Scapa Flow ‘22

SCAPA FLOW 2022 - Stromness, Orkney - 1st to 7th October

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THE TEAM

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Once again, we returned strong to Stromness with several veteran Scapa Flow divers from previous trips, but this year we also attracted some new and interesting members from across the Atlantic and as far as South Africa!

With a good balance of both open and closed circuit divers subject to this trip being marginally smaller than the last, we were were easily able to negotiate visiting all of the the cruisers and battleships in a good order, with the only obstacle being the good old ‘four seasons in one day’ Scottish weather!

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HEADING NORTH

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The journey up this year was also a little different, commencing with a slightly later start than previous trips. Having negotiated a few mandatory service stops and the odd bit of heavy unexpected traffic, we finally made it to Thurso just in time for the early evening. This gave us enough time to grab a cold beer and some food prior to boarding the Hamnavoe ferry to Stromness early the following morning.

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APPARENTLY… THERE IS ALWAYS TIME FOR GOLF!

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As we patiently waited for our friends to arrive from the USA and South Africa, Jonny Butterworth, Chris Handley and myself decided that the only clear way to spend a drizzly Saturday afternoon was to try and enjoy 18 holes of the beautifully picturesque Stromness golf course.. only in what felt like 80mph head on winds. We like a challenge.

In all honesty, I’ve never played a course with a bar located on any hole, let alone the 9th, but when you find yourselves teeing off right in the middle of the final competition of the Stromness 2022 season, things were quite clearly going to get interesting to say the least.

Holes 1 through to 3 were completed reasonably well, with all parties earning a more than respectable bogie (thats 1 over par for the non golfers). Hole 4 however was where things really began to heat up!

As we encountered more and more locals from Stromness and the surrounding areas around the course, we soon realised that this good old competition game of golf was in-fact secondary to a residents afternoon on the ale. Everyone we met was more than friendly and insisted that we took a break with them as often as our paths crossed to enjoy the spectacular views and share their very large bottles of port. This as one would expect turned out to be a very long game!

All in all, Saturday provided us with plenty of much needed laughs. With all scoring somewhere in the region of 40 over the course par, Steve wasn’t quite sure whether 1 moderately epic 5 iron drive was likely to be enough to bring him out of golfing retirement, but we will just have to wait and see!

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DAY 1 - SMS COLN & SMS KARLSRUHE

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As is customary with any trip to Scapa Flow, we started the week off with a series of interesting but simple dust off dives.

SMS COLN

First on the roster was the Coln, the most intact of the four cruisers remaining at the depths of the Flow.

Sitting at 36m, the Coln is abundant with life. Although not the most memorable, it was a great starter dive for ironing out kit issues. 35 minutes bottom time was considered more than enough on this wreck.

SMS KARLSRUHE

Unlike the Coln, the Karlsruhe is the most broken up of all the cruisers found in the Flow. With a deepest depth of 25m, this wreck allowed for a decent amount of time for exploration with a minimum deco penalty.

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DAY 2 - BAYERN TURRETS & SMS KONIG

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Following the successful completion of the previous days check dives, we were all understandably super enthusiastic about the prospect of now starting to hit the bigger stuff.

BAYERN TURRETS

This was the second time that many of us had dived the Bayern Turrets and I have to say, they were equally as fascinating as the first. With a maximum depth of 38.5m and room for a little more if one decided to venture down into the barbets, there is definitely plenty to see here. With a little deco, the open circuit guys managed to complete a decent 60minute runtime.

SMS KONIG

All 3 of the battleships remaining at Scapa Flow belong to the Konig class, with this stately warship being the namesake of her class. The Konig is generally the least visited of the fleet, but incredibly interesting for experienced divers if you know where to look.

A 5.9 inch gun located on the SMS Markgraf down in the eerie and silent depths of 38m

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DAY 3 - SMS KRONPRINZ & SMS DRESDEN

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SMS KRONPRINZ

Like her sister ship, the Markgraf, the sheer size and scale of the SMS Kronprinz is truly remarkable. With half of the ships compliment of 12 inch guns still visible, this is one of the few remaining wrecks in the world to offer such spectacle.

SMS DRESDEN

Laying on its port side and at an incline, the Dresden is usually one of the first dives of any trip to Scapa, with the easily accessible northward facing bow sitting in approximately 25m of water. There is plenty to see for divers of all levels on the Dresden, but if you do nothing else, make sure you pay a visit to the ornate bath tub still pinned with in the wreckage, linking back to a generation of sailors from over 100 years ago.

A velvet crab hidden amongst the flora and fauna on the SMS Brummer.

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DAY 4 - SMS MARKGRAF & SMS BRUMMER

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SMS MARKGRAF

Often referred to as the ‘jewel in the Scapa Flow crown’, the SMS Markgraf is understandably impressive on a scale rarely, if ever seen, anywhere in the world.

At 45m deep and almost completely upturned, the SMS Markgraf is definitely one for the technical divers.

The SMS Markgraf finds itself cloaked in darkness like no other and divers do not always appreciate the eerie spectacle of exactly what lays silently before them. It is also easy to forget that we are not the only occasional visitors to these wrecks, and as if it had been summoned from the depths, a huge Common Skate decided to swim by Steve at 42m, stealthy and silent, which undoubtedly caused him to humorously jump out of his skin muttering a few choice words as it made its way past.

SMS BRUMMER

The SMS Brummer is always a firm favourite amongst Scapa Flow divers. The former mine laying cruiser now lays on her starboard side in 36m of water. Like many wrecks of the Flow, the SMS Brummer has experienced a series of collapses, with much of her impressive arsenal now located on the seabed. With the right knowledge and a bit of prior research, the SMS Brummer definitely makes for an interesting dive.

A Dogfish which is part of the Catshark family, discovered on the F2.

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DAY 5 - F2 / YC21

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F2 / YC21

F2 was a World War II German escort boat, similar to a corvette, given to the British as war reparations. The boat sank during a gale in 1946 and came to rest in Gutter Sound, between the islands of Hoy and Farra.

Out of all the wrecks we dived during our time in Scapa Flow, the F2 and the YC21 were definitely the most abundant with aquatic life. Steve even managed to spot his first ever Dogfish! The F2 and YC21 are a photographers paradise and are not to be dismissed by those concerned only with the deeper, bigger wrecks.

A huge common skate silently glides past Steve at 42m on the SMS Markgraf

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DAY 6 - SMS KRONPRINZ

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SMS KRONPRINZ

As expected, it was only right that the SMS Kronprinz was dived during the trip for a second time. Without having to worry about a camera, we decided to explore a little further into the bowels of this magnificent wreck.

Anyone who has dived Scapa Flow will know exactly how dangerous these submerged rusting heaps of historic significance are, so training, plenty of experience and keeping your wits about you are all essential if you want to get anywhere near penetrating the inner compartments of these spectral yet amazing vessels.

Expectedly, upon venturing inside the SMS Kronprinz, it wasn’t long before the visibility degraded into a sea-soup of rust and particulate, so the lines in which we placed were promptly followed back out, ending a respectable 54 minute dive before hitting the long road home.

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WITH THANKS

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All in all, despite numerous challenges and unforeseen difficulties, Scapa Flow 2022 was a firm success and we were more than grateful for the time we were able to spend with Fred and Jim from the USA, as well as Bruce from South Africa, whom we wish a safe onward journey home.

We at SEPE Diving would like to give a special mention to Freds organisation:

BATTLE OF THE ATLANTIC - RESEARCH AND EXPEDITION GROUP

Who we hope to find ourselves diving with in 2023 on the USS Oriskany!

As always, a big thanks to John Thornton, Skipper and owner of the MV Karin / John’s Diving charters for accommodating us, for our relentless demands and for making the Karin once again feel like home.