It’s been a busy few months as state co-ordinator.
In September we had an evening with two presentations. One by Louis-Philippe Loncke who I would describe as a truly remarkable desert walker and long-distance trekker, who spoke of his various adventures. The other was by myself on how to a survive a major disaster, both on the night and in the years afterwards.
Louis-Philippe has visited Australia 5 times over 20 years to do 7 expeditions in including 5 world firsts. In 2016 he became the European Adventurer of the Year.
His endeavours included an epic traverse of the Wilderness Area of Tasmania, unsupported for 49 days and climbing 19 mountains along the way, including Federation Peak. In 2018, in his second crossing of Tasmania, he traversed from Penguin to the South Coast, in winter, starting with a backpack of 62 kg and completing without any further supplies. Louis Philippe is a man of considerable dedication and determination. All credit to him, it was a privilege to have him as our guest.
My talk was deeply personal. I witnessed a great tragedy in 1988 on Piper alpha in the North Sea, where 167 perished. I was very fortunate to survive, but it took a lot of clear thinking, cool evaluation and determined action, made in considerable haste, to escape with nearly thirty on my colleagues close by me. In the aftermath I worked hard to maintain my level head and I found great comfort in forging a new life as a film maker. This took me on many national and international adventures.
In November I visited Oslo and was privileged to attend an evening with the local chapter headed by the charming Synnove Marie. The presentation was by the writer and documentary filmmaker Kim Frank ‘who has devoted the past seven years to documenting the human-elephant conflict in northeast India, in the foothills of the Himalaya, on the borders with Nepal and Bhutan’.
It was a fascinating ‘multi-faceted story of clashing cultures, habitat degradation, and competition for shrinking space between indigenous wildlife and people’.
I was in Oslo primarily to attend the Second Submersible Operators Meeting (SOG 2024), where several other explorers club members were present, including Synnove. The title of the group doesn’t fully do justice to the significance of this new developing organisation. It was set up in the aftermath of the Oceangate tragedy in the ocean above the wreck of the RMS Titanic. This took the lives of five people including Explorer’s Club members Hamish Harding and Paul-Henri Nargeolet.
The conference comprised delegates who are designers, manufacturers, operators, suppliers, insurers, pilots, classification societies and other associated professionals active in the industry. This organisation is the first time that an industry body has been formed to bring the majority of those operating such vehicles together. It has, to a large degree, been unnecessary until now, as for decades, submersible operations have been conducted with an impeccable safety record.
Given the inevitability of government interventions in the aftermath of Oceangate, this initiative is a sensible, responsible and important reaction. As the peak organisation of professionals designing, building, operating and conducting businesses only within codes and certification, it will inevitably become the go-to place for governments, regulators, academics and responsible organisations, ie those seeking to regulate or otherwise engage in the industry. SOG is actively compiling materials that will become the primary resource for the sector.
It was a great privilege to attend. It was clear to all that this organisation is the lead industry group for submersible operations. The depth and breadth of experience in the room, containing only 70 or so people, was outstanding. The three leading manufacturers alone represented an enormous body of knowledge and safe operational experience. Additionally, operators from within the scope of Woods Hole, commercial cruise lines and representatives from several not-for-profits, along with many others, brought hundreds of years of experience into one room.
All credit to REV Ocean for sponsoring and creating the very well-run event which included the best conference dinner I have ever attended. It was hosted within the Fram Museum. This was inaugurated on 20 May 1936. To ‘honour Norwegian polar exploration in general and three great Norwegian polar explorers in particular – Fridtjof Nansen, Otto Sverdrup and Roald Amundsen.’ Exquisitely arrayed on the deck of Nensen’s vessel, dinner was superb and enjoyed along with a great speech by Leighton Rolley of REV Ocean, the Science Systems Manager at REV Ocean.
This link is well worth a look and demonstrates a compelling means to display a historic vessel and visually capture the adventure of being under sail at sea in a heavy ocean. Remarkable. https://frammuseum.no
And finally, whilst in London I also had the opportunity to spend an evening with the Explorers Club - Great Britain and Ireland Chapter.
By Ed Punchard, Program Co-ordination West Austalia.
