As a child Malcolm Hey was petrified of the water. In fact he was 23 years old when he overcame his fear and learnt to swim.
In later life his interests were to include many water based activities including water-skiing, sail and power boating,
scubadiving - and underwater photography. His grateful thanks must go to his regimental sergeant-major back in 1960.
During Malcolm's basic training as a national service conscript, RSM John Blundell persuaded him to attend Aldershot Military
Swimming Pool for swimming instruction. The RSM, more usually seen on the parade ground, showed an understanding of Malcolm's
fear, helped him overcome that fear and on his ninth weekly lesson Malcolm swam 140 lengths of the pool (two miles)!. Since then he has
been at one with the water. Malcolm learned from RSM Blundell not only how to swim but how to instruct, a skill which he
later put to use as a diving instructor.
Malcolm Hey learnt to scubadive in 1980 with Bedford Sub-Aqua Club, a branch of the
"British Sub-Aqua Club". Through further
training with BSAC at a regional level he qualified as a First Class Diver (CMAS 4-star), as an Advanced Instructor (CMAS 3-star)
and as a Diver Rescue Specialist. His boating interests led him to qualify as a RYA Coastal Skipper & Yachtmaster. At BSAC
branch level he held offices as Secretary, Chairman, Training Officer and for a 5 year period - Editor of the Club Newsletter!
For several years he was an active Instructor within BSAC Regional Coaching Team.
It was in 1985 that he took his first underwater photograph. After 5 years of diving British waters he planned his first diving
trip in sub-tropical waters, destination Red Sea. A diving friend lent him his Nikonos camera for the trip. No flashgun or other
attachments but it provided endless pleasure, albeit little in the way of photographic acheivement! It inspired Malcolm
to package his 15-year-old Olympus Trip camera and associated flashgun into a commercially produced plastic housing. So
began a long learning curve.
Over the next few years photography intermixed with other diving interests but Malcolm enjoyed more and more the interface with marine
life that carrying a camera encouraged. By the late eighties the Olympus Trip had given way to a Nikonos 5 camera with a
supplementary wide-angle lens, extension tubes and a Morris flashgun. Still producing lacklustre photographs he took the
decision to concentrate his underwater interests on photography and over the next few years engaged in a series of
instruction courses with Martin Edge, the UK's leading teacher of underwater photography.
And so began a new life that has brought much pleasure and satisfaction.
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Copyright 2002 Malcolm Hey - All Rights Reserved
