Exercise Northen Plunge 16 was a 7 day shore based Scuba Diving Expedition to Buggiba in Malta. Members of the Yorkshire Officer Training Regiment (YOTR) Leeds Company with the exeption of two key personel from Army Foundation College in Harrogate. (Billy Macdonald - lead Diving Supervisor and Shane Smith - Open water Instructor).
Aim The aim of this Diving Expedition was to introduce Officer Cadets, at a reasonable cost, to the opportunities, of Military Adventurous Training (AT). Leadership, team working and personal confidence will be advanced in addition to Novice Divers gaining the BSAC Ocean Diver qualification and more advanced divers gaining the confidence and skills to progress to the next diver grade. It also provided the students with a good insight into what is required to plan and conduct AT, teamworking and individual development opportunities it can provide.
Preparation Apart from the booking of transport, accomodation, dive centre, feeding, equipment hire, loan pool stores, the students had a try dive to ensure they were all happy underwater. Everone on the expedition had a HSE diving medical as we are all classed as on duty for the expedition, including the already qualified divers. Over the next few weeks we conducted the theory lessons and pool/sheltered water training. Once in Malta we could conclude Novice diver training and refresh the already qualified divers. We were now set to go.
Thursday 1 September All expedition members met at Carlton Barracks in Leeds at 1600 for the issue of diving equipment, which seemed to cause some amusement as our baggage allowance was only 20 kg, there were one or two sets of JD straighteners re located into other members baggage. Once all baggage was re-weighed, a trip to the local Subway was in order. After a bite to eat, all the Novice Divers of the group completed the remaining lectures for their BSAC Ocean Diver qualification.
Friday 2 September On arrival in Malta everyone noticed the significant temperature change from Manchester, which was a nice surprise. At the accommodation the rooms were allocated 4 X 4 person rooms and 1 X 3 person room, all on a self-catering basis, all rooms were clean with plenty of room TV, cooker, Fridge and most important air conditioning.
Saturday 3 September The site we were to use for the training was only a short distance away in a sheltered bay in Buggiba. Due to the large group we had to stagger the dives to enable everyone to complete the required training. The already qualified PADI divers carried out the same drills as the BSAC novice divers. Mask clearing, buoyancy control, regulator retrieval, buddy breathing from an alternate air source both static and swimming, some of the divers managed to complete the assisted ascents while breathing form an alternate air source. The three instructors, plus Mr Brennan our rescue diver, certainly earned their keep today.
Sunday 4 September Once all the vans were loaded we headed for the wreck site of the HMS Maori. The first dive again was training and conformation for the PADI divers. No one had any problems with the assisted ascent and controlled buoyant lifts. One of the groups managed to get a sneak preview of the wreck.
We opted to stay in this location for the second dive of the day to give all divers a good look around the wreck. Dive time was limited due to the time of day so we opted for a 30 minute bottom time, which was plenty of time to dive the wreck. All the groups swam over the reef and straight to the wreck, some spotted the octopus in the hole of the missing gun turret, and on route back there was a nice small spotted moray eel lurking on the reef. Everyone enjoyed the day.
Monday 5 September Today’s first dive was the Tug 2, the most recent wreck to be sunk in Malta. This is one of the favorites due to the underwater visibility and the wreck being complete. From the edge of the reef you can pretty much see the entire wreck. The downside is quite a long swim out to the wreck; you can either surface swim to the marker, or swim under water to where the sand meets the reef, and turn right until you reach the wreck. One group opted for the second option and only managed to see the wreck from the edge of the reef due to air consumption as it was a good 15 minute swim. Two of the groups opted for the surface swim so had plenty of time to explore the wreck.
After lunch we moved locations to dive another wreck, the X127 Water Lighter. This is again pretty much intact, but the visibility is a lot poorer due to being in the Harbour area and, once the first group of divers had finished, the visibility was worse. All in all, a good enjoyable dive, the novice divers now venturing a little bit deeper, but no more than 20 meters. Everyone seemed to enjoy the wreck and the experience of the low visibility.
Tuesday 6 September We didn’t know until we had a look at the web cams where we would dive. After some general discussion with Johnathon, from Dive Deep Blue, we headed towards the bottom of the Island to Blue Grotto. The main attractions are two very nice reefs either side of the boat slipway, and the wreck of the Um Al Faroud. The weather was good but due to the wind the swell was just too much. So we went back to the site of the X127 Water Lighter. All groups managed to get onto the wreck and had a good dive. The wreck today seemed to be full of fish life, the proof that artificial reefs do attract fish and other creatures.
We were now back at The HMS Maori by popular demand: we chose a different entry and exit point which meant a bit further swim and more time to explore the reef on the way out. The visibility was even better than last time, as you could see most of the super structure of the wreck. Two of the groups opted to swim through the entire length of the wreck which everyone found exciting.
Wednesday 7 September Once at the Azure Window/Blue Hole we opted to dive the Inland Sea due to the number of divers and the slight swell. The Inland Sea is only 200 meters from the Blue Hole, so we didn’t have to travel.
Because the water is quite shallow, a surface swim across to the tunnel is required. Once though the tunnel then you swim along the reef wall, and there are lots of creature on the holes along the edge of the wall. Maximum depth for all is 20m, however if buoyancy was not good then you could have gone deeper, but none of the group broke depth. Once the first diver was at 100bar then it was time to turn around and head back. This was the best dive of the expedition and sadly the last. It was now time for the best ice cream of the trip from the small caravan parked next the entrance to the Inland Sea.
Thursday 8 September Everyone met at the dive center for a final kit check pay, any dues and pack all personal equipment. We said many thanks and good byes to Johnathon and Catherine the dive center owners, as if it was not for them the expedition would not have happened and been a great success.
Now the students were now free to explore the remainder of the Island. All opted for a trip into Valletta, Malta`s capital. The group split into their own little groups, some opting for the Grand Harbor tour by boat, which takes in all the inlets and marinas in the capital. Some of the most impressive, large privately owned boats were the highlight, some in excess of 200,000,000 Euros. The war rooms and National War Museum were quite popular with the lads who were on commissioning courses. One of the groups visited the silent city Medina which used to be the capital of Malta. This ancient city overlooks the island from one of its highest places.
In the evening we met in the famous “the pub”, which used to be a Royal Navy watering hole, still evidence of a Navy presence. This was the culminating point of our exped to Malta.
Summary The expedition was a complete success once all the planning and training were complete. The overall aim was achieved in more ways than one. The accomodation was second to none with a quality breakfast each day. Everyone thoroughly enjoyed the entire week, including the already qualified divers, the diving was pitched just right for the level of competence, with no one diving below 20 metres. In total, a consolidated time of 96 hours were spent underwater at the different dive sites. All students hoped that there would be another trip in the not so distant future.
Each of the expedition members thanked all the instructors for their time and patience as it can be quite frustrating in the underwater environment, From an instructor perspective, it was a pleasure to watch the students develop and grow in confidence. We hope they will continue to dive and gain further qualifications in the diving world.
Many thanks to the Ulysses Trust for their kind donation as this played a significant part in the execution of Northern Plunge 16. Also many thanks to Billy Macdonald and Shane Smith, the two SADS, whose expertise and knowledge made the trip safe and enjoyable. Many thanks to Johnathon and Catherine, the dive centre owners, for their short-notice organisation skills, providing the local knowledge of each dive site and the hire certain essential pieces of equipment.
