Easter 2004

On Easter Sunday Shona and I dived from the excellent MV Silver Swift from Oban booked through Aberdeen Watersports. Pick up was from the North Pier in Oban, dead easy loading, no climbing down ladders carrying a twinset or walking three miles along a rickety pontoon pushing a trolley with a dodgy wheel.

	Looking out across the Sound of Mull towards a dive boat nowhere near as fast as ours. Despite a leisurely start we still managed to get first place on any of the wrecks we headed for. The Silver Swift is a very fast boat for its size.
Shona between dives.
	Looking back towards Tobermory on the island of Mull. We stopped there for lunch, no-one really expected it. I had no idea where I was (no-one said!) or what money they took. My estimate of the Faroe Islands was a bit ambitious. As soon as we landed, twelve divers went in twelve directions but I am sure most of them led eventually to the Fishnish Inn. Tobermory is beautiful, the water is crystal clear and the Co-Op has its signs in Gaelic.
I was so convinced of being in the Faroe Islands that I am wearing my Norwegian whaling captain's hat just to blend in. Clubbing seals in Tobermory harbour did raise a few eyebrows though.
	Heading back towards Oban, coming up on the Maiden Isle.
Oh yeah, there was diving too. We dived the Rondo, a wreck which is propped up nearly vertical on a rock face, dropping to about -55m. The vis was tremendous, at least 10m and when we stopped it -35m it felt more like the shallows. Unfortunately, due to the profile it can be quite a dull dive. Normally you would swim back and forwards along the wreck. When it is pointed straight up you are really just doing a wall dive on a very narrow dive and you are at the stern (-10m) before you realise it. You then spend the rest of the dive trying to find interesting things to look at on the rudder unless you fancy dropping back into the depths again.
	Next dive was the Shuna, sitting upright in 30m'ish of water with the deck at around 20m. She is still fairly intact despite her age and there are plenty of cabins, companionways and nooks and crannies to swim through. It even has the propellor still in place. All profile images are downloaded from a Reefnet Sensus Pro data logger.

A few good places to visit if you are staying in or around Oban:

Kilmartin Glen

The Glen has over a hundred prehistoric sites in the space of a few miles, including the beautiful Temple Wood circle and the Dunadd Fort, the ancient capital of the Kingdom of Dalriada. Worth a stop:
 

• Crinan: where the Crinan canal meets the sea at a harbour and series of locks
• Kilmartin House: the museum associated with the Kilmartin prehistoric sites, an excellent exhibition
• Kilmartin Inn: brilliant pub with very nice restaurant and wine list - the Campo Viejo Rioja is highly recommended

Oban is great. I love Oban but I hardly ever get there now despite a few years ago virtually living in it because I was there so much. And everywhere sells whisky.
 

• Oban Inn: an Oban classic, an 18th century inn, stone floors, beer, whisky and a view of the harbour
• Caledonian Hotel: not cheap and the rooms are a bit disappointing but the massive breakfast makes it worth every penny!
• Ee'Usk: Gaelic for the sea. A busy, trendy restaurant serving very good seafood. A must. The oysters from Lismore are the best I've ever had.
• The Wide Mouthed Frog: a little restaurant with B&B next to Dunstaffnage Marina. The food is lovely, the portions are big, you can see the sea.
• Dunstaffnage Castle: A fort that goes back to the 13th century, still very well preserved. In the grounds is a ruined chapel covered in Templar symbols. A Historic Scotland site.
• Oban Sea Life Centre: it's a centre full of sea life. What more do you want?