Song of the Kittiwake

After months on the island we finally had the time to arrange a trip to the Kittiwake. Ok so it doesn't have the history or prestige of something like the Kronpinz Wilhelm, Thistlegorm, Yongala or Britannic but it's still a nice dive to do and makes for some nice atmospheric shots. 

Being stern on the Kittiwake

We got really lucky as we were the only boat out and only had 8 divers so we got the whole place to ourselves and on top of that we had some really good viz and light penetration too. Bonus.

Black and white always adds an air of mystique to wreck shots

Rules dictate that if you have never dived the site before, you must be guided. Not that it's a difficult wreck to traverse by any stretch of the imagination but you need to remember that the majority of divers are normally visiting tourists out for a jolly as opposed to die hard wreckies.

Down the starboard side of the hull

Seeing as the mob from O.F. were running the dive, big Kev pretty much let us disappear and do our own thing anyway, knowing our experience and the amount of wrecks we've been in over the years. Which worked out well as there's nothing worse than trying to get that perfect wide angle shot when a bicycle kicking tourist invades the frame!

Jill takes a quick bathroom break

The Kittiwake is still a very young wreck which I think will come into it's own over the next 20-30 years. Marine life and growth will take time to get properly established but there's still the odd barracuda or ray to be seen on the wreck or the occasional shoal of passing jack.

As James Brown would say, we took it to the bridge

The heads (or bathrooms for the land lubbers out there) are one of the may excellent places to get some shots as the mirrors on the wall make for some interesting opportunities as well as the engine room and stern. Pretty much the entire length of the wreck is photogenic!

Take a bow....

So if you hit the island and want a very easy and very nice dive to get some pictures, the Kittiwake is ideal.I think we'll probably get a chance to get there again in a few months to get some filler shots.

The aft mast sitting just a couple of metres below the surface