In
Spring 1963, a
meeting took place in UCG (University College Galway), at which the UCG
Sub-Aqua Society was formed. Present at this meeting were, Jim
Doyle,Peter
O'Beirn, Tom McCarrick, Kerry McConn, George Ryder and Peadar
Canavan. This was the
first meeting of any
number of people of this sport in Galway, although Christy Dooley had
done 'hard hat' diving and was known locally as 'The Diver'. He also
had scuba equipment. The powers that be at the time,
thought that adventure sport such
as Scuba Diving was not the safest
activity for young students to be engaged in, so the society was
disbanded and Galway SubAqua Club was born. Diving suits consisted of
jumpers, pyjamas and tracksuits tied with twine to stop the flow of
water.
Peter O'Beirn and Tom McCarrick travelled up to the Curragh pool to
learn the art of scuba diving and snorkelling. College 'authorities'
insisted on a chaperone if any female student accompanied the divers in
this venture.As the summer of 1963 progressed the first suit-making
materials arrived from England, 4mm English Neoprene, nylon lined. By
the end of that summer, three suits were in existance.
During that summer, the club
activities were mainly snorkeling. The first 'official' outing,
was
to Carraroe in September 1963. Kelly's cottage at the Coral strand was
rented for a week. Val Kennedy , then a member of the Curragh Club,
turned
up with scuba gear and the first scuba dives were performed. John
Hailes
(Curragh) and Ronnie Hurley (Limerick), were also present.
In December 1963, George Ryder
and Peter O'Beirn purchased Drager Aqualung sets. These were the first
sets of scuba in the club, and got their first 'wetting' on the Sunday
before Christmas. The
original divers were trained in the Curragh pool and built up a lasting
rapport
with that club that continues to this day. The club looked for
certification,
and Comhairle Fo-Thuinn was formed in Dublin
and this gave formal recognition to the training. The structure of
Galway Sub-Aqua Club has always given as
it's first principle, training and safety, and this has stood it in
good stead.
The first recorded body search
by the club was in the Clare River, near Miltown Co. Galway, in 1964.
The
same year the first successful recovery occurred on Lough Corrib, near
Kilbeg, when the bodies of two men were
taken from the lake.
