Sub-Solent Challenge

Hello Everyone,
This is really just for information, and for anyone to send me their ideas,
or if any of you feel that you can help us in this very worthwhile
venture......

On 19 February in water temp expaected to be around 8-10 degrees, two divers
from Demon Dive Club based in the Portsmouth area will attempt to cross the
solent, underwater using DPV's, from Southsea Pier to Ryde, roughly
following the line of an old submarine wall placed on the sea bed as part of
the WW2 Naval Sea Defences.

This challenge will be primarily to raise money, through sponsorship &
pledges to some of the schools in the area around Phuket, where I am sure
many of you have dived. It will help to rebuild the schools washed away in
the recent devastating Tsunami. It doesn't take much thinking to realise
that the children of those who work in the huge diving industry in Phuket,
will probably attend these schools and we will be putting a little bit back
into their lives for all the wonderful memories we have from enjoying our
sport in their country.

Secondary to the fund raising effort, the Guinness Book of World Records are
currently researching this challenge having given it priority due to the
charitable nature and should let us know in the next few days if we will be
setting a world record for the longest underwater DPV journey. Although this
is secondary to the main reason, it will give the venture greater publicity
in the media and therefore hopefully raise some more money.

Although planning is still in it's early stages, a number of companies from
within the industry are supporting this venture with the loan of equipment
necessary to make the trip. In addition other large companies are supporting
us by providing items other than diving equipment.

The media have all been lined up and are showing huge interest in this as I
am sure you can all imagine. Our sanity has been questionned on more than
one occasion!! However it is this sort of interest that will generate
donations & pledges.

We are hoping to raise money in two main ways. Firstly large companies will
be offered the chance to buy a link to their website from the challenge
website. This is still under construction and should be up and running in
the next week. It will be at www.subsolentchallenge.co.uk We are hoping
companies will donate £100 to feature on the site and £200 for a link to
their own web pages. Secondly we will be trying to get as many divers from
the local Portsmouth are to turn out on Sat 19th Feb on Southsea Seafront,
dressed in diving gear and we want them to shake money from passers by, we
have 30+ buckets being donated by our local B&Q. We hope that people in the
area will see the advanced publicity on the telly or hear it on the local
radio stations and come along and maybe drop a couple of quid in the
buckets. We are in the process of organising a focal point on the seafront
close to South parade Pier where we will be setting off from.

So, if any UKRS divers feel that they could help in any way, we need lots of
help in planning and lots of support on the day. Although we have come up
with the idea, ideally we would like the effort to be from the whole diving
community. If you are able to attend, please e-mail me with your details. If
you think you can support in anyother way then again please call. In
aprticular we need the following if any of you can help....:

1. We desparately need a printer to do us some posters & handouts.
2. We could do with a graphic designer to creat a logo for the challenge
that will be easily recognisable.
3. We need a contact in a fuel company to sponsor us for fuel for the two
support RIBS (250 litres of unleaded should do it!)
4. We need Tea shirts with the logo & web address printed so that they can
be worn byu the collectors on the seafront on the day.
5. We need a display & tent to form a focal point and someone to run this
for us on the seafront on the day.
6. We would love an outside caterer to come along and park on the seafront
for the day to give away tea & cofffee for a donation to the fund. (they can
sell food too so they make some money)
7. We would love someone to come and film it for us...??
8. A journalist to write the articles for all the dive magazines after the
event...!(Oh Ok just somenone who can type quicker than me!!)
9. I am sure that I haven't thought of everything......

So if you think that you can help, even in a small way please get in touch I
would love to hear from you

Kind Regards

John Geden
PADI MSDT616164

Jai Stone wrote:


> Secondary to the fund raising effort, the Guinness Book of World Records are
> currently researching this challenge having given it priority due to the
> charitable nature and should let us know in the next few days if we will be
> setting a world record for the longest underwater DPV journey. Although this
> is secondary to the main reason, it will give the venture greater publicity
> in the media and therefore hopefully raise some more money.

I wish you good luck with your endevour, and Hope you raise a whole
shedload of cash for the Tsunami appeal, but you're gonna have to do it
a couple of times to beat the longest underwater DPV journey.

http://www.wkpp.org/articles/Exploration/wakulla42.htm

I've no idea if this is still the longest cave dive, but that's 42000ft,
which is about 8 miles, By my reckoning southsea-ryde is about 3.

Maybe do it the long way round (i.e go round the island )

See ya
John

> > Secondary to the fund raising effort, the Guinness Book of World Records
are
> > currently researching this challenge having given it priority due to the
> > charitable nature and should let us know in the next few days if we will
be
> > setting a world record for the longest underwater DPV journey. Although
this
> > is secondary to the main reason, it will give the venture greater
publicity
> > in the media and therefore hopefully raise some more money.
>
> I wish you good luck with your endevour, and Hope you raise a whole
> shedload of cash for the Tsunami appeal, but you're gonna have to do it
> a couple of times to beat the longest underwater DPV journey.
>
> http://www.wkpp.org/articles/Exploration/wakulla42.htm
>
> I've no idea if this is still the longest cave dive, but that's 42000ft,
> which is about 8 miles,

It may be; 38.8 nautical miles in 28 hours, by Namik Ekin who is in his
60's.

=
S.C.