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Tale of bravery brought to the surface by BSAC divers

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The rescue of two men trapped aboard a burning sea plane more than 60 years ago has been uncovered by a team of BSAC divers.

Members of the Eling-based Calshot Divers have become underwater detectives in a bid to unravel the mystery surrounding three iconic Sunderland Flying Boats.

And Calshot Divers are now backing a campaign for a permanent memorial to a leading aircraftman, stationed at Calshot in 1950, who was awarded the George Medal for bravery after rescuing two men from one of the stricken aircraft which was ablaze off the Hampshire coast.

John Greenwood, Calshot Divers’ Training Officer, said: “As a club we now meet in Eling, despite the club’s historic name. So, when looking for a new project all club members could get involved with, we wanted to somehow try and find a tie-in with Calshot, where our club was initially formed.

“Calshot is, of course, famous for its former flying boat base and the Schneider Trophy race for seaplanes. The last two races were held off Calshot Spit in 1929 and 1931 and were won by British Supermarines.

“We knew of a Sunderland Flying Boat wreck off Calshot, very close to where the lifeboat is now moored.

“From records we knew the wreck, which we managed to plot using sonar depth readings, could potentially be one of three identifiable aircraft, PP118, G-AGKY and ML883 which were all lost in the area.

“But everything pointed to it being PP118 which was built in 1945 at the Short Brothers factory in Rochester and reportedly, partially sank off Calshot, on February 3rd 1950 during a severe gale.”

Calshot Divers discovered that, during an operation to recover the aircraft almost three weeks later, it caught fire after flares aboard the stricken flying boat were ignited.

Leading aircraftman, Peter Anderson, who was known as Andy Anderson and stationed at Calshot, rescued two people from the burning wreck and was subsequently awarded the George Medal for his bravery.

One of the two other possible aircraft, G-AGKY, was also built in Rochester in 1943 was converted into a civilian passenger aircraft and went into service with Aquila Airways.

That aircraft was reportedly written off following an accident off Cowes and sank off Calshot on January 28, 1953 while it was under tow and thankfully, the five crew and 26 passengers on board at the time all survived.

And the third aircraft, ML883, was built in Blackburn, Dumbarton in 1944 and sank off Calshot, after being hit by a surface vessel, on December 17th, 1944.

John said: “All the records and information we could find led us to believe the wreck of the aircraft we had found was that of PP118, the aircraft that Andy Anderson rescued two people from.

“However, once we dived the wreck we realised, very quickly due to the shape of the aircraft’s windows and hull for example, the likelihood was that it was not PP118 and must be one of the other two which were different models.

“But that raised more questions than answers. If it wasn’t PP118 then which one was it? And where was PP118? We did a huge amount of research and wanted to find the family of Andy Anderson, who we discovered had died as recently as June 2003.”

He added: “We located Mr Anderson’s grave and saw it was clearly well tended. So, a few days before the anniversary of his death I left a message fixed to the grave headstone asking the family to get in touch.

“One of his sons, John Anderson, contacted me and we were able to meet and learn a great deal more about the circumstances surrounding the award of the George Medal to Andy Anderson and what had happened to the Sunderland Flying Boat PP118.”

“However, it was clear, and our suspicions were confirmed from photographs the family possessed, that the wreck we had dived on was most definitely not PP118.”

He added: “But hearing the story of Andy Anderson his bravery left us shocked that there is no permanent memorial in the Calshot area to commemorate his gallant act.”

For more information on Calshot Divers, click here.

Marine Life & Conservation

IUCN Spotlights Green Fins at Bali Ocean Days 2025, Calling for Stronger Business Model in Marine Conservation

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IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) Global Ocean Director, Minna Epps, has spotlighted Green Fins Indonesia along with a call for stronger business models that sustain marine conservation. Speaking at the inaugural session of Bali Ocean Days 2025 held on 7-8 February, Epps emphasised the need for sustainable financing to support and scale marine conservation initiatives such as Green Fins.

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Activities earlier in the week with the Coral Triangle Center in Sanur and Ceningan Divers in the Nusa Penida Marine Protected Area shaped the IUCN Ocean Director’s message at the conference and showcase, aligning with the theme of the blue economy and impact finance to sustain marine ecosystems.

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“Tourism has such a big impact on marine biodiversity, and we need it to adhere to a certain code of conduct,” Epps said. “That is why through our funding facilities, we worked with The Reef-World Foundation advancing Green Fins so dive operators can become certified with standards. But this kind of initiative has been around for a long time and it’s also a tool used to improve [MPA management], but it needs to come with a business model. I also believe in market-based instruments to evolve this programme.”

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IUCN’s visit is part of their Blue Natural Capital Financing Facility (BNCFF), which supports at least 21 projects around the world, building the business case for investing in the future of our ocean.

In Indonesia, the project supported by IUCN was developed in partnership with The Reef-World Foundation, the Coordinating Body on the Seas of East Asia (COBSEA) and the Coral Triangle Center, which serves as the local implementing organisation for Green Fins. The initiative engages marine tourism businesses through voluntary sustainability certification based on the only internationally recognised environmental standards for diving and snorkelling operations. Green Fins’ activities aim to reduce negative environmental impacts associated with marine tourism activities as well as improve the management of marine protected areas.

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IUCN’s promotion of Green Fins in Bali Ocean Days signals the need for greater private sector engagement in marine conservation across Indonesia and beyond.

Investors, donors, marine tourism operators and stakeholders looking to support scalable marine conservation solutions are encouraged to explore opportunities with The Reef-World Foundation, the international coordinator of the Green Fins initiative. To learn more about sustainable marine tourism and how to get involved, visit www.reef-world.org.

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About Reef-World

The Reef-World Foundation is a registered UK charity which delivers practical solutions for marine conservation around the world. The charity promotes the wise use of natural resources – particularly coral reefs and related ecosystems – for the benefit of local communities, visitors and future generations. It is dedicated to supporting, inspiring and empowering governments, businesses, communities and individuals around the world to act in conserving and sustainably developing coastal resources.

Reef-World leads the global implementation of the UN Environment Programme’s Green Fins initiative, which focuses on driving environmentally friendly scuba diving and snorkelling practices across the industry globally. As such, the charity provides low-cost and practical solutions to local and industry-wide environmental challenges associated with the marine tourism industry. It provides education and capacity-building assistance to empower environmental champions (within the diving industry, local communities, authorities and governments) to implement proven coastal resource management approaches.

Visit www.reef-world.org to learn more or follow them on Facebook, Instagram and X.

About Green Fins

Green Fins is a proven conservation management approach – spearheaded by The Reef-World Foundation in partnership with the UN Environment Programme – which leads to a measurable reduction in the negative environmental impacts associated with the marine tourism industry. The initiative aims to protect and conserve coral reefs through environmentally friendly guidelines that promote a sustainable diving and snorkelling tourism industry. It provides the only internationally recognised environmental standards for the diving and snorkelling industry and has a robust assessment system to measure compliance.

Green Fins encourages and empowers members of the diving industry to act to reduce the pressures on coral reefs by offering dive and snorkel companies practical, low-cost alternatives to harmful practices – such as anchoring, fish feeding and chemical pollution – as well as providing strategic training, support and resources. By reducing the local direct and indirect pressures tourism puts on coral reefs, it helps make corals healthier and more resilient to other stresses such as the effects of climate change. Look for the Green Fins logo when booking your next dive trip.Visit www.greenfins.net to learn more or follow the initiative on Facebook, Instagram and X.

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Filming 360 in The Bahamas

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In December 2024, the Shark Trust had a very special opportunity to film sharks and rays in The Bahamas. Frogfish Photography are the Bahamas Dive Ambassadors for the UK. And Caroline, Deputy Editor at Scubaverse, is the Marketing Manager at the Shark Trust. So, when the need arose to film footage of several species of shark and ray for a new Shark Trust project, The Bahamas seemed the perfect fit. A huge thank you is needed here to the Bahamas Ministry of Tourism. As they stepped in to fully support the trip both financially and practically. Ensuring that the filming expedition ran smoothly, and that we got as much time as possible in the water with sharks and rays, during the 10 day, 3 island trip.

The Bahamas is famous for its sharks and rays. Divers flock there to experience getting up close to a range of species. Our itinerary saw us visit Nassau, Bimini and Grand Bahama. It packed in as many in-water experiences as possible and had us dive, snorkel, and even take a submarine to experience them in a variety of different habitats and to capture them on film. We saw 148 sharks and rays from 8 different species (all of which have been logged on the Shark Trust Shark Log!).

But why were we there? The expedition was designed to fulfil the needs of two new projects being launched by the Shark Trust in 2025. The filming done underwater on this trip was the start of creating OneOcean360: A Shark Story. A new 360 immersive experience designed primarily for immersive domes and planetariums. The film will be the nearest experience to getting in the water with sharks and rays without getting wet! It will bring the world of sharks to an audience that may never get the chance to experience it first-hand. A Shark Story aims to deepen people’s understanding of sharks, uncovering and illustrating why they are so wonderful as well as being vital to marine ecosystems.

The film is being made in collaboration with Real Immersive. Also based in Plymouth, they have an immersive dome and are providing the technical expertise behind creating this unique experience. Reviewing the footage in the dome has been an invaluable part of the process. Both inspiring the team and allow us to refine the filming techniques to suit this immersive theatre.

You might imagine that we are using expensive cameras and even more expensive housings. But this is not the case. The entire project is being filmed using Insta360 X4 cameras. With only a few simple additions to the standard dive setup. The INON weight plate allowed us to attach this camera to a dive weight, set it down on sand or wreck, and then swim away and let the sharks be the stars. And the results are very exciting. The film will be ready this autumn. It will be accompanied by an educational pack for teachers to take away after school trips to see the film. Encouraging all those that see it to continue learning about these incredible animals.

You can support the creation of OneOcean360: A Shark Story by heading to the crowdfunder page and donating or selecting a reward.

https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/a-shark-story


Read about the shark and ray dives we did on Nassau, Bimini and Grand Bahama in our next blog post coming soon on Scubaverse.

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