Dive Report - Dara – 16th March 2007

The weather forecast was borderline and we weren’t sure if the sea was going to be calm enough but we set off from Hamriya regardless, we’re hardy souls and the lure of diving outweighs a bit of discomfort due to chop. A lightly loaded boat of six divers made for a comfortable and spacious run out to the wreck of Dara and the waves and offshore wind were not as bad as expected.

We had both a shot line and anchor on board to cover all eventualities but decided on the latter when we reached the wreck site. My buddy and I were the second pair down the anchor line and as we descended we could make out the shape of the hull and an alarming veil of fishing nets draped over the superstructure and held taut by the reasonable current. The anchor had fallen on the hull side of the wreck and we lodged it into a small depression to prevent the current dragging it away. The visibility was reasonable for Dara at around 7m and we decided to head towards the bow, clockwise around the wreck, to see if there were any changes from our last visit nearly four months before. Around three metres from the broken up centre section there is a large split in the hull which is gradually getting bigger. This appears to have been caused by the hull compressing like a concertina when she sank and it will soon be large enough for more generously proportioned divers such as myself to fit through.

As we swam round to the bows it became apparent that the nets on the stern section were not the only ones. The bows and front mast were covered with fine mesh and, in poor visibility, this could present a real danger, particularly in a high current or for novice divers. This being Sharjah BSAC’s “home” wreck we’re going to discuss clearing the nets with them. As it happened we did manage to free a large crab which was very entangled with the nets. Sadly a large blue fish (not sure of the species) had already died and we came across it’s remains.

From the bow section we carried on back to the stern and swam into the wreck through a hole adjacent to the rudder. There are always large barracuda in this area and, once again, they didn’t disappoint.

The inside of the wreck at the stern resembles the carcass of a giant animal. The steel ribs of the ship are visible where the wooden planking has decayed and the large open holds allow a simple and current-free swim-through. For the more adventurous there are companionways between the decks to investigate and lots of different areas to poke around in. Once again though the nets over some of the openings in the hull needed to be avoided.

We enjoyed a leisurely 45 minutes on the wreck before making our way back to the anchor line for a gentle ascent and safety stop.
The second dive was a similar affair with the added excitement of a lucky find – but that’s a whole different story.