Yo-Han Cha overcomes his indifference to shipwrecks in order to visit Lundy and dive the famous wreck of the Iona II , a ship steeped in history
YO-HANCHA
A paddle into the past
Yo-Han Cha overcomes his indifference to shipwrecks in order to visit Lundy and dive the famous wreck of the Iona II , a ship steeped in history
It ’ s not that I dislike wrecks , I just don ’ t get overly excited by them . So I found myself in a rather surreal position of joining the Nautical Archaeology Society in order to get an overall discount when joining their annual trip to Lundy to dive the Iona II . I ’ ve wanted to dive Lundy for years . I ’ d heard so much about how beautiful the marine environment is . And Lundy has seals , I love seals ! So , when my friend Claire Hallybone of Dunoon Divers asked me if I ’ d like to go diving with her on Lundy , the answer was “ Yes !”. I just had to dive a wreck a couple of times over the course of the weekend .
Of course , the Iona II isn ’ t just any wreck . It ’ s one that ’ s covered by the Protection of Wrecks Act ( 1973 ). This is due to its historical importance as a Clyde-built paddle steamer and for its role as a blockade runner for the Confederates in the American Civil War . This ‘ seals ’ trip that I ’ d jumped on , its primary goal was to survey the Iona II and definitely not just to play with seals .
“ Once we were underwater , the conditions couldn ’ t have been more different to the choppy surface ”
As the weekend approached , the weather forecast was not great , but the skipper of the Barbara B felt confident that we could dive the Iona II at some point over the weekend . So , we crossed our fingers and toes and prayed to the weather gods , hoping it wouldn ’ t get any worse .
The weekend arrived ; it was bathed in glorious sunshine with blue skies everywhere . The only problem was the wind . My heart went out to Peta Knott of the Nautical Archaeology Society who had done an amazing job of organising the weekend . The Iona II lies to the east of Lundy , therefore theoretically sheltered from our prevailing south-westerly winds . Unfortunately , the wind was blowing stubbornly from the east and made the sea to the east of Lundy rather choppy . So , we dived the HMS Montagu on the other side of Lundy and Jenny ’ s Cove , which will be forever in my heart as the place I saw puffins underwater for the first time .
The swell was a smidgen better on the Iona II the following day , so we decided to dive it . Once we were underwater , the conditions couldn ’ t have been more different to the choppy surface . There was just a breath of current and the visibility was stunning . Like I said before , I ’ m not massively into wrecks , but this was an amazing dive . The visibility meant that it was easy to make out the boilers and funnels . Thankfully , navigation was a doddle , especially as all I had to was to follow my excellent guide and buddy , Sara Hasan of Nautical Archaeology Sub Aqua Club and Southsea Sub Aqua Club .
The team undertook some photogrammetry tasks , as well as a video survey of the Iona II , while I tried my best to take some photos . The wreck had plenty of life on it : nudibranchs and various crustaceans were noted , and I saw some ballan wrasse displaying what I think was mating behaviour .
I ’ m no wreck expert , but the Iona II was a stunning dive and in my humble opinion , definitely worth protecting . And seals were seen at a distance . Despite what Claire Hallybone might claim , there were definitely no fins nibbled that weekend . �
Sarah Hasan carries out photogrammetry on the Iona II
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