This is my first dive in Scapa, although I have tried twice before to arrange trips, I have had to cancel at the last minute. In my opinion, many potential visitors to the islands are put off by a belief that the diving is too deep and difficult.

A perfect example of this was the telephone conversation I had, prior to the trip, with our skipper for the week, Andy Cuthbertson. Keen to ensure everything went smoothly once we arrived, I thought it best to warn Andy that, considering the amount of camera equipment we would be carrying on our dives, it might be wise to leave the 7-litre nitrox stage-cylinders at home, and, did he think that would leave us short on gas? Andy’s reply was simple: ‘It’ll be fine’.
Although there are other wrecks in and around the Flow, most divers come to see the German warships that were scuttled in June 1919, of which there are just seven remaining. The rest were entirely salvaged for their metal. The deepest wreck, the Markgraf, lies on the sea bed at approximately 45m. The others have an average maximum depth of just 35m. These represent the deepest dives that you’ll make on a standard week’s diving in the Flow – hardly technical diving!

The majority of divers on our boat used twin-sets, but there were some who simply used a large single cylinder, 12 or 15-litre, and a 3-litre pony. Most opted to breathe nitrox as it extended bottom times and reduced decompression requirements, but that’s really about as technical as it got. This was a far cry from the trimix-breathing, closed-circuit rebreather divers I had expected to encounter.

The geography of the Flow is also very favourable for diving. As it is almost completely surrounded by land, there are few wind conditions that actually stop diving. Also, Scapa Flow is hardly affected by tides, so there’s no mad rush to reach the dive site for slack water. I remember ascending from several dives on a delayed SMB with less than ten minutes’ decompression, and spending the entire time looking down at the same point that we had left the wreck from.
The exception to this are the block ships which were strategically sunk at the various entrances to the Flow to halt enemy U-boats. They make popular afternoon dives as they generally lie in less than 20m of water and form stunning artificial reefs. Although, generally, it is possible to make a long dive in calm conditions, the current can be quite strong so every diver will need a delayed SMB.

Like most charter boats in Scapa Flow, our boat, the Jean Elaine, offered diving from Sunday through to Friday, with two dives each day. When Andy announced that the plan for the first day was to head for the Cöln, followed by an afternoon dive on the block ship Tabarka, there was a buzz of excitement, so I headed straight for a book on Scapa to find out what all the fuss was about. The Cöln is one of the four light cruisers remaining from the German fleet, along with the Dresden, Brummer and Karlsruhe. The Cöln lies on her side in 35m of water and is in such good condition that she is regarded as one of the best dives in the Flow. She is in excess of 170m long and – with the exception of a large hole blasted near the stern and the missing forward guns, propellers and anchors – is completely intact. I was beginning to understand what the excitement was about.

Nothing can really prepare you for the sight of such an immense ship underwater. It would take many dives to even begin to get to know one of these wrecks. Standing on the sea bed for the first time and looking up at the bow of a First World War German ship is a sight that any diver would find hard to forget. This was truly an awesome and memorable start to the week’s diving. We headed back to Stromness for lunch, and were able to wander around for an hour or so. The average journey to a site is less than an hour, so divers can get back to land to rest. As Andy said to me several days into the holiday, this used to be described as expedition diving, but it’s not, it’s holiday diving – and he was completely right.

The dive on the Tabarka in the afternoon offered a completely different experience. The Tabarka was small compared to the Cöln, but extremely picturesque and full of marine life. It is part of the most famous block-ship site in Scapa Flow: the Burra Sound group of block ships that are the Inverlane, Doyle, Gobernador Bories and the Tabarka. It’s possible to swim between them with careful navigation, although when the current runs it is easy to miss your target!

We returned to the Burra Sound block ships several more times during the trip, simply because they make for such a superb dive site. The wealth of life here matches anything that you’ll find at a UK wreck site, including literally thousands of nudibranchs. The visibility here is generally better than inside the Flow, and in excess of 20m is not uncommon. Another plus is that the wrecks are very open and quite safe for divers to swim through. Dive this site on a sunny day, with shafts of sunlight beating down through the wreckage and teeming fish, and you have a photographer’s dream.

We spent the rest of the week making similar dives on equally impressive wrecks. It’s hard to pick one dive as being better than the rest. The four light cruisers are probably the most popular of the remaining fleet as, with the exception of the Karlsruhe, they lie on their side. This allows better access to the ships’ superstructures than the battleships, which turned turtle when they sank, due to the weight of the guns they were carrying. But for me, the 26,000 tonne battleships were the most awesome of all dives simply because they are so vast at nearly 200m long. There are three remaining – the König, Kronprinz Wilhelm and the Markgraf, – we dived the last two.

The Markgraf stands out simply because it is the deepest and most intact wreck and generally has lower visibility than other sites, which creates a slightly sinister atmosphere as it looms up from the depths. A memorable view is from the Markgraf’s hull, which as she lies almost completely upside down you reach first. Peering over the side, the sea bed is more than 20m below. The hull simply disappears into the gloom. The Kronprinz Wilhelm is the shallowest of the three battleships, allowing for a longer bottom time for exploration. The wreck also offers the best view of the massive twin-turret 12-inch guns which provided the main firepower for this class of battleship – they are a truly scary sight.

Of course, there are other historical wrecks in Scapa Flow apart from those scuttled in 1919. We also dived the Second World War escort vessel F2, which was similar to a destroyer. The F2 is near Lyness, where many boats stop for lunch, and there is an excellent museum which should be seen. The F2 lies in about 16–18m of water on its port side and is only partly intact. This is a popular site due to its proximity to the museum, and the depth, which makes it an excellent afternoon dive. Just 25m away lies the wreck of a barge which sank in 1968 while being used in salvage operations on the F2.

There are many other wrecks, too many to mention, which are accessible when diving Scapa Flow. They range from shallow shore dives which can be made on some block-ship sites, to the wreck of the Hampshire, which struck a mine outside the Flow in 1916 and now lies in 68m of water. You don’t have to be a devoted wreck diver to appreciate the diving at Scapa Flow. The abundance of marine life and the structural beauty of the wrecks, combined with relatively good visibility should appeal to all divers. The general diving conditions are easy compared to the south coast of England. It’s just a bit too far from London for me to go every weekend!

 

Scapa logistics

Orkney is approximately two hours by ferry from Scrabster on the mainland. Most of the dive boats operate from Stromness, which is also where the ferry port is, so transferring kit from ferry to dive boat is very easy.

Most boats in Orkney run dive charters between May and September although some run a longer season of March to November. There are currently 14 recognized dive boats, most of which belong to the ODBOA (Orkney Dive Boat Operators Association). This association focuses on bringing all vessels to the same standard, of safety and facilities for divers. All the boat operators in the Flow remain in regular contact with each other every day to ensure that an individual site is not overcrowded with divers.

As the choice of dives within the Flow is so great, it is possible to bring relatively inexperienced divers who can comfortably make afternoon dives in the shallower waters. For the deeper wrecks you should have experience of making dives up to depths of 40m, and you will need at least a pony cylinder in addition to a large main cylinder (although for most enjoyment, a twin-set will allow for longer dives). A nitrox qualification will also come in very useful.
Of course, it is possible to make the diving more complicated by penetrating various areas of wreckage. For this you should carry a larger gas supply and have a good background of making similar dives to these depths. You will also definitely need a good dive light, although I recommend carrying one on every dive.

Like most liveaboard boats on Orkney, we were able to choose between sleeping on the Jean Elaine and cooking for ourselves, or staying at a nearby bed and breakfast and bringing sandwiches for lunch each day. We opted to stay on the boat, although the majority of our group decided to stay at a bed-and-breakfast. I have to say that this set-up worked exceptionally well, allowing the three of us living on board plenty of space to spread out. The facilities on the Jean Elaine were absolutely superb; having never stayed on a British liveaboard before, I really wasn’t sure what to expect, but soon realized we were short of nothing. In the last couple of years Andy has added a second toilet, a fridge, a microwave, and gas heaters to warm up the cabin areas. A brand-new galley kitchen complete with full-size cooker will be in place for the start of the next season!

I should mention that you don’t need to organize a trip for as many as 12 divers to come diving in Scapa. Skippers in Orkney do take full-boat bookings but most weeks are filled by two or three smaller groups. Our boat consisted of a small club group, two divers who had booked independently of each other, and Richard Dean and myself. Matt Crowther

DIVE would like to thank skipper Andy Cuthbertson and crewman Ronnie of the Jean Elaine for an excellent week of relaxed diving and hot cups of tea. Andy runs and owns the liveaboard Jean Elaine, and also runs the liveaboard Sharon Rose, which he co-owns with Ben and Sara of Scapa Scuba. Both boats are 12-berth and have superb facilities. There is also a dayboat available, StormDrift which is licensed for 12 people. For more details or to make a booking contact Andy or Zoe of Scapa Flow Charters on 01856 850879.