Well, back to normal this report is late, but in my defence things have happened that have taken up any spare time that I had. As last month there has been a fair bit of diving carried out within the club. There have been trips to Portland Harbour, Brixham and Marizion in Cornwall; and somewhat out of the ordinary, a hard-hat dive! All these have not been without problems, be it the weather or available places on the dives.
As with all dives the organiser attempts to let the whole membership know of the forthcoming event in plenty of time so that all the membership can show an interest. Be this via the club notice book, emails or the web site, but there will be some of us that do not know until the last moment and this is inevitable. As in the past the dive is planned around the available knowledge at that time. This is a time consuming task and may be difficult to change at the last moment. This was highlighted with the Portland dive weekend, where Andy Wilson had planned events around those that had informed him of their participation. Sadly the Wednesday before, others displayed a wish to attend this weekend. I sat down with Andy and we tried to see if it would be easy to add the new names to the dive plan. Due to the dives that had been planned this either meant it would be a very early start for them or the total plan for the weekend would have to be reworked. As it was so close to the event this last option was unacceptable. Andy asked those involved to ring him to later to see how things were fixed, but was unable to accommodate them. Some people even turned up at the dive site and were unable to dive. I make no apologise for this, I am thankful that someone has taken the time to organise a expedition and yes some people will be disappointed that they can not attend. This happens with other dives and those that come first get the places. e.g. Hard Boat, Foreign Holidays, etc.
On the same weekend as Portland, and indeed again at Portland, saw some of the club going back in time and diving with a full diving suit, brass helmet, heavy boots and all – very heavy I was informed. There have been lots of photographs circulating on club nights, I hope someone who attended this will put some words together for the web site. This event was so popular that Chris Barker has taken the time to organise another one later this year. Hopefully the weather will allow it to take place.
The Brixham weekend should have been a trip to the Eddystone rock, but due to inclement weather the venue was changed at the last moment. Although the visibility was not too good, there were 12 dives logged by those attending.
Marazion was the venue for the club annual expedition and even though the weather outlook was not too good, there was a good attendance. There were caravans; tents and a VW camper all grouped around the Bar-B-Q area, which was used often. Although the weather was not as bad as forecast, we did have some heavy downpours, but still managed to log 32 dives – be them all from the shore. These were very interesting, with surprising visibility for the weather that we had had. For a more in depth report see our club web site – Dive schedules and Reports section.
Training
The current training program for all grades has been completed and the Dive Leader knowledge review is later this month. Some of those on the course have missed lectures and I am trying to organise these over the next few weeks. They may have to happen on different nights than our club night; I will contact those that this applies to. We have seen a good intake of new members whilst this program has been taking place, so there will be no break and a new Club Diver program is in the process of planning and will be issued in the coming week. Due to the closeness of the AGM and other commitments it is unlikely to start until November, but this is under review. Confined water work will carry on uninterrupted for those already within the training program and the new starts will be included in the next few weeks as soon as arrangements can be made with our instructors.
General
The diving this month has added 89 dives to the total number of 697 for the year to date; Carol Sheppard still leads with 54 dives and is followed by Tim Clouter with 42. She might be hard to catch, but we will have to wait and see what these last few months contribute. Carol has also organised a very nice evening at the Cafe’ Rendezvous, King Street, This is a Chinese restaurant and if past events have anything to go on, it should be a good night. If you are interested in coming to this night let Carol know in the next week.
General (cont.)
Hopefully, by the time your see this report, the Mercury engine will have been sent in for evaluation and/or repair. We have been in contact with insurance company and they are waiting for the quotes. The action that we will take will be dependant on this, but be assured this engine will not be used for club dives again, as stated last month. I have heard that the lottery grant has been received and a caseworker appointed. Fingers crossed we will hear something in the next few weeks if not before the AGM.
A few months ago we had a working party at the boat shed, where we completed a lot of outstanding things. All those that attended the night saw the effect that many hands can make, but thing seem to have stagnated and some tasks that were started that night are still to be finished. Tim has been going up there to do something about the air vents, but as I say to Bob, I am not happy with one person working up there on their own. So perhaps someone can take it onboard and organise another working party, this can be done by any of the membership and not just by a committee member. As previously stated in many reports, this is our equipment and should be maintained by us all and not just a selected few. If we do not start looking after it now, what will happen when we get our grant and buy all this new equipment? How long will it last if we do nothing to maintain it? So come on lets start now. The scaffolding has been up since the last party, let’s get the job finished and the lecture area cleared.
For those that did not know, we are now members of the Marine Conservation Society, who issue a quarterly magazine. I will attempt to make this available at the boat shed for the membership. If you borrow this magazine, please ensure that it is returned for other to see.
Lecture Program for 2000
- Club Diver review – (New program to start as soon as possible for new starts.)
- Sports Diver lectures – New program to be planned when asked for.
- Dive Leader lectures – Theory Review September 20th
Dates for your diary
September 8th – 10th – North Wales (Happened by this time)
September 15th – 17th – West Wales (May have happened by this time)
September 20th – Chinese meal Cafe’ Rendezvous, King Street (See Carol Sheppard for details)
October?? – 2nd Hard Hat dive at Portland Harbour
November 8th – AGM – Room 4 BAWA
Happenings
Carol Sheppard has organising the Christmas meal and is collecting deposits for the night. This year sees a new venue; it’s at the Ship, Thornbury. Should be a good night, accommodation is available if required but you will have to arrange this yourselves.
DO’s thought for the month
LIFE IS LIKE A CONTINUOUS GROUNDHOG DAY.
Harry Ryalls
DO. BAS-AC
