ScotSAC Conference Update. This year’s conference is being organised by an elite team led by Sandy McPherson and looks all set to be a real cracker. Sandy has something for everyone so whether you’re a brand new novice snorkeller or a crusty old NDC/Board member there’s no excuse for being anywhere else that weekend.
The main event is all day Saturday 14th November starting at the unholy hour of 9am and running right through to 5pm with a very full agenda and a free lunch thrown in. The venue is the excellent new Eyemouth High School which will give great space for the big lectures and the breakout workshops. Tickets are a crazy cheap £10 on the door or an absolutely give-away price of £8 if purchased on-line through the web-site (from 1st October). As is now customary there will be a FREE photographic competition with various categories so no excuses - start preparing your prints right away.
Many of you will be asking about accommodation with a view to making a weekend of it and we have booked a really good Ceilidh Band on Saturday evening and there should be lots of diving on Sunday. The accommodation and Dive Boat bookings will be handled separately so have a look at the dedicated web page http://www.divestabbseyemouth.co.uk/ .
For those of you interested in a bit more detail here’s a sample of what to expect:
Conference Photographic Competition
Sponsored buy Don’s Dive Store and M.V. Triton Charters Scapa Flow, this competition is open to all amateur delegates attending the conference. Bring your photos as prints, no larger than A4 and no smaller than 6x4, preferably mounted.
Generous prizes are promised and the photos will be judged by delegates attending the conference. Everyone will be issued with voting slips. Entries are limited to one print per person per category.
There are 3 UK categories: Close-up, Wide angle and Non diving.
Entries are limited to one photo per category, per person. Photos must be taken in UK or Ireland.
Photos must not been placed before in a competition or published. |
Mike Clark - Underwater photographer on - Eyemouth the new Scapa.
Pristine wartime wrecks, undisturbed untill now. With new wrecks being found each month Eyemouth is set to become the new Scapa in Scottish Diving. Add to that the fantastic scenic diving that the area boasts Eyemouth is now seriously on the diving map no longer the silent partner to St. Abbs. |
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| Rod MacDonald - "Rod is known internationally as the UK's foremost wreck author - he started diving in the early 1980's before even Wham became popular. His first book Dive Scapa Flow was first published in 1989 and soon established itself as the definitive guide to the scuttled German WWI High Seas Fleet lying in the dark depths of Scapa Flow. It recently went to an updated 4th edition and has now sold more than 25000 copies. Dive Scotland's Greatest Wrecks soon followed covering wrecks in the Clyde, up the west coast and around into the Moray Firth and North Sea. Latterly after a children induced break in his writing career Dive England's Greatest Wrecks was published and thereafter Into the Abyss - Diving to Adventure in the Liquid World. This was a fascinating glimpse into the events sometimes near deadly yet often hilarious that he got involved in along the road through a lifetime in diving. The book's climactic chapter deals with a dive into the Corrywrecken Whirpool, the 3rd largest whirlpool in the world on which he was accompanied by our own bleloved editor Jack Morrison. Rod will be giving a Powerpoint presentation called Shipwreck - that's a wide enough title to let him talk about just about anything - but knowing his interest and work with shipwrecks it should be fascinating. Rod will take us around wrecks some of the German WWI High Seas Fleet scuttled at Scapa Flow, some of the classic wrecks in England and Norway and the senstive British WWII wrecks HMS Repulse and HMS Prince of Wales lying 200 miles north of Singapore and 50 miles out to sea. Rod likes to wear the kilt so will be heughing it up with us at the ceilidth at night. We are trying to persuade him to take some stocks of his various books to the Conference so signed copies should be available at some stage after his presentation." |
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Lawson Wood - St Abbs and SCAPA FLOW - and photo edit workshop
LIza Cole- St. Abbs and Eyemouth Voluntary Reserve Marine Ranger
Dr Christopher J Sweeting of Newcastle University School of Marine Science and Technology
Calum Duncan -on 'Sea search' and how to join.
Dr Wilmot and Dr Alessandro Marronit director of DAN Europe on the health of older divers.
Petter Collings - dive book author .
Two talks -
OPERATION HAILSTONE - historical account of the attack on TRUK LAGOON 17/18 FEB 1944, and a report on our 6TH EXPED in September 2009, featuring over 20 shipwrecks
INCREDIBLE JOURNEY From the borders of Sudan to the Lybian border, this is the story of a journey which has taken Peter Collings15 years to complete taking in over 50 shipwrecks on the way |
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Mary Harvey - Training and Publications Officer of the Nautical Archaeology Society
Scotland’s Marine Heritage - The people of Scotland have always been close to the sea. It has at once provided a source of food, a means of defence from invasion, and a high-way for trade and communication between neighbouring communities and across oceans. Less is known about our marine and underwater heritage than is known about our heritage on land, but as we learn more it is becoming clear that Scotland’s coast and seas preserve evidence from all periods, from prehistory to the recent past, providing a rich variety for those diving Scottish waters.
This presentation will look at the cultural resource that exists in Scottish waters and what this means for divers. Looking at the rights and responsibilities of which divers should be aware of when diving historic sites and at how divers can become involved with our marine heritage by helping to record sites and contribute to our understanding of the past and helping to preserve this fantastic resource for future generations of divers to enjoy. |
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Michael Avril - Divisional Sea Safety Manager - Scotland RNLI, Scottish Divisional Base
The RNLI Sea Safety Department well be using a ‘Calling for Help’ board to explain the equipment you can use to be found if you are separated from your buddy or dive boat.
We will discuss both low & hi-tech devices and will host a question & answer session at the end of the talk where you will get your chance to ask our experts for information on any safety issues you may have.
David Fuller-Shapcott - Team Leader of the Borders Underwater Search Team, which is now in its 13th year. It provides a 24/7 water-based search & rescue service throughout the Lothian & Borders police area, working with all the emergency services, and other voluntary organisations. The Team is unique within the UK, and was inspired by two local tragedies. The talk will include a short potted history, a look at the equipment we carry, and how we go about the work we do.
Paul Duxfield from "Cameras Underwater" - see www.camerasunderwater.com |
Paul Haynes - Former Royal Marine Commando now works for Divex and trains the special forces in the use of rebreathers. He will give a talk on the history of rebreathers in the forces.
Paul first learned to dive in a professional capacity during 1990 whilst serving in the UK Royal Marine Commandos and from there quickly developed a passion for the sports side of diving. In the early 1990s, Paul’s interest in the underwater world led him to specialising in the military maritime environment, eventually to becoming a Swimmer Delivery Vehicle (wet mini submarine) Pilot and Navigator and Instructor of mechanical and electronically controlled military rebreathers. |
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Over the last decade Paul has worked for Divex Ltd, the world’s largest manufacturer of professional and military diving equipment in the primary capacity as the Defence Business Development Manager. Other roles within the company include Chief Rebreather Instructor Trainer, Company Diving Officer and member of the Divex rebreather development team; roles which take him worldwide training Special Operations Forces, Security Services and Naval Mine Clearance Teams in the range of military diving equipment manufactured and supplied by Divex. Paul’s experience in this specialist field has resulted in a detailed understanding of military diving operations and supporting equipment that provides a rare first hand insight into the little known but fascinating world of military rebreather diving operations.
Throughout Paul’s diving career he has been actively involved in numerous military rebreather trials as both a trials research subject and equipment evaluation diver. This work continues today in the capacity of a manufacturer’s technical representative supporting various government unmanned and manned diving evaluations of Divex equipment.
Besides an extensive military diving background, Paul is a BS-AC First Class Diver, Advanced Mixed Gas Closed Circuit Rebreather / Semi Closed Rebreather Instructor Trainer and an active technical diver who manages on average around 80 dives per year in a range of environments worldwide. During 2003 Paul was a member of the civilian diving team who on behalf of the UK Ministry of Defence, supported by the UK Royal Navy, recovered the Ships Bell from HMS Prince of Wales sunk in the S China Sea during WWII.
Paul is a member of the BS-AC NE Scotland Regional Coaching Team and during 2007 was appointed to the BS-AC National Diving Council as the Technical Diving Instructor Development Officer.
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Finding the Conference and the Ceilidh
From Edinburgh - head east on the A1 - soon after Ayton you turn left for Eyemouth - 7 miles before Berwick upon Tweed.!
From everywhere else - go to Edinburgh then follow the above instructions.
OR - Alternatively - use the maps below and choose the best route to suit your circumstances.
By Car - see maps below.
By Bus - see here By Train - go to Berwick on Tweed and get a bus or taxi to Eyemouth.
Hitch-hikers - If you want a lift or can offer someone else a lift to/from the Conference let me know and I'll try to match you up.
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