Mark Andrews
The search for Yolanda

Biography
Mark Andrews took his first breath underwater in 1993. He completed his PADI open water course under the instruction of John Bennett who later became the first diver to successfully dive beyond 300m. After working his way through the PADI system of diving Mark sought training in technical diving, finding this more challenging and rewarding.

Mark left the UK after becoming an instructor and worked extensively in Dubai UAE, Thailand and the Red Sea. Mark soon gained a reputation as a deep diver where ever he went, pushing the limits of both his knowledge and diving ability. After witnessing several diving accidents involving divers pushing beyond their limits Mark returned to the UK determined to set up his own school of training. During his leisure time Mark continued his deep diving developing his own methods for safely pushing the boundaries. Mark spent 14 years running a martial arts school for Aikido where he developed exceptional mind and body control, which to this day he states, remains an integral part of his diving ability.

After a visit to the Philippines to visit John Bennett Mark found that he had broken the British deep air record with a dive to 120m. He immediately decided that the world record was within his reach. He enlisted the help of Hal Watts, the only man able to train him for such a dive. After 18 months of training Mark smashed the deep air world record with a dive on the 28th July 1999 to an official depth of 156.4m

In December 2005 Mark again broke a world record by diving to 205m on the wreck of the YOLANDA in the Red Sea Egypt making one of the hardest logistical dives ever undertaken on a wreck.

Mark is an Instructor trainer examiner for PSA as well as holding advanced instructor ratings for TDI and PADI.

Now residing in Dahab in the Red Sea Mark is the technical director for Poseidon Dive Center giving him access to some of the deepest dive sites in the world. Needless to say he plans on staying...