SCUBAHUB
Neil Barker ( pictured right ) with friends on a dive trip
A tribute to Neil Barker
IN JUNE , BSAC ANNOUNCED THE LOSS of Eastern Regional Coach , Neil Barker who passed away while on a diving trip to the South Coast .
Those who knew Neil will know he was a dedicated family man with a passion for diving . He was a committed BSAC volunteer , both for his club , Chelmsford SAC , and at a national level as Regional Coach .
Here , Brian Lawrence , Neil ’ s long-time diving buddy and former Diving Officer for Chelmsford SAC , pays his own personal tribute :
“ I ’ m incredibly sad to announce the passing of my friend Neil Barker . Neil took over from me as Diving Officer of The Chelmsford Branch of BSAC 306 and was Regional Coach for the Eastern Region .
Neil was on a dive out of Plymouth , diving the Wreck of the Persier . After getting into difficulty on the surface pre-dive , another diver discovered him on the bottom in an unconscious state , from which he did not recover despite the combined excellent work of the divers , crew , and emergency services .
Having previously been a keen climber , Neil came to diving quite late in his life and took to it like a duck ( or maybe more like a fish ) to water . Neil excelled at early training and progressed through the BSAC grades quickly , along with many qualifications to become , amongst others , a Rescue Specialist . He later completed Advanced Diver and Advanced Instructor grades and the inevitable rebreather qualifications . We joked about where to put all of the badges ; Neil wasn ’ t particularly keen on sewing them onto his drysuit .
Neil was forever giving of his time and would participate enthusiastically in club training in both the pool and open water with an encyclopaedic knowledge of Stoney Cove . Neil also organised and participated in regional training for Boat Handling , Instructor Training and other training such as Advanced Diver . Nothing was too much trouble , and everything came with the everpresent smile . And one of Neil ’ s greatest pleasures was his son Peter completing his training and being able to dive with him as a buddy .
Neil was always available with help and advice , and we would spend many evenings putting the diving world to rights over an ale or two . My enduring memory of Neil will be his enthusiasm and generosity of his time .”
Benefit of the Month
Discounts available with BSAC membership
DID YOU KNOW THAT , AS A BSAC member , you can take advantage of some fantastic discounts with leading scuba gear manufacturers via our BSAC Kit Partner Scheme .
Our BSAC Kit Partners offer members exclusive discounts on a range of products , meaning you can save ££££ s on new kit or upgrades . And that leaves more spare cash to spend how you want – even on more scuba or snorkelling gear !
Here ’ s a round-up of our kit partners and the deals they currently offer BSAC members :
■ Custom Divers : Exclusive offers across most of their product range for both BSAC instructors and members .
■ Navionics : Navimaps , the UK and Ireland distributor for Navionics and Garmin Navionics , is offering 15 % off for club boats ( Branch Officers ) and 10 % off for other members .
■ Northern Diver : All BSAC members receive 10 % off everything in Northern Diver ’ s sport diving range ( excluding cylinders and sale items ).
■ O ’ Three : Save £ 100 off base layers with the purchase of a new , full-price drysuit .
■ Otter Drysuits : BSAC members can get a 10 % off RRP on Atlantic and Britannic MK2 Telescopic Suits .
■ SEAC : BSAC members can claim 15 % off the entire SEAC SUB product range .
■ Weezle : Current BSAC members can get a 12 % off all undersuits and 10 % off all Weezle wear .
To find out how to claim your discount from each of our Kit Partners , go to bsac . com / kitpartners . For more information on the full BSAC membership benefits package , go to bsac . com / benefits
14