Karl Holford
Karl belongs to: The Diving Centre Ltd
Karl learnt to dive through his father Stan. He grew up with diving with his brother Michael. Karl manages The Diving Centre Ltd, providing the diving community with equipment, training and advice.
Karl was interviewed by Carl Greenwood on 17 January 2006. The interview took place at Discovery Museum History office and lasted 38 minutes and 50 seconds.
Development of diving equipment
"The equipment has made things easier and made it possible for everybody to be able to try and learn to dive"
The equipment has made things easier and made it possible for everybody to be able to try and learn to dive. Suits, for example are a hundred times better than what they were 20, 30, 40 years ago. They allow people to go underneath the ice and still maintain body temperature, still stay warm. Because the North Sea, yes, it’s cold but if you have the right suit on, no, you’re not cold. If you’re cold, you’re not going to enjoy it.
The cylinders have become smaller, lighter, bigger capacity, the regulators are as easy to breathe as you’re sitting here breathing now- there’s no resistance or anything. The jacket you wear, the BCJ, the buoyancy compensating jacket, they fit better, they’re part of you, they’re tailored, there’s ladies’ jackets, there’s gents’ jackets, there’s different sizes. The fins that you use- flippers as people call them- they have become lighter, better, more streamlined so we put less effort in for more gain. And you get different types, different styles for women, kids, adults. Masks, from like relatively looking through the bottom of a bucket with a piece of glass in, now a mask is as close to your eyes as a set of spectacles, really, so your field of view, your field of vision is enhanced greatly-it’s really wide. The materials all allow things to last longer and fit better, so yes, and also things are cheaper now than what they were.
Karl has 17 memories in the memorynet:
Karl's memories with a Danger theme:
Karl's other memories:
Growing up in the diving community- Learning to dive in the North East
- The Dive School
- Sea life in the North East
- Weather and conditions
- Diving routines
- Development of diving equipment
- Sounds
St Abbs Head- Cawfield Quarry
- Moving the Diving Centre
- Scapa Flow
- Freddy the Dolphin
- The Diving Centre Ltd
- The Diving Centre Ltd
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