First dive of the year was last Sunday. With beautiful conditions on the surface we broke a thin sheet of ice as we left the berth in Kip Marina, glad I had my dry gloves with me. Dive plan for the day was the wreck of the mighty Akka off Dunoon, followed by dives further south on the Wallachia and in Wemyss Bay.
We arrived on site in blazing sunshine and managed to secure the shotline first time. Unfortunately conditions below the surface were not as good as hoped with visibility a dark 3 metres with some suspension, and the water temperature a little cooler than last time I was in the water in early November.
Not bad for late February.
Our dives followed pretty much the same route and is over marked on the photo of the Akka below. Note the route is in red, and imagine the waterline in the picture is the seabed. The shotline was in at the front of the centre island and we swam down the port side of the ship to the stern accommodation, a quick inspection of the rudder and then back along the deck and up onto the first deck level and the shot.
Route of dive in red
As usual my camera kit was set up with brightest lights possible and wide angle lens. This proved not to be the best selection for the conditions…..this has happened before! So the subjects for the photo shoot would be having a large dome port up close and eyeballs, if they had any, fried by 30,000 lumens. There is plenty of colour down there but you do need a good torch on the dive, not only to see but also communicate with others divers and be seen. As you can see from the pictures almost every inch is occupied by marine life, all clinging to this massive metal reef.
Strangely the visibility on the dives further south was less than the Akka, and unfortunately the tide was running on the Wallachia making it a challenging dive.
These little photos are beautiful. Worth all your efforts..!!!
Is there much in thecway of fish around the Akka these days?
I think I saw 2-3 fish on the whole dive either think Coley, more fish seen during summer months. Nothing like late 70’s and early 80’s.
Hi Peter,
I’ve dived the Akka twice and its a superb wreck. I am currently planning a wreck penetration to the engine room. I’ve found some plans for the Akka on the Lloyds List registry foundation website, however none show a stairwell to reach the engine room. I would assume a stairwell would be found in the midship section near the Main accommodation/bridge, but I would like to see some plans proving that before making the dive. Is there a standard route to reach the engine room? Any general advice/ resources on the wreck would be greatly appreciated
Many thanks,
Ben
Hi Ben – A shaft runs from the motor room vertically through the main and shelter decks. The top of the central island has now fallen away to floor level of the shelter deck, the structure remaining is the main deck accommodation. The shaft exists central to the ship across beam, and slightly to the rear of the remaining central island, there are the remains of the starboard stair enclosure close-by. It is possible to descend into the shaft but as I have not dived in the area recently I am unsure what the position is with access, over the years deck levels above have part fallen into the shaft and I cannot confirm if the path to the top of the engine is either clear or safe. I would recommend a recce dive to first locate and assess access to this area before undertaking your full survey. Without knowing your dive history, training and experience I do not recommend that you undertake this dive, and do so at your own risk. (My disclaimer should you undertake).