DIVING NEWS
Portland diver fined
Mulberry Harbour, Portland. (Picture: Jim Linwood)
A Bournemouth scuba instructor has been fined for diving in a part of Portland Harbour that’s controlled because of shipping operations.
Alan John White, 54, was found guilty by Weymouth Magistrates of diving between Queen’s Pier and Mulberry Harbour on 17 May, according to a report in the Dorset Echo.
A passing fisherman reported seeing his bubbles to deputy harbourmaster Mark Rowles, who then attended the scene.
White and another diver were intercepted by the police when they emerged at Castletown slipway.
Representing himself in court, White argued that the effects of depth and tide on his bubbles might have been deceptive, and that he and an accompanying diver had been on the edge of the controlled area.
He said that the Portland Harbour Authority was “over-zealous” and that, as an instructor, a conviction would end his diving career.
District Judge Stephen Nicholls said that it was an instructor’s duty to be aware of any diving restrictions.
White was given a six-month conditional discharge and ordered to pay a total of £215.
30 December 2019
