FEW visits to gents’ toilets leave lasting memories.

But for Brian Goddard, the row of urinals and toilets he came across on June 19, 2013, will never leave him - because they lay at the bottom of the sea.

The white porcelain urinals, ornate sinks and beautifully-tiled floor of what was once a smart washroom in a large steamship, were among the first things he saw as he dived to a depth of almost 70 metres in the North Sea.

“It was incredible,” says Brian. “You could see the maker’s name, ‘Armitage Ware’ and a chamber pot bears the name of the Danish shipping line DFDS. Hot, cold and waste labelling was clearly visible.”

The washroom formed part of the passenger/cargo steamship NJ Fjord which was scuttled on the order of a German submarine captain in April 1917. Previously undived, the wreck had lain unseen until the 2013 expedition by a team diving with the specialist dive company Marine Quest, based in the Scottish port of Eyemouth.

They travelled 55 miles offshore and used an echo sounder to locate the ship - the vessel which brought together the opposing fleets in the Battle of Jutland.

Experienced wreck diver Brian was proud to be part of that team. The visibility was good, and the underwater film he made shows shoals of fish darting around the largely intact wreck. He is passionate about the pastime that has seen him explore the eerie yet captivating remains of vessels sunk in conflict or by other means. “I love it down there - it is quiet and peaceful, and you never know what you are going to come across.”

Brian is a long-time customer of Otter Watersports in Wakefield Road, Bradford, established by fellow expert driver John Womack whose company, Otter Watersports, manufacture drysuits. "I have used them for 20 years and have a good relationship with them,"

Brian has participated in around 2000 dives, to wrecks including ships, submarines and aircraft. This year, he was among a team who discovered a wreck believed to be HMS G7, a British G-class submarine built for the Royal Navy during the First World War. It was sunk in October 1918 in the North Sea. “All the features of the wreck fit the description of a G class submarine and the G7 is the only one that is missing,” says Brian.

This type of diving, is called mixed gas diving, using equipment known as rebreathers. Explains John Womack: "It is like having two balloons, one at either side. You suck from one and the air you exhale passes through a chemical scrubber removing carbon dioxide, then it is topped up with oxygen and can be breathed again." This allows divers to stay under water for up to ten hours.

John's diving career began with a visit to Eccleshill Pool to learn how to scuba dive. He went on to become a world name in diving, his expertise putting him in demand for advice and to oversee dives.

John has swum around many famous wrecks including the Britannic, the sister ship of the Titanic which sunk in the Aegean Sea during the First World War.

"That was a highlight for me," he says, "It lies on its side and is so big - it was like standing on a football pitch with what looked like dustbin lids along it - they were the portholes. We could see the propellers too."

He has searched for the Norge that went down in 1904 after striking the island reef at Rockall, 300 miles off the Scottish coast and has looked down the gun barrels of the British battleship Victoria that sank during manoeuvres off Lebanon in 1893.

In 2010 he received an international award at a diving conference for his outstanding contribution to the industry. John, who used to run Bradford-based Diver's Warehouse, is still a member of Bradford Sub-Aqua Club, where he became involved in teaching others to dive. His son, also John, an experienced diver is now at the helm of Otter Watersports.

Now 72, John senior has not been diving for two years due to health problems, but hopes to get back in the water. "I miss it, it has been a huge part of my life , I feel so lucky."

Artefacts found on and around the wrecks are left in place. “The only time we recover an item is when we are trying to identify a vessel,” explains Brian, whose son Andrew shares his passion.

Mick Barraclough came to the sport after losing a ring in the Leeds-Liverpool Canal. "I asked a friend who was club member to find it. We didn't get it, but did retrieve it years later," he says. He dives up to 50 metres off the British coastline and enjoys seeing marine wildlife. "You see everything - crabs, lobsters, porpoise, dolphins, it is fantastic."

As chairman of Bradford Sub-Aqua Club, Mick encourages youngsters to have a go at the sport. "We are actively looking for younger people," he says.

*For more information visit bradfordsubaqua.co.uk or ring Mick on 07575 253311.

*A selection of Brian’s and John's dives can be viewed on YouTube.