Exploration
There are indeed many pioneers and explorers to link to all of them is extremely hard work, but I do offer the following set as a ‘starter for ten’.
- UK Cave Diving can be best highlighted by the CDG website, and training can be sort by the UK leading cave diver Martyn Farr. French Caving and links to the rest of Europe can be seen by Jerome’s website.
- UK leading wreck photographer Leigh Bishop has a stunning resource and website that is a must for anyone involved in wreck exploration.
- The UK’s original and pioneering wreck exploration team was the Starfish Enterprise team and it has a very useful website. The next generation Starfish team website for Nick Gilbert and Adina Ochert is here which is a great website.
- Respect: Outside of the Military: The deepest open water dive carried out by a person breathing gas was by the 'Comex' diving company, in 1988 from the diving support vessel 'Orelia', divers achieved a lockout from a diving bell for a period of 4.5 hours in 534 msw, whilst completing exercises in pipeline connections.There were two teams of 3 divers and the Frenchman Patric Raude got the record. The breathing mix was Hydreliox (Hydrogen, Helium and Oxygen.49%,50% and 1% mix respectivley). The pressure would have been 54.4 BAR or ATA (atmospheres absolute).This was known as the 'HYDRA 8' project and was carried out in the Med.
- In 1992 Comex did an onshore dive at their hyperbaric facility in France. HYDRA 10 achieved 701 MSW in a simulator wetpool chamber, i.e a large metal tank filled with water which had gas blown in to simulate the pressure. The diver on this occassion's was Teo Nostromus and he got a free Rolex as did all the divers - This is the world record for a simulated dive. This dive proved that the use of Hydreliox mixture made depths of 600-650 msw accessible to most deep sea professional divers.
Contacts for Research (Some are Key Contacts for Permissions)
- Lloyd's Register of Shipping, 71 Fenchurch Street, London, EC3M 4BS. Tel: 0207 709 9166
- Trinity House Lighthouse Service, (For England & Wales) Tower Hill, London, EC3N 4DH. Tel: 0207 481 6900 or Northern Lighthouse Board, (For Scotland & The Islands) 84 George Street, Edinburgh, EH2 3DA. Tel: 0131 473 3100
- The British Library - Newspapers, Colindale Avenue, London, NW9 5HE. Tel: 0207 412 7353
- UK Hydrographic Office (MoD), Wreck Section, Admiralty Way, Taunton, Somerset, TA1 2DN. Tel: 01823 337900 ext 3308
- Department for Transport, Defence and Civil Contingency Planning, War Wrecks, Zone 5/10, Southside, 105 Victoria Street, London, SW1E 6DT. Tel: 0207 944 5139
- Register of General Shipping & Seamen, Anchor House, Cheviot Close, Parc Ty Glas, Llanishen, Cardiff, CF14 5JA. Tel: 02920 747333
- Ministry of Defence, Wreck Section, Naval Personnel Secretariat, Room 125, Victoria Building, HMNB Portsmouth, PO1 3LS. Tel: 02392 720548
- English Heritage, National Monuments Record (Maritime Section), Great Western Village, Kemble Drive, Swindon, SN2 2GZ, Tel: 01793 414700
- Cadw Welsh Historic Monuments, Plas Carew, Unit 5/7 Cefn Coed, Parc Nantgarw, Cardiff, CF15 7QQ. Tel: 01443 336000
- Royal Commission on Ancient & Historic Monuments of Wales, Crown Building, Plas Crug, Aberystwyth, Ceredigion, SY23 1NJ. Tel: 01970 621200
- Royal Commission on Ancient & Historic Monuments of Scotland, John Sinclair House, 16 Bernard Terrace, Edinburgh, EH8 9NX. Tel: 0131 662 1456
- Environment & Heritage Service of Northern Ireland, 5-33 Hill Street, Belfast, BT1 2LA. Tel: 02890 543045
- British Oceanographic Data Centre, Joseph Proudman Building, 6 Brownlow Street, Liverpool, L3 5DA. Tel: 0151 795 4884
- See also our own Good Links for many more equally important Research databases and sources
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