Newsletter 10 – September 2006

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Feel free to email me (sharkyrjp@yahoo.co.uk), any dive reports (even if it is Stoney Cove), event info / reports etc and I’ll include in the newsletter. Even if you have done some holiday dives abroad let me have some brief information - where you’ve been, where you dived, what you saw. Just an overall impression would be good as it might help other club members have ‘sneaky’ dives when on a family or romantic holiday!

Cheers Diver Dicky

Dive report – Eastbourne 16 September 2006

Blimey! An almost full dive boat of 11 divers made the club trip to Eastbourne. We had fine weather with a calm sea. The boat was another ‘Cat’ similar to the Weymouth ‘Cat’, so loads of space.

This was my first dive visit to Eastbourne – nice and convenient for a day dive and a good start time. The diving was enjoyable with a huge wreck to explore and the obligatory second dive - a south coast drift.

The first dive saw us on the Wreck of the Alounia and for some of those doing their first UK sea dive, a great wreck to start with – but they are not all like this! Reportedly to be one of Sussex’s best wrecks (in accessible depth) this is a huge P&O liner that you cannot ‘do’ on one dive. There were tons and tons of fish on it mainly shoals of bib with the occasional large cod, wrasse, blennies, gobies, a few crabs. Didn’t see any congers, which are reportedly found on this wreck but then I didn’t look too hard!!!!

A post dive snack of a chicken pie went down a treat, although a ‘newbie’ had an extra one! Then the second dive was a drift on Sovereign Shoals, a leisurely drift over the sea bed. A few rocks, some gullies, some star fish, crabs, empty shells and wrasse - not exactly tons to see. Not exactly a thrilling dive but we were rewarded with seeing a huge flatfish (a plaice?) buried in the sand – good spot ‘doggy’!

With such a ‘crowded’ dive boat for a change, there was bound to be some 'novice' mistakes. One diver did comment that he was pretty disappointed with the ‘newer’ divers as there weren’t as many embarrassing moments as expected – but there were some.

· Still tied up to the rails after kitting up – classic!

· Forgetting to put a weight harness on – yeah ok so I’m not perfect

· Whilst swimming along a wreck make sure you keep an eye on where you are going in case you bump into something …….like the wreck!

· When drift diving – spread out you don’t need to hold each others hands!

Mark, a returning ‘veteran’ of diving, commented that he had a very good day at Eastbourne, being his first UK sea dive for a few years and that he’d forgotten what he’d been missing. He also added that navigation skills need to be brushed up on but finding the anchor finished the first dive off well (Alounia).

He and his buddy had a good laugh on the drift dive – they just need to work out a bit of personal space when diving together!

Dive Holiday Report – Hurghada - Egypt /Red Sea 13/10/06

A report has been prepared and will appear separately as it is quite lengthy – see website link

To see or not to see – that is the question

Our locations officer was most confused recently, when during a dive on the 'Sidon' (Lyme Regis) his buddy kept gesticulating madly to him, in an attempt to bring his attention to her brand new, top of the range, Greenforce umbilical torch, which did not appear to be working.

After 10 minutes of unintelligible sign language and about half the dive's air gone, Dave Dog swam off into the blue, much confused and wondering why she didn't just turn the torch on. Obviously an inadequate buddy check, with regards to signals.

Apparently the HSD committee are reviewing the situation as there does seem to be a bit of a torch ‘problem’ within the club. So if anyone can come up with a signal for; "Oops, I've forgotten to turn it on”, or “Oh dear, I think it's got to be turned on before you start the dive”, or “Dave, what do you think I should do”, or “Dave…….Where are you going? Come back Dave. I can't see. Dave. Dave…….", please let us know

Expensive diving equipment

A word of warning for anyone starting out – scuba diving can be expensive and your credit card can take a pounding when you buy your first bits of kit – dry suit, bcd and regs. But apparently one of our newer members managed to get £1500’s worth of brand new top of the range kit for £600 and this wasn’t even on Ebay or at a dive show!

New Ocean Diver’s shopping list

Set of regs £400

Brand new BCD £450

Top of the range dry suit £650

Day out scuba diving with HSD £58 including brekky at Little Chef and two pies on the boat

(Total spend for first day's diving £1558)

Amount you tell the wife you spent in the dive shop - £600

Wife's face when she sees the real price on HER credit card! PRICELESS

There are some things in life money can’t buy …. For everything else there's your wife's MasterCard

Other news

Sat 9^th December - A Christmas party is being organised at the Railway Hotel pub Hornchurch (same as last year) Tickets are £10 each and should be available shortly. (kids are free)

Includes DJ and buffet, there will be a raffle and hopefully a presentation of awards recognising diving qualifications gained within the last year

Raffle prizes – if anyone has any suitable unwanted items /gifts that can be used as raffle prizes – please let me know

On the subject of Christmas if you are ever stuck for a pressie – how about adopting a horse, cow, pig, donkey or goat at Hopefield animal sanctuary (Brentwood) www.hopefield.org.uk. It costs £10 for a year and as its local you can actually go and see it anytime, although on their open days all the animals are in stables to enable you to get up close.

Sunday nights - As you may have noticed the pool bar is always shut but some of us still nip over the Kings Head (Town Centre) for a few drinks from around 9.30 onwards.

Everyone welcome and we don’t just talk about diving! This is a chance for some of the newer members to get to know us old timers.

2006 Diving – By the time you read this the dive season may well be over – roll on the spring

2007 Dive dates

PUT THESE DATES IN YOUR DIARY NOW!!!!!!

WEEKENDS OPEN 1^ST JANUARY

TO GIVE YOU ALL PLENTY OF TIME / NOTICE

May 12 Littlehampton (Michelle Mary) DIVE OPENS 15^th April

June 2 /3         Weymouth (Wey Chieftain 3) DIVE OPENS 1^st January

On the big Cat again – this will spoil you for other British Diving

June 17 Eastbourne (Sussex) DIVE OPENS 20^th May

July 21 / 22     Lyme Regis  (Blue Turtle) DIVE OPENS 1^st January

The Locations Officer says this will be the last Lyme for a while, will look for an alternative site for 2008

August 19 Eastbourne (Sussex) DIVE OPENS 15^th July

September 7/8/9    Farne Islands (Newcastle) Farnes Diver DIVE OPENS 1^st January

The club have only been here once in the last 4/5 years and if you want to experience seals, seals and more seals then this is the one for you. The seal pups will tug at your fins whilst you are swimming along and get really close to you. I spent about 10 minutes sitting on a rock on one dive playfully wrestling my fins from a seal’s fins. Yes they can be annoying but they are so cute.

2005/2006 Qualifications - Certificates will be presented at the Christmas party

Open Water Instructor - Dave the Dog, Tim Ahern

Advanced Diver - Gary Neal, Terry Rogers

Assistant Instructor - Gary Neal, Terry Rogers

Dive Leader - Richard Porter, Tim Ahern, Dave the Dog

Sport Diver

Ocean Diver – Sean Mason, Lee Spencer, Andy Lovell, Peter, Lucy

If you require a qualification card (saves taking your log book on holiday) they cost £10.50 and need to be obtained from BSAC there’s a form to download on the website.

http://www.bsac.org/services/qcardapp.pdf

A new feature to help you identify stuff you see

A Pollock

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