Scapa Flow Diving.

[KenGordon]

Good luck trying to get some diving in at Scapa as it appears to be fully booked for the summer season, but you might manage to get on a boat and dive.

My buddy and I have not been so lucky to find space on boats to dive Scapa from 10-16 August this year

If you want to book for specific dates you need to be thinking a year and a half ahead and ideally take a whole boat, so 12 divers. The alternative is to be prepared to jump on spaces at fairly short notice.

 

[Barnaby'sDad]

Last time I was in Scapa it was October and it was 12C on the bottom and maybe 13C on stops.

They way you dive it though means you get changed between dives so you would be warm for a bit. Air temperature is never tropical though so there is a good chance you would be cold and miserable putting the wetsuit back on for the second dive.

My longest dive that week was 85 minutes on the Markgraf SMS Markgraf | Scapa Flow Wrecks including at least 30 minutes of stops. Deciding you are too cold half way through that might not be any fun.

Alternatively, take advantage of the crashing pound and order a suit from these people Dry Suits Then collect it when you arrive.

Scapa Scuba are brilliant, if you develop a leak on a dive they can take your suit away, fix it over night and have it back on your boat in time to dive it the following day.

I would be diving with a single tank, doing no deco, and looking at a dive that's...at most...half of what you mentioned.

Scapa Flow Diving

This page wouldn't pull up for me last night. It looks like they don't even consider letting people dive in wetsuits.

I've got no interest in a drysuit at this point, so I guess this is a no go for me. If I change my mind, I would consider ordering from them. As you said...with the conversion rate, the price would be pretty good.

From your profile, you aren't qualified to do the interesting dives. Like Ken explained extended periods of deco are normal.

Looking on Scapa Scubas website...it sounds like they have dives setup for all skill levels.

That and define "interesting." A good chunk of my dives have been in local quarries. Just about anything I could possibly see would be more interesting than the scenery on a good amount of my dives.

Good luck trying to get some diving in at Scapa as it appears to be fully booked for the summer season, but you might manage to get on a boat and dive.

My buddy and I have not been so lucky to find space on boats to dive Scapa from 10-16 August this year

I'm looking one year out (summer of 2020). If I decide to go, I would be booking well in advance.

 

[KenGordon]

I would be diving with a single tank, doing no deco, and looking at a dive that's...at most...half of what you mentioned.

Scapa Flow Diving

This page wouldn't pull up for me last night. It looks like they don't even consider letting people dive in wetsuits.

I've got no interest in a drysuit at this point, so I guess this is a no go for me. If I change my mind, I would consider ordering from them. As you said...with the conversion rate, the price would be pretty good.



Looking on Scapa Scubas website...it sounds like they have dives setup for all skill levels.

That and define "interesting." A good chunk of my dives have been in local quarries. Just about anything I could possibly see would be more interesting than the scenery on a good amount of my dives.



I'm looking one year out (summer of 2020). If I decide to go, I would be booking well in advance.

Scapa Scuba run courses and diving in general in Orkney. There are enough shore and easy sites to do that. However, what people really go there for is the remaining German Fleet. You can do some of that on a single but you would be missing out. Unless you take a whole boat you will be quite limited using a single for some dives. Everyone else will be definitely diving the big 7 wrecks, if you don’t want to dive an upside down battleship in 44m (keel at 20) they will leave you on the boat. You might do a single plus a pony but really a twinset is ideal.

One way to get a space is to keep an eye on FB pages such as UK Dive Spaces Offered/Wanted Public Group | Facebook or the boat’s ‘Friends’ pages eg Friends of MV Valkyrie Public Group | Facebook

These boats seem to be best regarded:

Award winning Orkney diving charter Scapa Flow, Shetland and Norway. Two boats, run by women, very comfortable. I have dived from both.
Halton Charters – Scotland and Norway Liveaboard Dive Charter Run by a bloke, accommodation more basic.
Home Run by a woman, newly built, very shiny, accommodation is a self catering house by the harbour.

There are several other boats but I’ve not been on them at all, they have seen less investment I think.

You can rent cylinders, (3l, 12l, 15l steels, 7l, 11l Ali stages), twin 12s (but bring your own bpw). Lead and air are free, Nitrox, trimix are available.

Food is usually priced separately. Cost is about £700 for the boat, £150 ish for food and then gas can add up if you get fresh best mix fills every dive.

I don’t think anyone would stop you diving a wetsuit. That is not how U.K. diving works. The skippers are transport, if they give advice it is because they are actually convinced you will very likely die otherwise. That is not to say they will not take the mick constantly.

I have a couple of club members who only have wetsuits and who I would be reasonably relaxed about doing Scapa, however they already do similar diving here. I did have someone wimp out on a recent Welsh trip though, diving in a wetsuit for one day and then switching to a drysuit.

If you fancy an easier taste of U.K. diving then places like Newquay, the Sound of Mull, St Abbs, all have excellent diving. Not so intensely historical but good all the same. It is significantly warmer further south too.

 

[johnohuk]

Good luck trying to get some diving in at Scapa as it appears to be fully booked for the summer season, but you might manage to get on a boat and dive.

My buddy and I have not been so lucky to find space on boats to dive Scapa from 10-16 August this year

FYI Space on FB now for 4th to 9th August for 2.. £720

 

[Searcaigh]

Thanks @johnohuk but my trip to UK has to coincide with Eid Al Adha in order to have that week off.

In any case we're diving just north of Edinburgh now during 10/12 August and looking at other opportunities after that weekend.

 

[johnohuk]

Gotcha... St Abbs and Farne Islands aren't too far from u, otherwise I've heard Lochaline is pretty good.

 

[Searcaigh]

Thanks again John, my buddy @MasterChief D will be driving up from London.

Any good contacts for St. Abbs / Eyemouth as well as the Farne islands for mid-week diving would be helpful.

 

[Lorenzoid]

Good luck trying to get some diving in at Scapa as it appears to be fully booked for the summer season, but you might manage to get on a boat and dive.

My buddy and I have not been so lucky to find space on boats to dive Scapa from 10-16 August this year

I had two spots on the Valkyrie for 3-10 August and couldn’t manage to sell them for any amount, despite a few bites. We had this trip planned two years in advance and were heartbroken that life got in the way. Yes, centenary year.

 

[Searcaigh]

@Lorenzoid I've been planning Scapa since my buddy moved back to UK, too many things seem to always get in the way.

It's possible of course to just drive up north get a ferry and hope we can find space on a boat, but a bit of a risk and cost if we can't.

I should have done this years ago of course when I lived in Scotland.

 

[paddydiver]

What are the chances of someone that is very cold tolerant getting by with a 7mm wetsuit?

You could dive the shallow block ships in Summer with a 7mm but forget about any of the deeper wrecks. Hardly worth traveling all that way and not enjoying dives because of the cold.