26th April 2026 – Saw Tooth Ledges and Baygitano

An elaborate plan was formed to complete three dive sites in a single day, providing a range of depths for all divers on board the club boat.

Bang on the 09:30 ropes-off time, four club members departed West Bay Harbour and headed to the first dive site, Sawtooth Ledges, a reef dive within a protected area closed to scallop trawling. The two divers completed a 53-minute dive to a maximum depth of 23m, reporting around 2m visibility.

The next site was the Gibel Hamam, a First World War wreck sunk by a submarine whilst en route from France to Swansea carrying coal. The ship weighed around 647 tonnes, measured 60m in length, and lies in approximately 35m of water, with the highest parts at around 25m.

Unfortunately, as we arrived on site, the sea state had picked up to around 1-1.5m waves, far from the forecast conditions. With these being unsuitable diving conditions for the club RHIB, a dash for more sheltered water was planned.

The only reasonably sheltered water nearby was the wreck of the Baygitano, a 3,073-ton armed collier sunk by a torpedo from UC-77 on 18 March 1918. The wreck lies in around 20m of water and is generally inundated with fish. Luckily, another club had just finished diving the site and kindly left their shot line in place for us to use. Visibility was a good 4-5m, if a little dusty, and the dive lasted 50 minutes.

With the sea conditions continuing to worsen, it was decided to head back to West Bay Harbour for fish and chips and coffee.