News
Kingston & Elmbridge SAC celebrates 60 years underwater
Tolworth-based Kingston & Elmbridge SAC has just marked its 60th anniversary led by a president who is still a passionate diver at the age of 70.
The Kingston and Elmbridge branch opened in February 1955, with just half a dozen members hiring a small meeting venue in the local YMCA club.
Now the club proudly lists 85 members and enjoys regular underwater explorations as well as weekly meetings at the clubhouse it acquired 30 years ago after the construction of the M25.
Gerry Hassell joined the group at the age of 18 in 1963 and after 52 years is now the longest serving active member, and the current club president.
He said: “When I first started diving we made our own single skin 3mm wetsuits and dived with twin hose regulators with no non-return valves in and no buoyancy aids.
“Safety standards have improved immensely and everyone now receives comprehensive training. When I first started diving you were literally thrown in the deep end!”
Having enjoyed great success as a diver, Gerry has also seen the club accept various awards and accolades over the years.
He said: “Probably my proudest moment was under the guidance of Major Hume Wallace who was a marine archaeologist.
“The club won the Duke of Edinburgh’s award in 1969 for our marine research into the amphitheatre off the tip of Selsey and as a reward for our research Hume Wallace, myself and several club members were invited to Buckingham Palace to receive the award from the Duke of Edinburgh.”
As the club grew so did its need for premises and when work began on the M25 motorway 40 years ago this year, an opportunity presented itself to the divers.
Gerry said: “In 1985, we managed to obtain some land from Kingston Council. We then went on to purchase from Balfour Beatty one of their main office mobile units that was used on the construction site of the M25.
“We stripped the large cabin down, transported it to our new site off Hook Rise South, Tolworth, and re-erected it complete with a new roof and cladded sides. It remains our clubhouse today.”
Mary Tetley, BSAC Chief Executive, said: “We offer our warmest congratulations to Kingston and Elmbridge BSAC on reaching their 60th anniversary.
“Our organisation is made up of family-friendly, welcoming clubs up and down the country and abroad and it is thanks to the dedication of volunteers like Gerry that the clubs continue to thrive.”
For more information about the club go to www.kingstonsac.org.
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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