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Up until the early 1960's it was mainly the
Royal Navy and commercial divers who undertook diving in the
Weymouth & Portland area. It was during the sixties that sports
diving, using Self-Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus
(SCUBA), became popular. Many of the first diving clubs set
up by the British Sub Aqua Club (BSAC) started life in London.
Because of its relative proximity to London and its clear
water and interesting dive sites, Weymouth became a popular
area to dive. Ron Parry* organised dives from his shop in
Walpole Street and there were several boat owners /local fishermen,
like Clem Pitman, willing to take divers to the local wrecks
and other sites like Portland Bill and the Lulworth Banks.
If the wind was from the East or South-east then it was possible
to dive inside the Portland Harbour wall and/or from the shore
at places like Chesil Beach. If all else failed, there were
plenty of pubs in which to drown ones sorrows.
In those early days the boat skippers relied
mainly on their local knowledge to find the limited sites
that were available and, after a few years, many of the more
experienced wreck divers began to find other sites both in
the UK and abroad. Weymouth remained very popular for training
and for divers more interested in the scenic sites.
In the 1970's, however, many of the larger trawler
skippers started taking the more experience divers to wrecks
that they had located with the DECCAš Navigation System. Weymouth's
first effective charter service, was started by the late Andy
Smith using his boat 'Hunters Moon'. This opened up a vast
number of new diving sites and, Weymouth's popularity for
experienced divers, returned. Throughout the 80's and 90's
technical developments in diving equipment and the introduction
of affordable Global Positioning Satellite (GPS) navigators
has allowed divers to locate sites further from shore and
dive deeper wrecks. Trawler skippers taking divers out at
the weekend is now no longer the norm, most have been replaced
by purpose built dive boats run by professional dive boat
skippers on a commercial basis. The introduction of inflatable
boats followed by the development of the Rigid Inflatable
Boat (RIB) has also increased the numbers of self contained
diver groups using the area.
* Ron Parry, father of Weymouth's amateur divers,
learnt to dive in the Royal Navy. In 1959 he embarked on his
diving enterprises in Weymouth calling on his Naval experience
to provide training for divers with equipment made from fire
extinguishers, jubilee clips and pieces of pipe. A very important
part of the equation was his ingenuity and ability to adapt,
helping him to explore the barriers of a sport still in its
infancy. He and his wife Joy, refitted an old boat which they
named Divers Means and ran trips to Weymouth Bay for adventurous
would-be divers, along with the rich and famous including
the Goodies - with whom they appeared in an episode of their
popular TV program. In 1963 Ron & Joy moved to Walpole Street,
Weymouth where the shop, Sub Aquatics, came into being. During
the 60's they gave diving displays and 'try dives' at Pontin's
Holiday Camps. Ron went on to form the Weymouth Underwater
Club which evolved into the Dorset Sub-Aqua Club. In 1972
he sold the Walpole Street shop to Brian & Sally King and
set up a new shop/dive centre in Portland. Ron retired in
1986 leaving his sons Kevin & Ian to carry on the diving business.
Ron died in July 2000.
Useful references for additional information:-
1 Divers Guide to Weymouth & Portland - 5th
Edition.
2 Discover Dorset - SHIPWRECKS - Maureen Attwooll (Dovecote
Press)
3 Dive Dorset-John & Vicky Hinchcliff, ISBN 0946020264
www.weymouthdiving.co.uk
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