Loads of images on the gallery

I have been meaning to upload some of the images from my last Bahamas trip onto the Gallery and have just got around to it. The trip was the final Bahamas shoot for the second programme in the LIFE series and is the end of my work in the series which all started when they decided to sink a wreck nearly 2 years ago. The trip also included a lot of filming for"Inside LIFE" (The CBBC series) and young James Murray finally got to dive on the wreck he helped to clean before it was sunk. I have also stuck up some photos from the shoot that was done here at the dive centre just before we went out to Bahamas. These pics are mainly for James but you might be interested. Click here to go to Gallery.

September Newsletter

Sorry about the delay in the September Newsletter. Galapagos got in the way, and then we were rushing around with loads of new students and then I was oop North for the Great North Run. Anyway, it is now finally finished and if you didn't get the email, then click here to go to the web page. It is mainly a report from the Galapaogas trip but then you might expect that. I hope you enjoy it.

Quick Update Before I Rush Off

Back from Galapagos now and the blog has been a bit on the quiet side. I am just popping up to Newcastle for the Great North Run this weekend but I will be back on Tuesday so will post some updates then.

First Advanced Courses from the RIB

The RIB is getting plenty of use - with 9 Advanced Open Water students on course with us last weekend the whole gang, including instructors and DMs went down to Portland for the course. Working in 2 groups all 9 successfully completed 5 dives from the RIB. Their verdict (and that of the instructors) was that it makes a lot of difference and that the students all got so much out of the training as it was based around boat diving in the sea. So, all looking good - later in October we will hopefully be running some speciality programmes from the boat to make the most of this asset.

Open Water Success and the first course from our new RIB

The weekend of 13/14 September saw our first successfull students complete their open water dives from our new RIB. The 4 students all thought it was brilliant. Using the "dredger" site just outside the breakwater provided us with a 6 - 7 m maximum depth with minimal currents, 4 m of visibility and no hanging around waiting to get on platforms. The white sandy bottom did not get stirred up and the water was far warmer that the inland lakes we have all got used to. It does take 1 1/2 hours to get there, but with Dale putting on accommodation at £12 for the night it was not really an issue. So a definite thumbs up - great diving, better than a 4m pond with a silty bottom and it meets all the requirements for training as well as PADI standards.

August Newsletter - trip reports, new kit and fantastic holidays

For those of you who didn't get it by email, the August Edition of the Newsletter is now available to download in the club area of the website. Click here for a link. It is a 4 page edition with lots of good stuff inside and importantly, the details of the Dahab trip in November and the big holiday for next year - a couple of weeks in Borneo. Yes, Borneo. The big summer trip for next year will be 9 days of diving in Sipadan, Mabul and Kapalai. Also in the newsletter; new kit - the latest balanced regulator from Oceanic, and a special deal on the Fourth Element Proteus 5mm Suit for club members. All this as well as the usual banter, reports from trips and the occasional embarrassing photo! Enjoy.

New Speciality Instructors

We ran a very successful Speciality Instructor prep course last weekend. Many congratulations to John, Jason and Stuart who went off with 17 instructor qualifications between them.

New Boat is Up and Running

Our new RIB is up and running and available for club members to use. Based down in Portland (we can get more dives in there and are not quite so affected by the weather), the 7.5m Cobra RIB has plenty of space and its twin 4 stroke engines get you to the dive sites quickly and quietly. As well as running regular trips for club members, the boat is also available at other times to club members - you just need a minimum of 4 people. Cost of the dives is significantly less than other dive charters so yet another reason to be a member of the best dive club in the South.

What a weekend!

Massive congratulations to the 7 successful IDC candidates that all passed the IE this weekend in Peterborough. Even Alex although terribly afflicted by 'The Ginger Gene' managed to pass. Bridget kept her bikini top on whilst getting changed this time much to everyones disappointment.



The 8 students on the Open Water course all passed with flying colours so well done to them as well. Although Vobster Quay is a bit of a trek away it's proving to a superb location for Open Water training with 2 platforms located at a perfect depth of 6 meters to do the skills on.

Finally, yesterday saw 12 of our Instructors, Dive Masters and shore covers attend a free CPR refresher training session. They also completed a course in Advanced O2 administration. Safety is paramount on our courses so having staff properly trained and current in First Aid and O2 administration is something that we insist on.

Once again congratulations to all 27 students who passed this weekend.

Ian Becomes a Media Tart - Express FM Saturday16th Aug at 10.00 am

Ian has jumped onto the media bandwagon and spent ages being interviewed yeasterday for Express FM. The fame has gone to his head a little and he is now considering joining Equity. If you want to listen to him he will be on Express FM on Saturday at 10.00 with Heather James. I will be listening as I need to know what he said and if we are going to need a lawyer!

Quick Update on last weekend

We were packed out last weekend - so much so that we had to bring in more instructors to cover. What was going on I hear you ask:
Dartmouth trip - 12 club members, some interesting dives and a great couple of nights out - more details in the next news letter. The IDC reached its conclusion and 7 out of the 8 candidates will be off to Peterborough this weekend for the examination. Ian P will be doing his IE later in the year. 11 students started an open water course and will be travelling down to Vobster this weekend, one finished the open water and 4 successfully completed the Rescue Course down in Portland. So well done to everyone who passed on one of our busiest weekends of the year.

Newsletter - Sorry it's Late

What with work in the Bahamas, Instructor Courses and general business the Newsletter is a bit late. Sorry about that. You can get it now .. here

Increasing your diving experience....

Please see the forum for some information on easy dives and weekends away in August.

PADI Advanced Open Water Course Success

Congratulations to all the students who passed their Advanced Open Water course last week!

Coming Home

I am on my way back from the Bahamas. The first 5 days were spent working on the CBBC "Inside Life" programme and I am happy to report that James successfully dived onto the wreck after some training. Well done James. The trip for the LIFE team was extended in order to get some more footage so I ended up staying a bit longer than planned. Unfortunately I have to get back for a big IDC and the summer ball, leaving the rest of the crew behind. 12 months after we sank the wreck it looks totally different. Shoals of fish have moved into the cabin area and the boat is covered in invertebrate life - one of the main things that the producer was looking for. Mike Pitts has got some amazing results and Sinclair Stammers a micro and macro camera specialist has got up close with cameras attached to microscopes. That is probably the end of my work with the LIFE programme. It is now a case of waiting until next year to se the results of this amazing series.

Bahamas Update - Night Shark Dive

I have been working with the BBC on the new LIFE project in the Bahamas for the last 10 days and unfortunately have not actually got around to posting any blogs yet. There will be a more full report in the next newsletter (which might be a bit late as it is now the 1st of August and I am still in the Bahamas!). However, the other night we did something quite unusual - a night shark dive. The dive on the "Ray of Hope" was a great opportunity to get up close. The aim was to get a shot of a rebreather diver over the bow of the wreck with a shark. The results were stunning. Because it was night time and there was a lot of food in the water, we all had chain mail on which was weird. There were about 12 sharks in the water with us at the time and it was a truly memorable experience.

Spot the Difference

The dangerous 4 have gone down to terrorize Dale in Portland this week for a bit. 4 of the staff have decided to do a bit of diving. Ginger Phil decided to do some impressions on the way back from the dive site by falling out of the rib at 35 knots - so why don't you try and spot the difference. We found it really hard. Give up? Ginger Phil is the one immediately below, the other picture is of a bouncing bomb.

Open Water and PADI Deep Diver Speciality Success

Many congratulations to our newest batch of 6 open water students who successfully completed their training with us yesterday. Also to the divers on the Deep Diver Specilaity that was held at Chepstow (for a change).

Egypt "Whirlwind" Trip and Malta Photos

Just to let you know, the photos of the Egypt "Whirlwind" trip in May and the Malta trip in June are now in the gallery. Sorry it has taken a while to get them posted - could say it was due to a technical hitch, but in reality we have just been really busy and not had the time to do it. I have also published the trip report for Malta in the holiday section.

More course success

Many congratulations to all the students over the last couple of weeks who have passed courses. With the water temperature in Vobster a tropical 18 degrees and visibility nearing 10 meters everyone had a great time, and special congratulations to Connie who qualified as Junior Scuba Diver. Well done.