KIRSTYANDREWS
Bye for now , Bovi
As Fort Bovisand closes its gates for redevelopment , Kirsty Andrews traces its military history and enduring significance for UK divers
Earlier this year I spent a fond and a little bit emotional weekend diving out of Fort Bovisand in Plymouth . It ’ s a regular haunt of mine , but this was to be the last weekend I would have the pleasure of visiting for quite some time . Bovisand Fort will be closed until 2023 to allow a £ 26m programme of development to be completed . In some ways this is just the latest reinvention of a location that has been pretty special to British divers for many decades , and of military significance for centuries , particularly the mid-19th Century . The Fort is in fact a combination of fortifications : Staddon Point Battery , Breakwater Fort and Fort Bovisand , part of a ring of Palmerston forts built to defend the entrance to Plymouth Sound from attack . The original guns were taken out in the 1890s , but there were still defence forces present until 1956 , and until relatively recently there was training taking place through the Joint Services training centre based there . The pier and harbour themselves are also Grade II listed . Fort Bovisand is one of the best-preserved remaining examples of these Victorian-era forts but has certainly been showing its age , and is now on Historic England ’ s ‘ at risk ’ register , as well as being a Site of Special Scientific Interest due to the many protected species living there . I for one will cherish memories of swooping peregrine falcons and bat noises as I admire the stunning sunset over Plymouth Sound with a sizzling BBQ next to me . Even the shore dive there is well worth a mention : ancient cannon can be found among the bustling marine life . From a diving perspective , the glory years were probably the 1970s and 1980s , with considerable commercial and sport diving training taking place . In 1975 , the Fort Bovisand Underwater Centre was established as the first Government-approved Commercial Training Centre and the Fort became a spiritual home for divers ; the harbour was often filled with club RIBs as well as the resident training divers , and from what I have heard , the bar was usually filled to bursting as well ! There are probably plenty of divers reading this with some very happy ( and potentially explosive ) memories of diving
‘ For the last few years , the Fort has continued to host divers ’
at Bovisand . I would encourage them to check out the Fort Bovisand Underwater Centre ( RIP ) Facebook group for some great photographs of the glory years and perhaps to reconnect with old coursemates . Discovery Divers took up residence at the Fort in 2004 and that ’ s probably about when I started to visit as well . For the last few years , the Fort has continued to host divers , but the spectre of development has been present since Greg Dyke purchased the land and planning permission was granted in 2017 . In recent times , works to stabilise the access road have meant locked gates allowing entry only by the lucky few booked to dive with Danny Daniels on Red Alert . The new development will be mostly 80 private residences , but will include catering and commercial units including … a dive centre . Discovery Divers will be based elsewhere while the works take place , but I firmly hope that in time , diving will return as an integral activity at Fort Bovisand and this very special part of our South Coast . �
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