MIKHAIL LERMONTOV
Look closely at this picture and you will see the outline of a 20,000 tonne, 176 metre Russian Cruise Liner lying on the bottom in 37 metres of water.
We have just got back from our first clear water charter of the Lermontov for the season. Spring is the best time visibility wise to dive this massive wreck, and we expect to enjoy visibility of up to 30 metres right through to early December. Dispelling any misconceptions that this is a deep, poor visibility wreck dive.
This weeks dive crew were from the Dive Shack in Auckland, the three day live aboard charter started off with a shake down dive on the historical wreck of the Lastingham, a reef dive on Waihi Point and then Motuara Island. Next day it was on to the Lermy for two days, where we enjoyed visibility of up to 18/20 metres and two very nice calm sunny spring days.
Sponge, Mollusks and Triple Fin settle on a Life Boat davit on the Mikhail Lermontov
After an orientation dive for those who hadn’t dived the wreck before, the group divided up into buddy pairs and were led through one of the best penetration dives on the wreck, the engine room, this is a must do dive for the keen wrecky. Hamish and Aaron took their penetration dives a step further on the last day and visited the shops which lay at 35 metres deep inside the wreck on the starboard side, they were rewarded with a memento which I am sure will soon be displayed at the Dive Shack. If you’re going past the shop in the Onehunga Mall, drop in for a chat and look around.
Two days on the wreck is really only a taster, with it being so vast you could dive it for weeks and still only see half of it. The boys from the Dive Shack are already planning their next dive back down to the wreck next year, so give them a call to check out the details. Live-aboards are definitely the best way to experience this world class dive.
If you are visiting the area and would like to book a trip with Go Dive Marlborough, check out our schedule of live-aboards, alternatively we do operate regular day tours out to the Lermy from October through to May.
Thanks to the crew from the Dive Shack for booking with Go Dive Marlborough and another enjoyable live-aboard, I look forward to seeing you again next year.