News
Blue Planet II inspired art will help raise funds for UK seas
Dunblane artist, Jeremy Wyatt, will support the Marine Conversation Society through artwork sales
An artist, whose latest exhibition has been inspired by the sea, says he’ll be giving half the proceeds from the sale of one of his paintings to the Marine Conservation Society (MCS).
Originally from Barry, Wales, Jeremy Wyatt grew up with an ocean view. He relocated to Scotland in 2010 and has settled in Dunblane where he lives with his wife, Lucia, who is a Sea Champion volunteer for MCS.
Jeremy is currently showing his exhibition ‘Beneath Sky and Sea’ at the Smith Art Gallery and Museum in Stirling (until 30th March). All the work in the collection was inspired by the BBC Blue Planet II series which drew the public’s attention to the massive issue of plastic pollution in our seas.
Jeremy says: “Like so many people, we were inspired to step up our efforts for MCS after watching Blue Planet II and we hope the proceeds of this statement artwork called “sinking feeling….” will boost their campaign funding. If just one more Sea Champion emerges from our contribution, we will be lifted up! One by one we can all make a difference united in our desire to clean up our oceans for the benefit of all creatures on earth.”
Jeremy, who has been selling his art since the 1980’s, works mainly in acrylics and ‘sinking feeling’ is a fabulous example of how his imagination works from realism through to quirky surrealism. The painting depicts a range of different fish, within a porthole frame, floundering at the bottom of a polluted ocean. A puffin swims above the drama almost calling for help for its fellow creatures.
Tara Proud, MCS Volunteer and Community Engagement Manager, Scotland says: “MCS is extremely grateful to Jeremy for kindly donating the proceeds of his wonderful painting to support the vital work we do. The time to save our oceans is now and so we’re grateful for support we receive like this which has been inspired by one of the most iconic programme of recent years. Jeremy’s art is vibrant and colourful – which is how we’d like our oceans to remain – but if we continue to abuse the sea by polluting it and overfishing then it’s future is thrown into doubt.”
Beneath Sky and Sea’ is currently showing at the Smith Art Gallery and Museum in Stirling until March 30th.
For more information about the Marine Conservation Society visit their website by clicking here.
Day three of my trip to Somabay and we were spending the day on the Lady Christina and diving on the wreck of the Salem Express.
Diving wrecks for me is always one of mixed emotions. The excitement of diving a wreck is more than often tempered by the thought of loss of life when she sank. The Salem Express was a passenger ship and a roll-on/roll-off ferry travelling from Jeddah, Saudi Arabia to Safaga, Egypt. Most passengers were of poor class travelling home from their holidays while around 150 people were returning home from their pilgrimage to Mecca.
The ship struck a reef and sank within 20 minutes. Passengers were trapped below deck and the ship was filled with fear and panic.
The wreck area is strewn with personal belongings from the crew and passengers such as a transistor radio and a flat iron for clothes. A diver at sometime has put them in a prominent place to be seen.
Tragically only one life boat was launched while the others went down with the ship. More than 600 men, women and children lost their lives here.
It’s a stark reminder that the sea can be unforgiving and so when we dive on such wrecks we should do so with humble regard.
Returning to the surface, shoals of fish are gathered under our boat and seem to be welcoming us back into the light.
Back at the Breakers I sat in the dining area with a beer and a very good meal while my thoughts still remained with the day’s dive on the Salem Express.
Check in for part 3 tomorrow for Jeff’s last day of diving with Somabay on the off-shore reefs looking for turtles.
Book your next Red Sea dive adventure with SOMABAY! For more information, visit www.somabay.com.
Stay at the Breakers Diving & Surfing Lodge when you visit! For more information, visit www.thebreakers-somabay.com.
Find out more about ORCA Dive Clubs at SOMABAY at www.orca-diveclubs.com/en/soma-bay-en.
For a week at the end of February I was invited to sample the diving with Orca Dive Club based at the Breakers Diving and Surfing Lodge by courtesy of SOMABAY.
Somabay covers an entire peninsula and is home to several resorts as well as residential compounds. Somabay caters for scuba diving as well as many other sports, including windsurfing, golf, sailing, go-carting, horse riding and many other activities.
All the activities are of a world-class standard and any or all of these can be booked directly from The Breakers.
I took Easyjet from Bristol (UK) to Hurghada. Easyjet are not by any means my favourite airline but the flight was cheap and direct (except for the surprise extra £48 I was charged at the gate for my carry-on bag).
I was met at Hurghada airport by a driver and car and taken to the Breakers 28 miles (45Kilomaters) south along the coast. Once at the hotel I was too late for an evening meal and so a basic meal was delivered to my room. That and a beer from the fridge and I was fast asleep.
Early the next morning after breakfast I arrived for my rep meeting at the Orca Dive Center for 8.00am. I was immediately made to feel welcome, and after brief introductions I got some dive gear from the store, had a chat with my dive guide Mohamed and got ready to try the house reef situated at the end of a very long wooded pier where all diving gear and divers are taken out by buggies.
Once at the end of the pier, a helping hand from staff makes sure your gear is set and then it’s a short walk to the very end where you can either climb down a ladder of simply jump in the water next to the reef. The house reef extends both north and south giving a very easy and safe dive with plenty to see. At this time of the year the water temperature was a constant 22 degrees Centigrade and there was little or no current, so there were no issues in swimming back to the pier.
Quite a few divers were in dry or semi-dry suits, but being from the UK and used to the cold I found a 3mm wetsuit with a 3mm neoprene vest quite comfortable. Even after 50 years of diving I still find that first dive of a trip slightly nerving until I am actually underwater and then all becomes relaxed and I ease into auto diving mode. There was plenty to see with many of the Red Sea favourites along the way.
After the dive and a buggy ride back to the hotel for a very good buffet lunch I was back in the water, once again on the house reef for an afternoon dive.
Check in for part 2 tomorrow when Jeff gets on a day boat and dives a few of the off-shore reefs.
Book your next Red Sea dive adventure with SOMABAY! For more information, visit www.somabay.com.
Stay at the Breakers Diving & Surfing Lodge when you visit! For more information, visit www.thebreakers-somabay.com.
Find out more about ORCA Dive Clubs at SOMABAY at www.orca-diveclubs.com/en/soma-bay-en.
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