50 Below – 1973 – 2023
As part of our 50th anniversary celebrations we arranged to meet at Capernwray and complete 50 dives in one day.
The Capernwray team opened up early to allow us to set up together and organise our first dive before anyone else so that we could get some specific filming in based around the HS748 plane. This aircraft had its first flight in 1980 and ran off the end of the runway at Guernsey in 2006 due to pilot error. A few months later, its owners Emerald Airways, formed in 1987 lost their Air Operators Certificate and subsequently ceased trading. So TSAC has survived at least twice as long as the plane or its owners
By 8:15 our core set up diving team were kitting in order to enter the water and fix the cameras in place for Rick. We set up one inside the plane and two near the door to record exits.
Surfacing after 5 minutes we had our first dives of the day ticked off.
46 dives to go …..
As we waited on the surface the remaining twenty one divers swam out to meet us and we gave the briefing. Allow the marshals four minutes to get down and set up and then descend the shot line to the tail. from the tail enter the plane one after another and then circle round doing at least three passes through the plane in order to give us enough footage for the video.
The circling begun and by carefully ensuring divers circled past the tip of the wing we had a steady flow through. This took some time and I felt sorry for the two divers who eventually gave up waiting to go in the plane door as one after another, after another diver exited in a continuous stream.
Most of us left at the end and went for a swim round before returning to base.
22 dives to go …..
In between dives we took the group photo and Jen, not only doing shore duty, had baked us all some cookies so the brew wasn’t too wet.
A few leaky suits, cold and other appointments meant we were down a few divers so the third dive had reduced numbers. Buddying up we headed out to complete our respective dives, this time just a dive of our own choosing.
8 dives to go …..
We were now down to our bare bones of divers as many had done two dives and had to leave. This left us adding up and working out what was needed. Eight stepped up with our DO rapidly adding up to make sure we did all 50.
Finally the last two surfaced and we had completed yet another of our 50th celebrations
0 dives to go.
Thanks to all of the organisers and who attended, in whatever capacity. It was a great club event.
Statistics
50 dives completed
3 divers complete 4 dives
4 divers completed 3 dives
11 divers completed 2 dives
4 divers completed 1 dive
The link below is the video produced by Rick Scarsbook.
https://vimeo.com/846340831?share=copy
