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It�s 7.30am on Saturday 27th August and a group of intrepid, slightly windswept divers are patiently queuing outside the door of the Old School at St Abbs. Why the early start in such an obscure location? To register for the Splash In of course! August Bank Holiday Weekend saw the St Abbs and Eyemouth Voluntary Marine Reserve�s (VMR) Splash In, just days after the Reserve celebrated its 21st Birthday. In total 34 divers took part in this year�s underwater photographic competition, with a range of different levels of experience. Some have been taking underwater photos for years, and others just taking it up just recently. Although the weather was kind, the sea being calm as the winds were from the South West, the underwater visibility was not too good, certainly not the clear waters that St Abbs is famous for! But this did not deter the competitors, some of which had come hundreds of miles to take part, it just meant that they had to get a bit more close up and personal in order to get a good shot! The Splash In is really two competitions running side by side. One for those using traditional film and one for those using digital cameras. In each, there are three categories: Marine Life Portrait, Reserve Atmospheric and The John Goldie Most Humorous Shot (in memory of a local diver and character), and prizes are also given for Best Beginner and Best Image for each medium. The photographers only have the Saturday morning to capture what they hope to be a winning image, but nevertheless, there were some really stunning shots taken of a wide variety of different subjects. The judges were definitely going to have a hard time choosing the winners! On the evening of Sunday 28th August the judges (all 140 of them!) convened in St Abbs Village Hall, where there was a slide show of all the images entered in the competition. Everyone in the audience was given a voting slip where they wrote down which was their favourite image for each category. They then adjourned to the Old School for drinks, nibbles and a chance to mingle whilst the votes were totted up. Suitably refreshed, the judges returned to the Village Hall for the presentation of the prizes by Lawson Wood, writer and founder of the Marine Reserve, and Sarah Goldie, daughter of the aforementioned John Goldie. This year�s cache of prizes was astounding, with over �2,000 worth being donated by local, national and international businesses. There was a chance to win anything from a romantic meal for two to an expensive piece of dive equipment. In the digital competition J P Trenque took first prize for the Marine Life Portrait Category with his shot of a Scorpion Fish, with Ken Sullivan being runner up with an image of a Ballen Wrasse. In the Reserve Atmospheric category Paul Buckley�s shot of light shining through Thong Weed knocked Sam Bean�s image of a reef covered in Dead Man�s Fingers into second place. The Most Humorous Shot category was a close run thing, but Ken Sullivan�s picture of a Pink Octopus sitting amongst Dead Man�s Fingers just pipped Libby Bower to the post with her shot of Barbie and Ken in an underwater embrace. However, Libby could take much consolation from being voted Best Beginner. The Best Digital Image prize was won by J P Trenque for his superb shot of the Scorpion Fish. In the film competition Jason Gregory took first prize for Marine Life Portrait with his close-up of a Snake Pipefish, with Peter Ladell just being pushed into second place with his shot of a Lion�s Mane Jellyfish. For the Reserve Atmospheric category Sandy McPherson�s image of a Diver in a Kelp Forest was victorious with Peter Ladell again taking second prize for his wide-angle shot of a Diver exploring a gully strewn with Dead Man�s Fingers. Len Deely, and his portrait of a Diver encountering a Mermaid, stole first place for The Most Humorous Shot category from C Scatchard with his shot of a Diver somehow managing to smoke a pipe underwater, who said that smoking and diving were incompatible? Best Beginner was won by Ric Waring and Sandy McPherson�s image of the Diver in the Kelp Forest won Best Image. All prizes and accolades having been distributed, the St Abbs Splash In drew to a close, with all; young and old, divers and landlubbers and locals and visitors alike, seemingly having had a good time. Not only is The Splash In great fun, but it also gives non-divers a chance to experience the beauty to be found beneath the waves. In addition it provides a fantastic opportunity to promote the marine conservation work that has been going on in the VMR for the past two decades. Long may it continue to do so! Many thanks go to all our sponsors for their generous support, and also to William and Bob at the St Abbs Dive Centre and Amanda at Scoutscroft Divers who helped with getting sponsors on board and generally with making the whole event such a success. Thanks to this years sponsors:
2005 Digital Competition ResultsMarine Life Portrait
Reserve Atmospheric
The John Goldie Most Humorous Shot
Overall WinnerJ P Trenque, Scorpion Fish. Best BeginnerLibby Bower 2005 Film Competition ResultsMarine Life Portrait
Reserve Atmospheric
The John Goldie Most Humorous Shot
Overall WinnerSandy McPherson, Diver in kelp. Best BeginnerRic Waring
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St. Abbs & Eyemouth Voluntary Marine Reserve. |
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