News
Deptherapy to complete mission with groundbreaking IDP
When Scuba Diving rehabilitation charity Deptherapy & Deptherapy Education announced that it will close on 31st August 2023, part of the dream that the founders held since 2014 remained unfulfilled. Now, the charity, along with its partners Dive RAID International and Pharoah Dive Club at Roots Red Sea, is delighted to announce that their final mission, to see beneficiaries who had started their diving journey with Deptherapy progress to teaching others, is to become a reality this year.
In adaptive teaching, particularly in respect of the veterans’ armed service community, there has never before been an Instructor Development Programme (IDP) delivered for a group of veterans who have experienced life changing mental and/or physical challenges.
Later this year, Deptherapy and their training partners RAID will deliver an IDP for five beneficiaries, each of whom has already qualified as a Divemaster. One is a bilateral amputee with PTSD, who stepped on an IED in Afghanistan. One has MS and depression, another was shot by a sniper and lost five pints of blood in combat and is diagnosed with Complex PTSD, Survivor Guilt and Adjustment Disorder. Two others have Complex PTSD from their terrible experiences whilst serving in Afghanistan.
The Instructor Development Programme (IDP) will be run partly in the UK and completed at Roots Red Sea in El Quseir, Egypt. Much of the theory and confined water work will be conducted over a number of weekends in the UK, with a skills refresher, the remainder of the theory and open water work carried out at Roots. An independent Instructor Examiner will conduct a two-day IE with the beneficiaries.
Tom Swarbrick, Deptherapy Ambassador and RAID Divemaster, said:
“My two deployments to Afghanistan left me a broken man, mentally and physically. Like so many others, I denied I was mentally ill. Scuba diving has, together with Deptherapy’s 24/7 support, saved my life and changed how I see things. Underwater the demons disappear and when I climb the ladder back onto the boat after a dive, my fellow beneficiaries and the team provide the emotional support I need. For someone, who on return from Afghanistan, saw himself as a burden on society to becoming a Scuba Diving Instructor is an amazing journey and I owe a deep debt to all those involved in making this happen.”
A spokesperson for Dive RAID International said:
“RAID was immensely proud when Deptherapy chose us as their training partners in 2019. We were involved in the discussions about running a Deptherapy Beneficiaries’ IDP at the earliest stage and we are working to deliver this world first. For these beneficiaries to achieve Instructor status will be the pinnacle of Deptherapy’s work; being a part of their journey is an amazing experience.”
Chris Middleton briefing students. Photo – Dmitry Knyazev for Deptherapy
The Deptherapy & Deptherapy Education Board of Trustees has decided that the charity’s residual funds will be used to support the IDP. Steve Rattle the owner of Pharoah Dive Club and Roots Red Sea has organised a fundraising event to raise additional funds to see Deptherapy’s mission completed.
Steve Rattle said:
“Pharaoh Dive Club and Roots Red Sea are long-term supporters of Deptherapy, and we have been privileged and proud to witness and take part in their life changing work first-hand. The team are now working to help facilitate the charity’s final mission. Completing the circle with the beneficiaries that have been helped by learning to dive, becoming Instructors so that they can continue the work beyond the life of the charity is an incredible achievement. This final mission is a true mark of the Deptherapy success story and will ensure that others can benefit from the Deptherapy model for years to come.”
Further details of the IDP will be published in due course. Tickets and more information about the fundraising event, which will be held at the Village Hotel, Coventry CV4 9GZ on Friday 3rd March 2023 on the Go Diving Show weekend, are available from Pharaoh Dive Club at info@pharaohdiveclub.com and their social media channels.
For more information about the work of Deptherapy visit www.deptherapy.co.uk.
Header image: Chris Middleton assisting a student in the pool. Photo – Dmitry Knyazev for Deptherapy
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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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