All change and a bright future

The dive charter scene is going through a very rough time. The economic situation and general down turn in our sport has spelt the end for some well known boats and skippers. At the same time, just as diving itself has evolved, new technologies are opening up opportunities to discover exciting new sites, many of them right on our doorstep. I have over the last couple of years tried hard to move things along and to do something different with the Shipwreck Project but struggled to find the time and money to develop things as I wished as the financial burden of the boat has always had to come first. That has now all changed with the help of locally based diver Richard Bright-Paul. Richard shares my passion for shipwrecks and exploration and has made the very bold step of buying the Wey Chieftain and keeping me on as her Skipper. This assures the boat’s future in Weymouth, and gives me the flexibility to plan projects and spend more time and money at sea with sonar, remote cameras, mag etc. Wey Chieftain will continue to operate as a regular dive charter boat but have more availability to carry out further exploration and project work. Wey Chieftain has always been at the cutting edge of dive exploration from the M1 discovery, first dives in the Hurd deep, early expeditions such as HMS Charybdis, the list goes on. Richard investing in the way he has will ensure continued success and Wey Chieftain sails on. As for the Shipwreck Project we have only just started with the discovery of five canon sites and a Napoleonic wreck!