Diving on the HMS Sirius

Standing at the bus stop in the early morning of my 20^th dive, I turned to look at my Lion Mountain and this was the view. Grand Port, Mahébourg, Mauritius, not only a beautiful bay with coral reefs to explore and protect, but also the site of the wreck of the HMS Sirius. Since my last blog I have decided to use my extended stay to do my Padi Advanced Open Water Diving Course, consisting of 5 adventure dives. The weather is limiting opportunities to dive outside the reef and I decided that the advanced course was the best way to forward my diving skills in my time left here. Continuing to dive at 25°C was a long shot from going home and proceeding with my diving experience in the Atlantic Ocean!

So here I was, on my way to the Dive Centre to do a wreck dive on the HMS Sirius at 25 m. I was feeling slightly nervous, unsure how my body, with its long medical history, would react to pressure at that depth. I had selected to do the course with my old diving team and the instructor of my Open Water Course, knowing them well and their many years of experience and qualifications reassured me of my safety.

It was a magnificent site to approach Lion Mountain on this perfectly calm morning. Since my arrival two months earlier this Lion witnessed all my walks, all my dives and so much more. On 23 August 1810 the British Navy lead a campaign commanded by Capt. Samuel Pym on the HMS Sirius, to capture the then Ile de France which was guarding the entrance to the Bay of the Grand Port. A bloody battle followed between two equal forces, four frigates on both the British and the French sides.

The first fire was from the French, Le Minerve, on 23 August 1810. The British frigates did not respond immediately, but approached in silence. The battleground, the Grand Port of Mahébourg, so close to shore that onlookers gathered in Mahébourg and witnessed the battle that ensued over the next few days. The British HMS Sirius and HMS Magicienne hit coral reefs and were immobilised. The HMS Iphigenia dropped anchor to avoid the reef and the battle commenced as more than 200 canons started firing continuously. A heavy shroud of smoke covered both divisions, preventing them to see their nearest enemies.

At daybreak on the 24^th debris and dead bodies were floating in a blood stained lagoon. On the 25^th the HMS Magicienne was set alight after the crew abandoned her and she exploded soon afterwards. Capt. Pym ordered the HMS Sirius to be set alight too after abandoning her. The HMS Nereid surrendered, with heavy loss of life, to the French and the HMS Iphigenia was the only surviving British ship. This French Naval Victory is the only one of Napoleon and as such engraved in the Arc de Tromphe in Paris.

Here I was, above the sunken wreck of the HMS Sirius, on the site of this tragic and very dramatic naval battle, a portion of the scene portrayed in the above painting extract. I had to wonder how much more this Lion Mountain witnessed. The area is so rich in history!

We did my 1^st anchor line descent and descended into water with about 5m visibility. There are rivers running into the lagoon in this area and I could see the difference that made to the ocean floor. Sediment was covering large parts. A granite memorial for all the lives lost in this battle lies at the location of a mostly eroded HMS Sirius. Little is left to see apart from some exposed canons and other bits of the broken up and salvaged wreck. It remains an archaeological site of great interest however.  

My 25m dive was a training dive and I may have missed some treasures to see. I am looking forward to go back to the site to explore some more. At 25m I noticed that I was experiencing the onset of narcotic induced confusion. I was slow and found it hard to read my pressure gauge as well as communicating my air pressure. The training continued with a safety stop on the anchor line as well as an anchor line ascent later.

When I was safely back on the boat, there were no symptoms of my narcotic experience at all. I was completely mesmerised by the historical location, the emotions stirred up by the memorial stone and being so close to my Lion Mountain. I knew the history of the battle well, as I visited the Mahébourg Historical and Naval Museum several times, so I could visualise the battle on the surface. An unforgettable experience and successful wreck dive.

Once home I did rethink the narcosis and was concerned that my body could very well be more predisposed to the effects of Narc and that my diving development and further experiences could be affected by this in a very real way. I discussed it with my instructor so that we were both very clear about the possibilities. My 30m Deep Dive was coming up and that would tell what would be excluded from my future diving.

By Lynette Gerber-Lochenkov

June 2023