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Paul Haynes

Paul Haynes

Paul Haynes

Director at Haynes Marine Ltd.

 

Paul first learned to dive in a professional capacity during 1990 whilst serving in the UK Royal Marine Commandos, and from there he quickly developed a passion for the sports diving. Paul’s interest in the underwater environment led him to specialising in maritime special operations, leading eventually to becoming a Swimmer Delivery Vehicle (free-flooding combat submersible) Pilot and Navigator and Instructor of oxygen, nitrox and electronically controlled military rebreathers.

Upon leaving the UK armed forces, for a decade Paul worked for Divex Ltd., the Scottish based company who are the world’s largest manufacturer of professional and defence diving equipment. During this period Paul’s principle role was Defence Business Development Manager, however other roles within the company included Chief Rebreather Instructor Trainer, Company Diving Officer and member of the rebreather development team.

Paul Haynes

Today Paul runs his own consultancy company, Haynes Marine Ltd. (www.haynesmarine.com) specialising in maritime and diving industry business development, documentation and training support. This highly specialised field continues to take Paul worldwide, training Special Operations Forces, Security Services and Naval Mine Clearance Teams in the range of military diving equipment and underwater technologies. Throughout Paul’s diving career, he has been actively involved in numerous military rebreather trials as both a trials research subject and equipment evaluation diver. This work continues today in the capacity of a manufacturer’s technical representative supporting various unmanned and manned diving evaluations of underwater life support and ancillary equipment.

Paul Haynes

Besides a specialised military diving background, Paul is an advanced mixed gas closed circuit rebreather Instructor Trainer with a number of diver training agencies. In addition, Paul is a professionally qualified small vessel Captain and navigation, seamanship, VHF radio and Advanced Powerboat Instructor. During 2003 Paul was a member of the civilian diving team who on behalf of the UK Ministry of Defence, supported by the UK Royal Navy, recovered the Ships Bell from HMS Prince of Wales, sunk in the S China Sea during WWII. Paul is known for his North Sea deep shipwreck exploration and provides maritime safety and diving support to film and media production companies in extreme environments globally. With a broad and rare rebreather diving background that encompasses sport, military and occupational diving disciplines, Paul is a contributor to various diving publications and an invited keynote speaker at various national and international diving / hyperbaric conferences presenting a variety of subjects such as rebreather design, testing and safety, military rebreather diving operations and technical diving training.

Paul Haynes

Topic: HMS Hampshire

'On 5 June 1916, the powerful armoured cruiser HMS Hampshire, fresh from the Battle of Jutland, set off from Scapa Flow, Orkney in northern Scotland on a secret mission around Norway to Russia. She carried the British Secretary of State for War, Lord Kitchener and his staff.

Off the north west of Orkney at 8.46pm, as she fought her way into an Atlantic Ocean Force 9 severe gale, she suddenly struck a mine laid by a U-boat as part of German preparations for the Battle of Jutland. She settled by the bow, her stern rearing high - and within 15 minutes she was gone. There were only 12 survivors - 737 perished, including Lord Kitchener and his staff.

The wreck was scheduled in 2002 as a Controlled Site under the Protection of Military Remains Act 1986 and no diving is permitted on her. However, to mark the occasion of the 100th anniversary of her sinking, the UK Ministry of Defence granted diving author Rod Macdonald a special Licence to put together a team to survey the wreck, which lies in 70 metres of water in an exposed location - open to fierce Atlantic storms. Rod would work with Paul Haynes, Ben Wade and Emily Turton to make this expedition a reality.

In June 2016, exactly 100 years on from her loss, an international team of carefully selected divers, each a leader in their own field, was assembled at Scapa Flow. The wreck was located and 12 technical divers dived every day on it for 2 weeks, recording this historically important wreck as never before by photography, videography and by 3D photogrametery. Such was the significance that the expedition was flagged by The Explorers Club.

Rod and Paul Haynes will open OZTeK with a presentation about the Hampshire, past and present - and will reveal the results of this rare glimpse at a very special shipwreck.’