We are soon heading down the inlet on a flat calm sea, beneath a clear blue sky with just the odd wisp of cloud. I couldn't have wished for better sea conditions.I meet my host, Alfie McCaffrey, in the marina at Malahide, a trendy seaside suburb of Dublin and conveniently located for diving some of the offshore rocks and islands to the north of Dublin bay.
We are soon heading down the inlet on a flat calm sea, beneath a clear blue sky with just the odd wisp of cloud. I couldn't have wished for better sea conditions.
On the wreck of Shamrock II, an 865 ton iron steamer, I soon find small bits of engine, though no sign of the prop shaft. Alfie had mentioned that the boilers had broken loose, so I search for them slightly downhill from the main body of the wreck.
There are quite a few rocks sticking up amongst the wreckage. At first I think it is just another rock, then I see a curved corner and realise it is actually the side of a boiler. Quite a large boiler considering the small size of the ship. As I swim round I discover that it has been prevented from rolling further down the slope by a second boiler that has twisted perpendicular to the wreck and is now jammed against some rocks.
I draw a blank on finding more of the propshaft, but eventually locate the remains of a gun platform with some bollards and a rounded section of railing from the stern. Just behind this a decayed frame could be the remains of the rudder, though it is hard to be sure.
The Shamrock had driven onto the rocks in a sea fog in 1918. As with most freighters during the First World War, it had carried a small stern gun for defence against submarines. Amongst the cargo had been a number of horses that had swum ashore after the wrecking, the following year one of these horses apparently won the Irish Grand National.
The sinking of the Tayleur was a bit of a scandal. The ship was supposed to carry a crew of 80, but sailed with a partly trained crew of 26 including 11 boys. Land was sighted over a mile away, but the steering was jamming and there just weren't enough crew to adjust sails fast enough. Over 400 passengers died.
The bows had run into the rocks, then the wreck had fallen back and collapsed to port on the seabed. Amongst the cargo are slates, tombstones, and blue patterned pottery.
The seabed is very silty and the smallest mistake could easily reduce the already less than clear visibility to absolutely nothing. I take care to float carefully above the wreck as I work my way slowly round the broken hull. In many ways it reminds me of the Oregon off south Devon, another three mast iron hulled sailing ship.
Close to the seabed there is not much marine life, but where the wreckage sticks up a bit there are white dead men's fingers and on the more exposed parts some beautiful clumps of plumose anemones.
Another day of fine weather and we head 10 miles north to Rockabill lighthouse for the day. The rock runs north-south, with a split though the middle and the lighthouse on the larger southern part of the rock.
Alfie circles the rock checking the current, then halts to the north-east end of the split.
We drop into the channel and make our way out round the exposed corner. I start photographing solitary anemones, but am soon spoilt for choice as the forest of anemones gets denser and denser. There must be just about every kind of anemone found in our home waters on this one dive site.
For my final day I opt for another dive on the Tayleur. Amongst other things I had missed the grave stones on my first dive and wanted to get a few pictures.
For a second dive we head round to the north side of Lambay island to a wreck of uncertain identity, but possibly the remains of the steamship Strathay.
The wreck has settled on an even keel, with the sides of the hull falling out and either disintegrating or being buried in the silt. We follow the prop shaft tunnel forwards along the keel to an intact and upright engine and a compact pair of boilers. Off to one side I find a few lumps of coal.
With a fair current streaming along the length of the wreck there is a good covering of marine life. Small anemones, clumps of dead men's fingers, and large plumose anemones towards the more exposed stern.
Further forwards we pass a cargo winch before the keel breaks up, I would guess just short of the focsle. We follow a trail of debris into the shallow rocks where we find the remains of an anchor winch, a pair of bollards and some scraps of chain. The rest of the bows must have been pounded to pieces.
The dives were easy, shallow and stress free. Nothing mind-blowing, but nevertheless all very enjoyable. Add the craic and proximity to the Guinness brewery - it is widely held that the quality of Guinness is inversely proportional to the distance from Dublin - and it all ads up to an excellent short break.