Have you thought about what goes into planning a location for a dive?
All Divers should it is part of your overall Dive plan.
So how many times have you just turned up at a location when told to?
You are then told what the dive is, what time the boat is leaving, what time you will be back and all you have had to do is turn up, bring your dive equipment and go diving?
Have you ever thought about what happens behind the scenes to get you to that point?
Just because a dive trip is planned to within an inch of its life does not take away from that fact that YOU are the diver YOU are getting into the water AND you need to plan other aspects of the dive, considering what YOU want to achieve on the dive, do you have enough air to do the dive, do you have the right equipment? Have you and your buddy had a clear conversation and understand each other and how about signals you will be using, how long you will be diving for?
Lets walk through a Dive Rutland Trip to Norfolk as an example of what goes on behind the scenes to planning a Norfolk Shore Dive.
When a trip is first brought up or not as the case may be, because it might just be that I want to go diving and then offer it out to anyone who wishes to join.
Norfolk is tidal, it should only be dived on slack particularly if shore diving. If not shore diving but diving from a boat you have the added option of drift diving, but our plan is a shore dive. The question is where and what to dive.
You are then told what the dive is, what time the boat is leaving, what time you will be back and all you have had to do is turn up, bring your dive equipment and go diving?
Have you ever thought about what happens behind the scenes to get you to that point?
Just because a dive trip is planned to within an inch of its life does not take away from that fact that YOU are the diver YOU are getting into the water AND you need to plan other aspects of the dive, considering what YOU want to achieve on the dive, do you have enough air to do the dive, do you have the right equipment? Have you and your buddy had a clear conversation and understand each other and how about signals you will be using, how long you will be diving for?
Lets walk through a Dive Rutland Trip to Norfolk as an example of what goes on behind the scenes to planning a Norfolk Shore Dive.
When a trip is first brought up or not as the case may be, because it might just be that I want to go diving and then offer it out to anyone who wishes to join.
Norfolk is tidal, it should only be dived on slack particularly if shore diving. If not shore diving but diving from a boat you have the added option of drift diving, but our plan is a shore dive. The question is where and what to dive.
Question - What time is slack on the day you considering diving?
So the plan is based on Sunday 13th September 2020, using BBC tide tables it show that
High Tide 3:43 AM Height 3.94m
Low Tide 10:22 AM Height 1.99m
High Tide 4:20 PM Height 4.01m
Low Tide 10:54 PM Height 2.0m
Slack for the area of Norfolk we dive as a ‘general rule of thumb’ is
2 Hours after Hide Tide
1 ½ Hours after Low Tide
So that makes Slack
Low Tide 10:22 + 1: 30 = 11:52
High Tide 16:20 + 2 = 18:30
And Walk in time – the time you enter the water so you are ready and get the benefit of diving on slack water
Low Tide 11:45 Walk in Time
High Tide 18:15
So that made the decision quite easy its diving on Low Tide Slack.
Low Tide 10:22 AM Height 1.99m
High Tide 4:20 PM Height 4.01m
Low Tide 10:54 PM Height 2.0m
Slack for the area of Norfolk we dive as a ‘general rule of thumb’ is
2 Hours after Hide Tide
1 ½ Hours after Low Tide
So that makes Slack
Low Tide 10:22 + 1: 30 = 11:52
High Tide 16:20 + 2 = 18:30
And Walk in time – the time you enter the water so you are ready and get the benefit of diving on slack water
Low Tide 11:45 Walk in Time
High Tide 18:15
So that made the decision quite easy its diving on Low Tide Slack.
Question - How long is slack?
One hour - one and a half hours.
Question - What shall we dive?
The thought is to dive the SS Vera who is a wreck just off Cley Beach, so a quick look at Finstrokes website https://www.finstrokes.com/shore-dive/ss-vera
And my UK Shore Dive book gave us some other general information.
Depth: 7m and can be seen sticking out of the water at slack
Site / Entry: The beach is a steep gravel so the entry is easy but if the waves are over 1m high it can be very dangerous exiting from the water
Underwater directions: The wreck is 120m out and runs parallel to the shore but it is easy still to miss it and consists of the engine prop shaft and boiler with some plates between them. It’s a small area so just take your time and explore
In addition 1townhouses.co.uk is a great reference as Dawn and Rob dive the coastline regularly for Seasearch East surveys so are a font of knowledge, for those not accustomed to Norfolk shore diving
Best Place to Park: South East corner of whatever car park is left as its easier to use the dirt track behind the beach than to set off across the shingle straight away. This makes for an easier walk – especially on the way back
Dive Maps are always handy, much easier to brief divers using visual aids and references.
And my UK Shore Dive book gave us some other general information.
Depth: 7m and can be seen sticking out of the water at slack
Site / Entry: The beach is a steep gravel so the entry is easy but if the waves are over 1m high it can be very dangerous exiting from the water
Underwater directions: The wreck is 120m out and runs parallel to the shore but it is easy still to miss it and consists of the engine prop shaft and boiler with some plates between them. It’s a small area so just take your time and explore
In addition 1townhouses.co.uk is a great reference as Dawn and Rob dive the coastline regularly for Seasearch East surveys so are a font of knowledge, for those not accustomed to Norfolk shore diving
Best Place to Park: South East corner of whatever car park is left as its easier to use the dirt track behind the beach than to set off across the shingle straight away. This makes for an easier walk – especially on the way back
Dive Maps are always handy, much easier to brief divers using visual aids and references.
Question - How to dive the Vera?
Divers always want to know how to dive a location, so in order to give that information, next was to find out if any dive maps are published on how to get the best out of the site.
Circle the engine and propshaft and come back for the boiler. The boiler itself has been rolled 20m to the West of the engine and it is easy to miss.
Another cylindrical object, perhaps some sort of tank or pressure vessel, is easier to from the engine. There is a pole leading out from the North West of the engine block which points straight to the ‘pressure vessel. From there is a trail of wreckage and ribs which lead South South West and onto the single boiler – easy to miss.
If you head off the wreck there is a 2-3 metre patch of gravelly scour before flat barren sand starts.
The main debris field is around 60 m long East-West and 25 m wide North – South. The propshaft extends 30m from the engine and the very end of the main wreckage is 5-10m North of Space where the prop would have been. There is a propeller on the wreck, it is the iron spare and is found 5-10 m back from the engine, between the propshaft and the starboard wreckage. It is 4-5 m across.
Lots to see and not just wreckage, peacock feathers, crabs, lobsters, nudibranchs (that’s me sorted – after all I am planning this!)
So that is the dive information to provide to those diving done.
Another cylindrical object, perhaps some sort of tank or pressure vessel, is easier to from the engine. There is a pole leading out from the North West of the engine block which points straight to the ‘pressure vessel. From there is a trail of wreckage and ribs which lead South South West and onto the single boiler – easy to miss.
If you head off the wreck there is a 2-3 metre patch of gravelly scour before flat barren sand starts.
The main debris field is around 60 m long East-West and 25 m wide North – South. The propshaft extends 30m from the engine and the very end of the main wreckage is 5-10m North of Space where the prop would have been. There is a propeller on the wreck, it is the iron spare and is found 5-10 m back from the engine, between the propshaft and the starboard wreckage. It is 4-5 m across.
Lots to see and not just wreckage, peacock feathers, crabs, lobsters, nudibranchs (that’s me sorted – after all I am planning this!)
So that is the dive information to provide to those diving done.
Question - Background information on the wreck
All divers like to have some background information on the wreck or location they are going to dive.
POSITION..... 52 58 000N 001 03 500E
DEPTH... 7Mtrs
TYPE... SHORE AND BOAT
DIMENSIONS... LENGTH 88.2Mtrs / BEAM 11.6Mtrs / DRAUGHT 6Mtrs
TONNAGE...2391 GROSS
CARGO ...COAL
DATE OF LOSS...15/11/1914
CAUSE OF LOSS... COLLISION WITH HM MINESWEEPER PARTHIAN
BUILT... 1891 by TURNBULL AND SON, WHITBY
OWNER AT TIME OF LOSS...W.COUPLAND & CO
PROPULSION.. X2 SCOTCH TYPE BOILERS, TRIPLE EXPANSION ENGINE, SINGLE SHAFT, MACHINERY BY BLAIR & CO LTD, STOCKTON ON TEES
The SS Vera was built in 1891 for T Marwood & Sons. She was to change hands several times prior to her sinking, 1901,Suggit & Forth, 1911, Vera SS co Ltd, 1913, W Coupland & Co.
On the 15th November 1914 whilst on route from the Tyne to Livorno with a cargo of coal she was in collision with the minesweeper HMS Parthian.
She was beached at Cley, Subsequent attempts to refloat her failed.
Question - Are there any Onsite Facilities?
Toilets – none at Cley
Wetsuit dive maybe for some then!
Wetsuit dive maybe for some then!
Question - Time to Meet?
I can kit and go quite quickly if only buddy and I. Some people cannot and also with the walk involved to waters edge it is best not to rush, slowly slowly catch a monkey as they say.
So meet time: 10.00
So meet time: 10.00
Question - Weather
The bane of UK Diving is the weather.
During the week leading up to the dive, close attention is paid to all weather reports and in particular to Magic Seaweed https://magicseaweed.com/Cromer-Surf-Report/20/
During the week leading up to the dive, close attention is paid to all weather reports and in particular to Magic Seaweed https://magicseaweed.com/Cromer-Surf-Report/20/
Conclusion
But then you do all this work and find out she is best dived at High Water Slack! Advise from the local divers now required, so a couple of messages sent out. Want to understand why that is.
So that is the background to planning a shore dive in Norfolk, but getting to site and the actual dive plan is YOUR responsibility. Have a look at the Dive Rutland Library on our website under Dive Planning of other articles relating to Dive Planning.
So that is the background to planning a shore dive in Norfolk, but getting to site and the actual dive plan is YOUR responsibility. Have a look at the Dive Rutland Library on our website under Dive Planning of other articles relating to Dive Planning.