New friendships in Europe
THERE ARE NOT AS MANY BSAC CLUBS IN continental Europe compared to the UK , so meeting each other and having the opportunity to dive together is always special .
The Swiss Roche Sub-Aqua Club ( RSAC # 1664 ) and the German Heidetaucher (# 1503 ) met during the end of July in Hemmoor , Germany . It all started with an initial contact at last year ’ s continental IFC , hosted by Heidetaucher . The Heidetaucher team welcomed the RSAC members very warmly , and together the idea of a joint dive trip came up .
Half a year later : four divers from the Swiss club decided to spend their bank holidays in July to visit their friends in Northern Germany . After a pit stop at the picturesque dive site in Messinghausen , the RSAC delegation arrived in Hemmoor , which is 725km away from Basel .
On 31 July , Sven and a group from Heidetaucher introduced the Swiss folks to diving in Hemmor , a former chalk quarry , and we enjoyed some really interesting dives all together .
The wonderful get-together was complemented by a culinary exchange . As you can expect , the Heidetaucher warmed up some German sausages and RSAC provided typical Basel spiced cookies for dessert . It was a formidable experience and only the start of a new friendship , which has strengthened the BSAC network on the continent .
Instagram of RSAC https :// www . instagram . com / rsacbasel Instagram of Heidetaucher : https :// www . instagram . com / heidetaucher PATRICK WILHELM , Roche Sub-Aqua Club # 1664
Shallow pool question
FOLLOWING THE ANNOUNCEMENT OF A number of closures of local leisure centres in the North East region , with councils citing lack of funds to maintain the facilities , I ’ ve noticed that newer leisure facilities are moving away from the deeper ( 3m ) pools to the shallower standard 25m pool . I was wondering how this is affecting clubs across the UK with new diver training ? Is this something that is localised or are other clubs struggling with similar dilemmas ? I know our club is among several local clubs who have been forced to move into alternative facilities with shallower pools reducing the effectiveness of some of the drills due to lack of depth . COLIN LAIDLER , Felldivers BSAC
Remembering Raymond Woolley
ON SATURDAY 26 AUGUST , WESTERN SOVEREIGN BASE Areas SAC in Cyprus organised a dive on the Zenobia shipwreck in Larnaca with a local dive company Viking divers . The dive was to commemorate Raymond Woolley , a three-time Guinness world record holder , as the oldest active male scuba diver . Unfortunately , Raymond passed away following illness at the age of 99 years on 12th November 2022 .
Raymond had been a BSAC member probably most of his active 60 year diving career . Until his illness he was a regular attendee at the RAF Akrotiri SAC and had been a honorary member for many years .
The dive on the Saturday saw 20 divers on the car deck from WSBA BSAC , 107 ( s ) RAF Akrotiri , the Eastern Cyprus BSAC 120 ( s ) Dhekelia plus friends from RAF Wittering SAC plus Bushey and Borehamwood SASC BSAC 456 .
The three Guinness World record dives had been carried out on the Zenobia with Viking divers in 2017 , 2018 and 2019 , the last one when Raymond was 96 years and 3 days ! We placed a commemorative plaque in the middle car deck of the Zenobia . DAVID TURNER , DO , Western Sovereign Base Areas SAC , RAF Akrotiri
PHOTOS : PAULA CHEUNG
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