News
Don’t miss diving medicine expert Dr Neal Pollock at the BSAC Diving Conference 2016
The 2016 BSAC Diving Conference has secured two highly sought-after international speakers – Dr Neal Pollock and Jill Heinerth – to talk at the event on 22 October at the NEC, Birmingham.
The Conference is for all members (not just Diving Officers and instructors) so don’t miss your opportunity to hear them speak.
World-renowned diving medicine expert Dr Neal Pollock will take to the BSAC stage to talk about thoughtful management of decompression stress. In his talk – Thoughtful management of decompression stress – Neal will look at the many factors that can alter decompression stress and the practical strategies all divers can use to optimise decompression safety. Speaking of his forthcoming experience Neal said: “It is increasingly common for divers to rely on dive computers for their decompression safety. Dive computers do not yet measure or integrate a multitude of factors that can alter decompression stress. This presentation will consider critical variables, those with the greatest impact and those most able to be influenced.”
Pioneering underwater explorer and filmmaker, Jill Heinerth, will be bringing her inspirational diving experiences to the stage. With dynamic images and stunning photographs from the last finite frontiers of this Earth, in her planned talk – Expedition Files – Jill will share stories about risk management, technology and synergism as she recounts her exploration inside of Antarctic icebergs and making movies deep inside submerged caves around the world. Speaking of her forthcoming experience Jill said: “I love having the opportunity to share stories from my expedition files. I know I will be speaking to the dedicated diving tribe, but if I can help increase the culture of safety or inspire someone to take on new challenges then that is a great reward for me.”
Both Jill Heinerth and Dr Neal Pollock have recorded special pre-conference videos talking about their forthcoming appearances which you can now view online.
Also talking at this year’s BSAC Diving Conference…
Maritime archaeologist at Historical England, Alison James will share her knowledge of England’s protected wreck sites including what has been put in place to enable access for divers. In her talk Alison will look at how BSAC divers contribute to the knowledge and understanding of these sites and that through the involvement of dive clubs we can ensure these sites are monitored and enjoyed for years to come.
Senior Campaigner on the Marine Protected Areas campaign at the Marine Conservation Society, Rachel Alcock works to ensure the Government creates and protects a network of Marine Protected Areas around the UK. In her talk – Safeguarding British marine life – Rachel will update on the campaign, what divers can do and the ongoing work with BSAC.
You can buy tickets for this year’s BSAC Diving Conference here.
Today we are diving one of the outer reefs from an inflatable. As we reach the bottom, a reef octopus eases its way into the cover of a small crack in the coral while displaying it’s incredible ability to change colour. They are arguably one of the most charismatic of reef dwellers and it is always exciting for me to simply hover and watch. I would have spent longer and waited for it to come and investigate me, but as dive time is limited we wanted to move on and find a turtle.
The waters around Somabay are well protected and hold a rich variety of marine life. The reef edges are thriving colonies of coral and shoaling fish, while nearer the sea bed plenty of wildlife is still to be found.
Then we located the turtles. They are very used to divers and so show little concern when slowly approached. In fact occasionally one will come over to see what you are doing. There is always huge excitement when diving with a turtle. The shear thrill of sharing a moment with another species.
What a fantastic way to finish a wonderful few days diving and I would like to thank SOMABAY, ORCA DIVING and THE BREAKERS for making my stay such a good one.
I had a great time, with diving everyday either on the house reef or on one of the offshore reefs by inflatable or larger day boat. Orca diving provided high quality equipment and facilities while the staff were all very friendly and welcoming. The Breakers was right on the coast with nice rooms, good food and once again friendly staff making the whole trip a real pleasure.
Soma Bay covers an entire peninsula and is home to several resorts as well as residential compounds.
As well as scuba diving, Somabay caters for many other sports and activities, and so is perfect for families as well as individuals and/or groups. And of course there is always time to lay peacefully on the beach under the Egyptian sun.
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.
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.
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