Dive Review of MV Invincible/Ferry Inn in
General Travel/Other Locations/Scapa Flow, Orkney Islands, UK

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MV Invincible/Ferry Inn: "Challenging but worth the effort - diving German WW1 wrecks", Apr, 2019, by Phil Hamilton, MA, US ( Sr. Reviewer 8 reports with 3 Helpful votes). Report 11291.
No photos available at this time
Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Accommodations		Food
Service and Attitude		Environmental Sensitivity
Dive Operation		Shore Diving	N/A
Snorkeling	N/A
Overall Rating
Value for $$
Beginners
Advanced
Comments	This was a "bucket list" trip, a chance to dive the remaining wrecks of the German High Seas Fleet during the centennial year of their scuttling in Scapa Flow in the Orkney Islands off the NE coast of Scotland. I had booked the trip through Divers Cove (Essex, CT) and most of the group were members of SEConn Skin Divers club. In late April/early May, this is definitely drysuit diving. Good buoyancy, gas management, deploying a SMB, and using a wreck reel are skills to be practised beforehand. Try to bring everything you think you'll need for diving. The boat caries no spares for dive equipment. There is a very good dive shop in Stromness close to the docks and they can rent and repair equipment (one of our group had to rent everything for the first 2 days until his bags finally made it to the island). Be prepared for variable weather, our week started with hail showers and finished with sunshine and temperatures in the low 50s F. The MV Invincible is a comfortable, converted trawler, owned and operated by Ian and Fiona Trumpess. There is plenty of set-up space for a maximum of 12 divers with a warm changing/ drying room for suits. Let them know ahead of time what tank configuration and gas mix you want (they have nitrox and trimix) and it will be ready for you. Ian was excellent when it came to filling tanks and dropping divers close to the shot lines. Also, he was never far away when it came time to pick up divers. The lift is a wonderful feature that takes away the hassle of getting on the boat. Ian was extremely knowledgeable about the various dive sites and provided excellent advice for getting the most out of our limited bottom time. Fiona did a great job taking care of us while on board when we weren't diving. As soon as you come up from the dive you can expect Fiona to help you get your fins off if you so desire. In between the dives you can expect a homemade cup of soup to warm you up, and after the last dive of the day, she makes lunch to tide you over until dinner. There are bunks for 12 divers, but most of the group (especially the older and taller ones) chose to stay in land-based accommodations. The closest hotel is the Ferry Inn (very comfortable and excellent food), about a 3-minute walk from where the boat is docked. Although I was there to explore the WW1 wrecks, there was an abundance of invertebrate life on the ships that made for some excellent photo opportunities. As the water temperature warm up, the algal blooms reduce the visibility. The week prior to mt trip, the visibility was more in the range 30-50 feet. However, the algae bring the small fish and they bring the humpback whales and later the orcas. I was too early in the season to see either but they are regular visitors to Scapa Flow. I suggest arriving a day or 2 early and exploring the island (as well as a LOT of history, there are 2 breweries and 3 distilleries...); also, visit the Stromness museum beforehand as they have a very good exhibit about the German fleet. I strongly recommend reading about the history before going there; Dive Scapa Flow by Rod MacDonald provides an excellent description of the scuttling and subsequent salvage operations as well a descriptions of the dive sites (German and British ships).
Websites	MV Invincible Ferry Inn
Reporter and Travel
Dive Experience	Over 1000 dives
Where else diving	Galapagos, Indonesia, Maldives, Caribbean, Sea of Cortez, Roatan, Utilla, Belize, Costa Rica, Curacao, Cozumel, Australia, California, New England, Fla keys, Philipines
Closest Airport	Kirkwall	Getting There	Passengers flying into Kirkwall from other UK airports often find that some or all of their checked-in bags don't arrive for another 24-48 hours. We flew to Glasgow and then took a train and ferry - longer but less stressful and a chance to see more of Scotland.
Dive Conditions
Weather	sunny, windy, rainy, cloudy	Seas	choppy
Water Temp	46-48°F / 8-9°C	Wetsuit Thickness
Water Visibility	15-30 Ft/ 5-9 M
Dive Policy
Dive own profile	yes
Enforced diving restrictions	None
Liveaboard?	no	Nitrox Available?	yes
What I Saw
Sharks	None	Mantas	None
Dolphins	None	Whale Sharks	None
Turtles	None	Whales	None
Ratings 1(worst) - 5 (best):
Corals	N/A	Tropical Fish	N/A
Small Critters		Large Fish	N/A
Large Pelagics	N/A
Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Subject Matter		Boat Facilities
Overall rating for UWP's	N/A	Shore Facilities	N/A
UW Photo Comments	Large rinse tanks were provided for any cameras.

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Dive Review of MV Invincible/Ferry Inn in General Travel/Other Locations/Scapa Flow, Orkney Islands, UK

MV Invincible/Ferry Inn: "Challenging but worth the effort - diving German WW1 wrecks", Apr, 2019,

Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Overall Rating

Reporter and Travel

Dive Conditions

Dive Policy

What I Saw

Ratings 1(worst) - 5 (best):

Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Dive Review of MV Invincible/Ferry Inn in
General Travel/Other Locations/Scapa Flow, Orkney Islands, UK