Moldavia
We’ve lost our last five dives.
As we got nearer to the day, the weather looked OK but I then came down with a heavy cold on Wednesday, and got really depressed. As Bob was diving with us, I didn’t have to decide until the day as Al would still be able to dive if I dropped out, so I crossed my fingers and upped the vitamin C.
5:30 this morning freezing fog greeted us. Hmm… said Al, well at least if we are told that we have to get back up the shot line we have a cave diver with us who shoud be happy laying line but as we neared Brighton it cleared and the sun even (eventually) came out too.
It is a long ride out to the Moldavia - about two hours - so lots of time to catch up with people. Howard produced a bar of low carb chocolate which I promptly stole off him - he fought me for it and won
Mark Chase told me and Al that a diver was swept off the Moldavia a while ago by the prop wash from a large oil tanker (thanks Mark!!) and to listen out for engines….
Al and I haven’t really dived with Bob before so ran through a few bits on the boat. We agreed that I would lead off down the shot to see how my sinuses were - and thankfully no problem at all The vis was good about 4 - 6 metres) and when we got to the bottom of the shot we reordered so Bob could lead off - as he has dived the wreck before.
I was feeling OK before we jumped in but quite prepared to thumb it at 6 metres if I had problems equalising. I was very pleased to find that by equalising every half a meter, all the way down the shotline, I had no problems getting down to the wreck. And there is was - the Moldavia - a wreck I have wanted to dive pretty much since i first heard of it - and before I was qualified to dive it - our maximum dive depth today was 47 metres.
We found portholes with the glass still intact, the gun which was quite impressive, a huge lobster and loads of fish. One fish was caught in a line on the wreck and Bob went over, got out his knife and started to free it. Only problem with this was he then started getting tangled in the line himself. Al went in and started getting the line of Bob and, frightened that he would turn and make things worse, I told him to hold but he carried on cutting the fish free. Hmm… free fish - caught Bob - not a good exchange. Turns out, back on the surface, that Bob knew he was caught up but figured that while we got him out he might as well carry on freeing the fish. For those of you who are interested - the fish made it
The current picked up and carried us back down the wreck which was cool. Bob thumbed it and deco was uneventful apart from the fact that all of us felt that we were too far apart - Al and I thinking that Bob prefered it that way - and Bob thinking the same of us
We got up to calm seas, but a skipper who informed us that there had been an incident and the chopper was on its way. We stowed the kit and did what we could to help pack stuff away. Seeing the rescue helicopter come in was stunning - the skill of the skipper and the pilot evident. The casualty was taken away, symptomatic but reasonably OK, and the boat then returned for the divers still in the water - not perhaps surprisingly including Chasey.
What was very funny (well apt ) is that Mark heard the chopper and, given his story to us earlier, thought that a large ship was bearing down on him. Can’t have been nice for Mark but rather apt given his tales earlier in the day.
Mince pies and hot choccy afterwards. Howard resisted the mince pies - for about 10 minutes
And that was that… a good day out - always satisfying to sneak one in when you least expect it.
