The Thames might not be renowned for its underwater attractions, but Saturday (14 October) saw a flotilla of dive-RIBs making their way up the river in celebration of the British Sub-Aqua Club’s 70th anniversary,
The display of boat-handing skills took place in London because the capital had been BSAC’s birthplace. The original members met close to the river at the Waldorf Hotel, Aldwych on 15 October, 1953, and discussed the newly available Aqua-Lung, which was being sold in nearby Piccadilly for £40.
BSAC today claims a membership of around 25,000 spread over hundreds of scuba and snorkelling clubs, many with their own dive-boats. The club’s legacy and future plans were the subject of a feature on Divernet yesterday, on the day of its anniversary.
The RIB convoy set out from Erith Yacht Club in south-east London, with BSAC vice-president Tony Marshall as its coxswain.
“What a great way to celebrate BSAC’s 70th anniversary, with a big visual celebration of our clubs and their boats on the Thames,” said CEO Mary Tetley. “There’s a lot of pride associated with our RIBs, because they enable our members to dive independently.
“This self-sufficiency is part of our identity, so it’s wonderful to see it being celebrated here on the Thames.”
Gravesend RNLI joined the dive-boats: “It was a unique sight for passers-by to witness BSAC RIBs on the Thames, passing landmarks such as Greenwich, Canary Wharf, the O2 Arena, Globe Theatre, Tate Modern, HMS Belfast and Tower Bridge,” said its commander Karla Thresher.
Tower RNLI took over from Gravesend as the RIBs peeled off at its station, where BSAC chair Edward Haynes presented a £1,001 cheque for the lifeboats to BSAC member and RNLI diver-safety campaigner Nick Fecher and the Tower Lifeboat duty crew. The return voyage included a refreshment stop at Butler’s Wharf.
Representatives of international club affiliates BSAC Japan and BSAC Korea joined the UK branches on the river outing. One RIB from Bushey & Borehamwood SAC included paralysed diver Dan “Wheelsdan” Metcalfe, recently qualified as an Open Water Instructor, while another was crewed by East Cheshire SAC, which led a project to recover two experimental “Highball” bombs from Loch Striven.
The idea for the Thames flotilla derived from a similar BSAC RIB event held on the Menai Strait. “As an RNLI volunteer as well as a BSAC member, I knew it was feasible,” said Lisa Shafe, who organised the event with Adrian Collier.
“The organisation certainly had a few challenges but we worked with the PLA [Port of London Authority] to find solutions that were both practical for RIBs designed for diving as well as meeting their requirements.”
“It’s been a real honour for our charity to assist BSAC today,” commented RNLI area lifesaving manager and club member Neil Withers.
“We have a proud partnership with them and hold workshops that aim to refresh existing safety and rescue skills as well as introducing techniques for improving surface location and survival skills for divers in an emergency.”
Also on Divernet: BSAC introduces Advanced Ocean Diver, Now 10-year-olds can dive with BSAC, Dive teams home in on native oysters, The first 60 years of scuba diving with Grimsby & Cleethorpes BSAC
The boat that you say is the Bingham SAC boat is not that boat… It is in fact Bushey Diver Rib.. Bushey and Borehamwood Sub-Aqua Clubs boat.