two years on – the Maldives - Bracknell Sub Aqua Club

Winter 2006/7
<strong>two</strong> <strong>years</strong> on – the Maldives
In conversation with Mike Lindsey and Nick Jewson
Just <strong>two</strong> <strong>years</strong> ago one of the
world’s greatest natural disasters
struck when, on Boxing Day a
devastating tsunami raged across
huge swathes of the Far East,
leaving untold destruction and
hollow bereavement for millions.
Gradually some semblance of
normality is returning to parts and
a shattered tourist industry is being
tentatively pieced back together.
In December both Mike and Carol
Lindsay and also Nick and Francis
Jewson coincidentally spent some
time in the Maldives. For many, this
is considered to be one of the exotic
meccas for diving – so what were
their observations <strong>two</strong> <strong>years</strong> on?
an Atoll too far?
“Firstly you realise just what a long
way it is, over 12 hours on a charter
flight just takes you are far as Malé,
the capital, then a fleet of small sea
planes gather you up and spread
you out across a number of the 1190
coral islands that make up the 26
atolls of the Maldives. Oh and £8/kg
for everything over your 20kg luggage
allowance means packing light –
no rebreathers on this trip!”
Neither couple had gone for an
exclusive diving holiday but both
were certainly hoping to get in
some quality sub-aqua vacationing.
so how were things topside?
“The Ari Atoll is just like your dream
desert island, silver sand beaches and
lush vegetation largely unspoilt by man
or nature. All inclusive packages make
this perfect for stressed executives
wanting mindless time by the beach
or the pool with a cold cocktail.”
“With few shops or clubs it is a
great place to chill out although the
rainy season had come late this year
meaning that many days were still
wet and overcast rather than the
endless blue skies and sunshine so
prominently featured in the brochure.”
and under the water?
This seems to depend on what you
want to dive and where you are diving.
With a national MOD of just 30m it
is designed to be easy tourist diving
– not the technical challenge that the
Jewsons are used to.
“From Meeru Atoll we dived one
wreck, the Maldive Victory, a freighter
that struck a newly built jetty that
forms part of the airport. It is
particularly strange breaking the
surface after a dive to be greeted by
the ear-splitting boom of an aircraft
on final approach seemingly just
metres above your head!”
As for the ‘fish and flowers’ fans,
the reefs were hit and miss. Those
particularly exposed on the outer
edges of the atolls had suffered
hugely and were bleak expanses
of bleached and broken hard
corals populated by a smattering
of your typical, tropical fish such
as Pufferfish, the black and white
Humbugfish and rainbow Parrotfish.
Inner reefs however could be pristine
with soft corals and a panoply of
tropical exotica.
morays and sharks
Travelling out to sites for Mike was as
one of a dozen divers on a wooden,
chugging Dhoni, but Nick and Francis
found themselves on a 48 knot, twin
engined speed boat. It was from this
that they managed to find themselves
diving alongside the local white and
black-tipped sharks and morays.
With warm clear water, the Maldives
is an exotic alternative to the Red Sea,
but you do have to chose your Atoll
carefully if you want the best diving. A
timeless resort for the world-weary, this is
probably best seen as a relaxing beach
base with some diving thrown in rather
than a dedicated dive holiday destination.
www.bracknell-scuba.org.uk

deep
thoughts
Nic Hallett
cavewoman II
the sequal
Yetta Andersen
Diving Fashion
A new dive season and the Dive Shows
are coming! Hence a flurry of kit related
activity as tired credit cards appear for
another work-out.
Diving fashions change and it is easy
to lose sight of fiscal prudence and get
caught up with new and different types of
kit as they become the desirable way to
dive. What are today’s fashions and what
drives the trends?
Part of kit-churn is just driven by changing
interests and experiences. That 12L cylinder
you proudly bought a while ago now seems
too small and suddenly everyone seems
to be trading up to 15L’s. And then every
cylinder sprouts a Siamese twin and you
start thinking ‘I too need a pony!’
Many are also ditching their singles for
twin-sets which requires another fashion
transplant, that from jacket BCD to wing.
And then even within the world of twins
notice how many more are being enticed
by independents over manifolds. And that is
before we even start on the ephemeral waft
of dry-suit fashion!
So what drives this consumerist treadmill?
Advertising must work with unfeasibly
pneumatic models filling the glossy dive
magazines. But peer pressure is probably
the greatest engine for change. It is easy to
be inspired, enticed or even covetous of the
next persons new bits of shiny. Particularly if
that person is a more experienced diver that
we look up to or admire! In fact if I was a
marketing manager I’d be discounting kit
to dive instructors everywhere just to fuel
this influence.
And what about club magazines? Well
if any company wants to test out our
influence I’m looking for a fashionably
new shiny twin set and wing… and you
know where to find me:
publicity@bracknell-scuba.org.uk
Our cover story in the last edition of mouthpiece,
‘Cavewoman’, featured an account of Yetta’s experience
on a cave diving course. This issue, Yetta continues to tell
us more about the real nitty gritty of getting down to the
action and thrill of her first cave dive!
day <strong>two</strong> and the action starts
Happy that my kit was ready, I awaited
our departure which involved a 600m
trek uphill and downdale to the Dinas
Silica Mines. My kit weighed about
17kg, so I was grateful for some help
with my reg bag which I couldn’t
squeeze into my rucksack and my fins
which would probably have flapped
about attached to my rucksack.
Some of our group had already set
off ahead of us as they knew where
they were going. The path started out
pleasant enough but soon became
quite steep and difficult to step up in
places – difficult if you’re a bit on the
shorter side! The steepest and hardest
bit was at the beginning, but then I
found myself on grass that gradually
levelled out and then descended.
Great until I remembered I’d have to
climb it on the way back!
I heard the sound of a waterfall and
there was a fabulous view of a river
about forty feet down. I had to pry my
eyes away from the beauty as there
was still a bit more of the walk up to
the mine and a bit of climbing over
some fences, then bend down to enter
the dark mine.
reaching the mine
Hot from the trek, I didn’t really notice
how cool the air in the mine was until
later. Being in the mine was pretty
awesome all by itself. I deposited my
cylinder and kit on the ‘bench space’
my instructor, Martyn, had saved for
me. I drank some water and set off on
my solo trek back to the car to collect
my second load of kit… now which
way was it? :-)
Arriving back, we kitted up at the
mine entrance (basically where we
could see), and did our buddy checks.
Martyn briefed us again and we went
through the emergency info and pack.
So, all kitted up and torches on, we
entered into the mine. Wow oh wow,
so cooool. Martyn explained features
of the mine as we walked to our base
and I could quite happily have spent
longer just looking around.
down to the dive
First, Martyn ensured we fully
understood the plan. Then we agreed
our gas management plans and
checked our kit, breathing all regs
under the water. It was pretty darned
cold, so my mask was fogging on the
surface and I was keen to get under as
reading my gauge was annoying.
First dive plan was for Nick to take
the reel seven metres into the mine to
a post where a permanent 8mm line
was secured. He was to secure the
reel and lead us out along the line. I
had added a block weight and thought
all would be fine but it wasn’t quite

Photos (left to right): trekking to the mine, cave entrance and kitting up area
right so I had some buoyancy issues
at the start. I wanted to get another
weight, but Nick was off and we were
committed. Having to address my
buoyancy at this stage was not good
as it was not possible for me to fully
appreciate the first part of the line
which descended with the passage,
along, around and back up the next
north facing passage to rail number
one. From this rail we descended
back down the passage, along and
around and up again to rail number
<strong>two</strong>. By this time we had penetrated
approximately 40m with surface air at
the tops of the passages.
The dive was wonderful but part of
me so wanted to have a good look
around, while the other part was very
aware of not losing sight of that line!
utter darkness
On the return we also practiced a
lights out. All torches were switched
off and Martyn covered his. It was pitch
black but I was not scared. I had the
line and was well equipped to follow it.
I encountered no problems following
the line. I remembered my training and
used my common sense.
Although that part of the dive lasted
only about three minutes, my brain
seemed to become extremely acute
and processed a number of thoughts:
I considered all I had read, understood
and learnt and let the thought of the
possible consequences should I be
following the wrong line and not be
exiting at all. It made me shudder.
We arrived back at base, where
Martyn had a light shining. We were
debriefed in the water and went
through our plan for the next part of
the dive and recalculated our gas.
Martyn encouraged us to calculate our
thirds aloud so that we could double
check each other.
our next dive
This time I led the dive which involved
line laying. It was fine until I found a
knot in the line (already in existence on
the reeled line rather than caused by
my laying). It was a bit tricky to sort out
but I spent a bit of time methodically
addressing the problem and had to
start trying to work out whether I could,
in fact, use the line with the knot in
place rather than spend more time and
air trying to untangle it.
Martyn came down and together
we solved the problem. I continued,
pleased to see the bogie and arrive at
the planned point for fellow diver, Nick,
to take over. I was now at 80 bar and
Nick, wearing twin 7’s had plenty of air
to continue.
I began to really feel the cold and my
fingers felt like ice so I was pleased to
see Nick unwrapping and detaching
the line on the return allowing me to
just reel in as stretching those snoopy
loops with frozen fingers would have
been a bit arduous.Our dives finished
and fingers warmed, we wished we
could do more!
debrief
More trekking back with our kit and
it was off to the pub for our debrief.
Martyn went through everything,
letting us know how we had done and
signing our log books accordingly.
I must mention what a marvelous
instructor Martyn was, especially
when you consider what he has
done. I never felt for one moment
intimidated or patronised as the ‘85
dive BSAC Sport Diver’ and beginner
in this environment that I am. He was
always sensitive to all our needs and
readily answered any questions. A
genuinely great guy who I am in no
doubt probably now thinks I’m raving
bonkers, but that’s another story!
I can highly recommend the course
and assure fellow divers that, given the
due respect, there is nothing to fear.
The experience was everything
I had imagined it would be, and more:
incredible, wonderful, humbling,
daunting, exhilarating, beautiful,
thrilling, satisfying, euphoric and cold!
preparing for the exam
Sunday night, I slept like a log and
once back home started work on
my exam. This required study and
research, re-visiting everything I had
been told, reading all the book and
finding other sources of information.
After the course I sorted out my kit
and on 4 November, I headed back to
the Silica Mines and dived them again.
The rains in October had certainly
made the walk muddy and slippery
but, thankfully, we had a dry, bright
day and no major accidents occurred.
I led the first dive entry and followed
the same permanent line as previously,
on the course. I very much enjoyed
the return, where my buddy led and I
managed to take a look around.
We then did a second dive following
another, safe, permanent line where
I led the exit. The water was still
8°C, crystal clear and I look forward
to many more dives there. More
information at www.farrworld.co.uk.
www.bracknell-scuba.org.uk

1
2
how great is the
Great White?
Nic Hallett
3
4
The phone rang. “Tomorrow’s pick
up for the Great White Shark cage.
Diving is at 4.30am... OK?”
It is downtown Cape Town, South
Africa. This early the sky is truly black,
the moon almost over-bright and the
stars like halogen pinpricks. George
is waiting by our transport and as we
fill the mini-bus with sleepy faces you
notice the handful of people already
striding purposefully to or from work.
And on street corners the purposeless
gather, a human high tide mark.
Gansbaai is a <strong>two</strong> hour drive east,
over fractured mountains and into the
sunrise. A great breakfast awaits at
the dive centre and by 8am our boat,
a 15m catamaran, is towed over by
tractor and trailer and we board via
aircraft style steps. Fully laden, it is
reversed down the slipway into the
2m swell of the southern Atlantic.
on the crest of a wave
A 20 minute high speed trip, bouncing
off the crests of the waves is both
exhilarating and nauseating in equal
measures and we anchor off shallow
waters in a bay where nomadic ‘Great
Whites’ are known to pass through.
This is not a captive school of
regular, domesticated animals –
90% of daily sightings are of truly wild,
first-timers. They are tempted towards
us and the other four boats by a trail of
decomposing shark livers which are,
unsurprisingly, sensed by the sharks
up to a kilometre away. I can also
sense them and breakfast no longer
seems like such a good idea but
when, after only 30 minutes, the iconic
twin-fin of a breaching ‘Great White’
is spotted, the first four of us kit up in
7mm wetsuits and masks with glee.
setting the bait
The final lure is a 5kg lump of tuna
head which is pitched off the portside
on the end of a float and rope to tempt
the shark towards the cage.
The cage is a heavy duty, welded
steel affair, 1 x 2.5 x 3m which has
been hoisted off the back of the boat
and tied up alongside. Four divers
climb in the top and the lid closed.
We sit, head and shoulders out of the
water, ready to breathe deeply and
duck down when the skipper calls.
So it’s a gas mix of 21% at 1 bar with
a bottom time of about one minute,
but what a minute!
close encounter
Unlike the Jaws caricature ‘Great
Whites’ don’t skim along the surface

Photographs
Nic Hallett
meet the
committee
Backdrop:
The shark arrives!
1. Setting the cage
2. Loading the cage
3. Setting the bait
4. Waiting for the shark
with a dorsal fin provocatively
exposed. They come up from the
deep, unseen until the very last minute,
when they breech the surface with
both their dorsal and tail fin, typically
three metres of pure muscle designed
to just hunt and feed.
Within seconds they are gone but I
was there, in the water, looking it in the
eye as it effortlessly accelerated past.
Half a dozen brief encounters over
45 minutes and then it was time to take
watch from the upper deck while the
next group entered the cage.
back on top
Looking down into the water you get
an even better sense of the scale and
majesty of the beast as it sprints and
thrashes, never quite getting its teeth
on the bait.
This fabulous animal is high on
the endangered species list and it
has been a privilege to come face
to face with a truly wild example
swimming free. This time I’m the
one in the cage and it’s the one to
swim away.
Shortly after midday we’re back
at the dive centre for hot coffee with
freshly baked muffins and looking
forward to the long warm doze on
the trip back to Cape Town.
Chairman:
Martin Forde
Dive Leader
Martin facilitates committee meetings,
liaises with the Leisure Centre manager
and keeps order during the AGM.
chairman@bracknell-scuba.org.uk
Training Officer:
Pete Custerson
Dive Leader / Theory &
Asst Open Water Instructor
Pete arranges the club training
programme, co-ordinates with instructors
and liaises with the Diving Officer.
training@bracknell-scuba.org.uk
Records Officer:
John Ralston
Dive Leader
John keeps membership qualification
records up to date and sorts out our
membership with Head Office.
records@bracknell-scuba.org.uk
Projects Officer:
Raj Bhattnager
Sports Diver /
Asst Dive Instructor
Raj keeps us regularly updated with
the diving programs and organises
special diving related projects.
projects@bracknell-scuba.org.uk
Secretary
Jon Payne
Sports Diver /
Asst Dive Instructor
Jon writes the committee minutes and
publishes them to the club website. He
also organises the AGM prizes.
secretary@bracknell-scuba.org.uk
Diving Officer:
Craig Edwards
Advanced Diver /
Open Water Instructor
Craig is responsible for standards of
diving practice, training and general
safety within the club.
diving.officer@bracknell-scuba.org.uk
Treasurer:
Jean Edwards
PADI Open Water
Responsible for the club accounts.
She collects money for club dives, kit
deposits, membership payments, etc.
treasurer@bracknell-scuba.org.uk
Equipment Officer:
Tony Gaurd
Dive Leader /
Asst Dive Instructor
Tony keeps the club kit in service,
issues out loan kits to new students
and keeps a record of its whereabouts.
equipment@bracknell-scuba.org.uk
Publicity Officer:
Nic Hallett
Sports Diver /
Asst Dive Instructor
Nic is responsible for production
of mouthpiece, press releases and
keeping the club noticeboards tidy.
publicity@bracknell-scuba.org.uk
Social Secretary:
Michael Moonesinghe
Sports Diver /
Asst Dive Instructor
Michael arranges club social events
throughout the year including the
highlight ‘Ice Divers Ball’ event.
social@bracknell-scuba.org.uk
info@bracknell-scuba.org.uk

a day at the SETT
Dan Koo Mo Shan
The Royal Navy’s Submarine Escape Training
Tank (SETT) at Gosport, was built in the 1940’s
to provide a site where submarine escape
training, practice and drills could be carried out
in a controlled and safe environment. The tank
is housed in a ten storey tower, and measures
just five meters wide but 30 metres deep!
briefing
The day started with security
checks and the issuing of
Royal Navy passes and then the
mandatory safety briefing, which
I nearly missed being Mr. Late.
the tank
Briefing over, it was time for a
proper glimpse of the tank. Unlike
the normal users of the tank who are
pushed out the airlock at the base
of the tank to free ascend to the
surface, I would be entering from
the top. This meant hauling all our
scuba gear to the 10th floor... thank
goodness for lifts!
The water in the tank is crystal
clear and, when looking down, I
could only compare the feeling to
looking down a long lift shaft. But
this was given an odd twist by the
feeling of the warm water which
came right to the lip of the tank,
gently lapping unexpectedly over
my face.
the dive plan
The plan was to dive in buddy
pairs, with a bottom time of fifteen
minutes, plus a safety stop. A
routine was quickly established so
that there was always one buddy
pair heading for the bottom whilst
the previous pair were ascending.
into the tank
I was diving with Pete Custerson
and it was time to enter the tank,
by ladder to reduce spillage.
I wish all dives could be like
this... it was like entering a bath as
the water temperature was a steady
33 degrees.
Those who have dived with me
will know of my BCD’s constant
struggle to free itself of anything
attached to it, either cylinders or
weights. Thanks to Martin Forde,
I managed the dive without any
cylinder slippage but I maintained
my reputation as my cylinder’s boot
did fall off on entry!
down we go
I had considered a fast descent, like
a slow motion skydiver, but as I was
worried about clearing my ears, and
Pete was faffing with his new wing,
the decent was nice and slow.
At the bottom my dive computer
registered 27 metres and it was time
to look around the bottom of tank
which was largely taken up by the
main airlock/hatch.
After ten minutes, without the

training corner
Pete Custerson
strategy for 2007
In recent <strong>years</strong> training has focused
on the recruitment of new members
and the resultant first level training
of Ocean Divers and Sports Divers.
Many of the clubs instructors have
invested a huge amount of time and
effort in building up the membership
and have succeeded in maintaining
a very healthy branch. So this year
the plan is to hold off on the active
recruitment for a while and spend
some time investing in our existing
members, training the trainers and
advancing the experienced divers
already in the club.
normal stimulus of wrecks, lobsters
or fish, the novelty factor of being
indoors and at 25+ metres started
to wear off. So to try and stem this,
a life size, buxom mermaid has
been painted near the bottom of the
tank. This attracted a lot of attention
and scrutiny from fellow divers
as demonstrated by Pete (aka the
Bracknell Fumbler) and I wonder
if they considered re-doing the
mermaid as a relief print... perhaps
in latex?
back to the top
Eventually I entered what I could
only describe as the ‘goldfish zone’.
Diving around the tank in one
direction and then, after a number
of laps, turning around and diving
in the other direction.
Even with my limited attention
span, the time to return to the
surface came all too soon and this
unique experience came to an end.
Everyone thought it was a great
day out and many thanks to Sarah
Custerson and Dave Hughes for
organising it.
improving your skills
So the Sports Diver course that
started earlier this month will
probably be the only one this year
and no more Ocean Divers until
after the Come and Dive Week
in the autumn. This means that
experienced Sports Divers will be
supported if they want to move on
to Dive Leader and those who have
nearly made this grade will be given
every opportunity to get it finished.
And for Dive Leaders we have just
started running an Advanced Diver
programme, a really demanding
training which hasn’t been run in
Bracknell for quite some time.
Skills Development
Courses (SDCs)
There will be the core programmes
and some new ones including a
Dry Suit Diving course for those
transitioning from wet suits and
semi-drys. We are also looking
into three SDCs: Lifesaver,
Oxygen Administration and
Rescue for Divers.
Yetta has done a great job in
initiating plans for <strong>two</strong> courses
that she was interested in. She
has researched them, sorted out
trainers and is looking to schedule
an Advanced Nitrox course and
possibly the Extended Range Diver
course which trains air diving down
to 50m.
So that means there will be lots of
opportunities for everyone, at almost
any level, to do something different
and challenge what and how they
dive. And, as the new season starts
the Diving Officer will be running
a Dive Marshal briefing and risk
assessment workshop – check
out the Yahoo training calendar
for dates.
kit check
And finally most people will
be servicing, or thinking about
servicing, their kit ready for the
new season.
Do remember to try out your
newly serviced kit in the pool
before diving for real – it is
surprising just how many little
leaks and problems can turn up
and 3m down in Bracknell is just
the place to sort them out, not
30m down in zero vis with a
current running on the Black Hawk!
www.bracknell-scuba.org.uk

winging it
Jon Payne
Many divers, at
some point in their
diving career, make
the move from BCD
to wing, and having
recently reached
said point, I’ll share
my experiences
for those who
may be thinking
of doing likewise...
Shawn Bishop demos the wing
Firstly, a comparison of the <strong>two</strong> styles.
A wing comprises a separate non
wrap around bladder, backplate and
harness, as opposed to the BCD which
combines all three into more or less a
single component.
Typically a wing will have more
lift than a BCD, and the option of
a dual bladder for redundancy. In
addition, clutter is removed from the
divers’ front.
A wing is more oriented towards
twinset and technical diving. On the
other hand, a BCD is well suited to
single cylinder recreational diving,
simple to adjust, has the benefit of
pockets, and tends to hold the diver
face up at the surface.
my personal experience
So, to my experience in moving from
BCD to wing. The main driver behind
the change was a desire to move to a
twinset, to extend my dive times.
Whilst my Buddy Pioneer was
certainly capable of dealing with
twin 10’s, I really wanted something
designed outright for the job. An
added bonus would be the reduction
of clutter up front.
After some deliberation, I plumped
for the AP Valves Tekwing – not
perhaps the best looking or most
‘techie’ wing around, but robust,
functional, and with the legendary
AP Valves lifetime guarantee and
customer service behind it.
I’ve dived the wing half a dozen
times now, and I’m still getting to grips
with it. The first thing I did was ditch
the crotch straps. They weren’t really
necessary (for me anyway) and meant
I had to get the wing on and straps
done up before donning my weight
belt. I then spent a lot of time on the
harness adjustment, to get the wing to
sit properly.
Ryan Francis models a traditional
jacket style BCD
My next discovery was that attaching
weighty items to the D rings on the belt
caused them to slide down and pull
the belt undone – a problem specific to
this harness I suspect. This meant new
locations had to be found for torch and
reel. One problem here is that diving a
semi dry means my only pockets were
in my BCD... so now I don’t have any!
For the moment I’ve added some strap
on cargo pockets to deal with this.
the verdict
Generally the wing dives well. So
far I’m using it with a single cylinder
and pony. There is no shortage of lift
(22.5kg), though there is a tendency
to tip face down at the surface if it is
inflated too much. I expect this may be
better when the twins are introduced.
There’s always the option of lying on
my back in calmer water. In fact fully
inflated all I need is a set of oars and
I have a small raft!
I do have in mind a few
modifications. I’ll probably add a pull
string to the shoulder dump valve
– it doesn’t come with one. I’ll look
at adding Inspiration weight pockets
fairly soon, and in the longer term may
change the harness. Overall however,
I’m happy with the setup. Next job
– the twinset…

ice divers ball
Garry displays his latest dry suit attachment
A good time
was had by all
at the annual Ice
Divers Ball on
27 January.
Nic discovers that his DJ has been
donated to the raffle
Peter presents his new dive slate
The raffle raised
£826 for charity.
Many thanks to
everyone who
bought tickets,
donated prizes
and/or helped out
on the night.
£219 of that total
will be given to
The Thames Valley
Hospice and the
remainder will
be donated to St
Johns Ambulance.
Thanks go to
Lorraine Nicholls,
ably assisted
by Michael
Moonesinghe for
all their hard work
in organising this
great event.
Craig proudly presents his
new radar reflective SMB
Ooops... who stole our baby?
info@bracknell-scuba.org.uk

history lessons
Mike Lindsay
Twelve <strong>years</strong> ago I joined the Historical Diving Society
(HDS) to learn about the inventions and changes that
man had made to conquer the undersea world. A couple
of <strong>years</strong> later, I thought there must be a better way to
learn about diving so I spoke to a couple of nice people
at Bracknell BSAC and signed up as a novice.
Recently I noticed an advertisement
for the forthcoming HDS Conference in
Canary Wharf. So I grabbed my anorak
so that I could hear what is new... on
reflection a bit of an oxymoron.
railway divers
The first presentation about Railway
Divers was by Dr Nick McIver,
a specialist in diving medicine.
He described how, with the fast
developing Victorian railway system,
came the attendant problems of
flooding tunnels and bridge inspection.
A diving department was formed
over the next fifty <strong>years</strong> although
training was extremely basic. A man
was a craftsman first and foremost
– he was then put into a diving suit
and on the job training began!
Two notable incidents included
the Tay Bridge disaster when a train
careered off the bridge and into the
Firth of Tay. Railway divers were called
from all over to recover the bodies and
all refused payment for the work.
The second incident was the
flooding of the Severn Tunnel which
must have been one of the first uses
of a rebreather. It was used because
the conventional airline system was
apt to become caught in the tunnel
construction debris.
A valve had to be shut to stem
the flooding and a brave diver tried
twice to do so, nearly dying of
oxygen poisoning, which at that
time was a virtually unknown hazard.
He only failed on his second attempt
as nobody had told him it turned
anti-clockwise too!
sunken treasure
Another lecture dealt with the
supposed treasure that sank with the
defeated French and Spanish fleets in
Vigo Bay in Portugal.
Nothing has ever been found and
the gold was probably unloaded and
transported overland when the British
fleet was spotted earlier, but this didn’t
stop various diving expeditions trying
their luck for the next hundred <strong>years</strong>.
Dr David Earle’s book: Treasure Hunt,
is due for publication next year.
navy yarns
After lunch, <strong>two</strong> light-hearted lectures.
The first ‘One Size Fits All’ by
Lieutenant Commander Richard Larn.
Royal Navy diving equipment
has often lagged behind the latest
developments. For example, it took
<strong>two</strong> men to dress a diver in a suit
nicknamed the ‘Clammy Death’ while
at the same time the Italian Navy
had lightweight suits similar to our
own drysuits. The British also wore a
watertight rubber latex hood. It had the
unfortunate habit of causing ‘reverse
ear’, which burst the eardrum on
surfacing. Oh and did we mention the
fins that only came in size 9?
you’re in the army now
The last presentation was by Colonel
Peter Chitty who created the Royal
Engineers Diving section. Since its
formation, this division has been
deployed globally from Korea, Vietnam
and Malaysia to The Falklands.
At one time divers were so scarce
that Ghurkha soldiers were trained.
But surprisingly, Colonel Chitty’s
claustrophobia prevented him
becoming a diver himself.
One of the projects he was
involved in was the Mary Rose
where the majority of the technical
diving and actual raising was by
Royal Engineer Ghurkhas.
Proud of his involvement in this
project, he showed us a photo of
himself with Prince Charles, King
Constantine and Sir James Irvin,
musing that “all we needed was the
Bishop of London and we’d have a
complete chess set!”
some personal thoughts
It was an interesting day. Returning
home, I reflected how much we owe
to the forerunners of diving for a sport
that has been made safer by their
courage and dedication.

I-SPY
THE PROJECTS
OFFICER
Tish Bhatnager interviews husband, Raj
Last November my husband, Raj, decided to put himself forward for the role
of Projects Officer for the club. Now he has been in the role for a few months,
I thought it would be a good time to find out more about what the role entails:
Why did you decide to put
yourself forward for the
Projects Officer role?
I’ve been an active club member
for over three <strong>years</strong> and have really
enjoyed the club’s friendly atmosphere
and benefitted from the training the
club provides. We have made lots
of new friends and have joined many
of the club’s social events.
With many other club members
putting in so much effort into the
training, social events and club
management, I wanted to give
something back. Pete Custerson
was moving out of the role to take
up the Training Officer position, so
it seemed like an ideal opportunity.
What is the Project Officer
required to do?
It seems like at every committee
meeting there is a frequently
heard refrain along the lines of
“that sounds like a project”. It is
a reasonably reactive role in that
anything that is important, needs
doing and is a discreet chunk of
work, but which doesn’t fit into
anyone else’s remit, comes my way!
What projects have you
worked on so far?
I’ve already carried out a detailed
appraisal on the use, practicality and
requirements for having defibrillators
on dive boats. I wrote up my findings
in a report and presented it to the
committee. It is now available for
review by all members on the club’s
Yahoo site.
I have also prepared the updated
pool marshal rota and published pool
marshal responsibilities and duties
– also available on the Yahoo site.
Raj & Tish dive the Giannis D wreck on club trip to El Gouna
Are there any
other projects
in the pipeline?
Following a
change to AV
procedures,
all those who
have completed
rescue training
in the last
five <strong>years</strong> will
need to be
retrained. I am currently in the process
of arranging the required refresher
courses for this.
Later in the year I will be arranging
the Come and Dive 2007 session for
people to come and try out diving for
the first time in the safe confines of the
pool. Sarah Custerson did a fantastic
job organizing the Come and Dive
2006 and I am hoping that she will
assist me this year!
Is there any message that
you want to give to members
of the club?
I am at the club most Thursdays
and anyone who wants to know more
about my role is welcome to come and
chat. There is always a load to do and
if anyone would like to help out and
get involved they can let me know
at any time.
One thing members can do is to read
the Pool Marshal Rota and make sure
they make a note in their diaries of the
dates that they are marshalling. If you
know you can’t make a date, please
organise a swap with someone well in
advance if possible, and let me know
when a swap has been agreed.
How can members contact you?
Either see me at club on a Thursday
at the club or send an email to
projects@bracknell-scuba.org.uk
www.bracknell-scuba.org.uk

social diary
FEBRUARY
Tuesday 20 February
Dinner Night
Bangpra Thai restaurant, Camberley
Cost: approx £22.00 each
Tuesday 27 February
West End Theatre Trip
Evita (excellent seats)
Cost: £36.00 each
(includes coach from Wokingham)
MARCH
Tuesday 13 March
Dinner night
Chinese Empress Garden, Sandhurst
Cost: £16.50 each
Saturday 31 March
Party Night
Tex/Mex @ Hardy’s Restaurant, Bagshot
Cost: £16.50 each
let’s tuck in
Welcome Baby Woo!
Jack Wooster puts in an
appearance at the Ice Divers Ball
APRIL
Friday 13 April
Beer & Skittles, Jack O’Newbury, Binfield
Cost: £12.50 including hot buffet
Partners and families welcome
MAY
Sunday 6 May
River Boat Shuffle
Four hour evening cruise along
the Thames from Runnymede
including hot BBQ buffet and disco
Cost: £31.50 each
Families and guests welcome
Tuesday 15 May
Dog Racing
Reading
Cost: approx £10.00 – 15.00 each to include
admission, hot basket meal and <strong>two</strong> drinks
JUNE
Thursday 21 June
Ladies Day, Royal Ascot
Tickets for Silver Ring
Cost: £22.00 each
Family & friends welcome
Mexican hat dance
the salsa shuffle
Errata:
Apologies for the
misprint of the Club
UK Photography winner
in the last edition of
mouthpiece. Chris
Edwards won this
award with his
‘Follow me, I know the
way to the Sand Dredger’
Cuttlefish photograph.
Orders are now
being taken by Gill
and Ian Vine for 2007
Club T Shirts.
Cost: £10.00 each
Sizes: S, M, L, XL,
XXL, XXXL
Note: This is a one-off
order, with cut off date
of 15 March 2007, so
please see Gill or Ian to
avoid disappointment.
If you do not have a
receipt, you haven’t
placed an order!
JULY
Monday 23 July
West End theatre trip
The Sound of Music, excellent tickets
Cost: £52.50 each (includes coach from Wokingham)
gone to the dogs
A BIG THANK YOU to everyone who has contributed
pictures and articles to this edition of mouthpiece.
New content is always appreciated – please send to:
publicity@bracknell-scuba.org.uk
produced for Bracknell BSAC by
GCT Design Works Ltd – 0118 377 4096
GCT00775/FP/0207