So much for ‘ no limits ’
THIS SUMMER WE HAD TWO WEEKS ON THE CLASINA liveaboard in Norway . A fabulous place to dive and our fourth UK dive boat trip exploring the fjords since 1996 .
The photo shows myself , waiting at 40m on the stern of the Ferndale , while some of the other divers were deeper on the Parat . This is one of the best dives in Norway . The wrecks are both great and lie up against a huge rock , so not a rectangular profile at all . Leaving the Ferndale at about 8 metres to swim round to the pick-up point leads to a spectacular colourful cave underneath the rock .
The reason I had to hang around at 40m is due to the problems of getting travel insurance to cover diving once you are over 70 . It can be very expensive , sometimes involves the requirement to get a diving medical specifically for the insurance and often has a depth limit that is not your qualification depth limit . In my case the depth limit applied was 40m . I ’ m 75 now and have been diving since 1982 with perhaps 16 weeks of diving in Norway . I strongly recommend it and probably better if you go before the travel insurance limits you ! JEN SCARSBROOK , AI 1382
Celebrating RNLI ’ s double centenary
RELATIVELY SPEAKING , OUR BRANCH HASN ’ T BEEN AROUND that long , a mere 66 years and still going strong in some ways , notwithstanding a few dicey moments when our good friends in their fast boats came to the rescue . I refer , of course , to the Royal National Lifeboat Institute ( RNLI )
A few years back we were able to celebrate a longstanding member ’ s time with our branch by having his name put on the side of the Shannon RNLI Boat 13-49 , based in Whitby . In more recent times we invited the Coventry branch of the RNLI to come along to one of our club nights to chat about the history . To our amazement , we learned it was their 200th Anniversary in 2024 .
Well we had a challenge – to raise £ 200 and present it to them – a quiz night seemed a good idea , to test our knowledge or lack of , a few beers , a fish supper and of course invite our local RNLI along with their own team . Needless to say it was a roaring success , target achieved with raffles and an auction , with the result that some of us now have the latest RNLI 200 Cap ! I don ’ t recall who won the quiz , but the RNLI who were presented with a giant cheque for £ 200 . Result ! DAVE PLUMB Coventry BSAC Branch 58 second day [ Lighters were sheet-iron boats used by the British in the First World War to land infantry and carry provisions – History Ed ]. On day three it was two Hellas lighters and the battleship HMS Majestic , with the obligatory day trip to Troy on the fourth day .
These wrecks are not another Scapa Flow – scrap dealers dynamited HMS Majestic to a mound of fragments – but the viz can be spectacular and the currents are mild by Scapa standards . On day three we moored up between dives at a museum site , which gave details about the wrecks . Here , we found fig trees from which we could pick and eat the ripe fruit – less common at Scapa Flow .
After the hospitality we experienced , we would encourage any divers planning a holiday in Türkiye to consider diving the Gallipoli wrecks . SANDY AND JESSICA ANDERSON , Durham Divers BSAC 2445
Insurance woes for senior divers
I ’ M A REASONABLY FIT AND HEALTHY 65-year-old – no medication , own hair , original teeth ; everything still functioning reasonably well . However , I find that in the world of travel insurance I ’ m considered a bit of a liability should I want to do a little diving abroad .
It seems a healthy medical report , a multitude of qualifications and decades of experience , shelves of little red BSAC log books detailing well over 1,100 dives doesn ’ t count for much in the eyes of the insurers . All that ’ s important ( to the insurers ) is the fact I ’ m 65 , therefore many are reluctant to provide suitable cover .
BSAC states there is no specific age in which a medical assessment is mandatory . The DDRC “ suggests ” a face-to-face medical every five years between 60 and
65 ; or every three years from 65 to 70 , then every two years from 70 to 75 , then every year thereafter . The Divers Alert Network states that fitness is more important than age .
So it seems while I can dive the often cold , murky viz of my home waters with impunity and a valid medical ; alas not the warmer , arguably less arduous stuff available abroad . And apparently it ’ ll even be worse next year .
So my question is .. just how old is considered too old ? Should I even still be diving at my age ? I wonder if any museum would be interested in some of my kit ... IAN MUIRHEAD , Durham UK
Editor ’ s response : Don ’ t go to the museum just yet – it ’ s closed for redevelopment anyway . As I suggested in our correspondence , I always recommend specialist diving insurers over the ‘ one-sizefits-all ’ type of cover you get as a bonus with some bank cards ( for instance ).
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