9/10/2011HMS Prince of Wales

We wake up anchored next to the POW have breakfast ,then think about the days mission which is to get some footage of the lifts outside the last 16inch turret guns on the stern. To do this we have tie in the same place, on the props, so that the team has enough time to get to the area.

This wreck is 300m long. Mikko and Tappy jump in on air. The props are at 55m, so they save the helium, but they exert themselves and cut the dive without tying in.  We pull the shot, which is in the wrong place ,and stu goes because as he is next up. We shot next to the props, but we get to the bottom in 67 and cant see the wreck ,so he aborts the dive.

The line is lifted again and Mikko and Tappy go in for a second try.  After shooting the mid section, this wreck is so huge that if the shot is not put in the right place, you can spend 30 min swimming around on the top without seeing anything except the bottom of the ship, the Prince of Wales does not give up her secrets easily.

Now its our turn. We shot the wreck again and descend down the line. The shot is in the middle of the hull again! I untie the weights and start swimming with the line. I look at Dave for direction as he has a compass and he indicates and I start swimming ,dragging the line from the surface. I try to keep up, but  after 15min of swimming at 53 mtr I’m knackered . I check my buddy and he’s on 140 bar. His rock bottom at 18 ltr per min is 120 bar ,and he’s sucking ,so I  turn the dive, relocate the weights  and secure the line to them ,then  bail out on 25 min and run our deco .

Finally we manage to tie in and get the video. I’m happy that the wrecks are not all so difficult to tie in.

I blend the gas  for myself and Tom .It’s been a while since I knocked up gas , so I was happy when I  got a accurate blend.  We’re running low on helium  with only 2 full and 1 90 bar tank of o2 left .I check the charts for distance and time to the Andaman sea and the exploratory marks at  60 m.  The mark is close to the explosive dumping ground. I also have  fisherman’s marks , next to the war record report for the Choko Maru jap minelayer.

We  see what the weather is doing and make plans for the next part of the voyage.

08/10/2001 day 8

We’re back on top of the Repulse so that our new team member, Tom, can get some good diving in before we go through Singapore.

Mikko has tied in and Tom , Vince and Dave are getting ready for their dive. I sit this one out as we are short of o2 and helium. I want to save it for the exploration . The guys do a deep air dive 55mtr for 30min to save the helium  also.

I hydrate until 1400. The sea state is flat and there is no current- a beautiful day for diving, so I take Tillie in for a swim around the top of the wreck at 35 mtr for 12 min( total 3 min to ascend to 12mtr them minimum deco 1min @12/1min @9/ 3min@6/3min@3) The viz is great around 50 mtr and the wreck looks huge with  lots of marine life everywhere .Its very hard to believe all the death and destruction that happened here all those years  ago, the wreck is full of life!

After the dive we de kit and Tillie and Tom thank me for the dive. Its her first wreck dive. I think it will be hard to beat this for shipwrecks in the future.

6/10/2011  HMS Prince of Wales

I wake up at 5 o’clock and watch the sun rise .I can’t help but think of all the lives lost here 70 years ago. The sea state is flat and there is no current- jackpot!! All the gas was pumped and analyzed the day before and the skeds are cut. we plan a 67mtr dive for 30 min using 17/35 36% and 100% o2.

Mikko enters the water and descends.  he plans to lift the shot and move it into position. If he gets the chance to tie in, he will. After 15 minutes of his run time we get a orange bag, but I’m not sure about the tie in, so I tell the crew to hold until they see my orange SMB on the line.

We start our descent and Mikko signals across that he has tied in, but too late to tell the boat without a bag.  When I hit the bottom, I signal the surface by blowing my SMB , then I run a distance line.  We swim along the top of the Kiel then drop down and under the deck. The Prince of Wales is almost completely upside down so most of the dive is in an overhead environment .We fin along to the last turret with a 16inch gun. I have a look around the area of the guns. Some empty life rafts are jammed under the superstructure making quite a striking image.Then I notice a frame that looks like a lookout platform. I return to Dave’s position and I make my switch from my bottom stage to my back gas and give Dave the turn signal. I have the distance line and have to return the way I came. Dave can rise up and follow the Kiel along, incorporating the swim into his  ascent  .

We return to the port forward propeller, which is ware we have tied in. This is also the screw that received a direct hit during  the final attack, grinding out the bearings and twisting the shaft making it more difficult to outmaneuver the torpedo bombers .  Dave makes his way back on the keel.  I retrace the line and wait for Dave and Vince .When the team is together, we start our  ascent .Still no current  and 5mtr visibility at the top of the wreck.

I developed a rash on my neck which I believe it to be from the jelly fish as I have no other symptoms. Its about 3 hours after the dive so I keep an eye on it just in case. It could be an unexplained hit or just an allergic reaction. I decide to sit out the next dive. We are running low of 02 only 2 g size bottles left ,so we need to get some more. The helium is also low, so I save my gas for some exploration later on the trip, and hit the sack. Dave and Vince dive  then untie.

We head for Tioman.  At 2400 hours I get woken by the marine police sounding their horn and flashing their lights. The captain has anchored, albeit in the sand, not a good idea in a marine park and this cop wants to see all the passengers. I  grab my passport then roust the others . Dave is not moving unless I set fire to his feet ,so I go up with Vince and Stu and we talk to the policeman. All he’s after is a backhander, and a crate of beer seems to be an international currency, even in a Muslim country. After the necessary politeness he shows us a mooring line, but not before scraping our bow with his starboard side, a maneuver that doesn’t put a smile on our captain’s face.He’s probably drunk a few backhanders already tonight .The good news is that I worked out what’s giving me the rash. It’s the pillow case- I seem to have an allergy to it or something on it.

07/10/2011  Tioman

We go ashore in Tioman to get some needed supplies and contact the outer world.  I rent a bike and have a quick look around . this could be an interesting spot for the next DJL  Diving especially with the Repulse and Prince of Wales only 4 hours away.

At 1900 I crack open a bottle of Bombay sapphire  and drop.  Good job as stu tries to buy some o2 off one of the local dive operators who charges him 5000bt per g. He gets 3 bottles which we boost into our cylinders and at 2 in the morning we move back to the Repulse.