News
BSAC partners with Amateur Swimming Association to get more children snorkelling
The ASA and the British Sub-Aqua Club have announced an exciting new partnership that will see more children in the UK learning to snorkel and enjoying aquatic sports.
This is the first time the English national governing body for aquatics and the national governing body for scuba diving and snorkelling in the UK have worked together.
The aim of the partnership is to introduce snorkelling to children who are already learning to swim as a way of increasing their enjoyment and encouraging a life-long love of being in the water.
Mary Tetley, BSAC’s Chief Executive said: “We’re delighted to be able to work with the ASA to introduce even more children to snorkelling.
“Snorkelling really helps to build confidence in the water as well as opening up the wider possibilities of aquatic activities, including scuba and learning more about our marine environment.
“This is a real first and our partnership with the ASA can only increase young people’s enjoyment of the water and encourage a life-long love of both sports.”
Adam Paker, ASA Chief Executive, said: “This is a wonderful opportunity for our two organisations to work together and encourage more children to participate in aquatic sports.
“Learning to swim at an early age is extremely important, but we also want to encourage children to try other activities so they continue to enjoy the water and make swimming a habit for life.
“I grew up snorkelling and continue to enjoy it today. It is a great sport and one that can open doors to lots of other underwater experiences.
“But it is also important that children learn how to snorkel safely, which is why we are pleased to be partnering with BSAC and incorporating the Dolphin Snorkeller course in our swimming programmes. We want to ensure that children have the opportunity to try new aquatic sports, learn new skills but also know how to be safe in and around water.”
Later this year the partnership will see the launch of a new training course that will give qualified swimming teachers the additional skills needed to deliver snorkelling lessons to children in their local pools.
Swimming teachers can register their interest in the training course here.
The ASA is also making plans to include BSAC’s Dolphin Snorkeller course into its Learn to Swim Framework, allowing even more children the opportunity to discover the fun and excitement of combining the two sports.
Find out more about BSAC Snorkelling here.
More information about the ASA can be found here.
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Jake Davies boards Ghazala Explorer for an unforgettable Red Sea diving experience…
Overnight, the wind picked up, making the planned morning dive a bit bumpy on the Zodiacs to the drop point on Thomas Reef. There, we would dive along the reef before descending through the canyon and then passing under the arch before ascending the wall with a gentle drift. The site provided great encounters with more pelagic species, including shoals of large barracuda, tuna, and bigeye trevally.
Once back on the boat, it was time to get everything tied down again as we would head back south. This time, with the wind behind us, heading to Ras Mohammed to dive Jackfish Alley for another great gentle drift wall dive before then heading up the coast towards the Gulf of Suez to moor up at the wreck of the Thistlegorm. This being the highlight wreck dive of the trip and for many onboard, including myself, it was the first time diving this iconic wreck. I had heard so much about the wreck from friends, and globally, this is a must on any diver’s list. Fortunately for us, there was only one other boat at the site, which was a rarity. A great briefing was delivered by Ahmed, who provided a detailed background about the wreck’s history along with all the required safety information as the currents and visibility at the site can be variable.
Kitting up, there was a lot of excitement on deck before entering the water and heading down the shoreline. Descending to the wreck, there was a light northerly current which reduced the visibility, making it feel more like the conditions that can be found off the Welsh coast. At 10m from the bottom, the outline of the wreck appeared as we reached the area of the wreck which had been bombed, as our mooring line was attached to part of the propeller shaft. Arriving on deck, instantly everywhere you looked there were many of the supplies which the ship was carrying, including Bren Carrier tanks and projectiles that instantly stood out.
We headed around the exterior, taking a look at the large propeller and guns mounted on deck before entering the wreck on the port side to take a look in the holds. It was incredible to see all the trucks, Norton 16H, and BSA motorcycles still perfectly stacked within, providing a real snapshot in time.
Overall, we had four dives on the Thistlegorm, where for all of the dives we were the only group in the water, and at times, there were just three of us on the whole wreck, which made it even more special, especially knowing that most days the wreck has hundreds of divers. Along with the history of the wreck, there was plenty of marine life on the wreck and around, from big green turtles to batfish, along with shoals of mackerel being hunted by trevally. Some unforgettable dives.
The final leg of the trip saw us cross back over the Suez Canal to the Gobal Islands where we planned to stay the night and do three dives at the Dolphin House for the potential of sharing the dive with dolphins. The site, which included a channel that was teeming with reef fish, especially large numbers of goatfish that swam in large shoals along the edge of the reef. These were nice relaxing dives to end the week. Unfortunately, the dolphins didn’t show up, which was okay as like all marine life they are difficult to predict and you can’t guarantee what’s going to be seen. With the last dive complete, we headed back to port for the final night where it was time to clean all the kit and pack before the departure flight the next day.
The whole week from start to finish on Ghazala Explorer was amazing; the boat had all the facilities you need for a comfortable week aboard. The crew were always there to help throughout the day and the chefs providing top quality food which was required after every dive. The itinerary providing some of the best diving with a nice mixture of wreck and reef dives. I would recommend the trip to anyone, whether it’s your first Red Sea liveaboard in the Red Sea or you’re revisiting. Hopefully, it’s not too long before I head back to explore more of the Red Sea onboard Ghazala Explorer.
To find out more about the Northern Red Sea reef and wrecks itineraries aboard Ghazala Explorer, or to book, contact Scuba Travel now:
Email: dive@scubatravel.com
Tel: +44 (0)1483 411590
Photos: Jake Davies / Avalon.Red
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