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Diving

Port Napier Dives

I've dived the "Port Napier" 11 times:

Dive number	Date	Site	Location	Area	Country	Wreck	Freshwater	Depth (m)	Bottom time (min)	Total time (min)	Divers	Quality	Summary	Equipment
49	16 May 1981	Port Napier	Kyle of Lochalsh	Skye	Scotland			20	30	30	Iain Hosking, Mike Malone		Down to bows and along whole length of ship. Into tunnel below bridge and lower mine tube at rear. Looked at mast, holds and sea life (enormous plumose anemones, fanworms, fish). Vis 10-15m. This wreck is vast!	Steel 69, ABLJ 2
50	16 May 1981	Port Napier	Kyle of Lochalsh	Skye	Scotland			10	15	15	Iain Hosking, Mike Malone		Dived again to find 4 inch gun, which we did eventually. Meant to snorkel along to stern but low on air and too buoyant. Vis poorer. We'll be back.	Draeger, ABLJ 5
52	18 May 1981	Port Napier	Kyle of Lochalsh	Skye	Scotland			20	20	20	Iain Hosking, Niall Lindsay		Down at bows and straight inside. Along between two decks and out by bridge. On to stern, where there are four mine tubes, and swam up one of them for quite a way, then out through a small side opening and back down inside. Vis varied - 7m at best.	Steel 60, ABLJ 2
54	19 May 1981	Port Napier	Kyle of Lochalsh	Skye	Scotland			15	30	30	Iain Hosking, Eric Franz		Dived with Eric and went round much the same area as with Niall the previous day, but in more detail eg gun mounting, mines in tubes. Vis a bit cruddy.	Steel 69, ABLJ 2
182	19 May 1984	Port Napier	Kyle of Lochalsh	Skye	Scotland			20	20	22	Iain Hosking, June Ralston		Took June along the whole length of the wreck for her second dive. Initial problems with buoyancy soon cured and we covered a lot of ground: bow guns, holds, bridge, mine tubes [!]. Vis excellent - 60 ft. Weather bad when we started, good when we came up.	own
183	19 May 1984	Port Napier	Kyle of Lochalsh	Skye	Scotland			20	25	35	Iain Hosking, Doc Mitchell		Second dive of the day. Snorkelled from bow to stern and swam through lower starboard mine tube past dozens of bogies and several green spaces right up to the bows. Inside the bows and up to portholes. Forced to surface and down to finish air on the guns.	own
187	22 May 1984	Port Napier	Kyle of Lochalsh	Skye	Scotland			20	23	25	Iain Hosking, Adrian Roddam		Took Adrian through the mine tubes by special request. Visibility a lot poorer than Saturday - only 20-30 feet. Entered forward of bridge and swam to stern through one mine tube, then back through another. Inflated polythene canister. Explored superstructure on shore. 16 divers in one wave on one engine!	own
225	2 Jul 1985	Port Napier	Kyle of Lochalsh	Skye	Scotland			22	30	30	Iain Hosking, Adrian Roddam		Dived after a long van journey and 2.5 hours' sleep [after Alasdair's wedding]. Down at the stern and swam through lower starboard mine tube (very murky). Ended by exploring the bows - very clear and light shining in. Sinuses dodgy. Good prat about afterwards. Moules Marinière for tea.	own. DV leaking again.
275	28 Mar 1986	Port Napier	Kyle of Lochalsh	Skye	Scotland			20	30	30	Iain Hosking, Geoff Hide, Jenny Clough		Late start, so didn't get in the water until after 4pm, by which time the wreck had all but disappeared. Good dive, bit murky, especially through the mine tubes. Sporadic squalls. Didn't get back to Kyleakin until about 6pm, by which time Andy's car had all but disappeared. LW 3pm. Springs (equinoctial).	own + Ewan's twin 40s. Usual weight.
277	30 Mar 1986	Port Napier	Kyle of Lochalsh	Skye	Scotland			18	25	25	Iain Hosking, Andy Hopkins		Very leisurely start: in water about 2pm. Swam in through 'T' shaped doorway and through two decks to reach the starboard upper mine tube. Swam the whole length of the mine tube in very good vis, then round stern and back through the starboard lower mine tube, which took us into a dead end. Surfaced to blazing sunshine!	own Ewan's twin 40s.
352	19 May 1987	Port Napier	Kyle of Lochalsh	Skye	Scotland			20	35	35	Iain Hosking, Sarah Soffe		Today's disasters - flat on the van [and locking wheel nuts...], trailer lighting plug sanded flat. Despite this, got to the Port Napier - down at the bows and back to the midships hole in the deck, through this to the starboard upper mine tube and back to the stern (despite Sarah not having a torch). Forward again, saw both bow guns, round to the bows (found Admiralty anchor), back again (!) through the deck and up through the middle of the hull. A comprehensive exploration.