Kernow Dive Festival raises £8,550 for DDRC

Two weeks ago, during World Oceans Day weekend, over 200 divers from at least 15 different BSAC clubs descended on Cornwall to be part of the Kernow Dive Festival 2025. Ten RIBs and their skippers collectively carried out just shy of 300 boat dives over the weekend, with divers of all levels participating in the scheduled diving. 

Not only was it fantastic to see the diving community come together to celebrate diving on World Oceans Day, but the weekend also raised funds for DDRC Healthcare Plymouth and hopefully increased awareness of their work.

The plight of UK chamber facilities has been in the spotlight recently due to the planned reduction in the number of hyperbaric chambers available to scuba divers in England.
With their number set to be cut from eight to just three, the pressure on the remaining chambers is a serious concern. Yet many divers starting out are unaware of the facilities available when things go wrong, or the ongoing research that takes place at these centres to make diving safer for everyone.

DDRC leads the field in dive medicine research, treating decompression illness and maintaining the national 24/7 helpline. Their work is essential for keeping all divers safe, and we’re proud to help raise awareness of their fantastic efforts.

Last year, the Kernow Dive Festival raised over £7,300 for DDRC Healthcare in Plymouth; this year, we’ve raised a phenomenal £8,550! This brings the total raised by the festival for DDRC to £69,760!

This is primarily thanks to the incredible support the event receives from the attending clubs, the diving industry, and local businesses, who contribute significantly to the raffle and auction fundraising activities on Saturday night.

The following businesses deserve a special mention, and we can’t thank them enough for their generosity. In no particular order:

• North Coast Diving donated a full-day charter

• O’Three Ltd donated a 50% drysuit voucher and a semi-dry

• Kent Tooling Diving Products donated two of their reels

• Seaways Diving and Suunto UK donated a Suunto Diving D6i Novo Zulu dive computer between them

• Scubapro donated a pair of their Seawing Supernova fins

• MARES – just add water donated three of their bags

• Discovery Divers Plymouth Ltd donated a day’s diving for two divers

• Seaways Diving and Engineer Aftercare Caravan, Campervan & Motorhome Warranty donated vouchers for cylinder testing and £100 off at Seaways

• Liquid Sports donated a BigBlue 1300NP torch and some Sharkskin caps

• Cressi donated a pair of their Origin fins

• AP Diving donated an assortment of items, including flasks, dry bags, mugs and beanies

• DDRC Healthcare donated a 40m chamber dive and facilities tour for up to 8 people

• Dive Signs donated a selection of their Smart Emergency, MOD, and Gas Analysis sticker packs

• Sharp’s Brewery donated a voucher for either a 5-litre mini cask of Doom Bar or an 8-pack of cans

• Scuba Ry Divers donated a snorkel set

• BSAC – British Sub-Aqua Club donated two digital SDC training packs

• Porthkerris Divers donated T-shirts

Two local businesses also helped keep the divers warm and well-fed:
Penryn Joinery donated a van load of heating fuel briquettes to keep everyone warm on Saturday night, and Firewood Supplies Ltd near Penzance kindly donated several large bags of restaurant-grade charcoal for the Kernow Dive Festival BBQ.

We also need to give a big shout-out to local ghost gear recovery charity Fathoms Free, which supported the fundraising weekend with its recently refurbished RIB and experienced skipper, Jules!

Their RIB, Stingray, was the first boat out and the last boat in on both days. They said it was fantastic to support such a great cause and were pleased to help raise awareness and funds for DDRC, which provides a vital service to all divers in the region—including those who volunteer for the charity during ghost gear recoveries.

The BSAC South West Region clubs that played a major role in this year’s event included:

• Bude Dive Club, whose members handled catering and, along with Peninsula Sub Aqua Club, ran the control room and slipway like a well-oiled military operation.

• Peninsula Sub Aqua Club (BSAC), whose members oversaw much of the shotting of the dive sites and planned the weekend’s diving. They also have a small quiz team, known amongst other names as the Four Skin Divers, who attend Tricky’s at the Tolgus Inn every fortnight for quiz nights. Over the last 12 months, they collated all their winnings and donated £230 to the fundraising efforts!

• Totnes Sub Aqua Club, whose members managed the finances and insurance and once again ran the record-breaking raffle!

A special thanks to Ponsandane Camping, who once again gave us VIP treatment, let us take over the site for the weekend, and provided secure boat storage for all attending clubs.

We’re also incredibly grateful to the team at Penzance Harbour for supporting the event year after year.

Huge thanks to everyone who helped organise the weekend, to the businesses and individuals who donated to the fundraising efforts, and to the 200+ people who took part!

It was truly a fantastic event. Despite the less-than-ideal weather, everyone had a great time—and a record amount of money was raised. Planning for next year is already underway!