Scuba Divers Take Part In Convex End-to-End
[Written by Stephen Wright]
Thirteen members of the Bermuda Sub Aqua Club spent more than three hours underwater crossing the Great Sound during the Convex End-to-End last weekend, completing a 2.6-kilometres scuba dive from Spanish Point Boat Club to Dockyard.
While participants in the End-to-End tackled the traditional 24.1-mile End-to-End route, the 14-mile Middle-to-End or the three-mile Fun Walk and Cycle, the BSAC divers navigated the course with the support of safety boats, kayaks, skippers and safety divers.
The dive took around 3hr 3min to complete and required extensive planning and coordination.
“For the BSAC, the End-to-End was another opportunity to dive with a purpose,” Sharon Ferrero, the club’s diving officer, told Bernews.
“It’s a fantastic Bermuda tradition, and adding scuba as a category gave us a unique way to support the event, challenge ourselves, and showcase safe, well-planned diving in Bermuda.
“There was a lot of planning involved in coordinating the dive – safety was of paramount importance.”
Alex Thompson, the club’s chair, said the event tested the team’s organisation and technical preparation.
“It was a great opportunity to come together as a dive community and pick a lofty goal that had a lot of logistical and coordination issues with it,” he said.
“It put us to the test. The event is such a big part of Bermudian culture.”
Mr Thompson said divers used a range of equipment setups, including rebreathers, multiple tanks and different tank configurations, adding to the complexity of the operation.
“You have your compass set, but even if you’re half a degree off, you’ll end up bearing quite a bit off your mark,” he said.
“Bringing all that together under one dive plan was really interesting.”
Despite the technical demands, Mr Thompson described the experience underwater as calm and reflective.
“There isn’t a great deal to see in the Great Sound for three hours, but it was a very relaxing and meditative vibe,” he said.
“You set yourself into a rhythm — it’s very soothing.”
He added: “We’re very grateful to the End-to-End board for adding scuba as a category, to the Red Cross for providing an AED, to Stephen Walsh at Coastal Connections for helping us with the barge, to our safety boat teams [Colin James, Anna White, Alex Brooks, Sarah Brooks] and to all of our divers, safety divers, kayakers, and support crew. This was very much a team effort.”
The club plans to take part again next year as the End-to-End celebrates its 40th anniversary.
