Russell Carter
This year’s recipient has been a member of the Derbyshire Section for over four decades and also the Northern Section for much of that time. (As such he knew Mike “Fish” Jeanmaire very well, who would no doubt have been pleased by what follows.) He played a major role in many significant diving explorations in northern England. His local Peak District saw him making advances, both above and below water, in Peak and Speedwell Caverns, perhaps most notably on some long and committing trips into Far Sump Extension before the dry link with Speedwell was found.
He was co-explorer of the main extensions to Malham Cove Rising in the Dales and one of the team of five which successfully connected King Pot with Keld Head, via the East Kingsdale Branch. Many other sections of new passage in the Dales bear his signature, especially where it was necessary to move large boulders! He was also one of the first CDG members to attempt underwater photography in the Dales, producing some fine images.
He has cave dived many times elsewhere in the world, including on several major expeditions as a member of international teams. This overseas work extended to representing the Cave Diving Group at an international gathering at Gorizia in north eastern Italy, to work on problems of sump rescue.
Apart from a long list of involvement in new discoveries he also served the CDG admirably as our Newsletter Editor. He took over from Paul Whybro in April 1991 and over twelve years produced forty eight editions, until handing the baton to Dave Ryall in April 2003. This placed him in the ideal position to co-produce the most recent Peak District Sump Index. The group of former recipients is therefore delighted to present this year’s Fish Award to Russell Carter.
– J.N.C.