Scuba Diving

WORDS AND IMAGES: DONALD DAY, Diving Convenor, PADI Course Director, EFR Instructor Trainer, Shark Guardian Ambassador

You look down at the water and the mesmerising colours – from turquois all the way to a deep, captivating blue. The wind slowly blows sand off a nearby beach. You check your equipment one final time, nod at your buddy and roll backwards – and enter a completely different world. As today you don’t remain on the surface sailing, rowing or paddling. Today you explore the world that awaits below the surface – vivid colours, stunning marine life, and never-ending adventures. Introducing the fifth non-core sport of the RHKYC – scuba diving! Our core sports are all related to water, but they all take place on the surface. And while Hong Kong has stunning backdrops for exciting races and amasing cruising, there is a whole different world waiting to be explored – below the surface.

Following in the footsteps of the existing noncore sports of the Club, we are launching the Kellett Diving Society (KDS). The main focus of this society will be to build a community of like-minded members who share the passion to protect, explore and learn more about the underwater world. Everyone is welcome – regardless of experience or certification level. We will be diving agency agnostic – any certification of a known diving agency is welcome! If members desire further training, courses from beginner up to instructor level will be available, with certification issued through the largest and best-known diving agency globally, PADI.

Under the umbrella of this community, we will focus on three main areas: marine conservation, exploration and education. Over time, other areas will naturally develop.

Marine conservation

There are many aspects to this important and diverse topic, so we need to concentrate on specific areas to be effective. One area we will focus on is dealing with the obvious problem of pollution – both on the surface, as well as underwater. We will continue, and expand, the successful beach clean-ups which have proven popular with members and their guests, especially young children. It doesn’t stop at beaches of course – collecting plastic while going for a run, or a hike, makes a big difference. Additionally, we will organize specific field trips which will focus on underwater clean-ups. I pioneered the introduction of the PADI Dive Against Debris® specialty in Hong Kong several years ago, and participants are eager not only to gain additional knowledge, experience and the specialty rating, but also help protect the aquatic realm. As part of this activity, we will systematically collect and submit data to global NGOs, such as Project Aware. Contributing key data – as citizen scientists – will help data analysis and studies which evaluate, for example, the relationship between debris found on shorelines and debris found on corresponding seafloors.

Another key area I am personally very passionate about and have been involved in for over 15 years is shark conservation, and we will be organising seminars, presentations, and (hopefully soon) field trips to observe these amasing creatures.

Exploration

To foster our community spirit we will organize diving excursions, both shore-based and from boats. This will include day trips to the wellknown dive sites around Hong Kong, but also exploring dive sites that are not frequented