SCUBA DIVER Q&A ANDY FORSTER
Andy Forster is the brainchild behind the ambitious Dive Project Cornwall, which aims to educate millions of adults and hundreds of thousands of young people about the importance of our oceans, Part of the plan is to introduce 400 lucky teenagers into the watery world of scuba diving. We chatted to him about the scheme, how it came into being, and what drew him to diving. Photographs courtesy of Dive Project Cornwall
Q: How did Dive Project Cornwall come into being in the first place? A: As a Divemaster at Porthkerris, I have taken many children on try-dives. The expression on their face and feedback from the experience got us all talking at Porthkerris and I started working on ideas on how to get more kids diving – Dive Project Cornwall was born!
Porthkerris is a haven for divers
Q: What are the main long-term aims and goals of Dive Project Cornwall? A: To save the ocean! We will do this through educating millions of adults and hundreds of thousands of young people about the importance of our oceans – the future generation are the future of this blue planet. Q: Dive Project Cornwall is one of those schemes which is close to our hearts, as it involves getting younger people into diving, and as long-time readers of Scuba Diver will know, we are all about The Next Generation of diving. We were on board as a sponsor from day-one. What other companies are involved with the project? A: Yes, thanks Mark, you have been amazing since agreeing to work with us. Other incredible supporters who have jumped on board to help me get this started are PADI, Fourth Element, Suunto, Beuchat, Marine Conservation Society, Porthkerris, Kent Tooling, and my own businesses, Engine House Media and The Ocean Agency (both proud to be part of Leven Media Group). With the help of my founding sponsors, others have started to get involved to make a difference – Blue Marine Foundation, City to Sea, Cornwall Air Ambulance, Cornwall College Group (including Falmouth Marine School), Divers Alert Network (DAN), Kids Against Plastic, Marine Diaries, Sea Changers, Visit Cornwall and Burges Salmon to name a few – there are many, many more.
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Andy returning from a dive on Drawna Rock
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