SCUBAHUB
PHOTOS : KENSINGTON PALACE / MATT PORTEOUS
A Royal dive in Belize
BSAC ’ S PRESIDENT , HRH THE DUKE OF Cambridge , took the plunge on a recent Royal trip to Belize , to explore the second largest barrier reef in the world .
The Duke and Duchess spent time diving at South Water Caye on the Belize Barrier Reef to see firsthand the world-leading conservation work to help protect its diverse marine environment . As part of this restoration project , the Government of Belize has committed to protecting 30 % of the barrier reef by 2030 .
As part of the Cambridges ’ eight-day tour of the Caribbean , the Duke also visited one of the winners of the Earthshot prize , Coral Vita and their coral growing farm in Grand Bahama . The Coral Vita team won the Revive our Oceans award with their innovative project to re-plant damaged coral reefs . The Duke also got the chance to help the project with a snorkel dive to plant some of the re-grown coral .
The Duke took over the role of BSAC ’ s President from his father in 2014 . Speaking at the time , he outlined his desire to help preserve the marine environment for future generations . “ Scuba diving really has opened my eyes not only to many extraordinary sights , but also to the responsibilities that we have as guardians of the underwater world .”
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Operation Oyster places open-up
THERE ARE STILL A FEW SPACES available on BSAC ’ s Operation Oyster expedition to Cape Wrath this August , for members looking to get involved in realtime citizen science .
Open to Dive Leaders ( or equivalent ) and above , the expedition is part of BSAC ’ s major new environment project , Operation Oyster . The project is working to document and help restore the natural habitat beds of the UK ’ s native oyster , which has seen its population decline by over 95 % over the past 200 years .
As part of this long-term initiative , 2022 will see Operation Oyster focusing on collecting the essential data required to help secure the long-