SCUBACHAT
Remembering Brian Watts
BRIAN WATTS, A FOUNDER MEMBER AND PRESIDENT OF ILFRACOMBE AND North Devon Sub-Aqua Club, has died at the age of 94. The club was formed at the very beginning of 1960 by a group of local North Devon adventurers, including Brian, and some RAF service personnel.
BSAC itself was only four years old, so Ilfracombe and North Devon became Club 86. The BSAC Handbook taught them to dive and Brian made the most of his largely homemade kit. How much of it was really homemade? Well, lead weights were cast, harnesses and wetsuits were self-made, and in Brian’ s case a regulator was fashioned from a Calor gas valve and an ex-RAF cylinder!
Brian was still diving at the age of 90 and was surfing on his 94th birthday just off his hometown, Woolacombe. He died after a short illness a few weeks later; his ashes will be transported by the club’ s dive boat out to his favourite dive site. TONY FREEMAN
Tony Johnson – Guildford’ s visionary
TONY JOHNSON, FORMER CHAIR OF Guildford BSAC and one of our most accomplished divers from the 1970s through to the early 2000s, died recently at the age of 75.
Tony, a stalwart of Guildford BSAC for over 30 years, was awarded Honorary Life Membership in 2017 in recognition of his immense contribution to the development and running of our club. Not only was Tony an extremely accomplished Advanced Diver and a leading proponent of rebreather diving, he also held numerous positions on the club committee, most notably as Chairman for 13 years, from 1994 to 2007. He worked tirelessly for Guildford BSAC for decades developing and launching our first website, our first membership database and twice preparing detailed submissions for BSAC’ s Heinke Trophy.
For many years Tony was a Trustee of the Guildford Waterside Centre, a unique collaboration between Guildford BSAC, The Wey Kayak Club and the Samson MS Therapy Centre, which now houses one of the UK’ s few independent Hyperbaric therapy units. Tony was a leading campaigner to fund and build the New Waterside Centre that today is enjoyed by all the founding member groups.
Guildford BSAC’ s exceptional boatshed and facilities at the Waterside exist very much due to Tony’ s years of hard work; our members are all grateful to him for his extraordinary efforts.
Many of us will simply miss Tony as a dear friend and a great scuba diver. I have very fond memories of Tony and his longstanding friend and dive buddy John West, who is fortunately very much still with us. Together, they were regular fixtures on dive trips from Portland on Skin Deep and Skin Deeper and regaled us all with tall tales from their years of diving.
I am sure all who knew Tony will share with me in sending deepest sympathy and condolences to his wife and family. CHRIS DAY, Guildford BSAC
John Parkinson – a tribute
JOHN PARKINSON, ONE OF Droylsden Sub Aqua Club’ s founding members, passed away on 20 Aug 2024. Along with Keith Hyde and Laurence Hibbert they founded the club back in 1975.
John worked hard to achieve all of his qualifications, but his proudest moment was in the mid 90s, when he achieved the distinction of BSAC First Class Diver, qualifying and being given the number 767.
While appreciating the value of inland dive sites, it was the sea that beckoned John. Whether it was Land’ s End, Anglesey or St Kilda, it didn’ t matter; he just wanted to be at one with nature. To immerse himself in this underwater world and see its diversity of life was the only reward he ever needed.
He loved diving from a hard boat around the Farne Isles, particularly when the seal pups were around. One of his most treasured memories was diving with Fungi the Dolphin at Dingle, Southern Ireland.
Always enthusiastic, John was constantly giving his time to train others either locally or nationally, and would often spend time away with BSAC Area Coaches. He loved using the club RIBs, and it would be safe to say, he definitely knew his bowline from his half hitch – knots were his forte!
John was a committee member of the Northern Federation of Divers( NORFED), always using his knowledge of diving to encourage and help others. He was the driving force behind acquiring and building the DSAC Club House, and was an active member right until the end.
Sadly, in recent years, his diving ability declined due to physical health, but he could often be found in the pool on family nights splashing around with his grandchildren. John will be greatly missed. DAVE HACKMAN, Droylsden SAC
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