and at five to 20 metres depth , they are suitable for everyone . We visit for the day and take a BBQ , the toilet tent and our portable compressor . It ’ s a 20 min drive from Dunoon .
At Graham ’ s Point in Holy Loch we dive the remains of the Second World War Liberty boat , Fernlea . You can dive the sea lochs all day any day , not restricted by tides . We have 12 regular sites now , including old piers , bottle runs , reefs and walls .
What has the club achieved in the past year ?
We were in the local news when the club and Wreckspeditions organised a big beach clean-up for the Marine Conservation Society and also the first local British Divers Marine Life Rescue Marine Mammal Medic course . More than 30 local people attended ; now the club has half a dozen qualified mammal medics who can take calls from the public , for example to attend seal pups . In September , we were keeping an eye on a leatherback turtle that was spotted up one of the sea lochs .
We also went on our first dive trips away from Dunoon , which everyone loved . Our local geology lends itself to sandy or slightly silty conditions in the estuary , but further afield the diving is stunning .
Where did you go ?
Our shore-diving , triple-loch challenge involved visiting lochs Creran , Leven and Etive over three days . We visited the Kyles of Bute to dive stunning drop offs and beautiful reefs down to 35m . This is only a 45-minute drive away but we stayed in local communal accommodation for this trip . Then we visited Arran , which was amazing diving . We had 10-15m viz on gorgeous walls and hard packed sandy boulder-strewn seabeds with loads of fish . We were able to dive in no-take zones and the obvious regeneration of the seabed was amazing .
Emily Rae , Dunoon Divers ’ first Ocean Diver
DO Claire with new Ocean Divers Callum and Chris
Barbecue at our favorite shore dive
And for the future ?
We have big plans . Looking ahead , we have a lot of new divers already keen to do lots of instructor courses , which is amazing . We want to plan trips to less frequently dived sites nearby in Jura , Islay and Gigha . We want to visit all corners of the UK and further afield and will get all our divers involved with the organising . We are actively planning trips that will support UK dive charters . We ’ d also like to invite you all to come and experience the amazing scenery , the awesome wrecks and the fantastic local hospitality here in Dunoon . �
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