Duo-Divers

This is the remains of the wooden salvage dock that sank during operations, it's even less photogenic than the ship and connected via a length of blue poly-prop rope so that divers can go from one to the other in a single dive

On one particular stone there were loads of Candy striped flatworms (Prostheceraeus vittatus), not sure why as adjacent areas were devoid.

It was a bait-ball but obviously not sandeels, on closer examination they appeared to be Sprat (Sprattus sprattus). Locally they would be called Brit which is a catch all name for immature herring, mackeral and sprat which form a pillar to the local food chain.

A pretty little light, one of the guys thought 'deck light' but with a solid back and close to another two broken lights I would think a bulkhead light of some description, date late victorian to pre WWI

Not as common as in Southern waters or even around Howick but here is a Lesser Spotted Catshark, or should that be dogfish? (Scyliorhinus canicula) Years ago you rarely saw any but they are becoming more common, in 2018 a party of divers got photos of a large Tope out at the Farne Islands.....apex predators you have been warned!

Just off the starboard side near the bows on SS Thesis, you can see that the existing supporting structure is rapidly giving up the ghost.

Under the thick layer of dulse is a load of angled metal work, I am guessing part of the vessel where there is a step up/down.

Lobsters (Hommarus gammarus) in a pot, I think that these will be put back as they are 'borderline'.

Wreckage from SS Loch Leven which foundered without the loss of life, not an oft dived site but very nice scenery plus rust!

A flatfish, species TBC!

A Common Starfish (Asterias rubens) this one was digging deep for I guess a cockle or similar that he had 'sensed'.

A typical north east wreck dive, plates, boilers n bits. In this case probably Jan Van Ryswyck although a few vessels have foundered so the bits are somehwhat mixed!

Round sections......it looks very similar to the cross-member on the old admiralty pattern anchor that I lifted from SoP in 2015 but not sure

This is the 'gutter' in the middle of the site, with the steep side and shelving northern side meeting about 1/3 way out from south skeer.

A tosheroon, not especially full but always good to find a few weights together!

Despite the apparent lack of food there are large shoals of Perch

A Topknot (Zeugopterus punctatus) you will see these flatfish stuck onto the bottom and underside of crevices if you look carefully on dives over rocky ground. The skin is coarse so you can easily get hold of this docile fish and bag him for tea, should you wish. A word of warning they tend to be infested with worms!

A part view of the plans of SS Somali! Showing the 'special cargo' area which is relevant on a few fronts.

Looking towards Dell Point, not sure that you can clearly see the tosheroon in the watery winter sunshine

It's been part polished now but this nameplate for the Boatswains Cabin was taken from SS Abessinia on Knifestone at the Farne Islands. There must be hundreds or perhaps thousands of dives per year and you can still, on occasion, pick up something 'nice'.

I know the location of a porthole which is currently covered, when the next storm removes the cover I will be there with my tools and implements!

The Mistley has been a bit more exposed this year with areas of the bottom now visible after rocks and sand have been washed out.

Haraaaaaaaaaald! More scrap.

The lower mounting position where the pin would fit

On this shot you can see the ribs and some of the remaining steel hull plate plus the sea-bed, not sure how long it has been since this much sand and rock was washed from the site.