He was always with us in spirit, and on July 4, 2006 Paul Douglas joined his mates for a dive into the Red Sea.
At approximately 0630 British time Conall Freeley dropped off the back of the live aboard dive boat VIP One with eleven of Paul’s mates and a four kilogram slab of granite.

A master diver for many years, Paul spent much of his spare time over the last six months of his life setting up this trip, and we could think of no better way to thank him for his efforts, honour his memory and say again how much we miss him.

This was day three of the six day trip. We waited until Conall, who had badgered a stonemason into making the slab in a record three weeks, found the right spot, a cross-shaped corral outcrop twelve meters deep, just off the beaten dive path at a site on the southern tip of the Sinai peninsula called “The Alternatives.”

The ceremony, if that is the correct word for such an effort, was planned as best a disparate and dissolute group could manage. It began the night before with a toast to Paul and James Brolan on the afterdeck of the boat, appropriate liquids having been stocked in respectfully copious quantities for the occasion before leaving port.
We even managed a rehearsal in the form of deciding who would line up where by posing on the sun deck. And so, before breakfast, with the still slanting sun dancing in rays off the gently rolling sea, we ”kitted up”, posed on the dive deck for photos, and splashed in.
Unusually for the Red Sea, there were few fish around. A solitary lion fish sat and watched us gather in a group and then begin the slow swim to the chosen site.

Technically, because the spot is within the boundaries of the Ras Mohammed National Park, leaving anything on the sea bed is illegal, but under the circumstances, there are hardly likely to be any objections.
Being just off the route from the usual mooring for the reef, the plaque will be easy to find again using its GPS co-ordinates, and hopefully won’t be disturbed.
Conall laid the plaque firmly upright against the base of the coral outcrop, and the rest of us moved in the slow motion that is part of the beauty of diving to group around it.

Setting up in a line under water is not like posing for a group wedding photo.
Everyone has to remain neutrally buoyant and just above the sea bed in order not to damage any of the coral.
We also had to breath in unison so as not to cover the scene in bubbles.
Credit for that idea must go to “Hooch”, the dive master who has heard a “Paul story” every day, and was official photographer.