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Featured Diver Gordon Bell
Interview by Leigh
Bishop
Bell talks Classic deep wreck diving with spear fishing at heart.
| Scottish wreck diver Gordon bell
is the youngest featured diver on deepimage to date and perhaps
one that has been diving for the least amount of time, although
one that has packed in some awesome classic wreck diving possible.
And especially in such a short period of time. Gordon Bell worked
as crew aboard the expedition vessel Loyal
Watcher for a number of years in which during that time
took him to some of the most important shipwrecks lost in the
European Hemisphere. I first met this young man during my travels
to photograph the wrecks off North West Ireland and was enlightened
to a well switched on hard working and more than capable diver.
Bell is a man who has the |
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| credit under his belt to teach deep mix a man who has been
there and done it. Bell admits he lives for diving and this
is certainly a man who has a great future in diving to look
forward to. You caught him here first on Deep Image. |
Interview
DI: - Gordon when did you start diving?
GB: - 1997 not long ago at all but I’ve
managed to pack in quite a lot in such a short period of time.
DI: - So how did you get into diving?
GB: - Well it was an accident really!
DI: - An accident how do you get into diving
by accident?
GB: - I basically lied in a job interview!
Back in 97 I went for a job interview in London, the job would
enable me to take a break from university and was for tracking
and making research on Big Game in Africa, it was a frontiers
project based job. I had travelled to London from Scotland was
smartly dressed and waiting my turn in the refreshments room.
This chap came in introduced himself and welcomed all the candidates
to the interviews for a place on the African reef research frontiers
project! I thought I had either turned up on the wrong day or
was in the wrong room whatever I was intrigued and thought it
sounded at least as interesting as big game, of course I hadn’t
dived in my life but I still stayed for the interview. During
the interview they asked me where I had my previous diving experience
so I figured I’d just tell them all the places I had been
canoeing which seemed to do the trick. I had spent £150
on my train journey so I wasn’t going to waste that. A
few days later I had a telephone call and had got the job so
I then had 6 months to learn to dive and get some experience
before I had to be in Africa. |
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DI: - So where did you learn
to dive?
GB: - I went through the school at Aberdeen
Water sports then went to Tanzania and spent 6 months mapping
coral reef currents, tides and various growth sizes. I then
came back with some 200 dives under my belt went back to university
and got a part time job as a dive instructor.
DI: - Instructing seems a bit tam for the
type of dives you do now how did you get your head round that
one?
GB: - Well I managed to pack in all sorts
of courses, a crash helicopter course where I got work as
a safety diver for offshore oil industry drills, I also did
courses on repairing diving equipment. By this time I lived
for diving so every spare moment was spent diving or earning
money to go diving by diving! I got an old van you know how
it is and then just went all over Scotland diving where and
when I could. All the usual Scapa Flow stuff and more.
DI: - You’re a trimix instructor did
you do that at around the same time.
GB: - Yes again through Aberdeen Water sports
I then used to run trips each weekend through the shop.
DI: - Where have you dived?
GB: - I read a lot of articles about deep wreck
diving and figured I head straight for those if I could I couldn’t
make up my mind where to go so it was a great opportunity to
get a job aboard Loyal Watcher and dive the lot. I’ve
been to Africa as I've already said and Ireland, Norway, Greece,
France, Red Sea, Denmark, the wrecks of the Battle of Jutland
and the English Channel.
DI: - Could you get marmite in those places
you’ve been?
GB: - Yes I love marmite and we had a ton
of it on the watcher but I prefer vegemite.
DI: - You’ve dived lots of wrecks
in the last few years?
GB:- Yes I’ve been very lucky to have
been paid for it as well I’ve managed to get dives on
the wrecks of the Battle of Jutland the battle of Norway the
battle of Narvik and lots more.
DI: - So what’s you’re best wreck
dive to date?
GB: - I suppose my most prestigious wreck dive
has to be the |
| day I had the chance to dive Britannic during
the 2003
project led by Carl Spencer. Again I was crew aboard the
ship and although my boss was they’re diving as well I
managed to get a dive. If I could choose one wreck of all the
ones I have dived to dive again it would be Britannic by a long
shot. |
Gordon Bell played his own part during the Britannic
2003 expedition when it came to shotting the
wreck with Steve Wright. He was also one of the divers that would
visit the wreck for himself. ©Leigh Bishop03
DI: - Have you been inspired
to do things by other divers?
GB: - ish- I don’t read articles any
more like I used to however that’s perhaps because I now
dive all the great shipwrecks I used to read about. On top of
that I now know all the guys that published material as I’ve
met loads of great people over the last few years.
DI: - Have you any confessions you might
want to tell that you have under you skin?
GB: - Not really, I did get up to things
in Africa that I shouldn’t have, for instance we had
a fixed depth limit that I used to run blind to. We were not
allowed to dive deeper than 25m so each day I used to tie
my dive computer off on my SMB before I dropped to the deeper
ranges of the reef. That way if someone inspected my depths
and times I didn’t get a bollocking. Not really hardcore
naughty stuff but something I suppose.
|
DI: - About the
great treasure hunting debate, are you a collector of artifacts?
GB: - No not really I don’t have any
place to put stuff, over the last few years I’ve lived
on boats or out of the back of cars or vans.
DI: - Ok so what other wrecks have you enjoyed
diving?
GB: - The Lusitania in south Ireland the famous
wreck in 93m depth, the Flying Enterprise and of course the
wrecks off North West Ireland are magic the Empire Heritage
springs to mind and the fantastic Justicia.
DI: - So have you dived any of those U-Boats
off Northern Ireland?
GB: - No!
DI: - Have you dived any U-Boats at all?
GB: - One in the Morray Firth it was ok but
nothing special, lets just say it didn’t capture my
imagination like the shipwrecks do.
DI: - Spear Fishing what about that then,
I know you’re into your spear fishing tell us about
that.
GB: - I really enjoy my free diving and spear
fishing and at heart I’m a killer, I’m thin and
built for free diving. I have a 1meter weapon that I’m
deadly with in the ocean.
DI: - So have you ever caught any big game
on that spear gun.
GB: - Of course the fish practically jump
on the end of my spear in utter fear of me. The best spear
fishing I’ve done is off Northern Ireland where I couldn’t
fail to hunt without success.
|
Bell (left) with spear fishing buddies Steve
Wright and Leigh Bishop |
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DI: - Where would you like to
dive given the choice.
GB: - south America, the Pacific, Galapagos
Islands if only to see big sea animals.
DI: - Where do you go from here then?
GB: - Well 2003 was my last year working
on Loyal Watcher I then head back to Scotland and I’ll
find my own wrecks to dive on and basically enjoy my life
in bonny Scotland.
DI: - Thanks Gordon best of luck and we'll
look out for anything you achieve in the future.
GB: - Leigh no worries mate and I owe you
a big personal thank you for teaching me everything you know
about spear fishing. Your amazing ability to hide amongst
the kelp hunting for big fish breath holding at great depth
encouraged me to get where I am now.
Gordon is a Trimix & technical diving instructor and
can be contacted at
gordonbellmr@hotmail.com
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© Leigh Bishop 2004
More about technical diving click
here >>
Learn how to become a technical diver with the best training click
here >>
About Deep Blue diving technical diving instructors click
here >>
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CDNN
news site EXPOSED as thieves
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TITANIC
Two and a half miles below the Atlantic Ocean lies the most
famous of shipwrecks RMS Titanic. DeepImage now brings you the
2003 scientific expedition to the site.
Read
the full story here
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