News
Olivier Van Overbeek joins Paul Toomer at Diving Matrix
RAID International‘s Director of Diver Training, Paul Toomer, has announced that RAID colleague and Technical Instructor Trainer Olivier Van Overbeek has joined him at Diivng Matrix.
Here is a release about Oli joining the Diving Matrix team directly from the horse’s mouth:
We are proud to announce the arrival of the upgraded Diving Matrix V2.0.
As some of you are aware, Diving Matrix has been offering bespoke advanced diving education for the last however many years. It all goes by too quickly.
You may also be aware that I (Paul) decided, stupidly perhaps, to work for a training agency and then even stupider (!) start my own. Of course this shifted my focus away from offering diver training into a new arena.
It has always struck me as a shame that I have been unable to bring Diving Matrix into my Dive RAID family. I have missed my friends who have spent many a year listening to me teach and being at the end of my abuse when they tried to kill either themselves or indeed me.
The beauty of Dive RAID is that I get to meet incredible divers, instructors and trainers from across the globe. The person I’m about to introduce you to fits into all three of the categories above.
So it is with great pride that I introduce you all to the new face of Diving Matrix, Mr. Olivier van Overbeek, or OVO or Oli. Yes, he’s Dutch! No. he does not have a bicycle, or a long finger to stick in dykes and yes, he speaks English. Oli is a RAID Recreational Instructor Trainer, a Rebreather Instructor and Technical Instructor Trainer. Oli specialises in Sidemount and now Rebreather but also a pretty dab hand at twinset and has been spotted occasionally in a single tank setup as well.
Oli: “Although I actually started diving in The Netherlands, the bulk of my dive training was done in the UK, going through various trainers and agencies. I was initially introduced to Diving Matrix through Ian France, who provided an excellent Mine Diver Course, and it was through Ian I ended up meeting Paul and subsequently RAID about 3 years ago. During my time with RAID I’ve had the privilege to be involved with the re-writing of various technical programs as a Technical Consultant/Author, a process and opportunity that meant working with Paul and other amazing colleagues.
Since I began working with Paul behind the scenes at RAID I started working less on my own projects at Centurion (my dive centre), so when Paul offered a partnership in Matrix, I instantly knew it made sense, not just logistically, but also because of our shared passion for going the extra mile and general approach towards the customer!”
It is with some sadness I say goodbye to Centurion, and with great joy I embrace Matrix.”
Oli has rebuilt the Diving Matrix website completely, making it more user friendly and has basically given our little company a facelift. With me at the forefront, it surely needed one.
Of course I will don my Matrix hoodie from time to time and offer all levels of training as before.
Matrix will begin offering bespoke technical trips globally and will recruit and train it’s own Expedition Teams at various levels. This will be done in conjunction with the RAID ResEx (Research and Exploration) program.
To make this all official, booze will need to be consumed in the traditional Matrix way. We are planning on of our legendary parties in good old London town. Date – Place – Dress code (fancy dress?) – will be announced shortly.
Finally, we need to mention Ian France. There is no moving forwards into a ‘new’ Diving Matrix without recognising the amount of work, talent, and personality Ian France has put into this company over the last 6 years. Besides being an incredibly talented instructor and trainer, Ian has also been a kind and generous friend to both Oli and myself, offering continuous support and assistance.
Ian has been operating under his own banner, Ian France Technical, for some time now and although we wish him every success, he will be sorely missed at Diving Matrix.
He will be at the party, that is for sure.
Thanks for taking the time to read this and we look forward to seeing and diving with you soon.
Find out more about Diving Matrix at www.divingmatrix.co.uk.
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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