SCUBAHUB
Aberdeen takes home the
Heinke Trophy
NORTHEAST SCOTLAND ’ S ABERDEEN Sub-Aqua Club ( BSAC 67 ) has won the Heinke Trophy 2023 , BSAC ’ s premier award .
As well as the Heinke 2023 winners , two other BSAC clubs – Marlin and University of Nottingham – also receive certificates of commendation for excellent entries . Along with the coveted Heinke Trophy , as 2023 winners , Aberdeen will also receive £ 1,000 .
Since its introduction in 1958 , the Heinke Trophy has been presented every year to the club considered to have done the most to further the interests of its members and BSAC .
Aberdeen ’ s Chair , Jim Burke , said : “ There were squeals of excitement , big grins , and sighs of relief when we were informed that our club had been awarded the 2023 Heinke Trophy ! This means so much to our club members and is a truly great recognition of all we have done to bring diving to more people in the Northeast of Scotland .
“ In 2019 , our club was struggling . We were down to about 20 members , and only a handful were actively diving . A few heroic members were keeping the club from going under and the outlook was not good . They attracted a small group of new , experienced members and set out a strategy to grow the club , be more diverse , do more diving , do more training , have more adventures and , most of all , have lots of fun .
“ We are so proud of what we have achieved - we are now over 100 members strong , run training at all levels , organise double figures of expeditions every year , have over 40 % female membership , support a large group of under 18 divers and have a growing Diving for All ( DfA ) programme .
“ Our changing fortunes have all been down to the enthusiasm , engagement and hard work of the members . We loved going through the Heinke Trophy application process ; it brought the members even closer together . It ’ s a great fun club with a good story , and the recognition of this is just the cherry on the cake . The Heinke cash award will help us with our plans for a new RIB .”
Phil Harrison MBE , who along with fellow judges Tony Marshall and Kevin Phillips sit on the Heinke adjudication panel , congratulated Aberdeen on their success .
“ Aberdeen was a very worthy winner among some very strong entries ,” Phil said . “ It stood out for its 2023 activities : wide spread of training , diving , and scientific projects including the identification of new wreck sites ; combining all of this with great leadership and teamwork . It comes across as very active , with a great atmosphere . Aberdeen , Marlin and University of Nottingham all focused on increased diversity in their clubs , which was key to their individual success .”
Do you think your club has what it takes to be the next Heinke winner ? Details of the Heinke Trophy 2024 and how clubs can enter will be released in the New Year .
For more information on the Heinke Trophy , its past winners and guidance on submitting a future Heinke Trophy report go to bsac . com / heinke
Plan the year , dive the plan
CLUBS AND MEMBERS CAN STILL ACCESS the BSAC Year Planner 2024 and get ahead on their dive planning for the next 12 months .
The Year Planner 2024 is available to download from the BSAC website . And , new for 2024 , a shared ‘ subscription ’ version of the planner is also available .
As well as space to add notes , the year planner shows spring and neap tide information throughout 2024 , so trips can be planned accordingly . With the tides for a
8 full 12 months , the planner is really useful for mapping out both individual member and club dives for the new diving year .
Available as a printable PDF in either A4 or A3 , the traditional version of the year planner is perfect for the dive club noticeboard . BSAC has also created the planner in larger sizes – A2 and A1 – which can be sent to your local printers or copy shop if you need a large size .
All sizes have the option of with or without printing marks and bleeds .
There is also a new shared ‘ subscription ’ calendar featuring all spring and neap tides , available for smartphones , iPads and shared calendars on desktop computers . Subscribing to this calendar called ‘ BSAC Year Planner ’ will place spring and neap tide information directly into the calendar on your device .
To download the Year Planner 2024 PDF or to subscribe to the digital format , go to bsac . com / yearplanner