A Happy New Year to all my readers, I hope you all received lots of diving equipment in your Christmas stockings. We seem to still be diving when the opportunity presents itself and I am looking forward to reading some of the web contributions when they arrive. At present my home PC is playing silly bu**ers and I am slowly getting pi**ed off with it. Until I get things sorted out this might be the last report I write this year (What’s that?? thank goodness I hear you say!!) Anyone know of a sure way to backup emails so that I do not lose them yet again?
January has seen some interesting dive sites visited and the lucky few that ventured further than No3 tank have some nice stories to recite. I have looked at the coming events and there are others just as exciting to be done, hopefully I will be able to participate in them. The weather has started to play a part in our diving schedule and the recent dive had to fall back onto Barrow Tanks, I do not know if this event took place, but am sure to be told tonight.
On our recent trip to SETT, I was sad to see that very few our group could state their time to their ascent check depth. It appears that you all were very reliant on your dive computers for this task. As the dive was fairly deep (28 meters) and we were only doing the one dive, we all should none the less have been practicing safe diving, I was dismayed that when asked very few were able to state this time. REMEMBER DIVE TIME is from leaving the surface to arriving back at your ASCENT CHECK DEPTH. You all know when this was as you did your safety stops, but did not note the time that you arrived. You were all asked not long after surfacing so there should have been no excuse. Some of you did some ready reckoning in your heads to come up with a time, which I know was not the correct one, as I could see approximately when you stopped due to the water clarity. THIS IS AN IMPORTANT PIECE OF INFORMATION, thankfully Mark, our host for the day, did not require this information as it would have been a poor reflection on our diving practices. Please, please, please get into the habit of checking and remembering these times and reporting them back to the Dive Marshal on the day. One day your computer will pack up at the most inopportune moment, (I know this has happened to me, my Aladdin AirX packed up shortly after surfacing recently) You may find it very limiting if you have to revert to dive tables (that is if you remember how to use them) if you do not know your dive details.
Training
Little has changed since my last report. The new Club Diver program for our new starts is progressing and will soon be drawing to an end; the final theory lesson is March 14 (remember it has been moved). The theory review will now be towards the end of April. I am drawing up a new Sports Diver program, as I have been asked for these lectures, these will start early March when we have returned from our Maldives trip. Hopefully the outstanding DL lecture will have been given by this time as well, so the theory review for this will also take place toward the end of March. Then all we have to do is get the diving finished in the early part of the season.
General
The first social event has taken place; sadly I missed this due to attendance on a PRM instructor’s workshop in Portland. I have now obtained my instructors ticket in this discipline and this will allow us to start some of the Advanced Diver program within the clubs-training umbrella. We can now do the compulsory disciplines that are required for this grade and hopefully some of the others as well. I think this is good news for the branch and that we will get some of our old DL’s looking to upgrade. Next month sees a few Try-Nites taking place, these events bring much needed revenue into the clubs coffers, if you are interested in helping on one of these nights please let me know. The dates for the next two events are 7th & 28th March. The later may generate interest in our snorkeling course, as there is now a Scout badge for water sports and I have had enquires to this effect.
Last months report said that there was a poor turnout for the Boxing Day get together, this was wrong, what was right though was there was poor communications between the groups, the majority it seems went to the Lock Keepers at Keynsham, but did not pass this on to the others who went as normal to the Checkers, not a good start to the year. Let’s hope communications get better as the year goes on?
For general information keep an eye on the SW web site for forthcoming courses. They are taking place and can be very enjoyable. You do get to meet lots of other divers and find out that we are all the same.
Lecture Program for 2001
Club Diver review – Program ongoing.
Sports Diver lectures – New program being planned for March 2001.
Dive Leader lectures – Catch-up lectures should now be completed.
Theory Review early March- get studying.
Dates for your diary
March 10th 2001 – Barn Dance – Longwell Green Community Centre.
DO’s thought for the month
DON’T GET LULLED INTO A FALSE SENSE OF SECURITY.
LET’S DO IT RIGHT THE FIRST TIME!!
Harry Ryalls
BAS-AC
