Edmund‘ Spud’ Ulliott is an irrepressible volunteer at his club on the Yorkshire coast. Interview by Kristina Pedder
FACTFILE
Name: Edmund‘ Spud’ Ulliott
Job titles: Open Water and Snorkel Instructor, Boat Officer, extreme snorkel beach clean organiser
Area covered: The Yorkshire coast First dive: Summer 1982
VOLUNTEERLIFE Rooting for the environment
Edmund‘ Spud’ Ulliott is an irrepressible volunteer at his club on the Yorkshire coast. Interview by Kristina Pedder
Edmund‘ Spud’ Ulliott, an engineer by training, did his first dive in Estartit, Spain, back in the early 1980s. A local dive guide talked him into it and before he knew it he was wearing a horse-collar ABLJ( a precursor of BCDs) and breathing from a cylinder with a J-valve reserve( no pressure gauge). Returning home, he found and joined his local dive club Scarborough Sub Aqua Club( BSAC 83).
After completing the entry-level Novice Diver course, Edmund stayed with the club for a few years, before UK diving became too expensive. He remained an intermittent holiday diver, until some 17 years ago he rejoined the club and refreshed his training on modern dive kit. Now an Advanced Diver, Open Water Instructor, Snorkelling Instructor and Diver Cox’ n, Edmund has been on the committee for eight of the past 10 years.
“ I got involved again at a time when there weren’ t so many members around. I wanted to dive in Bridlington Bay, a great local site with good viz due to its shale seabed. Even some eight miles out it’ s still 16-18 metres. So, I got first one, then the second, club RIB out of storage and back into use.
“ I did my Instructor Foundation Course when I was a Sports Diver. Then I had access to all of the training materials and with only a few instructors at the club, I got heavily involved with training. I didn’ t have the title Training Officer but I did the work of rounding everyone up. I still help with instructing.
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Edmund is pictured right, on a beach clean with Scarborough SAC and marine artist Rob Fuller |
PHOTO: ROB FULLER |
DIVINGTIP
My diving safety tip comes
“ from my experience of diving with a purpose with the ghost net team, which can involve working in groups, potentially in deteriorating viz. Have a navigation plan and, when you finish a task, always move forwards into clear water, look out for your buddy and regroup. Don’ t move backwards into the murk.
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