I've only been the once, on Invincible with Ian. Great skipper but if you're generously proportioned you won't fit in the on board bunks. Huskian with Emily is apparently the best; brand new boat and on shore accommodation.
I've been twice in October , conditions and viz have been very good. Both times with Emily , just last month on their new boat huskyan, which was excellent. The on shore accomodation is also great and I suspect slightly more luxurious than a liveaboard.
September/October has been the best for me. The water temperature can get up near 14c and the viz has always been reasonable to very good. I've been on the Jean Elaine - shit, Invincible (twice) - OK, Valkyrie (four times plus once in Shetland) - great, Huskyan (once) - outstanding I'm back again in two weeks, again on Huskyan, and I can't see me ever using another boat up there. The boat itself is hands-down the best one there and the shore-based accommodation is way better than slumming it in cramped, airless and stuffy cabins below deck.
The main thing to watch for with boat-based accommodation is the gradual (?) buildup of a parpocline...
Another vote for Huskyan here. Cakes and banter are almost as good as the dives. (Discussions, while eating chocolate orange brownies, of the finer points of applying a she-wee )
Went in September last year with Emily on Huskyan and booked again for next year. stunning boat, the briefings are amazing as others have said the on shore accommodation is good. In saying that I've not long come back from a trip on the MV Halton with Bob Anderson which is a good boat.
Huskyan full in 2017 and nearly full in Sept/Oct in 2018......plan B then - will try MV Halton.....any others worth looking at?
Thanks guys - now contacted Valkyrie......I am amazed how booked up they all are....going to be a challege for 2017
That's why they're considered the best! To get a whole boat on the dates we wanted I had to book 3 years in advance! TG Sent from my iPhone using timmytalk
I dived with Emily on Radient Queen just before she got Huskyan. A great skipper and good laugh. The land based accomodation is fantastic and yards from the dock. Has nice touches like a 'charging station' for all the canister torches. Also she will go out of her way if she wants! We had two days off due to severe weather, so she got us a dive in on the Sunday we arrived and then did 3 dives a day for the remaining days, all in 1 dive down on the week, awsome.
Managed to find a couple of boats still with vacancies in 2017 but so far interest in the club is low........might only be me and maybe one other going up!
I did Scapa alone (I got a guide from Scapa Scuba - Not the cheapest way to do it, but I got to see a lot and had an excellent week!), so don't let limited numbers put you off. M
I've dived with Emily off Radiant Queen a few times and the Huskyan a similar amount of times when she bought the new boat. You really will not dive with a better operation than what she has up there. People who recommend others, haven't been on Huskyan yet. It's a case of continual improvement. The accommodation is currently being upgraded. Hell I'd even share a boat with Nickb again if it meant I didn't miss a trip. I'm back again later this year. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Completely Agree. After spending a week with Emily on MV Huskyan you'll not want to consider any other option, even if that means diving with Nickb and his scooter from a bygone era!
Its longevity is a testament to the quality of the product, although maybe not to the chumps that sell them
