Malvern Archaeological Diving Unit (M.A.D.U.)

MALVERN ARCHAEOLOGICAL DIVING UNIT

M.A.D.U.

Iona II (2000)

In March 2000, Ian Cundy of M.A.D.U. was granted a Seasons Survey Licence by the Department for Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS) to dive & survey the wreck of the "Iona II"

During the year, Ian together with other M.A.D.U. divers managed three separate visits to the area. The first visit was in early May to accompany the Archaeological Diving Unit (ADU) during their planned annual site visit. Unfortunately the weather was inclement! Landing on Lundy Island was impossible & diving in such conditions would have been dangerous. After a couple of hours struggling with the conditions, the ADU's boat turned around, and all attempts to reach, let alone dive the site were abandoned.


The ADU Work Boat "Scimitar"	The ADU Team

Looking After The Diver Topside	ADU Diving On Surface Demand

By contrast to the first trip, a second visit at the end of July proved to be exceptional. Ian & two other M.A.D.U. divers spent three days camping on Lundy Island, diving the "Iona II" site during the day and snorkelling with basking sharks & seals between dives. This second visit had been set up as a familiarisation trip, with the intention of locating and inspecting the site, but due to the near perfect diving conditions, some preliminary survey work was also carried out. Despite the excellent weather and flat calm sea state, the team were very mindful that during the four days preceding their visit, the seas were so rough that all boats in the area had been forced to shelter on the west side of the island as easterly gales swept through.


Camping On Lundy Island	Lunch On The Beach Between Dives

Basking Sharks (Well you try taking better underwater shark photos with a disposable camera)

Following the success of the July visit, a third trip was planned for a full week towards the end of September. A strong team of archaeological divers looked as if they would descend on the site, however no one had foreseen the eventuality of the fuel crisis which took hold in the days leading up to the planned week. The net result was that most of the divers who had intended to join the team were forced to pull out, and only three divers eventually made it to the site. The reduced team however remained on site for four days, diving on two days, and sheltering from force eight gales on the other two. The amount achieved during the third visit was obviously well below planed expectations, however several interesting anomalies and possible new areas of exploration were turned up, and if the DCMS agree to grant a renewal of the licence, Ian & the MADU team hope to be back on site during 2001.

The M.A.D.U. Dive Yacht "Quickstep" in the Lee of Lundy Island

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