A Day in the Life of Erin McFadden - 2011 European Rolex Scholar

I crossed from the northern tip of Scotland to the Orkney Islands through smooth seas and vibrant blue skies. These were somewhat unexpected conditions, but that's Scotland for you: some of the world’s most awe-inspiring scenery is revamped when the sun decides to grace us with its presence. 

From the ferry, I watched the Orkney town of Stromness approaching. It was 8:30pm and the sun was still gleaming — a summer delight in northern regions, which creates a radiant yet soft glow. I was here to dive Scapa Flow: a wreck site nestled within a natural harbor created by the Orkney Islands themselves.  As one of the world’s most famous wreck sites, I felt it a crime to not have dived here yet — I am a Scot after all. After one week spent exploring what Orkney had to offer both on and off the land, I was reluctant to leave.

I am not a wreck diver first and foremost. These wrecks are enchanting — there's an atmosphere to them — and you can’t fail to feel something special when you dive them. Unlike diving in warm, clear water, where you descend the shot line and are greeted with a grand view of the approaching wreck, in Scapa the wrecks are more of a whisper. It's only once you begin to explore the wrecks, delving deeper into the nooks and crannies; stumble upon gigantic guns through the hazy vis; and crane your neck to see where this hulk of metal actually ends, do you then start to fathom the extent of these sunken vessels. The cold water and poor visibility shroud their magnitude, and the remarkable history of how these wrecks came to be echoes in your mind as you dive them.

The wrecks are artifacts of the most extensive act of naval suicide ever. In June 1919, the German High Seas fleet — consisting of 74 ships — had been interned within the Flow for 10 months. In a calculated act intended to prevent the fleet falling into the hands of the British, Rear Admiral von Reuter gave the order to begin scuttling the ships. He took this chance while the overseeing British forces were out of the Flow on exercise. Today only 7 of the 74 wrecks remain; the majority of them have been salvaged for prized scrap metal. 

It was not only the extraordinary wrecks that made Orkney so memorable. I spent my week diving with Scapa Scuba — a dive center based in Stromness. Scapa Scuba has the most compassionate and welcoming dive team I have ever encountered. As the Rolex Scholar, life can become quite overwhelming. You can go for months without ever feeling at home. In Orkney, however, it was different. The dive center is run by the lovely Sara Turner, and she leads a dive team that remind me of a family more than colleagues. My divemaster for the week was Karolina. As a new 19-year-old Divemaster, she conveyed an infectious enthusiasm for the Flow and its history. Liam Thornes and Stef Cooper, the Scapa Scuba instructors, take great pride in their Divemaster interns, and this is evident when you dive with any of their trainees.

As the Our World-Underwater Scholarship Society 2011 European Rolex Scholar the world is my oyster. My year is set to take me to America, Australasia, Africa and perhaps even Antarctica. But in Orkney I discovered that you don’t always have to go too far from home to experience something worth treasuring.