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Wednesday, 02 April 2008 02:00
Mood: Smile
04.02.08 1:53 pm
WEST COAST WRECK DIVING TRIP - 28-30 MARCH 2008: We headed up to Paternoster on the Friday and the weather seemed great - warm sun, light winds and a flat sea. We all woke up really early on the Saturday and quickly prepped the gear.
Our first wreck was the ISMORE. She is fairly close to the lighthouse, so the boat trip is pretty quick. We dropped in and were greeted with 4-5m viz - not bad for the West Coast. We had decided to dive on her stern and after swimming over scattered hull plating and past some ribs, we encountered the huge prop shaft and followed this until we found the rudder.... The rudder was huge!! About 6m tall with 4 pintles and gudgoens. Really an awesome sight. Also in the stern area we saw multiple bollards as well as various exhaust manifold fittings. Just before surfacing we even found a urinal :) The temperature was in the 10C region and even the hardened Cape Town divers felt chilly.

For the second dive we chose the HALERIC. By the time we had got out to the wreck site the viz had decreased dramatically. There was a red tide that had moved inshore and there was also a really strong N - S current running. We followed the shot line down, however in the 1/2m viz and ripping current, we were soon pulled off the wreck. Two brave souls attempted to find the wreck whilst fighting the current, however their efforts were in vain and they ended up several hundreds of metres away from the wreck.

The ingress of the red tide did however prove to be an issue, as by the Sunday morning the entire coastline north of Paternoster was looking grim. To the south however it seemed a little cleaner. We accordingly decided to head far south and try for the HADDON HALL, with a fall back plan of the LISBOA. By the time we got to the Lisboa the colour of the water had not relented and we were still looking at a frothy brown mix... The decision wa then made to rather abort those plans and we then decided to rather run back to the ISMORE, as she was still very sheltered and reasonably clean. This time we dived the bow area of the wreck (which is on the opposite side of the blinder), and some of the guys were fortunate enough to see some massive anchors and several lengths of huge anchor chain. There were also massive pieces of hull plating strewn everywhere. At almost 8000 tons, this is really a large site to explore and we did not mind coming back.

The bad viz meant that we cancelled the last dive of the day, however fun was had by all - especially in the Hotel's pub on Friday evening....we all pity that poor bloke from Joburg who just happened to be there celebrating his birthday.

All in all it was a very successful trip and was thoroughly enjoyed by all. Lets see where the next trip takes us... Send me your suggestions, although most people are keen for another Struis trip....and we all know how much fun that was :)

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Thursday, 27 March 2008 02:00
Mood: Smile
03.27.08 6:18 am
MFV AFRIKANER: 21 MARCH 2008 - We arrived bright and breezy at the launch site, only to find that we could not get access to the slipway due to the Easter holiday!!! Conditions were looking good and we were all frustrated at the prospect of not getting the dive in. Our initial back up plans were laid to rest due to the spring low tide, but fortunately we made another plan and got the boat out.

This long delay meant we ended up kitting up in the heat of the day. It was a bit unpleasant, but at least we got to launch....
Upon arrival at the dive site we were met with a dark green body of water....this did not look good. The first 10 - 15m was very grubby and dark, however from about 30m the viz actually started to improve. It was still a murky 5 - 8m viz at the bottom, but good enough to get a great dive in.

We unfortunately had to cut the dive short by a minute due to gas issues, however the ascent was uneventful and all backup procedures were followed without incident. The longer deco stops were all conducted in the dirty (read 11C warm) water, as compared to the 8C temperature at the bottom. By the time we had surfaced the swell had picked up slightly, but once again it was nothing to be concerned about and we ended the dive after 80 minutes of in water time. A good dive by all accounts.
Thanks ounce again to our surface crew of Rudi and Greg.

This was the last of a series of dives that we had planned for the Afrikaner. Our next dive may be on the LM Gemsbok, however as we are at the change of seasons, we may also be heading out to the SATS General Botha - watch this space for details.

For all those that are joining us this weekend for our WEST COAST WRECK DIVING TRIP, see you all tomorrow.

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Wednesday, 27 February 2008 02:00
Mood: Smile
02.27.08 4:16 am
MFV AFRIKANER 12/01/2008 - It was our first tech dive for 2008 and conditions were looking great, albeit a little hot out in the dry suits. The sea was flat and we were surrounded by commercial fisherman and abalone divers. Fortunately the wreck site is a short distance away from the fishing grounds, which meant we had it all to ourselves.
The descent was again fairly dark, however viz opened up towards the bottom. Our aim was again to videotape as much of the wreck as possible, concentrating on the stern section. We shot some awesome footage again, and this time even managed to capture on film the wording of the "Afrikaner" on the mast - quite a spectacular feat indeed!!!
The dive was all to soon over, and the obligatory deco began. The excitement of the first 2008 dive soon whittled away the deco and in no time we were back on board. We are looking forward to a good 2008 season, with several of our safety divers having moved into the realm of "bottom diver". Welcome :)

We are planning yet another dive to the Afrikaner (she is becoming our second home) for the 21st of March 2008. Watch this space for details.


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Wednesday, 30 January 2008 02:00
Mood: .
01.30.08 7:02 am
12.18.07 2:24 pm
MFV AFRIKANER - 15/12/2007: Although the South Easter had been pumping for the last several days and there were a few white horses in the bay, the prediction was that the wind was going to die and then change direction. On the strength of this we headed out to the wreck site, with a back up plan(s) to dive the Gemsbok should the conditions not allow us in on the Afrikaner.

Once there it soon was evident that we would dive - the wind had died, the water was clean and the sea generally flat. As the site is close to Robben Island, any swell is amplified and you generally always have some surge on the wreck, but this was well within limits.
The shot went in and we started kitting up. Marcel had a minor equipment difficulty, which we quickly sorted out, and needless to say he now is a proponent of wet notes!!!

The descent was awesome and from about 30m we could see the wreck. The shot landed on the port side of the wreck, just aft of the wheelhouse. Viz was in the 10 - 15m range and we headed aft down the port side and to the stern, with a "wall' of steel on our left. The stern is really broken up, but we saw the prop shaft and associated couplings. This wreck is also particularly dangerous from an entanglement point of view, as in numerous parts thereof there are not only huge coils of 50mm hawser, but big chunks of fishing net just waiting to hook on your unstreamlined kit.
We then headed up to the wheelhouse and main winch area, and even managed a quick look at the detached bow. It was then back to and around the HUGE funnel and mast, which lays to the seaward side of the wreck, and then slowly but surely back to the shot line.
The ascent was nice and relaxed, until about 15m, at which time we encountered a severe current. We quickly deployed a jon line and continued our deco. By then our safety diver had joined us and we successfully completed the O2 swap. By the time we exited the water the wind had totally died down and it was a perfect day, with outside temperatures the mid 30's - a far cry from the 9C water temperature!!
We also managed to get some spectacular video footage of the wreck. Those that are keen to see it, drop me a line.

This sadly was the last tech dive for 2007, as some of our team members have other commitments during the holidays. We are however blending soon and shall be reading ourselves to go at a moments notice in the new year.

Finally, a very big thanks you to all our team members, but especially the safety divers whose efforts are the most important, but probably the least appreciated.
During 2008 we aim to again concentrate on the Table Bay wrecks, with an emphasis on locating some of the virgin wrecks, like the Tristania.

For all our SPORTS DIVERS, herewith the December / January holidays diving schedule. Launches at 8h30 and 11h00 on each of the days. Please contact us via cell phone to book and for dive site details:
December 2007 launches: 23, 24, 26, 28, 30, 31.
January 2008 launches: 2nd

Safe diving and Merry Xmas


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Monday, 31 December 2007 02:00
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|Mood: .
|01.30.08 7:01 am
||12.14.07 1:40 pm
|Its all systems go now for the AFRIKANER for tomorrow. The wind is predicted to blow hard from the south east, but we are hpoing to get in an early launch. The sea is looking blue, so we should have great conditions. Details to follow soon.



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|Mood: .
|01.30.08 7:01 am
||11.30.07 8:36 am
|Our next dive is planned for the MFV AFRIKANER over the long weekend in December. More details to follow soon.



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|Mood: .
|01.30.08 7:01 am
||11.21.07 11:06 am
|LM GEMSBOK - 17/11/2007: We had planned to dive the Afrikaner, however earlier in the week decided that given the predicted weather the Gemsbok would be a far better dive.
We arrived at the site and although the SE was howling, the whole of Table Bay was in a wind shadow. The colour of the sea had not looked good for the preceding day, however as we headed out to the wreck site, we were greeted by clean, blue water. The surface temperature was however only 8.8C.....
We kitted up and plunged into the icy waters, and immediately started enjoying the viz. Our plan was to thoroughly investigate the stern and midships for future penetrations. We accordingly squeezed our heads into various nooks and crannies and besides setting ourselves up for some great penetrations, we saw loads of interesting parts of the wreck that we had not seen before.
The bottom time soon elapsed and the deco began. The temperature on the bottom had dropped to 8.3C and this meant deco was going to feel very looong. One of the divers in the group was using a Typhoon Icebreaker heated vest, and this little gadget definitely saved the day. It is expensive, but well worth the money.
Our following dive is planed again for the Afrikaner. Details to follow soon.


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|Mood: :)
|01.30.08 6:35 am
|Mood: :)
|12.18.07 2:24 pm
|MFV AFRIKANER - 15/12/2007: Although the South Easter had been pumping for the last several days and there were a few white horses in the bay, the prediction was that the wind was going to die and then change direction. On the strength of this we headed out to the wreck site, with a back up plan(s) to dive the Gemsbok should the conditions not allow us in on the Afrikaner.

Once there it soon was evident that we would dive - the wind had died, the water was clean and the sea generally flat. As the site is close to Robben Island, any swell is amplified and you generally always have some surge on the wreck, but this was well within limits.
The shot went in and we started kitting up. Marcel had a minor equipment difficulty, which we quickly sorted out, and needless to say he now is a proponent of wet notes!!!

The descent was awesome and from about 30m we could see the wreck. The shot landed on the port side of the wreck, just aft of the wheelhouse. Viz was in the 10 - 15m range and we headed aft down the port side and to the stern, with a "wall' of steel on our left. The stern is really broken up, but we saw the prop shaft and associated couplings. This wreck is also particularly dangerous from an entanglement point of view, as in numerous parts thereof there are not only huge coils of 50mm hawser, but big chunks of fishing net just waiting to hook on your unstreamlined kit.
We then headed up to the wheelhouse and main winch area, and even managed a quick look at the detached bow. It was then back to and around the HUGE funnel and mast, which lays to the seaward side of the wreck, and then slowly but surely back to the shot line.
The ascent was nice and relaxed, until about 15m, at which time we encountered a severe current. We quickly deployed a jon line and continued our deco. By then our safety diver had joined us and we successfully completed the O2 swap. By the time we exited the water the wind had totally died down and it was a perfect day, with outside temperatures the mid 30's - a far cry from the 9C water temperature!!
We also managed to get some spectacular video footage of the wreck. Those that are keen to see it, drop me a line.

This sadly was the last tech dive for 2007, as some of our team members have other commitments during the holidays. We are however blending soon and shall be reading ourselves to go at a moments notice in the new year.

Finally, a very big thanks you to all our team members, but especially the safety divers whose efforts are the most important, but probably the least appreciated.
During 2008 we aim to again concentrate on the Table Bay wrecks, with an emphasis on locating some of the virgin wrecks, like the Tristania.

For all our SPORTS DIVERS, herewith the December / January holidays diving schedule. Launches at 8h30 and 11h00 on each of the days. Please contact us via cell phone to book and for dive site details:
December 2007 launches: 23, 24, 26, 28, 30, 31.
January 2008 launches: 2nd

Safe diving and Merry Xmas

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|Mood: :)
|12.14.07 1:40 pm
|Its all systems go now for the AFRIKANER for tomorrow. The wind is predicted to blow hard from the south east, but we are hpoing to get in an early launch. The sea is looking blue, so we should have great conditions. Details to follow soon.

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|Mood: .
|11.30.07 8:36 am
|Our next dive is planned for the MFV AFRIKANER over the long weekend in December. More details to follow soon.


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|Mood: :)
|11.21.07 11:06 am
|LM GEMSBOK - 17/11/2007: We had planned to dive the Afrikaner, however earlier in the week decided that given the predicted weather the Gemsbok would be a far better dive.
We arrived at the site and although the SE was howling, the whole of Table Bay was in a wind shadow. The colour of the sea had not looked good for the preceding day, however as we headed out to the wreck site, we were greeted by clean, blue water. The surface temperature was however only 8.8C.....
We kitted up and plunged into the icy waters, and immediately started enjoying the viz. Our plan was to thoroughly investigate the stern and midships for future penetrations. We accordingly squeezed our heads into various nooks and crannies and besides setting ourselves up for some great penetrations, we saw loads of interesting parts of the wreck that we had not seen before.
The bottom time soon elapsed and the deco began. The temperature on the bottom had dropped to 8.3C and this meant deco was going to feel very looong. One of the divers in the group was using a Typhoon Icebreaker heated vest, and this little gadget definitely saved the day. It is expensive, but well worth the money.
Our following dive is planed again for the Afrikaner. Details to follow soon.


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|Mood: :)
|01.30.08 6:33 am
|Hi all. We recently moved servers for the website and the result of such was that we seemed to have "lost" the last two months worth of blogs and dive reports. Apologies to all for this. We are working on the problem and hope to be able to recover them.
I purposely held back the last report to the Afrikaner, but will file it soon, should we not sort out the blog issue.


-ali
|Mood: fine
|01.29.08 4:55 pm
|test

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|Mood: :)
|10.30.07 11:58 am
|SATS GENERAL BOTHA - 13th of October 2007: We arrived early and the South Easter was already humping. It was going to be the last dive on the Botha for this winter season, so we decide to sit and wait for the wind to drop.... The wind was predicted to alter course and within an hour or so we noticed the change. We quickly then sped out to the dive site and got the shot in. The surface water was not looking great, but with 54m of water to go, we were hopeful that the viz would improve at depth.
The shot landed amidships on the port side and we headed up to the bow. Viz was in the 5 - 8m range, but it was very dark due to the lack of ambient light. We swam all the way down to the stern and off to the crows nest of the aft mast. Last time the camera gave us problems and we could not film much of the mast, but this time it was working fine. It was then back onto the deck to film the aft davits and in the dying minutes of the dive we had a final look at our plaque. The plaque had only been down for 5 months, but already the marine growth had totally covered it. Next season we aim to refurbish the plaque back to her original condition and re-lay her.
The water was a balmy 16C and with heavy hearts we left False Bay that day, knowing full well that we were moving over to the deep and very cold Table Bay wrecks for the summer season.
Keep watching this space for more details, as our next dive to the MFV Afrikaner (52m) off Robben Island is planned for the 17th of November 2007.


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|Mood: :)
|10.10.07 8:32 am
|SATS GENERAL BOTHA: Our next dive in our series of dives to the General Botha (54m) is planned for this Saturday the 13th of October 2007. Given the fact that the SE has been consistently blowing for a while now, we hope to get the dive in, but after this I think it will be the end of the False Bay season and we will be back to the Atlantic soon - bring on the deep Table Bay wrecks!!!


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|Mood: :)
|09.25.07 8:22 am
|UNDERWATER EXPLORERS FIND NEW WRECK!!!! During the recent Heritage Day dive on the 24th of September 2007, we found a new wreck site in False Bay. Unfortunately we only found the wreckage right at the end of our planned dive time, but we still managed to get a good ten minutes in on the wreck, but we were limited in our exploration of the area surrounding the items we had found.
We found what appeared to be either part of the engine block or the base/support for a winch, together with a large round flange 15m away embedded in the sand. We took preliminary measurements and drawings and will return to the site for a more detailed look. Many thanks to SAHRA and Jonathan Scharfman for their assistance - we all learnt a great deal about magnetometers.

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|Mood: .
|09.25.07 8:14 am
|SATS GENERAL BOTHA: Our next dive in our series of dives to the General Botha (54m) is planned for Saturday the 13th of October 2007. More details to follow closer to the time.


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|Mood: .
|09.12.07 4:28 pm
|SATS GENERAL BOTHA 08/09/2007: Finally the weather played along and we managed to launch. The sea was flat and we sped out to the wreck in record time....thanks Jeremy.
Notwithstanding a gentle swell, the viz from the boat looked good and the dive promised to be good.
The shot went in and after kitting up we snaked our way down it. The shot had landed just aft of midships on the starboard side of the wreck. We had planned to explore the stern and accordingly headed in that direction. At 53m and in the "shadow" of the wreck, it was quite gloomy and the video camera battled to auto focus. By the time we approached the prop shaft support there was more ambient light and the viz shot up to about 10m. We rounded the stern and headed up the port side, whereupon we encountered the aft mast and took a quick swim up to the crow's nest. Thereafter it was back onto the deck and past the one starboard davit that has collapsed onto the deck.
From there we headed up to the wheelhouse and saw our plaque we had laid on the 13th of May 2007. It is now totally covered in barnacles and is very difficult to read. Dive time was unfortunately also up and we started our ascent which was naturally followed by our deco. The water was a nice 16C which made the deco very comfortable. Thanks to all that made the dive a success. Watch this space for details on our next adventure to this wreck.

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|Mood: :(
|09.03.07 8:27 am
|SATS General Botha: Our planned dive for the 1st of September 2007 was unfortunately thwarted due to the howling NW. It was blowing at 25 kmh, gusting 51!!! We accordingly decided to rather postpone the dive until next Saturday the 8th of September 2007. Naturally yesterday was idyllic and we should actually have postponed the dive till then, but that's life. Lets hope next week is just as good.


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|Mood: .
|08.20.07 10:15 am
|Our next dive to the General Botha (54m) is planned for the 1st of September 2007. Details to follow soon.

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|Mood: .
|07.19.07 5:18 pm
|SATS GENERAL BOTHA - 14 JULY 2007: After several postponements the dive was on! The sea looked great as we sped out to the dive site and even managed to see a Brydes whale on the way. The initial outlook in respect of viz looked good, and the surface temperature was a balmy 16C.
We headed down the shot and at 37m started to see the wreck....
The shot had landed just to port of the wheelhouse, however by the time we arrived at the wreck, the viz had dropped to a very dark 4-5m. We made our way past the plaque (ensuring that no wreck robbers had stolen it) and proceeded towards the starboard sponson.
Our objective for the dive was to film the sponsons in great detail and we accordingly focussed on the port and starboard most forward sponsons.
Our time was soon up and we had to begin our decompression. Fortunately the warm water made the total in water time of 86 minutes very enjoyable and deco went by in a flash.
Unfortunately we did not get to see any more dark shapes, but I'm sure they will be back.
A further dive is planned to the GB again. Details to follow soon.


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|Mood: .
|07.09.07 1:43 pm
|SATS GENERAL BOTHA – We had planned to dive her this past weekend, however due to a persistent cold of one of the team members, the dive was postponed until the 14th of July 2007.

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|Mood: .
|06.25.07 1:44 pm
|SATS GENERAL BOTHA: Our next dive on her is planned for the 7th of July 2007. More details to follow after the dive.

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|Mood: .
|06.06.07 8:45 am
|A message from the producers of 50/50: "I apologise for having black on air during 50/50's transmission. SABC 2 will not be able to transmit the whole programme again and we at 50/50 will try to accommodate the contribution on the General Botha Shipwreck in a future programme."
Sorry all....

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|Mood: .
|06.05.07 2:22 pm
|SABC 2 50/50 producers apologises for the problem experienced last night, 4 June 2007, during the screening of the dive to place a plaque on the shipwreck SA Training Ship General Botha. Due to a fault, transmission was lost at the 'moment critic' of the dive. The matter is being looked into and you will be kept informed should they re-screen the program.
Other than that, the small portion of the production that we did manage to see was excellent.


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|Mood: .
|05.30.07 4:46 pm
|SATS GENERAL BOTHA: On Monday evening the 4th of June 2007, 50/50 (SABC 2) should be broadcasting a very brief insert on our technical dive recently undertaken on Sunday the 13th of May 2007, during which a plaque was placed on the SA Training Ship General Botha, to honour the ship having reached heritage status on the 60th anniversary of her sinking.


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|Mood: .
|05.14.07 9:46 am
|SATS GENERAL BOTHA - 13 MAY 2007: The plaque laying dive went as planned and saw us successfully lay a plaque commemorating the 60th anniversary of the sinking of the vessel and her becoming a protected wreck in terms of national legislation. More complete details will follow soon.


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|Mood: .
|05.02.07 8:02 am
|SATS GENERAL BOTHA PLAQUE DIVE DETAILS – News from the Ship Society – “On Thursday 3 May 2007 at 20h00, there will be a short talk by Alistair Downing, in the Ship Society rooms, Duncan Road, opposite F berth, along the road from the Mission to Seamen, about the Training Ship General Botha, which is a well known wreck. The shipwreck has now reached heritage status i.e. 60 years and is the property of the state. The evening will be a social time and questions may be asked of Alistair, who will explain his reason for honouring the heritage status of this ship.
60th Anniversary of the sinking of the Ship
In honour of this ship, Alistair & Marcel will be scuba diving (weather permitting) on Sunday 13 May 2007 and placing a plaque on the shipwreck.
Thereafter, the General Botha Old Boys and members of the Ship Society and anyone else who is interested, will meet at the Seven Seas Club, Simonstown at 11h30 for 12md to acknowledge the Heritage status of the ship and remember what she stood for and the fine calibre of men she trained & sent forth into the maritime fields.
A three course buffet lunch at R50 pp will be served. (each person to pay for their own lunch & drinks. It is necessary to book for the lunch - please contact Kathy Nicholas 021 - 788 5957 or email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ).
Preceding the lunch a brief report of the dive on the ship that morning will be given and then the General Botha Old Boys, who trained aboard her, will regale the gathering with their stories and escapades of life on board. This should be a most interesting get together of noteworthy news.”



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|Mood: .
|04.20.07 4:29 pm
|SATS General Botha: 13 May 2007. That Sunday will the 60th anniversary of her sinking, with the result that we have arranged to do a dive on her during which we will place a plaque on her bridge giving some basic particulars of the wreck and stating that as she is now protected in terms of legislation that nothing may be removed from the wreck.
The dive is conducted in cooperation with the General Botha Old Boys Association (who sponsored the plaque) and SAHRA. We aim to have a get together immediately after the dive at the Seven Seas Club in Simonstown, during which we will present a brief overview of the dive to the Old Boys and thereafter have a light lunch.
We furthermore aim to collect as much video footage of her during the winter months and later during the year aim to present a longer and more complete video analysis of the state of the wreck to the Association.


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|Mood: .
|03.26.07 3:21 pm
|MYSTERY WRECK 24/03/07: We arrived to be greeted by flat seas and overcast skies, however by the time we got to the dive site, it had started to drizzle!!!
We had searched before for this wreck without success, however with a fresh trace on the echo, we decided to give it another go.
The descent to 66m felt very slow, but that was probably due to the fact that it just kept getting darker and darker – very much the same as for the Gemsbok the other day, but even worse.
We finally got to the bottom and imagine our dismay to find rock!!!! We searched around however and managed to find pieces of wreckage – steel cable, timber, clothing, netting, cooking utensils, however the actual wreck evaded us. Had the viz been better (it was about 4m with our 50 watt lights), we may have had more success, however it was not to be. I suppose this means we will simply have to try it again later.
Upon ascending we heard the sound of a vessel, only to be informed by our boat that a large cargo carrier had come within several hundred metres of us……

The Tech course is starting this week, so we will not be planning many tech dives other than the course dives for the next couple of months, with the exception of the SATS General Botha on 13 May 2007, as it is the 60th anniversary of her sinking that day.


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|Mood: .
|03.26.07 3:09 pm
|GEMSBOK 21/03/07: The sea was flat for the trip out to the wreck, but looking into the water it looked seriously grim – dark and dirty!!!
We headed down the shot and it simply got darker and darker. Fortunately at the bottom at 60m the water itself was clean, but with all that dirty water above, it left the water with a very green tinge.
We explored from midships to the stern and back up to the bow and managed to get some really good video footage (albeit it slightly green…). Another good dive on the Gemsbok.
We are planning to dive a “mystery wreck” later this week. Keep watching for details??


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|Mood: .
|03.20.07 4:20 pm
|LM GEMSBOK: 21/03/07 – We are planning on diving the Gemsbok (60msw) tomorrow, wreck hunting on Thursday and hopefully diving a new wreck site on either Friday or Saturday – roll on long weekend!!!!

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|Mood: .
|03.20.07 12:22 pm
|NAUI TECHNICAL NITROX, DECOMPRESSION TECHNIQUES AND HELITROX COURSE: The course starts on Tuesday the 27th of March 2007 and there are 5 students on course. With a total of 16 dives it will be a very comprehensive and intensive course. Good luck guys!

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|Mood: .
|02.22.07 10:36 am
|
BREAKING NEWS: The tech diving has been quite slow lately, what with all the boat issues, but I am pleased to announce that finally the long wait is over – I picked up the boat yesterday and boy does she look great with her brand new BLUE pontoons!!!! For all of you that waited for the pontoons, you will not be disappointed, as they look great.

Now that the boat is sorted, our next tech dive has been provisionally scheduled for Saturday the 3rd of March. More details to follow soon.





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|Mood: .
|02.02.07 9:05 am
|MFV AFRIKANER - 27/01/2007: The sea was flat and with only a light breeze, we headed out to the dive site. The colour of the water did not look very good, however we eagerly prepared for the descent. On the way down the water turned from a green/brown sludge to a very dark and foreboding blackness. We arrived at the bottom and apart from our lights were completely in the dark...
The shot had landed in the stern area and we commenced our swim up to the wheelhouse. I had a video camera and managed to get some really great silhouette shots of Marcel - we may possibly feature them on the site, but it depends on their size. After 20 minutes we then slowly retraced our steps and began our ascent. As we ascended the light levels increased, but at 12 metres we encountered the green/brown mush again. It was so bad that we only had about 1 metre viz, however on the oxygen stop visibility improved slightly. It was a cool 10C at the bottom, but at least the bad viz on deco was set off by the increased water temp.
We are planning our next tech dive for Saturday the 24th of February 2007 - keep watching this space for details on the dive.

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|Mood: .
|01.22.07 4:03 pm
|MFV AFRIKANER: The scheduled dive last Saturday to her had to be postponed to this Saturday the 27th of January 2006, as we had some technical difficulties with the boat.
Hopefully they should all be sorted and we should be back on the water this weekend.

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|Mood: .
|01.16.07 4:41 pm
|MFV AFRIKANER - 20/01/2007: The dive has been moved forward by a week, so we get to dive her earlier than expected!! Keep watching this space for details after the dive.

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|Mood: .
|01.04.07 10:22 am
|HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!

I trust that you all had a great festive season. Now that it is over we can again focus on our tech diving activities for 2007.

There are many things planned, with some deep exploration dives during March, a Tech diver course also commencing in March, followed by the 60th birthday of the SATS General Botha during May, which will see us performing a series of dives on her during which we aim to produce a documentary thereof in conjunction with the General Bothie Old Boys Association. Keep watching this space for regular updates.

Our following tech dive will probably be scheduled for the 27th of January 2007 to the MFV Afrikaner, however this will be confirmed closer to the time.



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Recreational Dives

Sunday 5/09/2010:

9h00 Muizenberg Wrecks: 12-18m

11h30 Outer Castle: 5-20m

 

 

Technical Dives

Sunday 19/09/2010 - SATS General Botha (54msw)