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Diving with… Craig Yon, Dive Saint Helena, South Atlantic Ocean

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In this ongoing series, we speak to the people who run dive centres, resorts and liveaboards from around the world about their businesses and the diving they have to offer…


What is your name?

Craig Yon

What is the name of your business?

Dive Saint Helena

What is your role within the business?

Director and Founder

How long has the business operated for?

10+ years

How long have you dived for, and what qualification are you?

17 years, Padi MSDT 306289 /8 Instructor Specialties.

What is your favourite type of diving?

Deep Diving and Videography.

If you could tell people one thing about your business (or maybe more!) to make them want to visit you what would it be?

We have a friendly operation giving you the best St Helena has to offer which very few divers have experienced!

What is your favourite dive in your location and why?

The wreck of the RAF Darkdale; its an old war grave wreck, yet still intact with a lot of history behind it. Very good for photography.

What types of diving are available in your location?

Reef, wreck, cavern, swim throughs, pinnacles, overhangs, pelagics and, best of all, snorkelling with the Whale Sharks.

What do you find most rewarding about your current role?

Introducing new divers to our wonderful ocean and offering visitors an experience of a lifetime.

What is your favorite underwater creature?

The Chilean Devil Rays.

Are there any exciting changes / developments coming up in the near future?

Yes! The introduction to nitrox and the arrival of a recompression chamber.

As a centre what is the biggest problem you face at the moment?

Lower diver numbers due to the cost of flights to St Helena.

Is your centre involved in any environmental work?

Yes we work very closely with the local marine department. We are also involved with other organisations like Blue Marine Foundation and for several years we have worked with Georgia Aquarium carrying out Whale Shark research. We are also involved in local clean up projects along the coastline.

How do you see the SCUBA / Freediving / snorkelling industry overall? What changes would you make?

Personally, I think it is already well managed, However I would like to promote free diving a little more.

What would you say to our visitors to promote the diving you have to offer?

I have dived in quite a few places in the world and really believe that St Helena should be ranked as one of the top 10 best dive destinations worldwide.

Where can our visitors find out more about your business? 

Nick and Caroline (Frogfish Photography) are a married couple of conservation driven underwater photo-journalists and authors. Both have honours degrees from Manchester University, in Environmental Biology and Biology respectively, with Nick being a Fellow of the Royal Photographic Society, a former high school science teacher with a DipEd in Teaching Studies. Caroline has an MSc in Animal Behaviour specializing in Caribbean Ecology. They are multiple award-winning photographers and along with 4 published books, feature regularly in the diving, wildlife and international press They are the Underwater Photography and Deputy Editors at Scubaverse and Dive Travel Adventures. Winners of the Caribbean Tourism Organization Photo-journalist of the Year for a feature on Shark Diving in The Bahamas, and they have been placed in every year they have entered. Nick and Caroline regularly use their free time to visit schools, both in the UK and on their travels, to discuss the important issues of marine conservation, sharks and plastic pollution. They are ambassadors for Sharks4Kids and founders of SeaStraw. They are Dive Ambassadors for The Islands of The Bahamas and are supported by Mares, Paralenz, Nauticam and Olympus. To find out more visit www.frogfishphotography.com

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Midlands Diving Chamber donates £20k to Bite-Back

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Hyperbaric and dive medical experts, Midlands Diving Chamber (MDC), has underpinned its long-term support of Bite-Back Shark & Marine Conservation with a one-off donation of £20,000, as the Rugby-based diving doctors wind down the charitable side of its operation.

The donation represents the single biggest financial contribution made to Bite-Back, delivering a huge boost to its campaigns to end the UK trade in shark products.

Spokesperson for Midlands Diving Chamber, Sally Cartwright, said: “For years we’ve admired and supported the ground-breaking work that Bite-Back is doing to save, protect and celebrate sharks. It’s a genuine pleasure to help ensure it stays at the forefront of shark conservation in the UK.”

Midland Diving Chamber first supported the charity at the inaugural Bite-Back at Cancer event in 2007 and then annually for the next six years. It even hosted its own James Bond-themed party on the Thames to fundraise for the marine NGO.

Campaign director for Bite-Back, Graham Buckingham, said: “We can’t thank MDC enough for its continued support and now for this massive contribution to our pioneering shark conservation campaigns. It makes us very proud that the country’s premier diving medical experts have chosen to back our campaigns that extend from parliament to primary schools. This financial windfall will allow us to continue to lead the shark conservation agenda in the UK and deliver measurable shark conservation breakthroughs to keep the oceans healthy.”

Bite-Back’s No Fin To Declare campaign to end the UK’s import and export of shark fins is now just months away from achieving Royal Ascent into law and, earlier this month it launched a free 56-page teaching resource for Key Stage 2 & 3 students on the importance of sharks and the threats they face.

Midlands Diving Chamber is based at St. Cross Hospital in Rugby and operates a hyperbaric decompression chamber offering NHS funded recompression to divers with Decompression Illness (DCI) together with other Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT) treatments. Any diver with medical concerns should contact MDC on either 01788 579 555 or 07931 472 602.

Find out more about Bite-Back at http://www.bite-back.com/

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Marine Life & Conservation

Watch The Real Watergate from Live Ocean Foundation (Trailer)

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Sailors Peter Burling and Blair Tuke established Live Ocean Foundation out of their deep concern for health of the ocean and the life in it. Through their sport they champion action for the ocean, taking this message to the world.

Many of the issues the ocean faces are out of sight, but the science is clear, the ocean is in crises from multiple stressors; climate change, pollution and over-fishing. We’re not moving fast enough, not even close.

Live Ocean Foundation supports exceptional marine scientists, innovators and communicators who play a vital role in the fight for a healthy future.

Thanks to generous core donors who cover their operating costs, 100% of public donations go directly towards the marine conservation projects they support.

Find out more at https://liveocean.com/foundation/

WATCH THE REAL WATERGATE AT https://www.realwatergate.com/

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