9th-10th July
The Scylla and the James Eagan Layne were the dive sites chosen for the 9th July, with no-one having dived the Scylla before and two of us never been on the Eagan Layne it was going to be an exciting day.
Setting out from Mountbatten with the sun on our backs, not a cloud in the sky and the sea as flat as a millpond it was smiles and laughter all the way to the dive site. 30 minutes later our kit was donned and we rolled over the side of the rib to see what was lying beneath us.
Descending down the shot and over the bow section of the Scylla and coming to rest on the sea bed at 25 meters you couldn’t help but get a feeling of the scale of this wreck, this is helped by the fact that she sits upright on the bottom. For 20 minutes we finned along the sandy seabed with plenty of life to keep us entertained. Pollock cruised passed as the odd cuttlefish came in for a closer look at us. plumose anemones and deadman's fingers are covering the side of the wreck thick and fast.
Inspecting the guts of the ship through the various cut out sections, trying to make sense of the miles of service pipe work that ran for miles and trying to work out "what was what" all added to the dive. On ascending to the decks it was possible to fin along gangways and look through the hatches and doors into rooms that once saw a beehive of activity, be it the toilets, kitchens or the helm it was all as equally interesting.
For some it was the wreck itself with its swim throughs, passageways and being sat upright and intact that made the dive so good, for me it was seeing the life slowly taking a grip and changing the face of the Scylla to conform with the way it should look now it is at rest on the seabed. Whatever makes you tick it is one of those to be dived time and time again and observe the modifications the sea will give to her over the coming years.
Every diver knows that to sit on the bottom of the ocean at the bow of a wreck and look up to see the ship stretching for the sunlight is a special moment on a wreck dive and where better to do it than on the James Eagan Layne. Having waited 6 years to dive this wreck it didn’t disappoint me one little bit. In contrast to the Scylla every inch of her is covered in life. Dogfish were sleeping on the sandy bottom, bib and poorman's cod schooled around the wreck, Tompot blennies happily popped out to say hello amongst the jewel and plumose anemones . Lobsters were seen on more than one occasion retreating as we shone our torches into the nooks and crannies.
51 minutes on this wreck just wasn’t long enough. Some would say with her structure somewhat tired she’s seen better days but with all the history and the fascinating story that comes with the James Eagan Layne I think this is a fantastic dive with plenty of life on it that can be enjoyed as well.
With weather you’d find in the Med, a flat sea and two cracking dives a good day was had by all. Hopefully a few fresh faces will join us next time.
