SSAFA 24 Hour Diveathon
On a sunny Saturday 29th October at 10.00, four divers launched themselves into the swimming
pool at the Ampeli Restaurant in Pissouri. Their aim, with help from other divers, was to stay
underwater for 24 hours.
This was the start of an idea dreamt up by the Team at Pissouri Bay Divers (PBD) to raise money
for SSAFA Cyprus Branch. Four teams of divers would have one member of their team under water
for the 24 hours, working in half hour shifts. Once in the water they would be given tasks to keep
them occupied and to stop boredom setting in. Each task would have points attached and the team
with the most points would win a prize. The prize would be two leisure dives for the whole team,
courtesy of PBD. But before they could take part, each diver had to raise as much money as they
could for SSAFA. A suggested amount of €100 sponsorship was the target. There was to be a prize
for the person who collected the largest amount of sponsorship. The prize was a Hewlett Packard
Netbook, donated by Pissouri residents Phil and Lindsay Keating and the owners of PADDS delivery service Phil and Anne Sked.
Also during the day supporters of the event ran a Tombola stall and a raffle. Visitors were also encouraged to do a Try Dive for
only €5. In the evening, Alan Cook ran a Quiz Night. Seventy eight people attended to enjoy a meal, a quiz and also an acoustic
duo that played well past midnight. During the evening BFBS Breakfast DJ Wes Thompson also arrived to support the event.
The Diveathon got under way with four teams. One team consisted of year ten and eleven students from The Heritage School in
Limassol. Another team consisted of teachers and one 6th form student from Foley School in Limassol. The third team was made
up of personnel from RAF Akrotiri BFPO and finally a team of individuals from Cyprus and UK.
The first task was for each diver in turn to don a blacked out mask (changing under water) and then find items thrown into the
pool. This was a lead weight, a rubber mallet, a dagger scabbard and a large bolt. Each diver had five minutes to find as many as
possible. At the end of the first 5 minutes, the first problem/challenge of the day reared its head. The whistle being blown above
the water could not be heard below the water! This meant that someone had to go into the pool each time and stop the diver.
Other games consisted of an Egg and Spoon race with a ping pong ball and a spoon held upside down, aquatic hoopla,
swimming through an obstacle course. There was a game where very small change was thrown into the pool and the all divers
had to collect as many coins as possible before the other divers got them. Spectators were encouraged to throw their spare
change in as well. This was hilarious as it looked like feeding time at a fish farm when coins randomly entered the pool. During
the evening when there was a break, the quizers were able to watch two divers at a time ride a space hopper, upside down,
flippers in the air somehow getting from one end of the pool to the other!
The night turned very cold and so after midnight the divers went into night mode where just two divers from the same team went
down for each half hour shift. This allowed each time to get about three hours sleep in sleeping bags on sun loungers or propped
up next to a metal fire brazier brought in for the night.
At 07.00 the next morning after a very cold and long night for everyone, it was back to day mode and 4 people in the pool at a
time. It just so happened on that night, the clocks went back and so the event was to finish at 09.00.
At 08.30 Dr Maria Stuttaford, Chair of SSAFA Cyprus In-Service Central Committee arrived, as she had kindly agreed to award
the prizes. Her first task was to draw the tickets for the raffle that had raised over €500. After that everyone went down to
poolside to watch the end of the event and cheer the final set of divers.
When the sponsorship form were checked it was found that Rick Kendall from Pissouri had won as he had raised €550 which is
a magnificent amount, it was then found 15 year old Megan Wright had raised €545! PBD decided that they would purchase a
further HP Netbook and award it to Megan. The Foley School Team won the leisure dives for getting the most points
A total of €3,300 was raised for SSAFA Branch.
We would like to thank the following people for making this weekend such a success:
All the divers and supporters/volunteers who worked through the night to make sure the event happened and the divers stayed
safe.
Bob Gallacher, our medic, who thankfully had nothing to do, but stayed up all night just in case.
Mr Demitri of the Ampeli Restaurant, Pissouri for allowing us to use his pool and his facilities free of any cost for a full 24 hours
and getting out 115 meals at the same time for the quiz night.
Alan Cook, for running the Quiz Night and getting 78 people to attend.
Most of all Neil and Tracey Bevis, Stuart Wright and Steve Ford from Pissouri Bay Divers, who used their considerable expertise
and their own time and money to organise and run the event.
