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First qualification of the season; another three new members; loads of RIB trips planned for the summer and the RIB up, ready and working. We're also progressing well with the MCS Seasearch project, and raising money too! This year is going to be a great year for the club. Thank you everyone who is helping contribute to that. Lets go diving! The Committee |
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Perhaps not the most important news, but top of the list anyway! From now on we will be going to Azzurro after the pool session on Wednesdays. The top floor is reserved for us. No more queuing for ever at the RFH! No more sitting under bright lights! No more crush at the bar during the interval. Best of all they sell food, so no more getting too drunk and buying kebabs on the way home [or is that just me? ed/] |
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Welcome the Hellfins Jules, Guy and Claire, Julie Minter works for shell (but i guess we'll let her in anyway). Claire Morris is a Dive Leader/Assistant Dive Instructor and comes from the same fine York club as Shona, Ed and Maili. Guy found us on the Internet and is going to cross over from PADI (Good choice!). However you found us, we're glad you're here! Don't forget: those very special e-mail addresses jules@hellfins.com, claire@hellfins.com and guy@hellfins.com can be yours for a tiny £5 donation to our fundraising efforts for the Marine Conservation Society. |
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Congratulations Nicky! Well done for qualifying as Dive Leader. After an intensive weekend of Rescue Management training followed by a good old session in Wraysbury, Nicky has made that all important step up. We may well be using Wrasbury more in the future. It's not deep, it's not pretty, the lady selling the sandwiches for lunch likes to take her lunch break at, well, lunch-time, but it is just off the M25 and the air fills are quick. |
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We've sorted out even more rib trips for the season. See what's on offer in the diary. |
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Last Sunday John Cousins, Mike Wilko and some local lads put the boat into the water for the first time this season. After mucking it out we launched it into the harbour and magically it started on the first turn of the key. It was a lovely sunny day and the water was flat. We raced out to Poole Patch at 30 knots and tested the equipment. The Sounder showed us the rocks at about 13m rising steeply from the sandy seabed. We hurtled towards Old Harry and returned along the Swash Channel examining the Training Bank on the way back. The Training Bank is a man made wall of stone that extend west from the harbour entrance, parallel with the Swash Channel. It would be good for shallow training dives on the inside edge and snorkeling should be good. John has got a list of some work that needs doing on Martha and she should be ship shape again in a couple of weeks, well in time for the coming season. |
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Taken from "Dive" magazine With many richer nations doing nothing to preserve their marine habitats, it is refreshing to see poorer countries setting an example and establishing marine parks. Mozambique has been doing just that, but finding the resources to then police those areas is hard. Reports are now coming in of hundreds of dead turtles being washed up on her beaches, caused by illegal fishing boats from places such as Taiwan, long lining for sharks around those protected waters. The inevitable by catch of turtles is then killed and thrown overboard. Such illegal fishing can devastate marine life and destroy the livelihoods of local fishermen. Congratulations are due to Mozambique for her conservation initiatives, but also encouragement to involve the defence agencies, or request international assistance, in policing her shores. This could prevent the deaths of thousands of turtles, as well as the sharks being illegally targeted. e-mail your congratulations and concerns to Prime Minister Pascoal Mocumbi on dgpm.gov@teledata.mz and Environment Minister John William Kachamila on jwkacha@vrconn.com. |
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All those who attended last Sunday enjoyed the Seasearch Observer Course hugely. They are now all ready to do the qualifying dives. Kate Cole, who organises the Seaseach dive weekends has passed on the dates below. If anyone fancies going along, either e-mail her direct (kate.cole@eastsussexcc.gov.uk
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You may remember from a while back that "Beachcomber" (a tittle-tattle column in "Dive" magazine) published a scurrilous allegation that members of our fine club were part of shenanigans on the south coast involving a lost propeller and a rescue. Ian has set him straight and in this month's magazine Beachcomber has printed a full apology and retraction. Well done Ian! While we are on the subject of the press, keep an eye on "Metro". One of their reporters has been for a try dive and written an article. He's coming back soon to take photos. It should be published in a few weeks. I'm sure the publicity will bring us more new members than ever! Well done Maili for getting him to come along. Shona is also organising links with the Coral Cay Conservation Society - getting their potential volunteers to try diving with us before they sign up to go somewhere exotic. All in all, Monday night try dives could get quite busy! |
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A lot of us know Crispin as the guy with the incredible lungs. If you don't know him he's the one that seems to spend the entire pool session under water - but without the scuba gear. By profession he's a photographer - working mostly for charities in the developing world, and often in places in crisis. He's just put some of his work on a new web site (www.crispinhughes.co.uk) Take a look! These images are stunning: moving, scary, emotional. Thanks for sharing them with us Crispin. |
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Harry the Hard Hat Diver is making good progress on his journey to £1,000 but he needs some help. This year we're raising funds for the Marine Conservation Society and there are loads of ways to help:
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Is there anyone in the club who can make use of a Sealife Colour corrected close up lense +3 U/W 60-120cm/2-4 ft, Land 25-35cm/10-14" 37mm number #SL95101. Alan found it diving on a wreck of a Russian gunship in Cuba and it is in good condition as it had not been down there long enough to grow anything nasty. Contact Allan Hesse 020 7632 9886. Fore sale:
If you are interested, contact martin.begeer@shell.com or call 020 - 7934 5200 (work). If you would like to see the kit, he could bring it down on a club evening. |
