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Escorted "Get Wrecked"
Info
These are trips escorted by a celebrity in the diving business
Below are two of the dive leaders - one of whom will escort these trips
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Andy Aston learnt to dive whilst at university in the late 80’s, ever since he first hit the water he has been completely addicted and has a real passion for wreck diving. Most of his diving has been on the wrecks around the UK. In 1997 he spent a year teaching diving in the South China Sea on the Perhentian Islands. Whilst based in the Far East he started technical diving and has dived the wrecks HMS Prince of Wales and HMS Repulse. These two huge ships sunk by the Japanese, were the first battle ships to be lost by aircraft. Back in the UK Andy bought a rebreather and started diving the deeper wrecks off the UK coast. In 2001 Andy with his regular dive team found the wreck of the St George, a steam ship that was sunk in1882. This was a really exciting time as the cargo consisted of 100 tons of copper ingots, which were at a depth of 65 meters and were later recovered by a salvage company using a grab. Andy organised a trip back to the South China Sea where the team found the bell on the wreck of HMS Prince of Wales. With the permission of the survivors association they returned with the Royal Navy to recover it. The bell is now in the Liverpool Maritime Museum, Birkenhead. In 2002 the salvage company that had recovered the copper off the St George offered Andy an opportunity to go on an expedition to RMS Titanic. Whilst there he put his electronics degree to use on the Remote Operated Vehicles (ROV). He also learnt to fly the ROV and became an ROV operator. Andy’s other main trips were to Malta where the team was the first to dive HMS Russell, a WWI ship sunk in 115 meters. Another trip was made to Poland to dive the Wilhelm Gustoff, which sank with the biggest loss of life ever on a wreck. Approximately 8000 Germans died in the tragedy toward the end of WWII. In 2003 Andy and his girlfriend Cheryl, worked in the Red Sea as dive guides for 2.5 years on various liveaboards. This is where he got a real appreciation for the quality of the wrecks in the Red Sea. He says “The wrecks here have not been depth charged nor has the weather smashed them up like the UK wrecks. The Red Sea definitely has some of the best wreck diving in the world.” Whilst not diving Andy runs his electricians business down in Cornwall. He dives regularly off the Cornish coast, plays underwater hockey for Cornwall and sails his boat. Andy’s wreck trips offer something for everyone whether you are a die hard wrecker or are more interested in the marine life wrecks attract, Andy will be happy to help make your trip as enjoyable as possible. After the days diving you can settle down for some very interesting presentations on subjects such as the “History of Suez”, “Aircraft Vs Ships”, “Merchant ships 1939 to 1945”, “Sail to Steam to Diesel” “Thistlegorm the untold story”. |
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Red Sea Escorted Get Wrecked example Itinerary Friday Please note we will try and do as many of the wrecks as possible but due to weather and other factors the itinerary may vary slightly. |
Mike Ward
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 The
shipwrecks of the north Red Sea are famous for their preservation and
the Red Sea offers visitors superb diving conditions to see them.
Many of the wrecks are famous whilst others are little known but
equally fascinating. All of them fall into a long, connected
story that stretches from remote antiquity to modern times and
reflects the changing way the Red Sea has been used throughout
history. We’ll dive as many of the wrecks as we can and tell
you their individual stories, and then we’ll add something extra, an
account of their times that gives the wrecks the significance and the
place in history that they deserve.Highlights of the tour include the collection of nineteenth century wrecks clustered around the mouth of the Gulf of Suez. Between them they illuminate the great days of the British Empire and vividly illustrate the development of the ship during the days of change from sail to steam. It isn’t possible to see this so conveniently or so clearly anywhere else in the world, these ships are a living museum. Then there are two vessels from the darkest days of the Second World War that now lie on opposite sides of the shipping channel up to Suez. Supposedly waiting in safe anchorages to pass the Canal they were bombed and sunk just two days apart in 1941. Their cargoes can help us understand two desperate struggles for survival, in the North African desert and the seas of the Mediterranean. Without countless little ships just like these the Second World War might have run a very different course. We’ll also dive wrecks reflecting the modern world. Life today is about speed and keeping costs down and that has sometimes resulted in maritime casualties. Were they accidental or deliberate? Who knows, but amongst others we’ll visit three that made the transition from ship to dive site within a few years and a few yards of one another. Finally there are some sites that are very seldom dived that really ought to be in your logbook. But this is the Red Sea, and it isn’t a simple as that. Each of the wrecks is now an aquarium full of marine life and many are so much a part of the reef that it can be hard to see where the reef ends and the wreck begins. This trip offers a new insight into the area and has something for everyone from the most die-hard wreckie to the casual diver looking for something different. Marine life enthusiasts and fish-spotters will be just as well catered for and the trip is a photographers’ paradise |
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Red Sea Escorted Get Wrecked example
Itinerary |
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Mike
borrowed the club camera within a few months of learning to dive and
shortly afterwards bought his own outfit. These days he very
seldom enters the water without a camera and has made the transition to
digital. As well as talking about the wrecks he’s happy to help
underwater photographers with their kit or technique, either on the boat
or in the water.