SCUBAHUB
River scene wins photography contest
AN ‘ UP AND UNDER ’ COMPOSITION FEATURING HAMPSHIRE ’ S RIVER TEST HAS BEEN CROWNED the overall winner of this year ’ s British and Irish Underwater Photography Championship ( BIUPC 2023 ).
Featuring a split shot above and below the River Test ’ s waterline , ‘ Summer dreams ’ by Paul Colley not only scooped first place in the annual contest ’ s wide angle category , but was voted overall Champion , out of 75 images entered .
Organised by The British Society of Underwater Photographers ( BSoUP ), the ‘ splash-in ’ style competition saw 36 photographers from around Britain and the Republic of Ireland take to the water on 26 August for a single nominated day of photography . This year , there were three main categories – wide angle , close up and ‘ human impact UK and Irish Marine and freshwater Environments ’.
Categories have one winner , one runner-up , and two highly commended entries . One Overall Champion is also chosen from the three top images in the wide angle and close up categories . The ultimate prize is the coveted Peter Scoones Memorial Trophy .
With images allowed from any inland or coastal site , the format of the BIUPC sets itself apart from other splash-ins , and as one of the organisers , Nick Watson , explained , allows for “ a richness and variety of pictures ” to be submitted . As a result , the 2023 BIUPC judges , Damien McGuirk and SCUBA editor Simon Rogerson , had a particularly difficult task choosing the overall winners .
Thanking the judges , Nick added , “ The standard was
Gina Goodman very high , and the decision about whose image would be Overall Champion ( between Paul Colley ’ s wide angle and Dan Bolt ’ s close up ) proved to be very
Dan Bolt Paul Colley difficult .”
The BIUPC 2023 winners revealed
Wide Angle category - Paul Colley . Image : ‘ Summer dreams by the River Test ’. Whitchurch , Hampshire . U . K . Close Up category – Dan Bolt : Image : ‘ Fluorescing jewel anemones ’. Babbacombe , Devon . Human Impact category - Gina Goodman Image : ‘ Hidden Histories ’. The wreck of the Ben As-dale , Maenporth , Cornwall .
British and Irish Underwater photography Championship 2022 Champion and winner of the Peter Scoones memorial Trophy - Paul Colley with his image : ‘ Summer dreams by the River Test ’. Whitchurch , Hampshire . U . K .
To view the all the shortlisted entries for this year ’ s British and Irish Underwater Photography Championship , go to www . bsoup . org . uk
Refreshed Dive Leader hits the spot
A MEMBER OF BOLTON ’ S SUB C DIVERS has become the first person to complete the updated Dive Leader ( 2023 ) course since it was launched back in June .
Mark McKay gained his Dive Leader QCard in August after following the newly updated syllabus . Completing the Dive Leader 2023 course means that Mark , who joined his BSAC club in December 2021 , has gone from new Ocean Diver Trainee to qualified Dive Leader in less than two years .
Mark said it was always his intention to complete Dive Leader . “ For me , Dive Leader was the first step of being a real diver , as this qualification comes with responsibility for others ,” he explained . “ The Dive Leader 2023 course was very enjoyable but you have to put the hours in . It has helped me to become a more self-sufficient diver and will now allow me to help others .”
As part of its refresh , BSAC ’ s Dive Leader grade has been given a renewed focus on dive leading experienced and inexperienced divers , dive management and rescue management . This update is intended to better prepare members wanting to progress to become instructors , while helping to support clubs who may have limited instructor capacity . The Dive Leader training materials have also been updated and are now digital to give students more flexible choice in how they engage with the course , including via eLearning .
Oxygen Administration is no longer a part of the Dive Leader syllabus , but must nevertheless be completed separately as a pre-requisite for the Dive Leader qualification . The Oxygen Administration Skill Development Course has been updated to reflect the latest teachings and conditions such as immersion pulmonary oedema .
Mark , who has since retired and moved to Spain , now intends to progress to the
Instructor Foundation Course , and then Open Water Instructor , so he can teach others to dive .
Over 70 Dive Leader 2023 training packs had been sold by the start of September , of which half were in the eLearning format .
“ I would certainly encourage a Sports Diver to complete the Dive Leader Course ,” Mark said . “ It makes you a standalone diver who can look after yourself , and also teaches you to look out for others .”
■ For more information on the updated Dive Leader course , go to bsac . com / diveleader
Newly qualified Dive Leader , Mark McKay
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