A fun trip to the Isle of May on board the Shadow Marine Mako II, with thanks to Jo Boden for organizing and leading.
A good size group gathered at Ancrum at comfortable o’clock to gather kit then head to meet other divers and catch the boat at Anstruther Harbour. The Mako II is relatively new and spacious hard boat for the trip.
One unfortunate moment came at the start of the day, when the skipper realized the boat was full and that Joe McColl hadn’t spotted the message letting him know that there would not be a place for him on the trip. Sadly, he had to say goodbye and head home in a disappointingly dry condition.
On the crossing out a considerable easterly swell managed to rock even the sizeable Mako II, but once at the island the skipper positioned us in it’s lea off the western shoreline where surface conditions were nicely calm. Many of those on the trip had not dived this side of the island before so were pleased to visit a new site.
There was some excitement in discussion of a pod of orcas that had been seen in the area, though they were reported to have headed northward. We did hear later that they were spotted the day after the trip in the waters around the Isle of May. Bumping into a pod of orcas while diving would bring a particular mix of excitement and terror.
The group had a wide mix of experience levels. Relatively new OD Neil paired up with Ray; Mark with Torsten; Kev with Les; Jo with Heather and then Gary after a broken fin strap meant Susie had to drop out. Fortunately, she was able to borrow a set of fins for the second dive so not a wasted trip.
The first dive was centred on the wreck of the Danish steel steamship the Island which had run aground in the early hours of a foggy morning in 1937. Fortunately, conditions that night were calm and all hands and passengers were rescued without loss of life.
Amid plentiful scattered wreckage the great ship boilers remain largely intact as a dramatic remnant of the ship and it end.
The second dive further along the shore was a scenic mix of rock, sand and kelp to drift along looking for creatures. Both dives were a shallow enough to provide a good safe environment for all levels of experience on an enjoyable day out.
Mark O’Connor