St Abbs and Eyemouth, 2005
In July 2004 I organised a couple of trips, one to HMS Scylla from Plymouth and one at St Abbs and Eyemouth in Berwickshire as a sort of "Return to Scotland" mini dive tour. The tides were against us for the St Abbs one and over the weekend we only managed three dives - a long way to come from London for three dives! We decided to stick to the diving in Eyemouth as St Abbs gets very busy of a weekend.
So in 2005 I aim to do it all again, except bigger and better! I'm proposing to make it into a long weekend to increase the number of dives possible and to incorporate St Abbs on weekdays and possibly even a boat for one day to do the wreck of the Glanmire and some of the sites further offshore at St Abbs.
UPDATE: Due to other commitments Gordon Mackie has had to give up his space on the boat. Email me if you want it!
UPDATE: The hostel has been booked for those who wanted it, I can add more people to the booking right up until the day of arrival so if you fancy coming let me know as soon as you can.
UPDATE: A boat (Lazy-G Diver) has been booked and has been filled! There is plenty possibility of more boat space for those who want it, either by booking another boat (someone else will have to do this) or just by booking spaces on one of the other charters on an "as required" basis. Give me a shout if you want to get on a boat.
UPDATE: I've just got a copy of Lawson Wood's book "Dive St Abbs and Eyemouth" (ISBN: 0-946020-27-2) and there is a lot of very good stuff in there, once I've digested some of it I'll update with a few more suggestions.
Dates:
Confirmed as 29th July 2005 - 1st August 2005 inclusive. You don't have to come for all four days though, just let me know which days you are planning on doing and I'll make sure you know where we are when you turn up.
Diving:
As much or as little of the fantastic shore diving available at these two spots as you fancy. The maximum depth attainable from shore is about 20m so this is suitable for just about everybody. I would suggest that all divers be at least PADI AOW or equivalent and pretty confident in the water. Words and Pictures from the 2004 trip can be found here.
There is now a half-plan forming and it runs like...
Friday - St Abbs for two dives from "Lazy-G Diver". For those not going boat diving, I would suggest St Abbs too, it should be quiet on a weekday.
Saturday - Eyemouth, Greenends Gully, Weasel Loch. It's always quieter than St Abbs on the weekend
Sunday - St Abbs Head, Petticowick
Monday - Whatever anyone wants to do!
Given the tide information below and my predicted sunset times of around 21:20 and assuming that we have the willpower to stay out of the pub, there is the possibility of some night diving, particularly on Friday and Saturday. I am led to believe that Weasel Loch is good at night (lots to see, easy navigation)...
Tides:
The tides are a bit of a pain again this year but they are better than last time - thanks to Gordon Mackie for the numbers (which are actually for Leith but they are only a few minutes different at St Abbs)...
Accommodation:
Due to Scoutscroft Holiday Park no longer taking tents, the "communal" accommodation is now the Coldingham Bay Youth Hostel. It is just a mile or so from Coldingham and St Abbs and sits right on the beach - see!
Coldingham has The Anchor pub which serves good food and superb beer and whisky.
Anders and Linda stayed at a B&B in Coldingham and said it was lovely. I will get details for those who do not fancy the "under canvas" thing.
Cost:
St Abbs Harbour is £10 per day for the parking. The hostel works out at £11.99 pppn.
The boat is booked and there is one available space (Gordon M's).
Prerequisites:
None (except an entry level certification from any major training agency). Just let me know if you are coming!
Other Stuff:
- Bring a kite if you have one, there is usually a decent breeze to be had along the cliff tops and it is a great way to pass a surface interval!
- If you don't have one, go and buy one!
- Read all this IMPORTANT gubbins please.
Further Info/Links:
St Abbs Community Diving Minisite
Photos of Weasel Loch by Ben Panter
Some B&B Accommodation for those who want it
The following people have expressed their interest in the trip:
| Name | Certification | Config | Status | Accom | Fr | Sa | Su | Mo | Boat? |
| Calum Scott | PADI RD | O.C. Single | Definite | Hostel | Y | Y | Y | Y | Lazy-G Diver (F) |
| Daniel Taylor | BSAC AI | O.C. Twins | Definite | Hostel | Y | Y | Y | Y | Lazy-G Diver (F) |
| Maria Kjellen | TDI Adv Nitrox + Deco | O.C. Twins | Definite | Hostel | Y | Y | Y | Y | Lazy-G Diver (F) |
| Digs Somogyi | CCR Mod 1 | CC | Definite | B&B | Y | Y | Y | Y | Lazy-G Diver (F) |
| Rob Hampton | CCR Mod 1 | CC | Definite | B&B | Y | Y | Y | Y | Lazy-G Diver (F) |
| Kate Rowley + 1 | BSAC Lots! | ? | Definite | Hostel | P | Y | Y | P | |
| Matthew Forster | PADI OW | OC | Definite | Hostel | ? | ? | ? | ? | |
| Simon Beirne | TDI Adv Nitrox + Deco | ? | Definite | B&B | Y | Y | Y | Y | |
| Gordon Mackie | ? | ? | Definite | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | Lazy-G Diver (F) |
| Gordon Nimmo | BSAC SD (Congratulations!) | O.C. Single | Definite | B&B | Y | Y | Y | P | Lazy-G Diver (F) |
| Fiona Fergusson | BSAC SD | O.C. Single? | Definite | B&B | Y | Y | Y | P | Lazy-G Diver (F) |
| Alan Penman | PADI RD | O.C? | Definite | Hostel | P | Y | Y | P | |
| Nick Eden | BSAC DL | O.C Twins | Definite | Hostel | Y | Y | Y | Y | Lazy-G Diver (F) |
| Dan Logan | BSAC DL, PADI OWSI | O.C. Twins | Interested | No | ? | ? | ? | ? | |
| Dan Logan's +1 | PADI OWSI | ? | Interested | No | ? | ? | ? | ? | |
| Paul Weezle | ? | ? | Definite | St Vedas | Y | Y | Y | Y | Lazy-G Diver (F) - poss more |
| Hilary Weezle | ? | ? | Definite | St Vedas | Y | Y | Y | Y | Lazy-G Diver (F) - poss more |
| Steve Aitken | BSAC Loads! | O.C. Single | Interested | ? | ? | ? | ? | ||
| Ben Panter | BSAC AI | OC Twins | Definite | Y | Y | Y | P | Lazy-G Diver (F) | |
| John Terrell | SAA Sport Diver | OC Twins/Single | Definite | Sorted somewhere | Y | Y | Y | Y | |
Interested?: Drop me an email atcalumscott@yahoo.com.