INTERVIEW
I bought a liveaboard !
Sarah Chan has bought a popular Scapa Flow liveaboard and wants to help more people to dive in Scotland . Interview by Simon Rogerson
How many of us have relaxed at some serene segment of a liveaboard voyage , contemplating the sunset with a glass of something golden and uttered the fanciful words ‘ Should I buy a liveaboard ?’ We never do , because we know such moments are fleeting – hard graft is the norm . While you ’ re contemplating the horizon , someone is filling the cylinders , cooking your dinner or fretting about the dodgy caulking above Cabin Three .
Every now and then someone comes along with an understanding of the UK diving scene , and an appreciation of what it takes to operate in northern seas . Helen Hadley and Hazel Weaver were two such people , and created a unique resource with their liveaboards , MV Valkyrie and MV Valhalla . Now , Valkyrie has been sold to one of their own regular guests , and is about to start a new life by reverting to her original name , Honeydew . Her ‘ permanent ’ home will now be the west coast , with some visits to Orkney and Shetland . Meet Sarah Chan , an Australian academic who fell in love with Scotland ’ s cool , green marine scene . Having learned to dive in Croatia , she began diving in Scotland soon after . Her first UK liveaboard trip was on board Valkyrie in 2009 . “ I came to appreciate that even as a newish diver , I could visit Orkney and dive safely and have a really good time ,” she says .
That , in essence , is what Sarah is hoping to achieve with her tenure of the Honeydew . She sees the post-Covid present as a time when overseas divers are more likely to turn to UK scuba , and she wants to help them . “ I ’ m really keen to support all people getting into UK diving . There ’ s such a mix of sites in Scotland , from Orkney and Shetland to the west coast and Sound of Mull ; you can come here with a total mix of divers and have a really great time .”
“ The number one priority is that [ the operation ] absolutely has to be as safe as it can be ,” Sarah says . “ The second is that I want people to have as much fun diving as they can possibly have . I am passionate about developing and promoting UK diving .”
In addition to Orkney and Shetland , Honeydew will spend time at Dunstaffnage Marina near Oban , the gateway to the Hebrides , where Sarah will offer charter trips , expeditions and club diving support from mid-May to August . In future years she is planning to start earlier and possibly run weekend trips into winter . She ’ s hiring a skipper for the coming season , one familiar with the boat , but is hoping to get trained-up herself and earn her skipper ’ s ticket in the next couple of years .
Sarah has developed an emotional connection with the vessel and says she “ wouldn ’ t do this with just any boat ”. She credits Helen and Hazel for the vessel ’ s popularity and success , making the point
47