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Mark Milburn’s Cornish Wreck Ramblings, Part 7: Just an average day at the dive centre
There is no such thing as a typical day at our dive centre. This day started off in a usual way, checking emails, sorting out online sales and drinking tea. Then an email arrives – “Hi, I thought you may be interested, that a piece of the wreck has been washed ashore on the far side of Dollar cove, looks like it could be a piece of rudder perhaps, I have taken photographs if you need them.”
What could I say? Except “Hi, is it still there? There was a piece washed up several years ago too. Any pics would be great”. The photos arrived, it was a big piece of timber, worth a visit to get some better photos and some measurements. I contacted our site archaeologist, David. Then another email arrives “I have a piece of broken grenade shell, that I picked up off the beach several years ago, you are welcome to it if you wanted it, let me know and I’ll dig it out”.
I tried to contact Historic England but it turns out the person I deal with was on site somewhere else, looking at a large timber that had washed ashore. Just as I was about to leave, Nick arrived. I told him we are off out, we loaded some measuring scales and the camera, I then explained what it was about en route.
The sand on most of the beach had gone, it was mainly rock now. It was easy to find the timber, it was quite large and on the shore right near the wreck. We started taking photos. We then searched up and down and Nick found a dead eye, we photographed that too. Time was limited because of the low levels of the sand, the tide came in much faster than usual.
We returned to the shop and as we arrived a car pulled up. The gentlemen came over and introduced himself as the guy who emailed me. He asked what we thought of it. We had to say we were not 17th century rudder experts. All we could say was that is was old, of the right era and it was incomplete. It would have been much bigger, although this was big and rather heavy, made from a single piece of timber. He then opened a Tesco carrier bag and showed me the grenade. This was more than a fragment, it was a grenade with a fragment missing. It’s not everyday that someone comes into the shop with a 17th century hand grenade, although nothing really surprises us nowadays.
I spent the rest of the afternoon on the telephone and emailing Historic England and David, our archaeologist. Trying to work out what we are gong to do next, Historic England are going to arrange a team to come and document the item properly. David and I shall return before that to see what else may be lying around.
Find out more about Mark and Atlantic Scuba at www.atlanticscuba.co.uk
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Jake Davies boards Ghazala Explorer for an unforgettable Red Sea diving experience…
Overnight, the wind picked up, making the planned morning dive a bit bumpy on the Zodiacs to the drop point on Thomas Reef. There, we would dive along the reef before descending through the canyon and then passing under the arch before ascending the wall with a gentle drift. The site provided great encounters with more pelagic species, including shoals of large barracuda, tuna, and bigeye trevally.
Once back on the boat, it was time to get everything tied down again as we would head back south. This time, with the wind behind us, heading to Ras Mohammed to dive Jackfish Alley for another great gentle drift wall dive before then heading up the coast towards the Gulf of Suez to moor up at the wreck of the Thistlegorm. This being the highlight wreck dive of the trip and for many onboard, including myself, it was the first time diving this iconic wreck. I had heard so much about the wreck from friends, and globally, this is a must on any diver’s list. Fortunately for us, there was only one other boat at the site, which was a rarity. A great briefing was delivered by Ahmed, who provided a detailed background about the wreck’s history along with all the required safety information as the currents and visibility at the site can be variable.
Kitting up, there was a lot of excitement on deck before entering the water and heading down the shoreline. Descending to the wreck, there was a light northerly current which reduced the visibility, making it feel more like the conditions that can be found off the Welsh coast. At 10m from the bottom, the outline of the wreck appeared as we reached the area of the wreck which had been bombed, as our mooring line was attached to part of the propeller shaft. Arriving on deck, instantly everywhere you looked there were many of the supplies which the ship was carrying, including Bren Carrier tanks and projectiles that instantly stood out.
We headed around the exterior, taking a look at the large propeller and guns mounted on deck before entering the wreck on the port side to take a look in the holds. It was incredible to see all the trucks, Norton 16H, and BSA motorcycles still perfectly stacked within, providing a real snapshot in time.
Overall, we had four dives on the Thistlegorm, where for all of the dives we were the only group in the water, and at times, there were just three of us on the whole wreck, which made it even more special, especially knowing that most days the wreck has hundreds of divers. Along with the history of the wreck, there was plenty of marine life on the wreck and around, from big green turtles to batfish, along with shoals of mackerel being hunted by trevally. Some unforgettable dives.
The final leg of the trip saw us cross back over the Suez Canal to the Gobal Islands where we planned to stay the night and do three dives at the Dolphin House for the potential of sharing the dive with dolphins. The site, which included a channel that was teeming with reef fish, especially large numbers of goatfish that swam in large shoals along the edge of the reef. These were nice relaxing dives to end the week. Unfortunately, the dolphins didn’t show up, which was okay as like all marine life they are difficult to predict and you can’t guarantee what’s going to be seen. With the last dive complete, we headed back to port for the final night where it was time to clean all the kit and pack before the departure flight the next day.
The whole week from start to finish on Ghazala Explorer was amazing; the boat had all the facilities you need for a comfortable week aboard. The crew were always there to help throughout the day and the chefs providing top quality food which was required after every dive. The itinerary providing some of the best diving with a nice mixture of wreck and reef dives. I would recommend the trip to anyone, whether it’s your first Red Sea liveaboard in the Red Sea or you’re revisiting. Hopefully, it’s not too long before I head back to explore more of the Red Sea onboard Ghazala Explorer.
To find out more about the Northern Red Sea reef and wrecks itineraries aboard Ghazala Explorer, or to book, contact Scuba Travel now:
Email: dive@scubatravel.com
Tel: +44 (0)1483 411590
Photos: Jake Davies / Avalon.Red
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