Still Diving After All These Years.
By Rena Duncan.
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article was first published in the Hull Daily Mail 16 April
2003 and appears here with their kind permission. |
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GRANDFATHER Reg Thompson's idea of relaxing is not sitting by
the fire with his newspaper and slippers. He is more at home
beneath the waves exploring the shipwrecks on the seabed off
Flamborough.
Eighty-year-old Reg has been scuba diving for 45 years. The
fact that he has been a pensioner for 15 of them does not
deter him from his weekly dives into the treacherous currents
off the headland.
He said: "Diving on wrecks can sometimes feel a bit
strange. "A group of us hired a diving boat and spent 10
days diving on one of the most famous wrecks in the world -
the British ship, Thistlegorm, which was sunk in the Red Sea
by a German bomber in the war. "It went down with a
railway locomotive on board, lorries full of motor cycles,
aeroplane wings and ammunition. "I have been back several
times and it is a fascinating dive. It does feel a bit strange
being inside a huge wreck like that. I always make sure I can
find my way out again."
Reg, of Marine Valley, Flamborough, helped to found the Hull
branch of the British Sub Aqua Club, and is now a life member.
He has also been involved in rescues off the Flamborough
coast. Local people hailed him as a hero some years ago when
he swam out with another person to rescue a family of four who
had become trapped by the tide in caves at North Landing.
He said: "People don't realise just how dangerous the
tides and currents can be in this area. "The force of the
sea can whip the mask from a diver's face."
Reg, who goes diving every weekend, weather permitting, with
his friend Trevor Jones, from Hull, said: "Trevor is 60,
but he is just a kid at heart. "The other divers all know
us and call us the Young Ones. "But these days we dive
from the boat Trevor keeps in Bridlington Harbour because
swimming out to wrecks from the shore is a bit strenuous for
us now; "He added: "Years ago when I first started
diving, all my diving gear was made by a friend from Hull
called Bob King. "He made diving suits out of cot
mattress material and improvised with breathing equipment
using Calor gas bulbs with shredder valves before aqualungs
were available. "In the old days we could keep any
souvenirs we found during dives, but now every find has to be
reported to the Inspector of Wrecks.
"But that does not spoil the thrill of diving. I enjoy it
as much now as I ever did when I was young. "It is a
great hobby and it is my way of keeping fit."
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