From fins to the finish line
MY NAME IS PAUL SAMPSON, AND I AM A SCUBA DIVER, fish welfare PhD researcher at the University of Leicester and endurance runner. In 2027, I will be taking on the London Marathon to raise £ 2,000 for the Ocean Conservation Trust.
My research focuses on developing minimally invasive ways of assessing fish stress and welfare. I currently work with koi carp and clownfish, investigating whether biomarkers found in skin mucus could help us understand their physiological responses to stress without relying on more intrusive sampling methods.
Outside the laboratory, scuba diving has given me a connection with marine life that photographs and documentaries never quite managed. Running for a charity that protects and restores marine habitats while helping more people experience, understand and care for the ocean therefore felt like a natural way to bring my research, diving and endurance running together.
Between now and London, I plan to complete the Nottingham half marathon, Rome marathon and Kent Downs Ultra Challenge. I will be sharing updates from the training, along with some of the science behind my work and probably a few questionable decisions along the way.
The prospect of running 26.2 miles is still slightly alarming, but knowing what I am running for should help when the training becomes difficult. If you would like to support the challenge, my JustGiving page is: justgiving. com / page / paul-sampson-london-marathon Any donation or share would mean a great deal. Paul Sampson
Hooked on a feeling
James on the SS Jan Van Ryswyck
I RECENTLY DID MY FIRST PROPER DIVES, seven years after first taking up diving. After a relatively disappointing and sketchy experience in the Galapagos, I dived off Cozumel Island in Mexico and – wow!
The visibility was 30 metres. The water was 30 ° C. We saw otherworldly coral formations, sea turtles, surgeonfish, huge parrotfish, a lionfish, splendid toadfish, and so much more.
‘ I don’ t want this to end,’ I remember thinking. My Dive Leader, Ximena, was a dream, gushing about her love for her job even after 15 years, and imploring me to ask her about anything I was unsure of, which I took full advantage of. To make it better, it was low season, so it was just the two of us. I couldn’ t believe my luck.
Looking back on all the once-in-a-lifetime experiences of my four-month trip across Latin America, those dives stand out. I saw the best of scuba diving, and I’ m now hooked.’ NICK BENTON, Stockport
Landmarks in the Farnes
IN AUGUST, I ORGANISED A WEEK-LONG RIB DIVING EXPEDITION FOR READING BSAC to the Farne Islands in Northumberland. The week of diving was a great success, despite varied weather, and we were able to dive every day. We managed to dive pretty much every‘ classic’ site around the islands including SS Somali; Northern Hares; the Knivestone wrecks; SS Chris Christensen; Gun Rocks; SS St Andre and the Blue Caps. It helped that the underwater visibility was a stonking 15 to 20m! The culmination of the trip was on the last day, with the forecast and tides just so, we managed to dive on Whirl Rocks and the wreck of SS Jan Van Ryswyck.
Incidentally, the latter site turned out to be Sue Mitchell’ s 4000th dive( a stalwart of Reading BSAC), Andy Boulton’ s 250th dive, and for me, it was the dive that featured in my winning article in SCUBA’ s writing competition last year, for which I was wearing my new O’ Three suit. The service that O’ Three provided was first class, and the fit of the suit excellent. I dived with it straight‘ out of the box’ and it did not need any alterations. Thank you, O’ Three! What a fantastic dive to celebrate all of these achievements. JAMES HICKMAN, Reading BSAC
Sue Mitchell celebrates 4,000 dives
James( left) in his O’ Three suit, with Andy Boulton
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