SCUBA NOVEMBER 2024 issue 150 | Page 28

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Making friends the BSAC way

DIVING IS ONE OF THOSE ACTIVITIES that brings instant connections . You find yourself chatting about gear , dive sites and epic underwater adventures with fellow divers after just five minutes of meeting . And when you come across BSAC members from all over the world , it ’ s a whole different level of connection .
Early this summer , we were lucky enough to go on a trip to the Maldives on the Carpe

Shipwrecks of Gallipoli

WE ENJOY CLIMBING BIG HILLS AND for contrast I have always managed to find an interesting dive afterwards , of course factoring in any altitude no-diving breaks . Recently , my wife Jessica qualified as Ocean Diver so we could dive the Yucatan cenotes after climbing some Mexico volcanoes . Naturally then , with a planned trip to ascend Mount Ararat in far eastern
Diem liveaboard , which turned into a bit of a BSAC gathering . We had divers from Oman , Qatar , and Leeds onboard , including the Chairs from each of those clubs . It felt like a mini BSAC meet up .
From the start , there was an easy BSAC camaraderie . The Leeds divers , used to the chilly UK waters , shared their tales , while the Omani and Qatari divers talked about their warmer tropical dives . It was
Türkiye , we planned to upgrade her to Sports Diver ( in Malta ) and started looking into the Gallipoli wrecks .
We had sent emails to three local dive companies to explore options when , by good luck , our SCUBA magazine published an article on just what we wanted to do [ Travel Special July / August 2023 ]. Our only detailed response came from M Ali Eyupoglu of www . byemdive . com His replies were in good English - we subsequently discovered that he has no English but is a dab hand with Google Translate and asking his other customers to help him !
We found a hotel in Eceabat ( about half an hour from his centre in Kabatepe ) on Booking . com ( Crowded House - cheap and cheerful but perfectly adequate ). We got a return coach trip from Istanbul to Canakkale ( a short ferry hop from Eceabat ) fascinating hearing about different diving experiences from around the world .
Our week was filled with stunning dives and great company . We encountered nurse sharks , various rays , reef sharks , and even a majestic whale shark . After each dive , we ’ d eagerly share our stories and enjoy fantastic meals together .
Evenings were all about relaxation — swapping dive photos , enjoying sunset drinks , and playing cards late into the night , though not too late to be up for the early pre-breakfast dives .
The trip was a real reminder of how lucky we are to be part of BSAC . It ’ s more than just dive training ; it ’ s about forming lasting friendships and sharing unforgettable experiences with divers from all over the globe . FIONA LEMAIRE , Ras Al Hamra BSAC
from the web and we used the tram and Metro in Istanbul to get to the coach station ( an Istanbul Card is useful for that ).
We shared his well-organised dive boat ( pictured ) with lots of friendly Turkish divers who translated his dive briefings for us . They were all really pleased to welcome us to these wrecks - we got the impression that very few non-Turkish divers go there .
Because our climbing gear took up most of our airline baggage allowance , we hired most of our dive gear . For each day with two dives , lunch and pick-up / drop-off , the cost was € 120 each , cash only . All the wrecks are now marked by a surface hazard buoy with a chain to an adjacent seabed concrete anchor block .
The wrecks located in the Dardanelles Narrows don ’ t seem to be much dived because of the busy marine traffic there . We dived the minesweeper Lundy and the destroyer HMS Louis on the first day ; then due to wind direction we dived Kucukkemikli lighter and a reef on the
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