Hope Cove has been a favourite destination of SSAC for a number of years. The base is Shippen House, a 10-bed holiday home with excellent facilities overlooking the beach at Hope Cove in South Devon. It is also an opportunity to exercise the club rib away from its home base.
Friday – The journey from Portsmouth is about 4 – 5 hours. The boat arrives mid-afternoon and everyone settles into Shippen House ready for diving the next day. It’s a nice warm and sunny day. Doug rigs up a router to give house wide wi-fi access and we have our own internet café for the week.
Saturday – Diving the Maine. It’s dark and murky due to the rainwater run-off from the land. The two rib trips to the wreck were disappointing. James, Louis and Nick do a shore dive from Outer Hope beach to check equipment and buoyancy. This was a lovely sunny weekend and a wonderful sandy beach to enjoy when not diving or coxing the boat. Martin sets up his portable compressor to provide air. We also have a J cylinder of O2 to blend Nitrox mixes.
Sunday – Today we dived the Persier. Calm seas, sunshine and blue skies provide more promising conditions. There was good visibility on the wreck. Two trips were made to the wreck in Bigbury Bay. We also completed two drift dives in kelp close into the cliffs along Bolt Tail during the late afternoon and early evening.
Monday – Blown out and a lazy day.
Tuesday – Blown out again. Walk along Bolt Tail to Soar Mill Cove and Port Light hotel on Bolberry Down. We stop on the way back at the Port Light hotel for lunch. This was a former Golf course pavilion opened in 1907 and later used by the RAF in WWII as an airfield.
Wednesday – Dived the Persier in the morning and a sandy bottom in the vicinity of the Jebba wreck in the afternoon. Visibility on Persier was great, but the sandy bottom drift was nothing to write home about.
Thursday – Up early for a dive on the Maine. We sneak in another dive on the Maine before the weather worsens. This time the visibility is excellent and we have a most enjoyable dive. Later we haul out the boat and bring it back to the house for a good wash down.
Friday – Up early to clean the house and pack. We are away by 0930 and it is over for another year.
Some images from the Photo Gallery for the trip