News
And the BSAC Diving Conference 2013 award winners are…
More than 400 delegates enjoying a packed programme of news, diver training and skill development course updates and open forums at BSAC’s Diving Conference which was held this year at DIVE 2013. The speakers at the conference – renowned Diving physician Prof Simon Mitchell and polar cameraman and diver Doug Allan – also went down a storm.
BSAC have revealed their Diving Conference award winners. There will be a full report and pictures from the BSAC Diving Conference 2013 in the December issue of SCUBA magazine (out from the 12th November) but in the meantime here are the winners:
BSAC AWARDS 2013
COLLINS & CHAMBERS OWI AWARD – for the most meritorious candidate on the Open Water Instructor Course
Winner: Damian Gascoyne
ANALOX AI AWARD – for the most meritorious candidate on the Advanced Instructor exam
Winner: Jason Hall
FIRST CLASS DIVER – Awarded to the successful 2013 candidates
Martin Smith, Maria Harwood, Gordon Lambert and Hubert Desgranges
AP VALVES AWARD – awarded for the most admirable performance in the First Class Diver exam
Winner: Maria Harwood
NATIONAL INSTRUCTOR – Awarded to the successful 2013 candidates
Louise Whitehouse and Michelle Kim
WEEZLE AWARD – awarded to the person who performs meritoriously in the National Instructor exam
Winner: Michelle Kim
WILKINSON SWORD – awarded for the most admirable performance in a BSAC nationally assessed examination
Winner: Louise Whitehouse
BSAC SAFETY AWARD – presented in recognition of endeavouring to save a life without involving diving techniques
Winners:
Fort William: D Sydenham, S Duncan, C Harvey, R Higgins, G Melville, P Johnson, R Douglas, K Douglas, S Gosden, R Hollstein
Wraysbury: Joanne White, Yvonne Tatchley, Mark Bruce, Paula Hutton, Mark Edwards, Paul Compton
ALAN BROADHURST AWARD – awarded for the use of good diving lifesaving techniques
Winners:
David Williams, Marian Boyde, Peter Craig, Chris Tridgell, Jackie Bush, Clive Bush; Anthony Smith; Neil Hope
BSAC EXPEDITIONS TROPHY – presented to the organiser of the most significant British diving expedition of the year
Winner: Tyneside Branch 114 (for their Skerryvore expedition to Tiree)
PETER SMALL TROPHY – for the branch who has undertaken the most worthwhile underwater project of the year
Winner: Southsea SAC (for their project ‘Kedge Hook’ – HM Landing Craft Tank 427)
COLIN McLEOD AWARD – to the person/s who in the opinion of the BSA Jubilee Trust has contributed to international cooperation and harmony in diving and associated activities.
Winner: Dr John Bevan (a founding member of the Historical Diving Society)
SCUBAPRO COUSTEAU AWARD – for the BSAC member who goes that extra mile in the promotion of the Club’s aims and objectives
Winner: Mark Wilson
THANK YOU AWARDS –
Retired from Regional Coaching positions during 2013 – Dr Pat Farrell, Mark Callaghan and Len Young
For long-standing support as BSAC liaison officer to the UKSDMC – Dr Pat Farrell
HEINKE TROPHY – for the branch judged to have done the most in furthering the interests of BSAC and its members
Winners: Oxford BSAC
Commended: Abu Dhabi SAC
SUUNTO BRANCH VOLUNTEER OF THE YEAR 2013 – nominated by their fellow branch members
New Volunteer of the Year – Angela Clewes (Chorley SAC)
Young Volunteer of the Year – Lucy Fanet (Budehaven SAC)
Event Organiser of the Year – Sandra Burgen (Bradford SAC)
Long-serving Volunteer of the Year – Paul Nusinov (Swansea Yacht & SAC)
Instructor of the Year – Nigel Hilburd (Rhondda SAC)
Branch Volunteer of the Year (general) – Dave Hoskins (Swindon SAC)
JONATHAN CRUSHER OF THE YEAR – presented to the most outstanding Volunteer of the Year
Winner: Nigel Hilburd
you can check out BSAC’s Facebook page for more photos and news from the BSAC Diving Conference 2013.
News
PADI and Scuba Diving Magazine Seek Incredible Underwater Photographs in Annual Photo Competition
Scuba Diving® magazine’s 21st annual Through Your Lens photo contest is underway and accepting images that highlight the incredible underwater world.
“Entering our Through Your Lens Photo Contest isn’t just about winning,” says Candice Landau, Content Director for Scuba Diving magazine. “It’s about beginning the journey of putting your work out there, sharing your unique perspective and realising just how much impact your images can have. With categories for all levels, including an amateur category specifically for newcomers, there’s a real chance to get noticed and inspire positive ocean change.”
“This year we decided to bring back a couple of tried-and-tested categories, as well as add two new ones. In total, photographers will be able to submit to five different categories: wide angle, macro, split shot, amateur, and cold water,” Landau says.
Scuba Diving has confirmed the return of highly esteemed underwater photographers Brandon Cole, Kate Jonker, Suzan Meldonian and Alex Mustard to assist as guest judges. Entry is free, and photographers can submit up to five entries per category.
The grand prize winner will receive a $1,000 USD cash prize and a weeklong liveaboard trip aboard the Komodo Aggressor. First-place winners for each specified category will receive an Aggressor Adventures liveaboard trip; second-place winners will receive a Scubapro regulator; and third-place winners will receive a SeaLife SportDiver S smartphone housing. Two winners in the Amateur category will receive a liveaboard trip from All Star Liveaboards. Select winners will also be given the opportunity to have their photos featured on PADI certification cards.
Past winners of the annual competition include colorful images of alpine newts on water lilies in Belgium, divers finning through a submerged Slovak opal mine, and an eye-to-eye encounter with a dwarf minke whale on the Great Barrier Reef.
“This contest is a chance to celebrate the artistry and passion of underwater photographers at every level. It brings the underwater world to the surface for everyone to see, and it’s always amazing to witness the creativity, dedication, and stories that these images tell,” says Landau. “It’s not just about taking a beautiful picture, it’s about capturing a moment that inspires others to dive, explore, and protect the ocean. Every submission helps us tell the story of the underwater world and why it matters.”
All winners and honourable mentions will be published in the September/October 2025 Photo Issue of Scuba Diving magazine, with the cover featuring one of the contest entries. Entries are open now until July 7, 2025 on scubadiving.com/photocontest.
About Scuba Diving Magazine
United in our passion for diving and the world beneath the surface. Scuba Diving is an inclusive print and digital forum to learn about, connect on and fuel a shared passion for underwater exploration. Our enthusiasm for the sport of diving, the stunning places we experience, the incredible marine encounters, and our purpose-driven commitment to ocean change keeps us connected and inspires one another to seek adventure and save the ocean. The ultimate, trusted source, we deliver expert insights on gear, safety, training, local diving, travel and dive professions – because, as divers ourselves, we care deeply about the same topics. Whether we dive once a year or for a living, we’re a single community of ocean lovers constantly encouraging those new to diving to join us.
About PADI
PADI® (Professional Association of Diving Instructors®) is the world’s largest ocean exploration and diver organisation, operating in 186 countries and territories, with a global network of more than 6,600 dive centres and resorts and over 128,000 professional members worldwide. Issuing more than 1 million certifications each year, and with over 30 million certifications to date, PADI enables people around the world to seek adventure and save the ocean through underwater education, life-changing experiences and travel. For over 50 years, PADI is undeniably The Way the World Learns to Dive®, maintaining its high standards for dive training, safety and customer service, monitored for worldwide consistency and quality. With a longstanding commitment to environmental conservation, PADI is leading the way for millions of people to actively explore, steward and protect the ocean through its course offerings and partnerships with like-minded, mission-driven organisations. PADI embodies a global commitment to ocean health with its mission to create a billion torchbearers to explore and protect the ocean. Seek Adventure. Save the Ocean.SM
Saudi Arabia is reaffirming its commitment to preserving the extraordinary marine environments along its Red Sea coastline
From Jeddah to Yanbu, Umluj, Farasan Islands, to Tabuk, as Saudi welcomes greater numbers to its Red Sea shores, this emerging global destination is making waves not just for its beauty, but for its mindful approach to the environment.
An Underwater Paradise
Stretching along Saudi’s western coastline, this pristine aquatic world is home to over 300 species of coral and more than 250 species of fish, hawksbill turtles, dugongs, dolphins, sharks and sea birds. Just last month, a record-breaking giant 800-year-old coral colony was discovered in the waters of AMAALA. Stretching the length of over six London buses, it is the largest in the Red Sea and even close in size to the current coral colony world record holder—indicative of the Saudi Red Sea’s rude health.
Preserving Nature’s Masterpiece
Recognizing that conservation is key to ensuring the future of this underwater paradise, numerous environmental studies and initiatives have been launched. In 2022, the Saudi National Centre for Wildlife began the largest environmental baseline study ever conducted in the region, the Red Sea Decade Expedition. This saw a team of 126 scour more than 1,800 kilometers of coastline and 90 offshore islands, using DNA sequencing technologies to establish an end-to-end catalog of the Red Sea’s biodiversity—from bacteria to whales—to inform Saudi’s commitment to conserve 30 percent of the Red Sea.
Reef Encounter
The Saudi Red Sea’s coral reefs, considered some of the most climate-resilient in the world and the cornerstone of marine health, are the subject of a number of initiatives in Saudi. Groundbreaking new AI reef monitoring technology has been created and employed to not only monitor coral health, but dispense nutrients, medicine and probiotics as needed in real time according to their needs.
Significant investment in coral labs means that unlike in the wild—where coral reproduces for just a handful of days per year—scientists can now breed coral throughout the year. This can then be transplanted at one of the many floating nurseries established in the Saudi Red Sea, which boast a healthy 97% survival success rate. Just last year, NEOM announced the World’s Largest Coral Restoration project, which will produce 40,000 corals annually, while a secondary facility with ten times this capacity is built to help maintain this underwater ecosystem.
Rachel Moore, PADI Ambassadiver, called the Saudi Red Sea one of the few healthy places left on our planet, saying: “Diving in the Red Sea has made me incredibly hopeful – the corals here are extremely resilient, the coral coverage on the dive sites extensive… [I] was surprised to see how much living coral there is.”
Built to Protect, Not Just Impress
Beyond the labs and the sea itself, protecting this precious environment is at the heart of development in the Saudi Red Sea. For example, the 1.2km Shurayrah Bridge was crafted with a graceful curve, rather than a simple straight-line design, to minimize impact on coral formations.
In the Saudi Red Sea, guests can experience world-class hospitality that puts nature first. Resorts such as Shebara, Desert Rock, Nujuma, a Ritz-Carlton Reserve, and The St. Regis Red Sea Resort are designed with sustainability at their core. From off-grid energy systems to zero-waste initiatives and wildlife-friendly architecture, these retreats offer the ultimate escape—without compromise to the environment.
With just 1% of the entire Saudi Red Sea footprint being developed, the rest will be left untouched—a testament to this commitment to a more conscious conservation.
A Call to Conscious Travel
Soon, visitors will be able to dive even deeper—figuratively and literally—at the world’s first fully immersive experiential marine life center, “Corallium”, currently under development by Red Sea Global. Designed to educate and inspire, the center will offer interactive exhibits and underwater observatories.
To learn more and plan your trip, visit the Visit Saudi website.
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