missing diver off the north coast of Donegal discovered.

A body has been discovered bringing to an end a 24 hour search for a missing diver off the north coast of Donegal.

The diver had been exploring wartime wrecks more than 20 kilometres off the Donegal coast yesterday afternoon.

The deceased, who is believed to be in his 40's and from the UK, was one of seven divers exploring sunken ships, 70 metres underwater north of Horn Head.

The divers entered the water from the 42 foot Rosguill around midday yesterday. The vessel is onwed and skippered by Michael McVeigh from Downings with the boat being based in Mulroy bay.

A extensive air and sea search began at around 2.30 yesterday afternoon when the diver failed to return to the surface.

The search continued today with a body being discovered on the seabed at 2.30 this afternoon.

Aranmore lifeboat was involved in the operation, it's PRO is Nora Flanagan.

 

Kowloon Bridge

Location:
	Lat./Long.:	51° 28' N 009° 14' W
	Description:	1/4 mile SW of Stag Rocks
Construction:
	Type:	Bulk Carrier (ore/bulk/oil)
	Built:	Belfast by Swan Hunter in 1973
	Hull :	Steel
Dimensions:
	Tonnage:	169,080 ton
	Size:	900 ft x ft
History:
	Sunk:	24.11.1986
	Cause:	Ran aground in SW gale
Depth:
	Top:	17 metres
	Seabed:	36 metres
Disposition:
	Lying:	Upright
	Condition:	Bow intact with main body of wreck open
	Seabed:	Rock
Restrictions:		None
Notes:
		The British flag, Honk Kong registered ore/bulk/oil motor vessel Kowloon Bridge, which was built in 1973 as a sister ship to the ill-fated Derbyshire which disappeared off the coast of Japan in September, 1980, herself also became a total loss in November, 1986 when she was wrecked off the southern coast of Ireland. The Kowloon Bridge was on a voyage from St. Lawrence River port of seven Islands, Quebec, from where she started on 7/11/86 bond for the River Clyde terminal of Hunterston, loaded with a cargo of 160,000 tons of iron ore consigned to British Steel Corporation. However, en route she had to seek shelter in Bantry Bay to effect repairs to deck cracks sustained during heavy Atlantic weather. Then, after having lost her standard anchor in a heavy swell on 22/11/86, she sailed out of Bantry bay but then lost her steerage and began to drift in continuing heavy seas. Due to the dangerous nature of the situation, the 28 man crew decided to abandon ship, being winched to safety by helicopters in mountainous seas. The helpless vessel was then driven aground in gale-force winds on Stag Rock, near Baltimore, Co. Cork. Her 1200 tons of bunker fuel began to leak, causing a serious pollution problem to nearby coves and beaches. Despite the joint efforts of two of the world’s top salvage companies, Smit & Wijsmuller, the wrecked Kowloon Bridge could not be refloated and, when she broke her back on the rocks, all salvage attempts were abandoned. She was left to the elements to pound to pieces. The hull and machinery insurance was £8.4m, while the value of the lost ore was £2.7m.

 

 

Dive Sites Around Baltimore

Check out link on dive sites around Baltimore:

http://www.aquaventures.ie/wcwrecks.htm

 

 

DEERFIELD BEACH, Fla. - Lightning struck a diver's oxygen tank

The 36-year-old man was diving with three others Sunday off a boat near Deerfield Beach, about 40 miles north of Miami. He had surfaced about 30 feet from the boat when lightning struck his tank, said Deerfield Beach Fire Chief Gary Fernaays.

The other divers struggled to get the man back into the boat and radioed for help, Fernaays said. The victim, whose name was not immediately released, was rushed to the beach, where a rescue crew gave him CPR. He was later pronounced dead at North Broward Medical Center in Pompano

 

C.F.T. National Underwater Photography Competition 2008

Missed out on last years Photographic Competition???

This years dive season is nearly in full swing. Why not
get out there and take some photographs and send
them into us. We are collecting entries throughout the year
and they will be judged at the end of the 2007 dive
Season.

Please post us in your photographs on disk along with an
entry form which can be downloaded from the competitions
folder in the Download area of the CFT Website.

Kilkee - Bank Holiday

The club travelled to kilkee for the may weekend. The week leading up to it, the weather was terrific, but unfortunately for us the weekend turned out to be a wash out. But bad weather has never really stopped Athlone SAC from putting to the water, and on Saturday we dived Newfound out. Saturday the trainees were doing the required snorkels but on Sunday they got there first open water dive from the slip at kilkee. The Vis was crap but our eager trainees spent the best part of an hour in it. The only thing that can be said at this stage to any trainee who may be reading this is: it can only get better�..
After the dive we dropped a new mooring for the Athlone diver, as our previous one was washed up on shore in the bad weather over the winter. Sunday evening the wind calmed a bit and two of our trainees dived newfound out, spotting crawfish, lobsters, and a big conger. We decided to lift the boat afterwards as Sunday night was promised to be particularly bad.
We were woke on Monday morning with the wind and rain beating against the side of the van and we decided to call diving off, till next weekend, where it�s Kilkee again. Finally id like to thank everyone who helped out with the weekend, and thanks to Matt for bringing the van and boat down�..Till next week.

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Dive Program 2007

May 5th - 7th B/H Kilkee
May 12th - 13th Kilkee
May 19th - 20th Doolin
May 26th - 27th Kilkee
June 2nd - 4th B/H Inishbofin
June 9th - 10th Skerd Rocks Roundstone
June 16th - 17th St. Johns Point
June 23rd - 24th Kilkee
June 30th - July 1st Teelin
July 7th - 8th Kilkee
July 14th - 15th Ballycastle
July 21st - 22nd Clare Island
July 28th - 29th Malin Head
Aug 4th - 6th B/H Dingle
Aug 7th - 10th C/H Ballinskelligs
Aug 11th - 12th Baltimore
Aug 18th - 19th St. Johns Point
Aug 25th - 26th Kilkee
Sept 1st - 2nd Achill Island
Sept 8th - 9th Doolin
Sept 15th - 16th Kilmore Quay
Sept 22nd - 23rd Stags of Broadhaven
Sept 29th - 30th Kilkee
Oct 6th - 7th Kilkee
Oct 13th - 14th Teelin
Oct 20th - 21st Glen Colm Kill
Oct 27th - 29th B/H Stony Cove

Any queries on the above contact Liam Sherringham on 086 8216670

Two new Instructors in the club

A big congratulations to Ger Loughnane and Aiden Henry on passing their instructor exams
yesterday. This was the result of a lot of hard work put in over many months of preparation.
The club wishes them all the best, in their new role as instructors.
Well done lads!!

Search and Recovery Update

Robbie West, Ger Craven and Michael White dived on Saturday.
We had been asked to search for the cover of an outboard that the
Athlone Boat Club lost. Full face masks were used, Michael found the cover
on our first dive. The next two dives done were under the pontoons in front of the
clubhouse. Michael brought his camera to get some underwater footage.
SAR members should use any opportunity they get to practice with
the full face masks.
SAR DO

Diver Medic Responder

The Diver medic responder course has been changed to Sunday 29th April in Roscommon (D.S.A.C). Let me know if your interested in doing the course....................D.O