Calgo Publications

Chris Holden was introduced to diving in 1971, when his first dive was made from a boat moored off the Skerries, (Anglesey) using a twin-hose regulator, a leaky mouthpiece, a home-made wet-suit and insufficient weight. Surprisingly, despite this shaky introduction he still dives around the North Wales coast for twelve months of the year, diving anywhere from Barmouth to the Mersey Approaches and the freshwater lakes, quarries and rivers of the area.
His work took him all over North Wales, where he spent many lunch-hours observing the tidal flows in the Menai Strait and elsewhere around the coast, visiting slipways at all states of the tide, or researching shipwrecks in the local archives and libraries.
Having escaped from the rat-race, he published two volumes of 'The Essential Underwater Guide to North Wales' which were written mainly for divers.
He first dived the 'Royal Charter' in 1982, and has been fascinated by the story ever since. Having collected many snippets of information over the years about the ship, and having written about it in his diving books, he realised just how much more of the tale there was left to tell.

Although just an occasional (warm water!) diver, Lesley Holden has lived with diving for more years than she cares to count. A scientist by profession, she now uses her research and analytical skills in unearthing historical facts rather than scientific data. In addition, she gets called upon as a boat-handler, photographer, scribe, editor and collector of assorted miscellaneous facts.
This book is their first joint publication, and so far they are still on speaking terms!

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