As an addendum to last month ’ s BSAC Decades feature , we present an interview with Neil Abbott , a member of Ras Al Hamra SAC in Oman , who recently logged his 3,000th dive . Interview by Claire Woodhouse
INTERVIEW
3,000 dives and still going
As an addendum to last month ’ s BSAC Decades feature , we present an interview with Neil Abbott , a member of Ras Al Hamra SAC in Oman , who recently logged his 3,000th dive . Interview by Claire Woodhouse
When did you start to dive ?
I first dived in 1983 when I was 21 , over 40 years ago . My uncle was an exploratory diver searching for rare breeding grounds for squid so I knew about diving . But it wasn ’ t really on my radar until I joined the Air Force , which gave me the opportunity to learn . It ’ s fair to say that if I hadn ’ t joined the RAF , I might never have started .
Favourite dive spots ?
The most outstanding diving has probably been the Maldives , but even after 3,000 dives in all kinds of places , some of my best dives have been in the UK . The Farne Islands off the coast of Northumberland is fantastic . There is so much to see , so much life ; I have videos of me shaking a seal ’ s flipper .
Where would you still like to go diving ?
Papua New Guinea is definitely on my bucket list , as is Phuket in Thailand . While I ’ m living out in the Middle East , I ’ d like to dive in as many places that I can . But I ’ d love to go back to dive in the UK and have a particular fondness for Scotland .
Which clubs have you belonged to ?
I ’ ve belonged to nine different clubs and been Diving Officer of four , as well as serving as Training Officer at others . My list of clubs includes : Binbrook , Belize , Wittering , Kineton , Lossiemouth , Muscat Divers , Odiham and currently RAHSAC in Oman . I was the Diving Officer for the Royal Air Force Sub Aqua Association ( RAFSAA ) for two and a half years . I also helped set up a new club called Solstice Divers with military divers in the Wiltshire area in the UK .
Being a member of BSAC clubs has given me incredible opportunities and experiences . I ’ ve made life-long friendships over the years , building a network of diving buddies all over .
What changes have you noticed in equipment and culture ?
Everything has changed . The whole ethos , the kit , technology , the diver profile . Before BCDs , there were what we called ‘ horse collars ’.
We used to dive with a single valve and two hoses that came round and the air just simply went in and out . Design in wetsuits has also changed and as diving in different parts of the world has become more popular , there are wetsuits to suit all temperatures . Expensive , but essential !
From a culture point of view , we ’ re now much more aware of mental wellbeing ; spotting someone who is anxious or having a bad day and just having a quiet word with them ; no judgement . When I first started , it was just ‘ Get on with it . Off you go ’. And remember , this training in the early days was all with the military and predominantly men . Now there are lots of women diving and younger divers too .
The way we report , record and analyse our diving today has changed a lot . These days , we complete incident reports and try to learn from the things that have happened . This isn ’ t to create blame but rather to encourage learning from mistakes and to minimise the opportunity for them to happen .
How do you feel about reaching the 3,000 dives milestone ?
Incredibly lucky and very grateful to all the divers I ’ ve met along the way . But I owe special thanks to my family for being so supportive and in particular my wife Penny and two daughters , Laura and Holly for putting up with me disappearing at weekends and on trips away to dive . �
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