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Safety first with Thomas Guy
THOMAS GUY SUB AQUA CLUB( TGSAC) has recently returned from a trip to the Red Sea( tgsac. org. uk). We dived the South and St Johns, having done the North in 2023. We are a hospital based club, located near London Bridge station.
Our original booked liveaboard‘ Emperor Sevens Seas’ unfortunately was destroyed by fire in Port Ghalib back in March. Nobody was injured, but this still caused concerns regarding safety, with some members withdrawing from the trip, given
I THOUGHT IT WAS ABOUT TIME I shared a little experience I had many years ago( 1987 to be precise) while serving as an Equipment Officer and Diving Instructor on Operation Raleigh.
I’ ve been a diver since 1984, having learned with the JSSADC branch of BSAC 317s, Gibraltar. I reached the giddy heights of Advanced Diver and Club Instructor, later becoming a Sub Aqua Diving Supervisor, a qualification required to lead and supervise military sport diving.
It was while training to be an instructor that I was encouraged to apply for the much coveted Operation Raleigh Expedition phase to Malaysia, a flagship expedition launched by the then Price of Wales, now King Charles. The exped was well organised, having four marine biologists, a doctor and even an expedition artist! The artist was Ley Kenyon, someone I had no prior knowledge of, but who made a big impact on me. On a daily basis this chap, in his mid-seventies in 1987, could month we feature a selection of your letters
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the background of other recent liveaboard disasters. Fortunately our trip had been arranged with Regal Dive, who did their best to rectify the situation. The UK government currently advises only to book Red Sea liveaboards through reputable vendors.
Our booking was transferred to the‘ Emperor HD’ and finally to the rather luxurious 50m, newly constructed‘ MY Katana’ liveaboard. There were 19 divers on board, 15 with TGSAC and a similar number of crew. So things eventually
The legendary Ley Kenyon
be seen sketching randomly around our camp, he even sketched me working on the compressors!
After about a month we started chatting and it became apparent that we had a lot in common. I was serving in the RAF and Ley was an ex-airman himself. The only difference was that Ley had been shot down and ended up as a prisoner of war in the infamous Stalag Luft 3. It transpired that he was responsible for forging papers and designing the escape tunnels, Tom, Dick and Harry. In the film The Great Escape( 1963), he was played by the actor Donald Pleasance.
After weeks of chatting, Ley asked me to take him for a dive. I was quite hesitant, as I had a duty of care. Reluctantly, I agreed worked out pretty well for us.
The Emperor team provided a thorough safety briefing prior to departure. Charging of any electrical item within the cabins was strictly forbidden. All cabins contained life jackets, fire extinguishers, fire blankets and a glass breaker. The Katana has modern fire prevention and suppression systems, with crew continuously patrolling the boat.
On top of this a fire drill was arranged. This was simulated to be as real as possible with us all returning to our cabins. Escape routes were determined by deck level and possible fire location. The main muster station was the dive deck, or the bow if the stern was on fire. Our response to the fire alarm was timed and taken seriously. We were warned that it was important to hold the top of the foam life jackets when jumping into water to prevent potential neck injury.
Fortunately, none of this preparedness was needed and we had an amazing time with perfect weather and felt very safe aboard the Katana. There was some really great diving and a few of us got to see an oceanic whitetip close by! Thanks to the excellent dive guides and staff. DR TIM Hughes, TGSAC
to take him for a 9m dive on a four-legged fishing platform called a Kelong, teeming with fish. Observing Ley on the bottom it became immediately apparent that he was comfortable in the water and very confident.
On the Zodiac returning to shore I asked him where he had learned to dive. His reply knocked me sideways:“ Who do you think taught me to dive... Mr Cousteau!” He then asked:“ Who do you think taught Prince Phillip to dive? I did!” Neil Roberts
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