Sub sea to summit success
Marathon effort wearing historical heavy diving suit
Lochaber Mountain Rescue Team and the family of the former Thai Navy diver who died during the recent rescue of a football team and their coach trapped in flooded caves in Thailand are two of the charities to benefit from more than £5,000 raised from this week’s unique sea to summit fund-raising challenge.
It involved a team of divers who took it in turns to trek to the summit of Ben Nevis dressed in a heavy historical diving suit weighing 80kgs.
The Sub Sea to Summit challenge was created by Ginge Fullen, a former Royal Navy clearance diver who has combined a career in diving with climbing the highest mountains in more than 170 countries.
The Royal Navy used the heavy standard diving dress, manufactured by Seibe Gorman, for underwater work during and after the Second World War prior to the introduction of more modern equipment. Today the suit’s iconic diving helmet remains the image for its branch badge on uniforms.
As well as Lochaber’s mountain rescue team and the family of Thai diver Saman Kunan, funds raised will also help the Historical Diving Society (HDS).
The relay team of eight comprised Royal Navy divers and civilian volunteers who started the challenge in Loch Linnhe on Saturday morning with a dive to a depth of five metres (16ft).
The team was supported by staff from Fort William’s Underwater Centre, which trains divers from all over the world and provided Ginge and his colleagues with full-board accommodation throughout the challenge.
The team had expected it to take around five days to scale the famous 1,345m peak, but actually made the summit shortly after 1pm on Monday.
One of those involved was Paul Guiver, who told the Lochaber Times the team was extremely grateful for the support it had received while in Lochaber.
‘The day before we reached the summit [Sunday] we had got up to 1,040m and halted there and left the gear with three members of the team overnight,’ he said.
‘We then went back up on the Monday and reached the summit.
‘It just so happened that the person wearing the suit when we got to the summit was Meghan Haigh, who is only the second female to qualify as a Royal Navy clearance diver. She qualified last year.’
There was a number of ‘floating’ volunteers who joined the trek at various points to experience for themselves what it was like to clamber up Britain’s highest mountain wearing such heavy equipment, including Sarah Macleod, wife of the Underwater Centre’s Ali Macleod.
‘We are delighted with the success of the challenge. The support we received from everyone at the Underwater Centre was absolutely fantastic. We are so grateful for their generosity,’ added Mr Guiver.
The charity challenge was dreamed up by Ginge and the HDS’ Ty Burton.
The Historical Diving Society working group keeps standard diving and historical diving equipment working and being used in a practical environment, instead of just on display in a museum.
The society was formed in 1990 by a group of enthusiasts whose aim is to preserve and protect diving heritage and to advance the education and interest of the public and interested parties in the study of the history of diving.
All photographs by Iain Ferguson, The Write Image, with the exception of images from summit and along Ben Nevis paths which were contributed by the event team.