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Report by Tim Allen

The fifth annual Splash-in underwater photography competition run by the Torbay branch of the British Sub-Aqua Club (BSAC) took place on Saturday, 14 August. A Splash-in competition is one where the photographs must be taken on a single day, and sometimes within a certain area (in our case, Torbay). There were four categories of entry: Beginner, Compact Camera, Wide-angle, and Close-up/macro. Once a popular form of competition, they seem to have declined in recent years, and now the Torbay Splash-in is one of the few being held anywhere each year.

The club booth on Beacon Quay with 'history of diving equipment' models.

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Report by Tim Allen

Despite numerous setbacks (Covid-19, Rule-of-Six, poor sea conditions) we managed to attract 19 competitor registrations, leading to 12 competitors submitting a total of 49 photographs. As in previous years, the quality of photographs continues to be high, which given the poor conditions on the day, is a testament to the skills and resourcefulness of the contestants. As usual, we had a booth set up on Beacon Quay for the contestants to meet us and hand in their photo submissions. It also aims to raise the profile of the club for local visitors and in the past, it has attracted new members. 

We are indebted to Peter Rowlands, our esteemed judge, who provided insightful and interesting comments on the winning photographs, and all done in a supremely timely manner on the night, even though he was working remotely. The Evening Event was attended by less people than usual (mostly due to the impact of Covid-19 restrictions) and unfortunately only one of the winners was present to receive their prize on the night. However, the dinner and presentations were, I hope, appreciated by the 20 or so people who did attend. Thanks to the Royal Torbay Yacht Club who provided an excellent venue and meal on the night.

This year, we were delighted to accept sponsorship for two of the prizes: Christopher Ward provided a valuable diving watch for the winner of the Popular Vote, and O'Three provided the First Prize for the Beginner Category (including a voucher for 50% off a new drysuit). 

This was our fourth annual Splash-in and, despite the setbacks, it managed to achieve some success that will hopefully further establish the event at a national level in the world of underwater photography. 

Here is Peter Rowland's introduction to the awards presentation, along with his comments on the winning photographs (you can also view larger versions of the photos in our Galleries pages): 

"Good evening, ladies and gentlemen and thank you for inviting me once again to judge the images from this year’s Torbay Splash In.

For obvious reasons this year’s earlier event had to be postponed and rescheduled for today. This later date ran the risk of a weather gamble and unfortunately the conditions on the day were not, shall we say, sparkling :-)

A shame it may be, but that is the essence, and also the attraction, of a Splash In. You are all, so to speak, in the same boat. With good weather it is easier, but when the conditions and vizibilty are significantly restricted it becomes a test of your photographic mettle, so I would first of all like to congratulate each and every one of the entrants on your day’s work.

Competitions are cruel for the entrant but also the judge. Tonight, for the few, I will be the good guy, but for the majority my judgement will be questionable at best and “he definitely shouldn’t be invited back next year!”. Such is the nature of competitions. On the positive side they do provide a very valuable opportunity to see other’s work, and to learn how and why they succeeded.

So without further ado, here are my winning images in reverse order:"

Beginner Category

Highly commended

Milayna Arthurs

Peter Rowland: Well exposed gentle colours with the bird’s eye view enhancing the camouflage.

2nd place

Oliver Newhouse

Peter Rowland: This is a graphically simple image with the backscatter, for once, contributing positively to create an out of this world feeling.

1st place (Sponsored by O’Three)

Oliver Newhouse

Peter Rowland: A very strong image indeed for this category. The great eye contact doesn’t overpower the obvious subject and the use of foreground and background creates depth. Congratulations. 

Ollie commented:

“Absolutely thrilled to have placed second and first in the beginners category of this year’s Torbay BSAC Splash-in, although the weather was not brilliant, but spending hours sat in a rock pool until 3am paid off in the end. This was the first time I’d seen this tiny Nudibranch and getting it in focus when the prawn was in the background proved quite a challenge as the tide started rising and the coffee started to wear off. A big thank you to Torbay BSAC and O’Three drysuits for the prizes, and congratulations to all the other competitors for some brilliant images. Can’t wait for next year!”

Compact Camera Category

Highly commended

Tony Reed

Peter Rowland: A very effective and well chosen technique which suits and lifts this subject so well.

2nd place

Jon Bunker

Peter Rowland: Such a delicate, well lit image. Perfectly isolated and the black background doesn’t distract.

Jon commented:

"My nudibranch shot was taken in a rather dreary Castle Cove, as my original target of Chesil was being chewed up that morning by a big springs and surge. It was mucky (as expected) close in and further out in the harbour, but inside the 'reef' wall at the cove there was a band of 1-2m vis, making hunting for nudibranchs and macro life possible. The shot was taken on a mark 1 Sony rx100, with an inon s-2000 strobe and nauticam cmc-1 wet lens. f8, 1/160, iso 200. There were several individuals in an area about 5 metres around, hunting down the last uneaten patches of bryozoans on the seagrass. This particular individual was hopping quite quickly (for a sea slug) from blade to blade, and I managed to get a shot of him questing for his next meal on the tip of one bit of grass".

1st place

Guy Mitchell

Peter Rowland: This is such a strong image compositionally on several levels. Triangles, diagonals and perfect, yet subtle eye contact. Excellent stuff.

Guy commented:

"I was actually looking for a very clear catshark egg which had been spotted in Plymouth and I thought would make a good subject. Unfortunately I couldn't find it but while looking I came across 4 lobsters, one of which seemed to stand out due to the way it was positioned and the really nice set of claws. I have recently changed over to a Canon G9X which I use in conjunction with a single Sea and Sea YSD1 strobe".

Wide Angle Category

Highly commended

Tony Reed

Peter Rowland: I had to highlight this as it shows just how difficult the conditions obviously were!

2nd place

Dan Bolt

Peter Rowland: This is a very clean, well lit image with a strong background both visually and physically.

Dan commented: 

“This Pink Sea Fan was very handily framed by the structure known by some as the ‘The Crown Jewels’. Despite the overcast weather, there was still enough light to cast a lovely green colour in the water, which sets off the striking pink of the Sea Fan. I used two strobes spaced very far apart to reduce backscatter in the image.”

1st place

Dave Peake

Peter Rowland: This stood out visually with the sun’s rays and is a good example of a well chosen venue and such a difficult day.

Close-up Category

Highly commended

Malcolm Nimmo

Peter Rowland: Glorious colours from a grey day. Such delicacy.

2nd place

Dan Bolt

Peter Rowland: A graphically simple and clean image with a well chosen, well lit  strong composition.

Dan commented:

“On the same structure (as in my wide angle shot) there are also many Pink Sea Fans. I've always wanted to shoot a classic image that shows a resident Sea Fan Nudibranch, with eggs, on its host. It took a while to find, but I was delighted to find just such a composition! I used two strobes pushed forward to give strong, even lighting to the scene.”

1st place

Dan Bolt

Peter Rowland: A celebratory image of an iconic British subject. Perfectly composed and exposed, the black background would make the perfect space for a magazine front cover logo :-)

Dan commented:

“I was lucky to be able to find a last-minute space on a boat from Plymouth going to the Breakwater Fort. There are lots of metal structures there, and one in particular is known for its Jewel Anemones. The visibility was 3-4m and I was lucky to find one anemone that was standing proud. I chose to use a single strobe with snoot to help reduce the backscatter in the image.”

Popular Vote

Winner (Sponsored by Christopher Ward watches)

Simon Temple

Simon commented:

"I decided to dive Easter Kings reef in Plymouth.  Big spring tides over the competition weekend meant I had to dive at high water and even then, there was little or no slack water. Visibility was not ideal, 2-3m at best and lots of sediment in the water...never great for photography! I had gone prepared to shoot blennies and jewel anemones... the only two species I could guarantee at this site at this time of year. The blennies were generally very nervous of divers, more than normal, which made it hard to approach them. I used an 85mm macro lens which allows me to capture lots of detail without getting too close.  But the further you are away from the subject in dirty water the harder lighting the subject becomes. I decided to submit this shot of the variable or ringneck blenny as they were relatively rare until a couple of years ago, being more of a Mediterranean species. Despite becoming more common their colours and facial expressions still fascinate me".

Publicity

The competition attracted some attention from the press, both local and national. 

Sponsors:                  

Report by Tim Allen

The sixth annual Splash-in underwater photography competition run by the Torbay branch of the British Sub-Aqua Club (BSAC) took place on Saturday, 18 June. A Splash-in competition is one where the photographs must be taken on a single day, and sometimes within a certain area (in our case, Torbay). There were four categories of entry: Beginner, Compact Camera, Wide-angle, and Close-up/macro.

The weather was kind to us this year, and 18 competitors submitted a total of 69 photographs. The standard of photography was particularly high this year, with the judge recognising more ‘Highly Commended’ entries in each category, in addition to the First and Second Prizes.

An evening dinner and presentation were held at the Royal Torbay Yacht Club, where all the photographs were shown, and a ‘Popular Vote’ held to select a “peoples’ favourite”. Judging was conducted anonymously by Peter Rowlands, the well-respected photographer and editor of Underwater Photography Magazine, who provided insightful and interesting comments on each photograph.

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An extract from ‘DIVER’ magazine, January 1984, courtesy of Terry Blackmore. Photographs to illustrate this article can be viewed here.

What they were after, it turned out, was the wreck’s second giant prop. This is how they got it – in a report by Bill Bunting.

I didn’t know what they were up to when Brendan Jaffa of Torquay BSAC asked if I could take a group of divers out on Likely Lad for an evening dive on the wreck of the SS Maine. They asked to be put down on the stern end – a normal request.

Over the next few months we dived the Maine again and again - always on the stern! My suspicions were confirmed on the third dive when they went over the side with cameras, tapes and note pads. Brendan then felt obliged to let me in on his secret: they were going to lift the spare propeller!

Although as far as I was concerned, it started with that dive in early April, the planning and preparations were all carried out long before. Torquay BS-AC had purchased the Maine back in the early sixties, shortly after Derek Cockbill and his band had first dived on her. The ship’s main bronze propeller was raised and sold in 1963 by Derek and his team, an exploit well documented in DIVER.

The reason for raising the spare propeller, of cast iron, was obviously not financial and originally came about as an idea that was “thrown in” to boost somewhat sagging interest in the branch. As Brendan said, they owned the Maine and really ought to do something with it. Initially the talk was of selling the propeller for scrap, though at £10 to £14 per ton it would not cover the cost of the lift.

Much debate followed on whether the project would financially break the branch. Then came a breakthrough.

A new shopping centre was under construction in Paignton and the developers, Centros Properties Ltd, were planning a central feature - probably a modern sculpture. A casual inquiry as to whether they would be interested in a genuine, very large ship’s propeller that had not seen the light of day for 66 years received a favourable reply and eventually a budget was agreed.

But how to set about it? How much did the propeller weigh? The answer to the second question no one really knew. According to records of the ship, the prop was the same size as the bronze one. A reconnaissance dive established this to be so: 7ft 8in blade length, 2.5ft boss diameter and 27ins through the boss. The bronze prop we knew weighed 6.15 tons, but as the composition of the bronze was not known, it was impossible to evaluate the weight by comparison. The nearest estimate was between 4.5 tons and 6.5 tons.

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Constitution & Rules of the Torbay Branch BSAC

Rev. 2025. 

1) Title:

The name of the Branch shall be The Torbay Branch No 0008 of the British Sub-Aqua Club.

2) Constitution:

The constitution of the Branch will be the current rules of the BSAC except as amended in the Branch Constitution. The latter must not conflict with the former, and should such conflict arise, the constitution of the BSAC shall take priority. The Branch Constitution can only be amended at an Extraordinary or Annual General Meeting, although minor revisions to update it to fit current practice may be made by the Committee.

 3) Membership:

Membership is open to anyone interested in the sport of diving regardless of sex, disability, ethnicity, nationality, sexual orientation, religion or other beliefs, over the age of 14 years and who, having submitted an application to the committee, is accepted by them.

The committee may require diving members to submit to a diving medical.

All diving members must be members of BSAC.

Branch fees and levies will be decided by the committee from time to time.

There shall be the following classes of membership:

Full member. A Full member is entitled to attend Branch & National meetings, and to vote.

Student Summer Member. A person in full time education may take a three month diving membership over the academic summer holiday period.

Student Associate branch membership. A person who is a full member of a BSAC 'University' branch or equivalent may take an academic year membership.

Life member. A person (usually a Social member) who is given life membership of the branch in appreciation of their considerable contribution to the branch over many years.

Social member. A Social member may attend all Branch meetings, but may not vote, or participate in any Branch activity other than a social one, and may not use or hire Club equipment.

There are two exceptions to this rule:-

1. Social members may not use or hire Club equipment unless the Club Committee wish to invite a social Member, who has the relevant experience, qualifications and insurance, to use said equipment in order to assist full members in their diving activities.

2. If the Club is unable to appoint a Full Member to the office of Honorary Secretary or Honorary Treasurer, it is acceptable to appoint a Social Member to these offices. Members are subject to both Branch and National Rules and decisions.

4) President:

The Annual General Meeting may appoint a President and he or she will be an ex officio non-voting member of the Committee.

5) Management:

a). The management of the Branch shall be vested in the Committee which shall hold and administer for the general benefit of the Branch, all funds, property, and equipment in the ownership of the Branch.

b) The Committee shall consist of five principal officers, i.e. The Chairman, Honorary Secretary, Honorary Treasurer, Diving Officer, and Equipment Officer, together with not less than three other members.

The Chairman may co-opt further members if he/she so wishes.

6) Duties of Officers:

a) Chairman: The Chairman shall ensure the proper conduct of meetings, and supervise the running of all Branch affairs.

b) Honorary Secretary: The Secretary shall take minutes of all Committee meetings, answer and maintain files of Branch correspondence. Minutes of Branch committee meetings are to be circulated to all members entitled to attend and a copy to be posted on the Branch notice board for the benefit of all members. 

c) Honorary Treasurer: The Treasurer shall keep proper books of account, entering all income & expenditure. Cash shall always be banked at the earliest opportunity. He or she shall be responsible for the collection of all debts and subscriptions, and for the due discharge of all liabilities of the Branch out of Branch funds. The Treasurer may pay without authority receipted debts of less than £500, and above that by Committee approval only. Whenever possible, payments will be made by bank transfer by the Treasurer or another nominated officer. The Treasurer shall cause the accounts to be audited annually, and prepare a statement of income and expenditure for presentation to the Committee prior to the Annual General Meeting.

d) Diving Officer: The Diving Officer at the time of his appointment must be a BSAC Advanced Diver or of a higher classification. The Diving Officer shall be responsible for all aspects of Branch diving activities. The Diving Officer may appoint a suitably qualified Training Officer to manage training activities.

e) Equipment Officer: The Equipment Officer shall be responsible for the maintenance and accounting of all Branch owned training and diving equipment, including the branch dive boat and compressor. He or she shall keep a list of such equipment and check it at not less than six monthly intervals. Equipment may only be hired or loaned to full Branch members.

f) Additional Officers: The Committee may appoint additional persons to assist it with equipment, expeditions, public relations, social events, etc. The Membership Secretary shall keep an up to date list of Branch members and their contact details, as well as next-of-kin. A Welfare Officer will also be appointed to serve on the Committee (BSAC requirement).

7) Tenure of Office:

Branch Officers shall be elected annually at the Annual General Meeting.

8) Annual General Meeting:

a) Notification: The Annual General Meeting shall be held each year in March or April, notifications being given in writing by the secretary to each member six weeks prior to such meetings.

b) Motions proposed: Proposed motions must be sent to the secretary no later than four weeks before the Annual General Meeting, and be seconded by a Full Member Either the proposer or the seconder must attend the meeting and speak for the motion.

c) Election of Principal Officers: Officers may only be elected at the Annual or Extraordinary General Meeting and with their consent.

d) Nominations: Nominees (with exception of Hon. Secretary and Hon. Treasurer, see 3 above) must be paid up Full Members at the time of their nomination and so must their proposers and seconders. Nominations for proposed officers and Committee members, together with any properly proposed motions shall be communicated to all members by email at least three weeks before an AGM.

e) Quorum: A minimum of 25% of the full membership constitutes a quorum.

f) Voting:

    i) Voting will be by a show of hands or by a ballot of members present. Except where hereinafter provided, motions shall be passed by a simple majority.

    ii) Any motion which in the opinion of the Committee may affect the objects or Constitution of the Branch, shall only be passed by a two to one majority and with a quorum of members present.

    iii) The Chairman shall not vote except when necessary to give a casting vote.

    iv) Full members who are unable to attend may appoint a proxy to vote on any motion for which prior and proper notification has been given. The absent member must notify the Secretary in writing prior to the start of the meeting whom he or she has appointed to vote for them.

g) Amendments: In the event of an amendment to a motion, the amendment will be voted upon first.

9) Extraordinary General Meetings:

Extraordinary General Meetings may be convened by the Committee or by a motion put forward by not less than eight Full Members requesting one.

10) Prejudicial Conduct:

No member of the Branch may engage in any activity injurious or prejudicial to the affairs of the Branch, nor in any way infringe on Branch activities properly conceived and notified to Branch members. Anyone contravening this rule shall be required to resign from the Branch.

11) Non-profit Making:

All surplus income or profits are to be re-invested in the club or donated to charitable causes. No surpluses or assets will be distributed to members or third parties.

12) Dissolution:

In the event of the dissolution of the Club, any assets remaining after the satisfaction of all debts and liabilities shall not be paid or distributed among members of the Club, but shall be given or transferred to one or more of the following approved sporting or charitable bodies:

    i) A registered charitable organisation(s).

    ii) Another British Sub-Aqua Club Branch which is a registered Community Amateur Sports Club.

    iii) The British Sub-Aqua Club, as the sports national governing body, for use by them for related community sports.

The membership may make recommendations as to the beneficiaries.

Report by Tim Allen

On Saturday 29^th June 2019, Torbay BSAC held its 3^rd annual “Splash-In,” a one-day underwater photography competition attracting enthusiasts from across the Southwest region (and even further afield). Entrants had to take their underwater photographs on that day between midnight and 4:30pm within the Torbay area. There were 4 classes of entry: wide-angle, macro, compact camera, and beginners (not won a previous competition).

The competition was open to anyone with an interest in underwater photography and photos could be taken while scuba diving or simply snorkelling. Prizes were to be awarded at a dinner taking place that evening at Living Coasts in Torquay Harbour. Peter Rowlands, the editor of “Underwater Photography” magazine had again kindly agreed to be the competition judge. 

Unfortunately, the weather decided not to collaborate in 2019 and a strong Easterly wind made diving within Torbay almost impossible. As a result, the organisers made a last minute decision to widen the scope of the competition, allowing photographs to be taken from anywhere, as long as they were taken on that day and submitted to the club booth by the deadline. 

Despite this potential set back, there was an excellent turnout on the day and 18 competitors submitted a total of 73 photos. As well as the prizes for the macro, wide-angle, compact and beginner classes, a popular vote was organised so that all attendees at the evening event could vote for their favourite image. 

The winning photos from all years can be viewed here.

The event turned out to be a big success and generated some excellent publicity for the club in SCUBA Magazine and the online magazine UwP. We hope to build on this success in subsequent years with the aim of becoming a nationally recognised underwater photography competition, whilst at the same time promoting diving within Torbay.