Like
rainbows through leaden skies, the annual Splash In flicked
colour into the otherwise ashen uncertainty of Bovisands'
future. Through corridors and stairways the colour flowed,
transforming itself into humour and high spirit within an
eager gathering of BSoUP members in the bar. Tables and chairs
occupied the enthusiastic, speculative entrants,
"What's
the forecast?" Someone asked, prompting everyone to glance
out across Plymouth Sound. "And the viz?" Another
queried.
The
group occupied themselves emptying glasses and mused over
various text messages being bounced back and forth to members
of the Stevenage Underwater Photographic Society, engaging
themselves in a similar manner somewhere in the Farnes. '33
basking sharks spotted at Porthousestock,' Alan James reported.
'School (should that be pod?) of killer whales spotted in
tropical heat wave off Farnes, 'from Sue heaps, only to be
outdone with reports of mermaids kidnapping Ken Sullivan from
the bar and similar, equally unlikely events. You get the
picture. And as wine and spirit f lowed, idle chat of the
temperature of light and the future of the steel hulled boot
in the harbour mixed and merged and drifted into daft and
vocal nonsense. Time to leave I think!
Diver
ascending shot line by Guy Middleton. Winner wide-angle
category 'On the Day'
Diver
on James Eagan Layne by Peter Hewitt. Third in the wide-angle
category 'On the Day'
Saturday
I
awoke to the chorus of gulls and puffins from radio 4's 'open
country' and news of an 8 year old boy having his arm severed
by a shark, some far-off land. Through the grey drizzle a
solitary walk around the harbour highlighted the quietness
of it all - many BSoUP faces noticeable by their absence.
Harbour walls and slipway all but bare. The orderly queue
at room 16 wound around the registration point, collected
film and deported. Small groups gathered for the Bovi Shuttle,
others chose the slipway and Pete Ladell, with mountain goat
energy, braved the rocks and headed for the pools.
I
wandered around between dives, dodging showers, soaking up
the sunny spells, the latter prompting many to make a determined
switch to wide angle.
I
heard talk of black-faced blennies and sun fish. Bert Lee
spotted a lumpsucker off the rocks and Tony White and Alan
James suffered 'camera failure'and 'housing problems.'
Comings
and goings of the day drifted into evening. Participants and
supporters alike wandered in and out of our allocated room,
gathered before the 59 print entries and cast their votes.
The display was impressive - black and whites, dramatic wreck
shots, sunbursts, silhouettes, caves and striking portraits.
It was all there in various guises and various degrees of
genius. The crowd shuffled from right to left and back again,
nodding agreement or offering their indifference. More text
messages arrived with Sue Heaps apparently 'surfing with blue
dolphins', the reply of 'pair of mating celeocanths in bath
tub at Bovi' ending the creativity contest, the prize going
to Ken.
MarLIN
[Whilst
the films were being processed, Keith Hiscock gave a presentation
on MarLIN]
The
Marine Life Information Network for Britain and Ireland (MarLIN)
evolved in the mid 1990s to provide awareness and education
to the threat of various ecological risks in industry. Essentially
the group outlines the potential disasters business may cause
and assesses the sensitivity and recoverability of marine
species at industry sites. The network is such that it is
able to identify and evaluate species local to industry in
any UK region.
Flatfish
by Len Deeley. Third in the macro category 'On the Day'
Working
within WWF Oceans Recovery Campaign, MarLIN together with
National Biodiversity Network (NBN) strives to map the entire
British Isles and provide web site users information on the
370 biotypes and sub-biotypes in UK classif ication. Through
the many pages of the web, users can access inf ormation and
search for,
o
Species by species name, common name and phylum
o
Biotypes by biotype code, biotype name and biotype keyword
o
Species and biotype by legislation and convention, and
o
Species or biotype sensitive to specified activities.
Much
of the information carries images but the group has a hit
list of around 50 species it still seeks (BSoUP is being sent
the list). But as Keith Hiscock explains, 'Don't expect payment.
All we can do is credit the photographer.' And if, as you
browse, you find you have an image of a species that is better
than that displayed, send it in! Keith admits to some images
being 'poor' and is only too happy to accept alternatives.
In addition, there is a facility for you to report sightings
of marine life that may be unusual in certain regions, and
your report may help the mapping.
The
group has plans to expand the library of images and perhaps
run marine life identification courses, but primarily the
work will be towards ef fort to eradicate complacency within
commerce.
The web site is a complex one and there are many links and
much information. Whether browsing or studying the information
provided is of scientific paper quality and refereed where
possible. To get a real idea of the quality and vastness,
visit the site at www.marlin.ac.uk/wwf
Thanks
to Keith Hiscock, Programme Director.
Plumose
anemone by Tom Cowan - winner in the Macro category 'On the
Day'
The
competition
Fevered
excitement followed the return of film. Light boxes and lopes,
scissors and mounts passed through anticipant hands, selected
slides offered for second or even third opinion. To the arenal
It
had been a good day. Enjoyment had topped the bill and prevailed
through the various minor problems with technology, the occasional
drizzle and the easi ly rectified bleach problem in the processing.
But
this year's event posed a few questions and Peter Tatton was
curious,
The
34 entries this year was slightly down on lost, but why? Certainly
a contributing factor could be in the decision not to advertise
the event. With the complex being once again in the hands
of receivers, the event may well have been blown out at any
time.
The
uncertainty was echoed in the request for a show of hands
of those who'd booked accommodation within the complex. One
third of the audience had chosen alternative digs.
Equally,
one third had dived from the shore where normally they may have
used the Bovi Shuttle, and on the question of a possible change
of venue for future events, and maybe a price increase of 10%,
objections numbered zero. Watch this space!
Incidently,
and on a lighter note, attempts to encourage more wide angle
entries seems to be working. I estimated approximately 1/5th
of print entries were wide angle, and entries for 'On The
Day' averaged about 1/3 rd of all real time entries - in comparison,
last years wide angle averaged at 1/6 th! Keep it up!
Celebrations
continued on the dance floor with Pete Ladell and his removable
trouser legs, and Anita Marshall hijacking turn tables, not
before time!
The
hardy few twisted the night away and made all sort of curious
shapes on the polished pine floorboards.
Tomorrow
some of this gathering would be braving the Plymouth waters
again to take their chances in the Fish Hunt. The Cheshire
boys up at the crack of down, 'breakfast on the hoof' to 'fffffssssssssshhhh'
down to Cornwall in search of basking sharks. Good luck to
them!
