Monday 31 May 2010

Mike Clark's new Book The Wrecks and Reefs of Southeast Scotland. Coming Soon.





















Situated on the south side of the Firth of Forth, the port of Leith,
Edinburgh, is a major harbour for warships and cruise liners.
Over hundreds of years it has been a trading port and a military
dockyard. With Rosyth Dockyard situated further west, this
busy waterway has two historically-important destinations for
vessels and over time, many vessels were sunk during storms,
failed to avoid collisions or were wartime victims of U-boats or
aircraft.
From Leith Docks the river widens forming a huge estuary
filled with volcanic islands and submerged pinnacles that are
blasted by fierce tidal streams, providing an opportunity for
some fantastic scenic diving. This is also the final resting place
of hundreds of shipwrecks, many of which are of especial historical importance. For the diver there is so much to explore in these new
and exciting deeper wrecks that have the added attraction of being little known. These wrecks include an aircraft carrier, a German
light cruiser that saw action at the Battle of Jutland, aircraft and even steam-powered submarines are all there waiting to be dived.
Unlike the well-documented and dived River Clyde wrecks on the west coast, or those in the English Channel, these in the Firth of
Forth are rarely mentioned although many lie within a 20-mile radius of Edinburgh.
The author has dived all the 100 sites and wrecks in the book and as a professional underwater photographer has provided truly
atmospheric images that capture the special identity of these East coast wrecks and reefs. As well as his detailed knowledge of the
sites, the author has also given his recommendations for dive sites, including their GPS positions, safety, and skill level required.
Practical information such as dive centres, dive boats, accommodation and onshore activities is also included.
This guide will help divers select the best dives to suit local weather conditions and to find the best scenic sites. It includes all the
new and exciting dive sites recently found in areas such as Burntisland, North Berwick, Dunbar, St. Abbs and Eyemouth and
information on how best to dive them an absolute must for divers visiting this area!
Wrecks & Reefs of Southeast Scotland
Mike Clark
Readership: this will be an indispensable book for all divers.
ISBN 978-184995-010-7 240 × 170mm softback 224pp full colour throughout with photographs and maps £18.99 September, 2010
The guide for diving the Firth of Forth
and southeast Scotland
Identifies newly-found important
shipwrecks and also provides GPS
coordinates
Written by a highly-experienced and
qualified diver
Provides a wealth of information
including historic details
Full colour throughout
100 Dives from the Forth Bridge to Eyemouth
About the author: Mike Clark is a British Sub Aqua Club Advanced Diver and Instructor, a professional underwater
photographer and journalist with articles in many diving magazines including Diver, Dive and Sport Diver, etc.
www.underwater-photos.co.uk




Friday 28 May 2010

DIVE ON VENUS







Hi All,
just back from a superb dive on the wreck of the Venus. Its a new one for me and i enjoyed mysef very much. Thanks to Marinequest, It was also a first trip for me on their brand new dive boat Jacob George which is a fantastic dive boat, with all the mod cons. The wreck of the venus is spectacular. For me the stern and the propeller were the sites to visit. The venus lies between 51 and 58 metres and as we dropped below the plankton bloom visibility was around 10 metres.
here are some pictures.
Mike Clark

Saturday 15 May 2010

CLYDE DIVING









It's been far too long since i have been over to the Clyde and met up with Elane Watt owner skipper of the Clutha dive boat. But last Saturday i managed to make my way over to inverkip marina and set out to dive the Wallachia and the Akka. this was great as these are my two favourite wrecks in this part of the Clyde. The weather was fantastic with bright sunshine and calm seas. First up was the Wallachia and i enjoyed a really good dive on her remains. The vis deteriorated once divers were down on the wreck but this is one of the best wrecks in the Clyde. i had a look at the engine block and noted that the bridge is now completely collapsed. The Akka was up next and this turned out to be the best dive of the day. Vis was very good and it made for easy exploration and good photographs. I can honestly say that this was my best dive on this wreck. It was great being back diving on the Clyde wrecks as they are superb and i had not realised how much i missed diving them and meeting up with my pals in the west.
Thanks to Elaine, Neil and Martin.
ATB
Mike Clark