BSoUP's Splash-in Competition 2001
by Andy Clark
Reproduced from in focus 72 (October 2001)
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Friday
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!
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Diver ascending shot line by Guy Middleton. Winner
wide-angle category 'On the Day'
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Diver on James Eagan Layne by Peter
Hewitt. Third in the wide-angle category 'On the Day'
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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.'
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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.
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Flatfish by Len Deeley. Third in the
macro category 'On the Day'
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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.
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Plumose anemone by Tom Cowan -
winner in the Macro category 'On the Day'
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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.
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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!
RESULTS
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PRINTS -
OVERSEAS
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|
Position |
Points |
Photographer |
Subject |
1st |
35 |
Alan
James |
Big Eye |
2nd |
21 |
Heather
Hammond |
Dolphins |
3rd |
21 |
Tony
White |
Crab |
PRINTS - UK |
|
|
|
1st |
14 |
Paul
Dawson |
Seal |
2nd |
9 |
Derek
Haslarn |
Tompot blenny |
3rd |
8 |
Alan
James |
Cuttlefish |
ON
THE DAY |
|
|
|
Macro |
|
|
|
1st |
43 |
Tom
Cowan |
Plumose anemone |
2nd |
31 |
Lesley
Maw |
Tompot blenny |
3rd |
27 |
Len
Deeley |
Flatfish |
Wide-angle |
|
|
|
1st |
60 |
Guy
Middleton |
Diver on shot line |
2nd |
53 |
Alan
James |
Diver on James Eagan Layne |
3rd |
44 |
Peter
Hewitt |
Diver on James Eagan Layne |
Humour |
|
|
|
1st |
42 |
Peter
Hewitt |
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BSoUP's Splash-in Competition Winners |
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Digital (overall and category winners) |
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2014 |
Overall Winner - Cathy Lewis |
Mankind in the Sea - Terry Griffiths |
Marine Life - Cathy Lewis |
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Best Compact - Colin Whyte |
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2013 |
Overall Winner - Dan Bolt |
Mankind in the Sea - Dan Bolt |
Marine Life - Alex Tatttersall |
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Best Compact - Paula Bailey |
Reflections - Dan Bolt |
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2012 |
Overall Winner - Tim Priest |
Mankind in the Sea - Charles Erb |
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Best Compact - Paula Bailey |
Crustacea - Rob White |
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2011 |
Overall Winner - Dan Bolt |
Mankind in the Sea - Derek Haslam |
Abstract - Rob Cuss |
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Marine Life - Dan Bolt |
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|
Best Compact - Colin Yule |
Compact - Mankind in the Sea - Martin Rishton |
Compact - Abstract - Mark Brooke |
2010 |
Overall Winner - Charles Erb |
Close-up - Julie Kaye |
Animal Portraits - Cathy Lewis |
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Wide-angle - Martin Davies |
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2009 |
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Close-up - Rick Ayrton |
Animal Portraits - Jim Garland |
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Wide-angle - Neil
Skilling |
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2008 |
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Close-up - Cathy Lewis |
Animal Portraits - Helen Wehner |
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Wide-angle - Charles Erb |
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2007 |
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Wide-angle - Arthur Kingdon |
Fish - Alan James |
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Close-up - Alan James |
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Film & Digital (overall & category winners) |
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2006 |
Overall Winner - Dave Peake |
Film Wide-angle - Martin Davies |
Film Close-up - Jan Maloney |
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Digital Wide-angle - Trevor Rees |
Digital Close-up - Alan James |
2005 |
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Film Wide-angle - Martin Davies |
Film Close-up - Jean Manson |
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Digital Wide-angle - Charles Erb |
Digital Close-up - Charles Erb |
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Film (category winners) |
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2004 |
Macro - Cathy Lewis |
Wide-angle - Dave Peake |
Fish -
Peter Ladell |
2003 |
Macro - David Stevens |
Wide-angle - Dave Peake |
Fish -
Peter Hewitt |
2002 |
Macro - Ken Sullivan |
Wide-angle - Len Deeley |
Fish -
Bill Hewitt |
2001 |
Macro - Tom Cowan |
Wide-angle - Guy Middleton |
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Film (overall winners, no categories) |
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2000 Ken Sullivan |
1991 Kevin Cullimore |
1982 Peter Salmon |
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1999 Derek Haslam |
1990 Kevin Cullimore |
1981 Warren Williams |
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1998 Pat Morrisey |
1989 Paul Clark |
1980 David McBride |
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1997 Peter Tatton |
1988 Peter Rowlands |
1979 Warren Williams |
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1996 Linda Pitkin |
1987 Warren Williams |
1978 Dave Nance |
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1995 Dave Nardini |
1986 Peter Scoones |
1977 Geoff Harwood |
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1994 Dave Peake |
1985 Kevin Cullimore |
1976 |
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1993 Brian Pitkin |
1984 Les Kemp |
1975 |
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1992 John Souness |
1983 Peter Hewitt |
1974 Warren Williams |
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