Last Tuesday 11th March Alex visited Ocean Optics and Mavericks Diving on The Strand and gave a talk to around sixty of their clients about the fantastic dive travel experiences the South of France offers. Steve Warren publicised the talk as « Dive Into History : Explore the waters that inspired sport diving in just a long weekend ».
This presented a perfect opportunity to talk about St Raphael being the spiritual home of modern leisure diving, and the fact that Alex worked for Club Sous L’Eau for two seasons prior to establishing Diamond Diving. Club Sous L’Eau’s history is as the first ever diving club. It was also in St Raphael that Commandant Yves Le Prieur conducted trials on the first ever autonomous breathing apparatus.
Ocean Optics (www.oceanoptics.co.uk) have a justifiable reputation as one of the leading underwater photography specialists in the country. To improve their overall offering they are soon moving to Action Underwater Studios in Basildon. Here they will be able to offer photography and other courses on site and run familiarisation sessions for clients.
The main speaker was Grant Bates, trustee of The Shark Trust, who gave an excellent and varied talk on sharks, shark conservation. Grant really brought to life what amazing creatures they are, why they have survived on the planet for so long, and why they are so gravely at risk from human exploitation. For more information and to donate to or join The Shark Trust please visit www.sharktrust.org