A planned weekend on the famous M2 submarine wreck presents Yo-Han Cha and fellow Clifton members with a dive site dilemma
YO-HANCHA
Should we stay should we go ?
A planned weekend on the famous M2 submarine wreck presents Yo-Han Cha and fellow Clifton members with a dive site dilemma
The first time I dived the M2 , it was a beautiful summer ’ s day . There was sunshine , blue skies and not a breath of wind . Underwater , the visibility was a fantastic 10 metres . I couldn ’ t ask for better conditions !
Four years later , I had another opportunity to dive the M2 . My club , Clifton SAC , currently run their RIB out of West Bay and our Diving Officer , Steve Lamyman , was keen to make the most of every potential weekend to use it .
So , using the M2 as bait to entice the members , he said he ’ d be willing to organise a weekend where he was planning to dive it on both days . Needless to say , he quickly filled the boat with divers eager to dive this famous submarine . As West Bay is within easy striking distance from Bristol , most people only signed up for a day ( except me ), so Steve divided the boat handing duties up between himself on the Saturday and two other members , Lewis Hope and Alex Elwood , on the Sunday .
“ I ’ d never dived the St Dunstan before and found it to be a lovely wreck with plenty of conger eels ”
The one very big question mark hanging over this weekend was that it was in the middle of October and the week ’ s weather preceding the diving weekend was less than ideal . There was lots of wind and rain , including a massive rainstorm on the Saturday morning as we were kitting up . It was almost the exact opposite of the conditions in which I had previously dived the M2 !
Nevertheless , the wind had died down , but with the weather forecasts predicted that it would be back later on that day . Steve decided that the journey back from the M2 would be too perilous and he ( very wisely ) pivoted to our plan B , which was the wreck of the St Dunstan . I ’ d never dived the St Dunstan before and found it to be a lovely wreck with plenty of conger eels . The visibility was only a few metres though , so we all decided that one dive was enough and we got back well before the wind returned later that afternoon – validating Steve ’ s decision .
The following morning was still grey , but it was drier and most importantly , less windy . With calmer conditions , Lewis and Alex decided that the M2 was on ! It was quite an experienced group from the club that day . I was paired up with Emily Griffiths , who , I was delighted to find out , already knew a lot about underwater modelling having previously dived and modelled for my fellow columnist Kirsty Andrews ( thanks Kirsty !). As we descended , the calm conditions on the surface proved counter indicative to what was actually happening underwater . It was pitch black and the visibility was just a few metres , which I was expecting after the previous day ’ s conditions , however Emily and I were not expecting a large swell at 30m .
Thankfully we ’ re both experienced divers and despite the less-than-optimal conditions we both had a fantastic dive on the M2 , as did the rest of the group . I felt that weekend epitomised a lot about what UK diving ’ s all about . It ’ s so rare that we get perfect diving conditions , especially on a meticulously organised weekend ! But we adapted to the changing conditions and made the most of an opportunity to enjoy what we have on our doorstep . �
Clifton SAC have learned that all plans must have backup options
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