On the 16 May 2008 Shelley Jory, the P1 powerboat racer, joined the Hants and Isle of Wight air ambulance crew for the relaunch of Andark Diving’s “Dunker”.
Shelley is a well respected and capable powerboat racer, winner of the of the British Honda Powerboat season in 2007, and the first female P1 powerboat racer. Shelly survived an horrific high speed crash a few years ago, and attributes her survival to the training received at Andark. “The training saved my life. It’s very disorientating, but if you don’t follow the training and stay calm, you will not survive. If it was not for the training I received in the Dunker, I would not be alive today”.
Shelley opened the launch by pouring champagne over the unit, then refreshed her skills by participating in a few runs with members of the press.
Hampshire and Wight air ambulance flew their helicopter to the launch, landing in the Andark car park. Their air crew have also trained in the Dunker.
The Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance Charity was launched in October 2005.On 1st July 2007, the Air Ambulance became operational and is now flying several missions every day. By mid May 2008, the Air Ambulance had attended over 640 incidents, many of which saved lives.The Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance Charity relies entirely on voluntary donations, and for this vital service to succeed, it needs to raise more than £65,000 every month: that's over £2000 every day.
The Andark Dunker and its new pilot pod is used by the Warsash Maritime Academy for their sea survival and offshore courses but can also be used for fixed and rotary wing pilots, and by the RYA for powerboat racers. Companies also use the Dunker for corporate team building days. The Dunker can be hired by members of the public for fun days, liferaft training can also be provided.
Andark, formed in 1976, is best known as a PADI (Professional Association of Diving Instructors) 5 star Instructor Development Centre and certifies more divers than any other UK centre. Director Andy Goddard said “As a pilot and a diver I feel that anyone who goes on or over the water should consider this training. It could save their life”. “Now that divers are flying to more remote locations around the world to dive less well known sites, consideration should be given to what would happen in the unlikely event of an aircraft failure.” Andark can train divers right up to instructor level, and have recently introduced a Professional Scuba (formerly HSE part IV) commercial diver course.
Photos provided by Alan Hamblen.