News
Duncan Price Receives CDG Fish Award
The Cave Diving Group (CDG) is the world’s oldest diving club. It was founded in 1946 by cave diving pioneer Graham Balcombe. Today its function is to “educate and support cavers for recreational and exploratory operations in British sump conditions”.
Cave diving in the UK is not particularly straightforward when compared with overseas sites. It is quite possible to park a vehicle near to the cave entrance, kit up and pretty much fall into the water in many countries. This rarely happens in the UK. The only site that instantly springs to mind for having simple logistical access is Wookey Hole in Somerset.
In the main, a British cave diver has to be a pretty competent dry caver and they only tend to learn to scuba dive to be able to access passageway beyond a flooded sump. (A sump can be described as a submerged or flooded section of cave.) It is not surprising therefore that since its inception the CDG has attracted some remarkable characters and explorers.
One such character was CDG Chairman, Mike ‘Fish’ Jeanmaire. Brian ‘Scoff’ Schofield, current Chairmen of the CDG said, it was Fish’s honesty and his ability to both respect tradition whilst allowing frontiers to be pushed back, that made him such a good Chairman of the CDG. Fish was to hold the post of Chairmen of the Cave Diving Group for thirty years until his health started to fail him. Following his death in November 2010 the ‘Fish Award’ was created.
The Fish Award
This is awarded annually to a member who has made a significant contribution to the CDG. Whilst the nature of the contribution is not precisely defined, the guiding principle is that the individual should have served the CDG rather than any other organisation or themselves. The award is made by the previous winner – in 2015 the recipient was Andrew Ward, for his significant efforts over the past 30 years.
This year the Fish Award was presented to Duncan Price at the Cave Diving Group AGM.
Andrew Ward reflected on why Duncan Price was nominated.
“Duncan joined the CDG in the mid-1980s and seems to have stayed. I have known Duncan since he joined and was the examiner for his pool test on a dark, wet night in Yate piggybacking onto a BSAC club’s training night. We needed a victim for the recovery part of the exam and the BSAC club kindly provided one. Unfortunately, the gentleman was of generous proportions, so this part of the test was more like a Greenpeace re-floating operation. I must have been lax in those days as he passed the test.
From the start, Duncan has been active in all areas of caving and along the way found a reasonable amount of new passage. On top of this he has mentored new members as well as helping at training sessions where has passed on his expertise. Surveying was always a good session and a forte of Duncan’s. At one time or another Duncan has been the Welsh Section’s Training Officer, Secretary and Examiner – positions that allowed him to pass on his knowledge and experience that he gained as a trainee all those years ago.
Duncan continues to be active within cave rescue and for that we can all be grateful. He has always been keen on producing gear to his own design and rebreathers are a speciality with their names generating interesting, and arguably contrived, abbreviations!
But his contribution doesn’t stop with his practical help to the Group. he is also an accomplished writer, co-authoring technical bulletins on numerous cave diving topics. In addition, he has contributed to, or written, the CDG Manual, Wookey Hole book, and the Welsh and Somerset Sump Indexes. He was also short-listed for the Tratman Award in 2016 for his most recent writing, Underwater Potholer: A Cave Diver’s Memoirs.”
Emperor Divers is offering some amazing Autumn savings across a whole range of liveaboard and daily diving holidays.
Among the highlights include 20% off selected sailings for the rest of 2022, early bird discounts for trips in 2023 and 2024 and a superb 25% off bookings for brand-new Emperor Harmoni.
There is also a 10% discount and extra free places for those booking charter sailings.
But time is of the essence as, not only do these offers sell out fast, the sale only runs until October 1st.
EMPEROR FLEET OFFERS
SAVE up to 20% on SELECTED 2022 SAILINGS
Secure the last available spaces for 2022 with discounts of up to 20% across Emperor’s Red Sea and Maldives fleet. These do sell fast and are updated regularly, please visit the website to check sailings under offer throughout the sale period.
SAVE up to 25% on Emperor Harmoni 2023 & 2024 SAILINGS
Confirm your Emperor Harmoni 2023 or 2024 departure before 1st October and save up to 25%
- Emperor Harmoni 7 nights from €2,470
- Emperor Harmoni 9 nights from €3,175
- Emperor Harmoni 12 nights from €4,230
Applicable on selected 2023 & 2024 departures. Cannot be combined with standard group free places.
BOOK EARLY & SAVE 10% on 2023 & 2024 SAILINGS
Confirm your 2023 or 2024 Red Sea or Maldives liveaboard before 1st October and save 10%
SAVE up to €230 – Best of Maldives
- Emperor Explorer from €1,890
- Emperor Serenity from €1,795
- Emperor Virgo from €1,660
- Emperor Leo from €1,750
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SAVE up to €130 – Red Sea
- Emperor Elite from €1,075
- Emperor Superior from €1,030
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Applicable on all 2023 & 2024 departures excluding the following: Maldives February & March 2023 & 2024 and Red Sea October & November 2023 & 2024. Can be combined with standard group free places.
10% plus EXTRA FREE PLACES for CHARTERS
- Raja Laut, Indonesia: 10% off pp plus 10 pay, 2 free.
- Serenity, Maldives: 10% off pp plus 22 pay, 4 free.
- Elite & Superior, Red Sea: 10% off pp plus 22 pay, 4 free.
Charter Extra Free Places apply to all 2023 and 2024 departures excluding Harmoni, Explorer, Maldives and Indonesia February & March and Red Sea October & November.
EMPEROR DAY DIVING OFFERS
5 days’ diving package for €250, plus free 12L nitrox and full equipment rental for only €60
Applicable on prepaid bookings only for either Sharm el Sheikh or Marsa Ghalib. Minimum 5 day package for all 2023 dates excluding October and November.
EMPEROR VALUE
LOW DEPOSIT 10% deposit for FIT bookings and for a limited time only, €1,200 deposit for group and charter bookings.
EXTRA 5% DISCOUNT on back-to-back departures Looking for a trip that is more than 7 days, then book 2 x 7 nights with an additional 5% discount (5% off each trip). You can choose to stay on different boats, different itineraries and even depart from different ports.
NO ADDED EXTRAS, FREE NITROX, & COMPLIMENTARY WINE Emperor’s inclusive liveaboard pricing means no added extras; the price you see is the price you pay. All Emperor Liveaboards includes park and port fees, fuel surcharges, all taxes, free Nitrox and a glass of wine with dinner on any Red Sea, Maldives or Indonesia liveaboard. Cheers!
OFFER TERMS & CONDITIONS
These offers are for promotional purposes and for use by Emperor Divers’ partners and form part of Emperor’s AUTUMN SALE.
All prices are quoted per person, based on guests sharing a twin berth cabin and are for promotional purposes only. There are limited places on each sailing under offer and are subject to availability. Offers and free group places cannot be used in conjunction with any other offer or discount unless stated.
Valid on new bookings received and confirmed between 18th September to 1st October 2022.
Group bookings (6+), full and private charters: €1,200 non-refundable deposit within 7 days, 10% due 60 days after confirmation. 25% due 26 weeks prior to departure. Normal payment terms with balance due 56 days prior to departure and cancellation terms apply.
For more, visit www.emperordivers.com/autumn-sale-2022
In a video shot exclusively for Scubaverse.com, Jeff Goodman reviews the VL 4600PB Video & Blue Light from Bigblue.
For more information, visit www.bigbluedivelights.com or email info@liquidsports.co.uk.
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