Watersports blog

Roseland-based Windsurfer Marianne Bryan received an accolade for her skills in windsurfing at the Royal Yachting Association’s annual awards ceremony held in London recently.

According to reports, about 49 awards for volunteerism were given to the winners from different areas in the United Kingdom.

Bryan was nominated in the Community Award for Youth category and was selected as the winner based on her work in South West Windsurfing, where she serves as a volunteer teacher for teenagers who want to learn windsurfing. She’s also a volunteer at the Roseland Waveriders windsurfing club at Percuil.

She stood out among the rest because she was cited to be very respectful to the trainees and that she constantly makes time in the two clubs to teach interested individuals. She also loves windsurfing and that she’s also skilled in other water sports such as rowing and sailing and is known for her sporty clothing and bright swimwear.

A Cornwall-based man suffered a serious injury after diving into a shallow pool during a RAF fun day. During the court hearing, this accident would have been avoided if there was a ban on shallow pool diving imposed.

Robert Uren was trying to get toys from a pool during a race. He dove into the pool believing it is deep enough to accommodate his body but suffered an accident. The 24 year old former pilot was allegedly encouraged to dive headfirst into the pool.

The accident caused Uren’s paralysis and he’s suing event organizer Corporate Leisure for negligence and liability on the accident. He’s asking for £6 million in damages.

The RAF event was called “It’s a Knockout” and was held in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire in July 2005.  The case is currently being heard at London’s High Court.

A third fatal scuba diving accident was reported for the past three days in Florida, this time it involves a man diving just 24 miles southeast of Pensacola.

Georgia resident Timothy Teagarden reportedly died while checking out Oriskany, a Navy vessel that was sunk by tourism officials in a bid to attract scuba diving enthusiasts to visit the area. The 51-year old man is said to be a certified scuba diving individual.

Coast Guard search and rescue specialist John Rizzo said that a CPR was made on the victim while the other crew called for medical backup at around noon. Teagarden was immediately transported via a helicopter to a nearby hospital. However, he was already pronounced dead on arrival. This development was confirmed by Florida Medical Examiner’s Office Director Jeff Martin.

Two other divers, Johnsie Hudspeth and Richard McCoy, have died in Florida waters for the past three days. There’s no development as to what the authorities are going to do with this sudden influx of scuba-diving related accidents.

Snorkeling company Key West Company announced in its press released that it will be investing $100,000 in photography equipment. This equipment are said to be hi-tech and similar to those used by teams for Discovery and National Geographic channels.

The images taken by the snorkeling team will be posted on the website on a regular basis. This is Key West Snorkeling Company’s way to educate the public about the beauty of the ocean and that it is best to exert effort to preserve this beauty.

Individuals who want to see marine life and reef conditions can easily check out the company’s site because the images are being shown for free. The upgraded photography equipment guarantees clear and quality pictures.

Key West Snorkeling Lead Photographer Katya Timberly said that this is a big investment and a risky one considering that it is being made in the middle of a recession but she added that this will eventually pay off.

A scuba diver luckily avoided getting serious injuries after being bitten by a shark in Adelaide early this week.

According to reports, the unnamed 24-year old man was scuba diving off Second Valley on the Fleurieu Peninsula, located nearly a hundred kilometers from Adelaide late in the morning when he was bitten by the shark.

A spokeswoman from the South Australian Ambulance revealed that the young man was bitten on the hand and foot. He was immediately rescued and taken to the Flinders Medical Center for immediate treatment. The doctors said that he had incurred minor injuries.

Witnesses shared that the shark that attacked the young man was about two meters long. The aforementioned area has been known to be infested with sharks but there are conflicting statements saying that these occurrences are extremely rare.