Surface snooze off the Needles , mid 1990s
En route to the Kyarra
Bournemouth & Poole
Branch number six was a spin-off from a large and very active spearfishing club , when members realised that there were alternatives to killing fish in the name of sport . Within a few years the diving had almost completely eclipsed the spearfishing .
In the early days , diving was very much a DIY affair . With little or no purpose-made equipment available , much was adapted from whatever was to hand , cobbled together at home . Cylinders , fins , masks were often ex-military . Thermal protection , if any , was a set of long-johns worn under a
tightly belted raincoat , with elastic bands at the wrists . Shore dives and trips in small inflatable boats in need of constant maintenance and repair were the order of the day . If you were lucky , horse-collar adjustable buoyancy life jackets or ABLJs were used for buoyancy control . Every weekend , the two inflatables were towed to one of many launch sites from Lyme Regis to Christchurch Harbour , with a range two to three miles offshore along the length of the Dorset coast .
In 1965 , the club ’ s Science Officer was inspired by Jacques Cousteau and two members designed and built the Glaucus Project underwater habitat , which was installed in Plymouth Sound . Unlike Cousteau ’ s designs , Glaucus was completely self-sufficient for air , using a chemical scrubber to provide breathable air . The two lived at a depth of 11m for a week . Following in this tradition of diving with a purpose , over the years , members of the club have been involved in identifying , documenting and filming many local wrecks . The Dive Dorset guidebook was written by members .
Today , the club runs a 7.5m RIB with inboard diesel engine and there is a scheduled programme of dives from March to November . There is a long-weekend in Lyme Bay every August , ongoing involvement with habitat & environmental projects and visits to other areas as and when there is interest : this year has seen trips to Gibraltar and Lundy . There is still a weekly social , although in keeping with the age , much of the event planning and management is through an online platform .
The Glaucus habitat , 1965
Switching divers and kit at Kimmeridge
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