Remembering Helen Hadley

Tributes have been paid to Helen Hadley, assistant skipper of the Orkney liveaboard MV Valhalla, who has died aged 45 after a seizure.

Known for her compassion, intelligence and wit, Helen was a hugely popular figure on the UK diving scene; her death has prompted a widespread outpouring of shock and sympathy for her partner, Hazel Weaver.  

Born and raised in Alnwick, Northumberland, Helen studied Environmental Sciences at Northumbria University and developed an interest in diving that led her to the Yorkshire Divers online forum. It was here that she first met Hazel, who invited her to Stromness to work as a deck hand on her 50-ft day boat, Stormdrift.  It was the beginning of one of the most celebrated partnerships in British diving, one that would host countless divers in search of the Scapa experience. 

Hazel (L) with Helen

Working in the challenging environment of Scapa Flow, Helen’s people skills came to the fore. Hazel said: 

She had this gift in her ability to get on with anybody. If you spent 30 seconds in your company she’d make you a friend; she was able to cross boundaries, cross communities and just chat to people in the most natural way.

Such was her charm, people in Orkney began referring to her as ‘a local’ just months after she moved there.  

Helen became an integral part of the business, first in her role as deckhand and chef, ultimately as ‘boat mum’. Hazel said:

She was an incredibly generous person in terms of her knowledge, her empathy and her love.

Working as a team, Helen and Hazel became a much loved part of the Scapa scene. For a while they operated two liveaboards, eventually selling MV Valkyrie [now MV Honeydew] to concentrate their efforts on Valhalla. Helen became renowned for her on-board catering, especially her extravagant baking creations, which included a 12-inch high birthday cake.

Hazel added:

She was never more at home than when she was making people happy... it’s what she lived for and her baking was an expression of that.

Helen was a highly experienced diver, having progressed from single cylinders in warm water to mystery marks at depths of 80 metres. She twice rescued the lives of divers who were in danger of drowning near the boat, leaping into the water in her deck clothing. One of these rescues resulted in Helen being given BSAC’s Alan Broadhurst Award, acknowledging her bravery and use of lifesaving techniques.  

She was of course known for her sense of humour, which encapsulated not just her wit and warmth, but also her unique way of looking at the world. Hazel explained:

Helen’s sense of humour was completely off the wall. Just have a scroll over her social media and you’ll see the person she was.

There are perhaps too many examples to choose from, but when she was going through a series of hospital treatments she decided to help the medical staff by having a ‘stab here’ tattoo made near her recommended vein. Her Facebook page proudly describes her job as ‘Hobbit-in-chief at MV Valhalla’, but it belies her professionalism. She qualified as an RYA Yacht master in 2018, which meant she could take navigation watch without supervision. 

Helen made a point of befriending harbour cats wherever she went. Hazel often worried that she would one day discover Jazz the Pier Cat from Norway somewhere on board Valhalla when they were halfway across the North Sea. But the animal she truly adored was ‘Dug the boat dog’, who according to Hazel was the love of Helen’s life.  

The loss of such a personality will resonate across the diving scene for some time, not least for Hazel, and Helen’s other close friend, Fiona Fleming. The final word goes to Hazel:

No-one’s really gone until they are forgotten, so keep remembering her. Be good to each other and remember Helen.