Scuba Project

[blueflipper]

Hi happy scuba divers!!!!

I need a bit of help - I am currently busy with the impossible. I am building a scale size model of a wreck along the false bay coast of Cape Town that is very unknown or at least there is almost no information about.

It is located at Longbeach, Simonstown and if you ask anyone that dives in the Cape, they would probably say that it is the most boaring dive site and the site used for all first time scuba divers as it is +/- 9m deep at the best of times and there isn't a whole lot to see.

There is however a old wooden wreck which there isn't much left off, but no-one seems to know the exact origin of the ship etc. I have with alot of searching figured out that it could only be the Bata or the Brunswick, but I can't figure out which one it is.

The site consists of a pipeline into the ocean and then a piece of the old wooden wreck about 3m away, just behind that lies two blocks, which everyone thinks are the engin blocks of the boat.

I suspect that this might be infact peices of both wrecks instead of just the one.

Can anyone shed some light???

Happy Diving.

Blueflipper

 

[AndyT]

AFAIK the Bata and the Brunswick were both sailing ships of the early 1800's- therefore no engine block.Go to www.nationalmonuments.co.za and look around for the shipwreck trail . Or contact someone at SAHRA for more info.

If you are talking about the pipeline directly off the car park then you are miles out for both of these wrecks . There is a small wreck of a rowing boat near the pipeline and further out the remains of a wooden jetty with two concrete blocks used as anchors.

I would be happy to meet you guys to assist further , sounds like an interesting project. Which dive school are you with ?

PM me if you need help.

 

[blueflipper]

Hi Andrew,

Thank you - you have been a great help.

I was way off track as I was referring to the small boat close to the pipeline. It just goes to show that "newbies" shouldn't believe everything they hear or make their own conclusions for that matter - the parts of the old wooden jetty with the concrete blocks as anchors are commonly referred to as egin blocks among most of the divers I have been in contact with in the short time that I have taken up scuba diving.

What a surprise this is going to be.

Do you have any idea how long the rowing boat has been there and where it came from? Was it sunk by the navy to form a artificial reef?

I think it would be great if we can contact you. We are with Alpha Dive Centre in the Strand.

Thanks a mil.

Blueflipper

 

[AndyT]

Don't have any info on the rowing boat - but the other "reef" off Long Beach is an old barge - once again no info , but I'll ask around.