DUSAC

Overview

Strangford Lough is an easy trip, great for a first time organiser or just for the lazier organiser. It’s nearby, from Dublin, three hours will have you in Strangford, drink is cheap, the people are nice and the diving’s not half bad either. The club runs a training course, often the Advanced Diving Techniques Course, from Portaferry each year. There are a range of dives with plenty for ocean divers but also several dive-leader plus dives.

 

If you are doing an ocean diver trip without boats suggest doing the Alastor and the Inner Lees in reverse geographic order. Inner Lees is much more welcoming and a good place to let new Ocean Divers, or nervous divers of any grade to find their feet. Alastor is a lovely dive but its deep, dark and cold and can be intimidating.

Contacts

Ronan Barry put together this guide though many people have done trips to Strangford over the years. Other people to pester include Mark Lee, Andrew Thomson, Sarah Doyle or Sarah Bothwell. That said, everything you need should be in this guide more or less. Lisburn dive here regularly.

Boats

If you are going to park the boats in the area outside Barholm, on front of the Queens Marine Research building, do contact Queens first and make sure it is ok . They don’t mind, once you ask! Also, wheel clamps and a couple of locks to lock the compressors into the trailers would be useful.

You can launch at Portaferry. It has to be timed between ferry landings but otherwise an easy launch. It’s fine at all stages of the tide. You can moor the boats in the marina once you run it by the harbourmaster. You can find him in a grey house around three doors to the left of the Slip Inn. On the right hand side of his house is a yellow building called Hazel’s House. If you ask for him in the Slip Inn you won’t go far wrong anyway. The berths cost:

• 0 – 6hrs: 50 pence per metre, 5 pounds minimum (2005).
• 6 – 24hrs: 1 pound per metre, 10 pounds minimum (2005).

Bring as much petrol with you as you can. Petrol is much more expensive in the north.

Sites

M.Y. Alastor, Ringhaddy Sound

The Alastor is probably the most popular dive in the lough, mainly due to its accessibility (it can be dived from either the shore or a boat) and its sheltered location.

The luxury diesel yacht Vita was built for renowned aviator Sir Thomas Octave Murdoch Sopwith by Camper & Nicholsons in 1926. After changing owner in 1929 (Sir John Shelley-Rolls descendent of Percy Bysshe Shelley) and being renamed Alastor, she was eventually acquired by the Ministry of War Transport at the outbreak of WWII, and served as an armed transport and anti-submarine vessel throughout the war. Whilst at Ringhaddy for repainting, she sank under suspicious circumstances in 1946. The insurance report cites an accidental fire on board for the loss although many believe that it was deliberately set.

M.Y. Alastor, Ringhaddy Sound – Wreck Guide

 

This 1930s motor yacht hit the news last year when her true identity was revealed. John Liddiard travels to Northern Ireland to dive this rich man’s toy. Illustration by Max Ellis

(1), while for a shore dive, a line from the quay leads into the port side of the stern (2). Between the two, an open hatch (3) leads down to a small silt-filled compartment below the deck. Forward along the centre line of the wreck, a pair of capstans stand on a pedestal clear of the deck (4), with a pair of small bollards nearby (5). Most of the rear deck is just a framework of steel deck beams with the teak decking rotted away. The small hold area below the beams would have been accessed through a larger hatch (6) although, like the stern locker, it is silted almost to the level of the deck beams. Continuing forward along the starboard side of the wreck, a covered walkway (7) leads alongside the superstructure, with a pair of boat derricks rising above the wreck and swung out in the position in which they would have been for lowering or recovering the boat. Staying at the level of the main deck, the walkway ends and the forward part of the superstructure spans the width of the hull. The sides have folded in slightly along the middle of the line of rectangular window frames. Below the window frames, a pair of crossed retainers (8) would have held doughnut-shaped lifebuoys to the outside of the hull, more as decoration than for ready deployment. While the stern is buried low to the silt, the bow of the Alastor (9) is further into the current of the channel, and is surrounded by a considerable scour to 21m, the only part of the wreck not accessible to those with basic open water qualifications. The hull’s covering of tunicates slowly gives way to patches of dead men’s fingers and anemones at the tip of the bow. Back at main deck level, the bow deck is intact and recessed with an anchor winch (10) and a pair of small bollards to either side. This is followed by two small hatches (11) to the bow locker and forward hold. Like the aft hold, these are filled almost to deck level with silt. The forward part of the superstructure would once have been luxurious accommodation. Now the upper deck has rotted and the supporting beams collapsed inside. A pair of steel frames (12) would once have been panelled with wood, as would the sides of the wheelhouse. A little further aft, a mast lies across the deck (13). Any wooden partitions between the cabins are long rotted to dust, though the bath and tiled floor of the bathroom (14), located to the starboard side where the superstructure narrows, gives evidence of individual cabins. An unusual sight for any wreck is the funnel still standing (15). In the Alastor’s case, the funnel is a purely decorative cover for the exhaust from the diesel engine below, not the essential flue needed for efficient burning in the boilers on a steam-powered ship. To the starboard side of the funnel, looking down between the deck beams, you’ll see an upright cylinder (16). This is the water tank, separated from the bathroom by an intact steel bulkhead. Behind the funnel, a large opening along the centre line of the yacht (17) would have provided ventilation for the engine-room below, though, as with the other hatches, the way down is silted and the engine itself is covered. As on the starboard side, the port side was fitted with a pair of boat derricks, but the aft derrick has collapsed across the beams of the upper deck (18). As a boat dive, a brief first pass round the wreck will have taken 15 minutes or so, leaving plenty of time to go round again more slowly before ascending the buoy-line. As a shore dive, one pass round is probably enough before following the line back to the shore. In either case, the departure point is back at the stern (19).

 

 

The wreck, which is 43m in length, sits upright and intact in 22m of water but comes up to 18m (HW) at its highest point. Visibility can be poor at times. This is a relatively sheltered dive which can be attempted on any state of the tide although slack is best and occurs approximately 1hr and a half – 2hrs after Belfast HW/LW. It is generally not very tidal (except mid-run on a spring tide) so is diveable at any stage.

The wreck is substantially intact and allows for a relatively easy circumnavigation. Little remains of the deck plates, promenade deck or upper structures. The funnel at eighteen metres is the highest point of the wreck; look for the large resident wrasse and conger in the stack. There are covered gangways going down both sides that allow easy access to the portholes looking into the remaining accommodation sections, including a bath visible on the starboard side just forward of the funnel. Underneath the bathtub and hawser bollards and winches in the fore section of the deck is a good place to look for conger eels, although the large resident eel who lived on the starboard side in the anchor winch was missing on our last visit and seems to have been fished. The wreck attracts large numbers of large velvet swimming crabs and edible crabs while the side plates are coated in dead-mans fingers. Dog-welks, shore crabs and hermit crabs litter the seabed beside the wreck and there are some large dahlia anenomes to be found.

Bring a good light, dive in small groups or by pair where possible and try to avoid stirring up the silt.

Diving the Alastor from a boat

Ringhaddy is about a 20-30min boat ride from Portaferry/Strangford although obviously this will depend on the sea state. See below for details on shore diving. As of December 2006 the wreck does not have a permanent shot on it. Irish Wrecks online give GPS coordinates for it and make sure you have a working sounder.

The following transits are courtesy of Ronan Barry. They were slightly hard to come by so a little imagination is needed with them.

Looking in a westerly-ish direction (I forgot to take a bearing so you’ll have to run with me on this one) you’ll see a house, as shown below. There is a gateway just to the left of the quay wall and if you roughly line up the right-hand gatepost and the edge of the quay wall you’ll be close enough.

Next, turn approximately 90° to your right and you should see the scene above. If you line up the brown bush with the telegraph pole in the middle of the field you won’t be too far off. If you’re a little slow, remember that this photo was taken in January, the bush will be green for most of the year!

Diving the Alastor from the shore

Although many in DUSAC are all but allergic to shore-diving – if in doubt send an email around trying to organise a Sandycove dive and wait for the deafening silence – the Alastor is a great shore dive only two hours north of Dublin.

At Ringhaddy pier, which is privately owned and guarded ferociously, park your cars on the left. Your access point is at the shingle beach to the left of the jetty. Looking out to the Alastor the wreck is not shotted (as of December 2006) but lies about twenty yards south/southwest of the old RNLI lifeboat. With the lack of a shot and possible tide (see above) it is easiest to make the fin out along the bottom. This takes about 6 or 7 minutes typically.

Drop down into about two or three metres of water about three metres away from the northern corner of the jetty and fin towards the edge of the jetty. You are after a steel pipe containing thick dark cable with which may be covered in silt but should be fairly conspicuous a few yards out from the jetty wall. Once you have found the pipe/cable, follow it away from the pier. Be careful, disturbing it will stir up a lot of silt not to mention annoying other divers trying to follow the line below. Very quickly at approx 6m depth you will come across a (currently thick black) rope tied off to the cable and branching off left. There are a number of dead lightsticks tied at the junction. Follow this rope not the cable to the left, again being careful not to kick up or disturb the silty bottom. It is best to swim side by side above the line. In bad viz conditions you have no choice but to ring the line (not pull) with your finger and follow it one behind the other. Follow it deeper and darker to a maximum depth of approximately twenty five metres (on a high tide). The line is tied down in some places, and as well as this, changes to cable nearer the wreck. You will know you are going the right way as you pass two tractor tyres along the route. Again it gets very silty as the line can be buried, particularly on the muddy sections shallower than 12 metres. It is tied to the stern of the ship, she is oriented pointed north. Keeping a reasonable pace – she lies approx eighty metres offshore – you should hit the wreck just over ten minutes into the dive.

If gas and time allow it is suggested that divers circumnavigate along the gunwale hitting the line again with plenty of gas for the return swim to shore. If constraints allow, the swim back rewards a very leisurely pace. The seabed around the line is covered in crabs (including the long-clawed porcelain crab- they are the small encrusted ones with both claws stretched out nearly horizontally), enormous starfish, three different types of prawn and fine examples of sand and rock gobies.

Empire Tana / Lees Wreck, Ballyhenry Bay

The Lees wreck started out life in 1923 as the “Carso” built in Trieste, Italy. It was captured during World War II by the Allied forces in 1943 and was renamed HMS Empire Tana. She was used in the D-Day landings as part of the Gooseberry Breakwater on “Sword” beach (British). After the war (1947/1948) she was purchased by the breakers yard ‘John Lee’ operating from Ballyhenry Bay. Whilst delivering the ship to the breakers, she struck a rock and sank and subsequently broke in two. The wreck became known locally as Lees Wreck but that hardly gives due credit to her role during the D-Day landings.

 

• Irish Wrecks Online
• Mulberry Harbour

 

Inner Lees

The Inner Lees is the bow section of a large ship which is sitting upright in 12m of water only 5mins from Portaferry. As with the Alastor the Inner Lees can be dived from either the shore (100m fin) or a boat and at any state of the tide. This is an easy dive where the visibility is normally 2-4m. This wreck breaks the surface (except at high water) and so can be found easily without transits. It is an excellent dive for novices and experienced diver s alike. There is a lot of life to be found underneath the wreck particularly on the channel side. There are plenty of opportunities to enter the wreck and practice penetration skills, line laying etc. It would also make a superb night dive.

Outer Lees

This is the stern section to the Inner Lee’s bow and is located further out into the lough meaning that it is only accessible from a boat, a journey which will take approximately 5-10mins from Portaferry. The wreck lies in 15m of water and will normally break the surface although it may be covered during HW springs. There can be quite a current on this wreck at certain times, so it is only diveable on slacks. The best slack period on this wreck starts approximately an hour and a half after Belfast LW or an hour and forty five minutes after Belfast HW and lasts for full ebb if on neap tides or for around 3hrs if on spring tides. Both the Inner and Outer Lees may be penetrated quite easily and so are ideal for training purposes.

The Pins

This is thought to be the wreck of the Swedish barque S.V. Zarina wrecked in the year 1700 approx.

 

• Irish Wrecks Online

 

This dive is another that is accessible from both the shore and a boat and lies in Ballyhenry Bay at about 12m. The wreck itself is wooden and has been flattened and overgrown with kelp over the years but there is still lots of life present. This wreck, like the Outer Lees, is tidal and is best dived approximately 2hrs after Belfast HW with slack lasting for 3hrs on a spring tide and for the full ebb on neaps. However, when the tide has turned after LW there can be quite a current which can make it difficult to make it back to the shore. The wreck is only 5mins from Portaferry.

Ballyhenry Drop-Off

This is a wall dive that slopes from 10m down to 25m and then drops suddenly to more than sixty metres. There is plenty of life on the wall and the visibility can be quite good due mainly to the strong tidal currents that the site is exposed to. As a result the drop-off can only be dived on a slack as there are strong down currents at any other time here. As slack is very short on this site either a dedicated cox or very short dives are necessary. Slack begins approximately 1hr 30mins after Belfast HW/LW and lasts approx 20mins at HW or 5-10mins at LW (less on spring tides). During these windows divers may drift gently in one direction, stop, and then drift gently in the opposite direction as the tide turns. Best option is to get out there early and wait. The site is a 10min boat run from Portaferry.

The above would be the best of the diving inside the lough but if the weather were good you may want to try some of the dives situated outside, these are rarely dived by the club so may be worth a look.

Gun’s Island

This is a scenic dive which can be dived at any state of the tide. The dive itself has a maximum depth of 16m and takes you around a small rocky outcrop which is close to the mainland. There are sheer walls on both sides, large boulders and the odd swim-through. As the sea-bed is made up of small stones the visibility can be quite good here as there’s not much silt to be kicked up. This dive is around 20-30mins from Portaferry depending on the sea state.

S.S. Georgetown Victory

The S.S. Georgetown Victory was built as a Victory Class troopship in 1945 in the U.S.A. In 1946 she left Sydney for Glasgow with 1,200 Royal Navy men and Marines due for demob after WWII. Inexplicably she mistook Strangford Lough for the Clyde and ran aground. Winter storms later separated the wreck into two parts. Some sections of the wreck were subsequently salvaged.

 

• Images
• Irish Wrecks Online
• S.S. Georgetown Victory

 

This wreck lies in about 10m of water on the way to Guns Island. It is pretty big with wreckage scattered about although there are large parts of the wreck which are still intact. There is normally a decent amount of life on the wreck but because it is so shallow kelp can be a problem. It is best dived around Belfast HW/LW but the current isn’t too bad on it. If the visibility is good this can be a good dive, if not I’d pass on it. The wreck is 20-30mins from Portaferry.

S.S. Bangor

Built in 1894 she sunk in 1934 while carrying granite blocks, from Portland, to be used in the construction of Stormont, when she struck Butter Pladdy. After being part salvaged, she floated off the rocks and eventually sank at her present location.

 

• Images (Includes sketch of dive site)
• Irish Wrecks Online

 

The Bangor is a wreck lying in 32m and so is only suitable for experienced SDs and upwards. Although the tide never gets too bad on it and despite the fact that it is in theory possible to dive at anytime it is best on slack, avoid mid-run at the very least. Slack is around Belfast HW/LW. Again, the wreck is 20-30mins from Portaferry.

S.S. Hunsdon

The ship was built originally as the “Arnfried” for the Hamburg-Afrika Line by the Weser Co., Bremen, and launched in April 1911. It was captured by the British in west Africa in 1914 and renamed “Hunsdon”. The ship transported hay and oats between the west coast of England and France until she was torpedoed by UB-92 (type UBIII) in October 1918 bound Belfast from Le Harve. Her last port of call was Dun Laoghaire, Co. Dublin.

 

• Divernet article (Includes sketch of dive site)
• Irish Wrecks Online

 

As this wreck is lying in 38-40m it is a dive suitable only for experienced DL+. As well as this the visibility can get very bad and divers can find themselves disorientated and inadvertently end up inside the wreck. The stern is covered in nets and care should be taken to avoid entanglement. On the plus side, the wreck has lots of life and the dive can be great when there is decent visibility. Slack occurs roughly at Belfast HW/LW with relatively long windows, 2hrs on springs and 3hrs during neaps. The 2-3hr window during mid-run should be avoided.

The Routen Wheel

This is supposed to be a great, if slightly scary dive with depths ranging from 15-30m. The name comes from the swirling, whirlpool effect that the tide creates in this spot.

Jimmy’s Wall

There is a short wall which drops sharply from 20 to 40m causing the tide to rip past at high speed. I don’t know and couldn’t find out anything more about this dive but it comes highly recommended. Probably only suitable for DL+.

Other sites

 

• Irish Wrecks Online – Ards peninsula
• Irish Wrecks Online – Strangford Lough

 

 

Location