The Diving Club - Reading - RSS Feed

New - Portsmouth - 21/07/2013

SuperUser Account — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 16:31:41 GMT

Location :Portsmouth

Location/Boat: WightDiver http://wightdiver.adventurecollege.co.uk/

Cost: £45 / day for two dives

Co-ordinator: Rob Hilton

Minimum Qualification Level: OW

Dive Details:

Camswan - wreck. This is an excellent wreck that sits 4 metres proud of the sand and gravel seabed in 18m of water. It was ‘dispersed’ in the 1920s and is very broken up but the wreck has plenty to explore. Visibility is generally good. Making your way to the rear of the vessel, the 4m tall stern post the large rudder and the large steel propeller gives you some idea of its size. There is plenty of marine life on the wreck including conger, pollock ( and wrasse and some big shoals of bib.

Drift dive will follow - TBD on the day.

To book contact the Orientation Dive Organiser

You will need to take 2 cylinders as the boat will not come back to shore between dives.

Divers:

Sunday:

Unconfirmed:

Other information:

Deposit £10

New - Scilly Isles - 26/07/2014

Administrator Account — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 10:28:52 GMT

Scilly Isles

Location/Boat: Moonshadow - St. Marys

Cost: £490 for six days diving

Co-ordinator: Jane Wilkinson/Roger Selwyn

Minimum Qualification Level: 30m

Dive Details:

Scillies diving offers some of the finest diving in the UK - many say the world - with over 155 great dive sites already located and many new ones added each year.

These unspoiled and relatively isolated islands have the most gentle climate in Britain, making the Isles of Scilly a haven for many types of flora and fauna. The Isles are often referred to as a sub-tropical paradise and have been designated as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The islands' entire coastline, including many beautiful white beaches as well as rocky headlands and islets, has been given Heritage status. Each island has its own unique and rather special character.

Diving will be with Scillydiving and our boat for the week is Moonshadow. The boat is based on St Marys. There are only 10 diving places on the trip but there may be some opportunities for people to take a non diving partner. I am expecting a week of mixed diving as there are many historic wrecks around the Scillies and some fantastic scenic diving.

To book contact the Roger Selwyn

Divers: Jane Wilkinson, Roger Selwyn, Clare Selwyn, Ron Spillman

Unconfirmed: Pob Crow, Julio Lema, Kim Pierpoint, Rob Hilton

Other information:
We have booked the following accommodation:-

Auriga - http://aurigascilly.co.uk/
Perran - http://www.come2scilly.com/self_catering/2013/perran.htm

You will need to book your own ferry crossing, but we will book a container for all kit. We are also looking into hotels for the night before the crossing to St. Mary's.

You will need two cylinders, or twins, since there is no ability to fill cylinders on the boat.

Updated - Swanage Carnival Week-end - 03/08/2013

Administrator Account — Sun, 16 Jun 2013 14:24:54 GMT

Note - whilst the booked boats are nearly full, I can undoubtedly get extra spaces on another boat and we will just split as needed. So let me know if you want to come along, and we'll arrange something appropriate.

Swanage

Boat: Divers Down

Cost: £52 per day for two dives - £10 deposit per day

Co-ordinator: Roger & Clare Selwyn

Minimum Qualification Level: Open Water.

Dive Details: To be confirmed but may include
Saturday: Aeolian Sky & Drift (possibly Black Hawk Bow) - 1pm ropes off (tbc)
Sunday: One of Clan MacVey (or Valentine Tanks, Kyarra) & another tbc - 8.30am ropes off

To book contact the Roger Selwyn

Divers:

Saturday: Roger Selwyn, Clare Selwyn, Benjamin Selwyn, Rob Hilton, John Ricketts, Eve McIlmoyle, Pawel Rumas, Julio Lema, Pob Crow, Malcolm Dubber, Antony Rodden, Nigel Stephenson

Second boat (if we can get enough divers): Georgi Stephenson

Sunday: Roger Selwyn, Clare Selwyn, Benjamin Selwyn, Rob Hilton, John Ricketts, Eve McIlmoyle, Pawel Rumas, Julio Lema, Pob Crow, Malcolm Dubber, Georgi Stephenson

Unconfirmed:

Other information:
It is carnival week in Swanage with fireworks over the harbour on Saturday night. Accomodation may be harder to get if letft late, but an excellent campsite is open during August right in the middle of Swanage - http://www.swanagecamping.com/

New - Club Night - 03/07/2013

Administrator Account — Sat, 15 Jun 2013 16:30:24 GMT

Club Night

From 8:00p.m.

Where: Reading BSAC Clubhouse
Next to Palmer Park Sports Stadium, Wokingham Road, Reading, Berkshire, RG6 1LF
http://www.rbsac.org.uk/find-our-club

Updated - Talk from Andy Torbet - 09/10/2013

Administrator Account — Sat, 15 Jun 2013 16:26:07 GMT

We've been lucky enough to book a relatively new "Big Name" in UK diving, namely ANDY TORBET. Some of you may be familiar with him from BBC's programme "Coast" or perhaps the recently televised expedition of "Operation Iceberg"? Then again maybe you've read one of his numerous extreme diving articles in several of the leading UK dive magazines?

Whatever...... this guy appears to be the next big thing, rubbing shoulders with Monty Halls, Paul Rose and the rest of the big names. His various expeditions and adventures are sure to make for a funtastic evenings talk and is sure to be this years "Not to be missed" social evening. Check out his website in the mean time for yourselves at:

www.andytorbet.com

When: Weds 9th October
Time: from 8:30p.m.

Where: Reading BSAC Clubhouse
Next to Palmer Park Sports Stadium, Wokingham Road, Reading, Berkshire, RG6 1LF
http://www.rbsac.org.uk/find-our-club

Ticket Price: TBD (small amount just to cover costs)
Tickets on sale soon as soon as details confirmed

Updated - Summer BBQ - 07/08/2013

Administrator Account — Sat, 15 Jun 2013 16:25:50 GMT

Now that's what I call a diver's BBQ!!!

Come along for your annual FREE lump of charcoal, this year to be cooked by undoubtedly too many chef's all fighting over the right to be crowned the club's much coveted title of "KING of FIRE!!!"

There's likely to be Swordfish steaks, locally caught Red Snapper, char-grilled Lobster and even flambéed Pufferfish swim bladder. And if you believe that you're likely to believe we'll actually be cooking the usual beef burgers instead of us actually serving up Horse burgers!!!!

Come along, chill out and stuff your face.

When : Weds 7th August
From 8:00p.m.

Cost: FREE!!!!

Where: Reading BSAC Clubhouse
Next to Palmer Park Sports Stadium, Wokingham Road, Reading, Berkshire, RG6 1LF
http://www.rbsac.org.uk/find-our-club

New - Stoney Cove Social - 17/08/2013

Administrator Account — Sat, 15 Jun 2013 15:28:20 GMT

Stoney Cove

Location: http://www.stoneycove.com/
Cost: Entry fee
Co-ordinator: Pob Crow

Minimum Qualification Level: All levels

Dive Details:

Saturday& Sunday:

Social diving weekend, roll up roll up. You asked for it :-) so I'm organising an inland diving trip for the club to Stoney Cove. Ideal if you need to build your experience or try out new kit/skills, suitable for all levels of diver. I'm going so who else wants too??.

Other information:
I've found a B&B in the village for £20 a night pp inc full English (only twin rooms though and it's £30 pn if you want the room to yourself, stayed there many years ago and it was ok). Currently space for 14 people.

More info as we get it here - https://www.facebook.com/events/580568365316109/

Updated - Eastbourne - 15/06/2013

Nigel Stephenson — Sat, 08 Jun 2013 15:58:38 GMT

Eastbourne - 4 Wrecks/2 Days including a modern liner and a 17th century warship

Location/Boat: http://www.dive125.co.uk/

Cost: £50 / day for two dives/day

Co-ordinator: Nigel Stephenson

Minimum Qualification Level: Advanced Open Water and some UK Sea experience

Dive Details: Over the weekend we have the option to dive 4 wrecks (2 per day) due to the nature of the tides giving us 2 slacks reasonably close together. Dive 1 on Saturday and Dive 2 on Sunday are confirmed. The others will be decided nearer to the date based on the experience of the group.

Both days ropes off 8:35 (load from 8:15). Sat return to docks late PM. Sunday will be an earlier return.

Saturday: Dive 1: Cunard Liner Alaunia (32m). Dive 2 options include the Oceana (25-30m) Clara (32m), Ashford (32m). Alaunia video. Alaunia and Oceana article.

Sunday: We plan to do a single AOW wreck dive (30m) - possibly one of above that we dont dive on the Saturday. followed by a visit to the historic/protected Norman's Bay Wreck Tour (15m) opened in 2011 where there are artifacts from a 17th century wreck. This will give us an earlier finish on Sunday to return home. More info on Norman's Bay at:

http://www.nauticalarchaeologysociety.org/content/normans-bay-protected-wreck-site

http://www.sussexshipwrecks.co.uk/Normans%20Bay%20Wreck%20Site.htm

To book contact the Nigel Stephenson

Divers:

Saturday: Rob Hilton, Nigel Stephenson, Tim Burge, Kim Pierpoint, Pawel Rumas, Laurence Crow, Nora Holford, Richard Ward, John Cassidy, Antonio, Tom Grain +1

Sunday: Rob Hilton, Nigel Stephenson, Tim Burge, Kim Pierpoint, Pawel Rumas, Laurence Crow, Nora Holford, Richard Ward, John Cassidy, Cheryl Ashman

Unconfirmed:

Updated - Portsmouth - 31/08/2013

Rob Hilton — Thu, 06 Jun 2013 07:39:30 GMT

Location: Portsmouth

Location/Boat: WightDiver http://wightdiver.adventurecollege.co.uk/

Cost: £47 / day for two dives

Co-ordinator: Rob Hilton

Minimum Qualification Level: AOW

Dive Details:

Saturday:Ropes off 12:00 p.m. TIDE TABLES SHOW A VERY GOOD NEAP TIDE, SO AN IMPROVED CHANCE OF GOOD VIZ!!!

Tanks & Bulldozers - Wreck -The tanks, assigned to the Royal Marines Armoured Support Group, lie eight miles off East Wittering, West Sussex.They were part of an 80-strong contingent bound for France on D-Day but sank in mysterious circumstances.

The rusting tanks lie with two bulldozers and a field gun, but no ship.The bulldozers are believed to be armoured Caterpillar bulldozers, used by the 79th Armoured Division of the British Army – there are no known surviving bulldozers of this type.

Drift - To be decided closer to the date.

To book contact the Orientation Dive Organiser

2 cylinders required.

Divers:

Saturday:Nigel Chapman, Sarah Chapman, Rob Hilton, Laurence Crow, Mike Hoolihan, Graham Shaw, Clare Selwyn, Roger Selwyn

Unconfirmed:Ron Spillman,

Other information:

2 cylinders will be needed as the boat will not return to shore between dives. Cylinders can be supplied by the skipper at a cost of £9 per cylinder including the air fill. Please let me know if you need to book a cylinder or 2 at least a week before the dive.

Updated - Newquay - 12/07/2013

SuperUser Account — Thu, 23 May 2013 21:31:00 GMT

Newquay, Cornwall

Friday 12th July to Sunday 14th July

Location/Boat: Dive Newquay: Atlantis - Offshore 32 http://www.divenewquay.com/

Cost: £180 for 3 days incl air fills

Co-ordinator: Antony Rodden

Minimum Qualification Level: Advanced Open Water

Dive Details:

Final dive sites will be discussed with skipper once down there and weather known. The following are proposed:

Friday: Syracusa and drift

Schooner-rigged iron-screw steamer.
Built 1879 at 1,234 tons.
Sunk 6th March 1897 - wrecked on Towan Head
See Divernet wreck tour at http://www.divernet.com/Wrecks/wreck_tours/261490/wrecktour125_the_syracusa.html
Max depth 30m

Saturday: St Chamond/The Train Wreck (small extra cost if possible) and drift

Steel cargo ship carrying 7 steam locomotives
3077 tons and 314ft long
Sunk 30th April 1918 - torpedoed by UB60
See Divernet wreck tour 38 at http://www.divernet.com/Wrecks/wreck_tours/159440/wreck_tour_38_the_st_chamond.html
Max depth 25m

Sunday: Sicilia and drift

To book contact Antony Rodden at diveclub@thedivingclub.co.uk

TWO CYLINDERS REQUIRED

Divers:

Confirmed: Nigel Stevenson, Ron Spillman,

Unconfirmed: Georgi Stevenson, Lawrence 'Pob' Crow

Other information:

This is a full weekend booking only

Accommodation is available :

budget/bunk room style £65/person/3 nights;
Silver in twins/doubles including full english @ £117/person/3 nights
Gold luxury in twins/doubles at £59/person/night.

See: http://www.divenewquay.com/#!accommodation

Either let Antony Rodden know your preference at diveclub@thedivingclub.co.uk when you

Updated - Porthkerris - 08/07/2013

SuperUser Account — Thu, 23 May 2013 21:30:37 GMT

Porthkerris, Cornwall

Monday 8th July to Thursday 11th July 2013

You may book any days you wish over the four days but there must be at least two divers for the days diving to go ahead.

This trip to Porthkerris is immediately prior to a 3 day weekend at Newquay on Friday 12th to Sunday 14th July.

Location/Boat: Porthkerris Divers : Celtic Kitten. See http://porthkerris.com/
Cost: £42/day for two dives
Co-ordinator: Antony Rodden

Minimum Qualification Level: Advanced Open Water
Miminum number of divers: 2 for trip to go ahead

Dive Details:

The Manacles

From: Mohegan, Volnay wrecks and scenic dives at Helford River, Raglan reef, Vase Reef, Pancra Head and Penwin Reef.

To book contact Antony Rodden at diveclub@thedivingclub.co.uk

This is a shuttle operation run by Portkerris Divers so only one cylinder needed. Please note however, if you also book on the Newquay dive weekend following this week, you will need 2 cylinders for that.

Divers:

Monday: List of divers
Tuesday: List of divers
Wednesday: List of divers

Thursday: List of divers

Unconfirmed: Lawrence 'Pob' Crow

Other information:

Please contact Antony Rodden at diveclub@thedivingclub.co.uk if you want him to arrange accommodation.

Updated - Weymouth - 08/06/2013

Rob Hilton — Mon, 20 May 2013 21:39:39 GMT

Weymouth

Location/Boat: Tango http://www.tangoofweymouth.co.uk/

Cost: £44 / day for two dives

Co-ordinator: Rob Hilton

Minimum Qualification Level: Open Water

Dive Details:

Saturday: Ropes off time 9:00a.m.

James Fennel (wreck) - (about 15-18m, about 6m high. Position: 50 32.6N 002 27.3W) A steam-driven admiralty trawler wrecked in fog on rocks below the cliffs of Blacknor Fort in 1920. All crew were rescued and the ship sank during attempts to tow her off the rocks. Today, the stern remains intact and detached from the smashed forward end, and there is a boiler and engine towards mid ships.

Gertrude (wreck) - 11m, Sank 1894, plates boiler & anchor, viz usually good, loads of fish, iron pyrite

Sunday: Ropes off time 9:00a.m.

Black Hawk (wreck) - Freighter Black Hawk was a victim of a torpedo from U-772. The blast wounded four of the ship´s 41-man merchant complement (one of whom died later) but there were no casualties among the 27-man Armed Guard. Bow is a shallow dive (12m) over tangled wreckage which has twice been dispersed by explosives.

Lulworth Banks (Drift) - about 9-21m depth, approx. Position: 50 35.7N 002 17.3W. About 2miles offshore, an area covering 4 square miles of rugged underwater scenery, including underwater drop-offs, high rock bluffs with rocky pinnacles, horizontal rock strata, down to the deeper gravelly sandy patches famous for scallops. Many large (5 inch diameter) brass shell-cases have been found dating from the naval gunnery range here in the 1950s.

To book contact the Orientation Dive Organiser

TWO CYLINDERS REQUIRED

Divers:

Saturday: Rob Hilton, Graham Shaw, Abi Taylor, John Rickets, Eve McIlmoyle, Tom Briggs, Kim Pierpoint, Laurence Crow, George Rowland, Julio Lema, Ron Spillman

Sunday: Rob Hilton, Graham Shaw, Abi Taylor, John Ricketts, Eve McIlmoyle, Tom Briggs, Kim Pierpoint, Laurence Crow, George Rowland, Julio Lema, Ron Spillman

Unconfirmed:

The Diving Club Newsletter - May 2013

Roger Selwyn — Sat, 18 May 2013 08:59:00 GMT
Four wrecks in Eastbourne, Sark and the Scilly Isles, Reading BSAC spaces and the rest of the season

Updated - Brighton - 25/05/2013

Antony Rodden — Tue, 14 May 2013 11:01:23 GMT

Brighton

Location/Boat: Brighton Diver - http://brightondiver.com/diving/

Cost: £47 / day for two dives

Co-ordinator: Antony Rodden

Minimum Qualification Level: Advanced Open Water

Dive Details: TBC eg City of Brisbane (27m); Clodmoor (27m); Fortuna (33m); Waterford (35m)

Saturday: Ropes off 09:30

To book contact the Club Dive Organiser

TWO CYLINDERS REQUIRED

Divers:

Saturday: Rob Hilton, Graham Shaw, John Ricketts, Pavel Sementsov, Tim Burge, Lawrence Crow, Julio Lema, Nora Holford, Antony Rodden, Les Ruse, Nigel Stephenson

Unconfirmed:

Other information:

Please note changed drop-off / loading location.

Probably either pedestrian walkway from 6th floor car park or main ramp off second roundabout.

Confirmation nearer to weekend or check with dive organiser.

Loading at Brighton Marina. Free multi storey car park. Do not park in RNLI parking bays - they are monitored by CCTV and liable to fines! There are temporary bays at bottom of ramp opposite McDonalds to unload kit. Contact me if you are not familiar with the location

Updated - Brighton - 26/05/2013

Antony Rodden — Tue, 14 May 2013 11:00:21 GMT

Brighton

Location/Boat: Brighton Diver http://brightondiver.com/diving/

Cost: £47 / day for two dives

Co-ordinator: Rob Hilton

Minimum Qualification Level:  Open Water

Dive Details:

Sunday: Ropes off time 10:15a.m.

Indiana - wreck - Situated about 1 mile directly off Worthing Pier, this wreck is a hugely favourite dive for all levels of diver. Sunk in 1901 after a collision with another ship in fog, the Indiana was in the process of being towed when she gave up and sunk. Carrying a cargo of oranges and lemons, there were reports of lots of marmalade made in Worthing that year!! She was levelled soon after due to her proximity to shipping lanes, but today much of her is now visible including large ribs sticking out of the sand. Usual conditions on the Indy are 8-10 metre visibility, making it a very pleasant dive. With the presence of lots of metal plates uncovered, there are various areas where fish and crustaceans can hide. One large section has formed a tubular structure where congers often hide. In summer temperatures, you can lie on the bottom & find colonies of prawns hiding under the plates. If you are patient, you can wiggle your fingers and the prawns will come out and pick bits off your fingers! A really nice dive in good visibility and ideal for novices. Some very large bass have been seen here in summer swimming very close!

Brighton Pier - Drift - 5 - 9m depth - Skipper will drop us one side of the pier and we drift through to the other. Brighton pier offers divers, a tangled wreckage with an over head environment and lots of sea life in just 8mtrs of water. Marine life can be amazing as large shoals of fish make this safe habitat their home.Shoals of Bass can be seen in the summer & autumn months and lots of eels live in the tangled wreckage.

To book contact the:

Orientation Dive Organiser

TWO CYLINDERS REQUIRED

Divers:

Sunday: Rob Hilton, Alan Hoare, Graham Shaw, John Ricketts, Pavel Sementsov, Tim Burge, Lawrence Crow, Julio Lema, Nora Holford, Linda Hancock, Nigel S

Facebook Group

Roger Selwyn — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 08:12:00 GMT

A new Facebook Group has been set up. This isn't to replace The Diving Club Facebook Page, but is to enable more free flowing conversation between friends. Feel free to join the community to get engaged with fellow divers.

The intention for this group is to provide a means for folks to communicate more easily with other divers. To talk about diving, plan dives, look for buddies, advertise social events, etc. Well anything to do with diving really! Everyone should have an invite, but if you can't find it and want to join, just go to the group, and click on Join. Someone will approve you as soon as possible.

Please do use it and enjoy.

The Diving Club Newsletter - April 2013

Roger Selwyn — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 16:31:00 GMT
Scapa Flow with Mark Powell, Dives Past and Future, Being Social

Updated - Sound of Mull - 12/08/2013

Roger Selwyn — Mon, 08 Apr 2013 10:57:20 GMT

Location: Sound of Mull (Tobermory)

Location/Boat: Lochaline Boat Charters ( http://www.lochaline-boats.co.uk/ )
Cost: £360 incl self catering accomodation - £100 deposit
Co-ordinator: Jane Wilkinson
Minimum Qualification Level: Open Water

Dive Details:
This trip is based in Tobermory on the Isle of Mull. Using this as a base rather than Lochaline as in 2012 will give us the opportunity to dive places further out in the Minch such as Danny’s Boy and Bo fascadale and go further to visit the fantastic walls round the Small Isles, Muck and Egg, like Camas Mor, Windmills and the amazing Canna Wall, also wrecks such as the Tapti and Aurania near Coll. Sites in Loch Sunart could also be on the agenda. Fall back for any days the weather is not favourable, would be the Sound itself. For those of you on the club trip 2012, who didn’t make the second dive on the Hispania, we can make a point of doing this again.

Tapti wreck tour

Hispania wreck tour

100 Best UK Wreck Dives - The Aurania

Divernet - Dare to be different

The Small Isles by Jane Wilkinson

Canna Wall (generally considered to be one of the best wall dives in the UK)

This is a 5 diving day trip with Lochaline Boat Charters. They offer the opportunity for 3 dives a day, including many of the best sites the UK has to offer. You will only need one cylinder as there is a compressor on board and fills are pumped during the surface interval (including twins). You will need to pay for your fills at the end of the trip.

To book contact the Orientation Dive Organiser

Divers:

Confirmed: Jane Wilkinson, Rob Hilton, Kev High & Jen, Jim & Brenda Taylor, Clare Selwyn, Roger

Updated - Portsmouth - 07/04/2013

SuperUser Account — Sun, 31 Mar 2013 16:06:55 GMT

Portsmouth

Location/Boat: Wightdiver http://wightdiver.adventurecollege.co.uk/

Cost: £47 / day for two dives

Co-ordinator: Rob Hilton

Minimum Qualification Level:  Open Water

Dive Details:

Sunday: Ropes off time: 13:00

Briggita - wreck - A steel, screwed steamer schooner which sunk after striking a mine in December 1917 whilst on passage from Barry to Dieppe with a cargo of coal. The wreck is just over 5 miles offshore and is well broken amidships with the stern upside down and the two boilers remaining the highest point. This wreck is now the home to a number of congers, plus blennies, gobies, wrasse, lobsters, crabs and schooling fish. Depth 16ms.

Bracklesham Bay Landing craft/Fossil Beds - Wreck/drift -The landing craft is laying upside down in 10m. Experts believe the damage to one of its propellers indicates it ran backwards into its own anchor chain. The bow is relatively intact and it’s possible to swim inside the open hull. Small conger can be found occasionally and there are normally large numbers of pouting, whiting and wrasse to seen plus the occasional cuttle fish.

To book contact the Orientation Dive Organiser

TWO CYLINDERS REQUIRED

Divers:

Sunday: Rob Hilton, Graham Shaw, Les Ruse, Julio Lema, Simon Newton, Abi Taylor, John Ricketts, Pavel Sementsov, Eve McIlmoyle, Tom Briggs, Laurence Crow, Bryan Ray

Unconfirmed:

Other information:

Two cylinders will be required as the boat will be at sea all day. If you need to hire cylinders this can be arranged for you to be on the boat at a cost of £9 per cylinder including the air fill. Please let me know at least a week in advance of the dive.

You will either need to bring a packed lunch or there is a local Spa shop just before Langstone Harbour where you can stock up on anything you need.

Updated - Scuba Santas - 15/12/2013

SuperUser Account — Fri, 29 Mar 2013 22:55:40 GMT

Book the date! Over the last six years, Scuba Santas has raised over £20,000 for the RNLI. In 2013 it will be raising funds for the DDRC as well. It promises to be bigger and better!

http://www.scuba-santas.co.uk/

Updated - Vobster - 10/03/2013

Antony Rodden — Sat, 09 Mar 2013 09:23:47 GMT

Vobster

Location/Boat: Vobster

Cost: Pay at gate - £16 for non-Vobster members

Co-ordinator: Antony Rodden

Minimum Qualification Level:  Open Water

Dive Details:

We are planning on getting there 9:00-9:30.

Sunday: A refreshing dive in the ice cold waters to wash the dust off your kit. Many sights to see, including a DC3 at 12m and full of fish, as you can see in this video taken in 2012.

To book contact the Club Dive Organiser

Divers:

Sunday: Nigel Stephenson, Antony Rodden, Richard Ward, Rob Hilton, Lawrence Crow, John Ricketts, Eve McIlmoyle, Tom Briggs, Roger Selwyn, Clare Selwyn, Pavel Sementsov

Other information:

To find out where it is, have a look at Vobster location

New - Sark and The Scilly Isles - 05/06/2013

Rob Hilton — Tue, 05 Mar 2013 21:53:29 GMT

                    &

For the last couple of years the club has been toying with the idea of arranging a trip to Sark or The Scilly Isles. To give club members a better idea of what's on offer there we have arranged for Bernard Hinton, a member of Reading BSAC club to share with us some of his photos and experiences of several trips he has arranged and attended.
Come along and learn what these fantastic dive sites have to offer!

When: Weds 5th June
What Time:8:30 p.m.
Where: Reading BSAC Clubhouse

Next to Palmer Park Sports Stadium, Wokingham Road, Reading, Berkshire, RG6 1LF
http://www.rbsac.org.uk/find-our-club

Updated - Diving Scapa Flow - 01/05/2013

SuperUser Account — Sun, 24 Feb 2013 22:42:51 GMT

Diving Scapa Flow:

A talk by Mark Powell of Dive-Tech.

Scapa Flow in The Orkney Isles is arguably the greatest wreck diving site in the world and is, relatively speaking, right on our doorstep. The last resting place of the German High Seas Fleet of WWI, it's a place where you can really touch history.

We are lucky to have Mark Powell, one of the UKs best known technical diving instructors, coming along to give us a talk on this famous wreck diving destination.

'Scapa' hasn't been visited by the club for a few years - we are considering running a trip in 2014. Come along and see what it has to offer.

About Mark:

As well as being an instructor, Mark has served on the National Executive of the SAA as well as being its technical diving advisor. He currently represents TDI/SDI at British Safety Diving group meetings as well as being a member of the BSI committees defining standards for diver training and diving equipment. Mark is the author of Deco for Divers; a book that for the first time allows the average diver to fully understand the principles behind this fascinating and critical aspect of diving.

from 8:30 p.m.

at

Reading BSAC Clubhouse

Next to Palmer Park Sports Stadium, Wokingham Road, Reading, Berkshire, RG6 1LF

http://www.rbsac.org.uk/find-our-club

New - Club Night - 03/04/2013

SuperUser Account — Sun, 24 Feb 2013 22:42:29 GMT

Club Night

from 8:00 p.m.

at

Reading BSAC Clubhouse

Next to Palmer Park Sports Stadium, Wokingham Road, Reading, Berkshire, RG6 1LF

http://www.rbsac.org.uk/find-our-club

New - American Supper - 06/03/2013

Administrator Account — Thu, 21 Feb 2013 13:47:21 GMT

American Supper

After the glitz and glamour of the Photo Competition in February (!) the next Club Night is a cosy, informal evening to chat and share diving tales and plans...

It will be an "American Supper" evening - so please bring a dish or some nibbles to share together.

Home-made or a last minute buy at the convenience store all accepted! In return, the Club will buy you a drink! No need to tell us in advance what you are bringing but if you could provide an indication od savoury or sweet that would be really helpful...

If you want to bring any food that requires cooking/heating, you will need to bring a microwave, as there isn't one at the venue. If you plan to do so, please let us know, just to ensure we don't have more microwaves than food! Reading BSAC have found however, that food straight from the oven and brought in an insulated bag does the trick!

Disposable plates and cutlery will be provided.

8pm for 8.30pm eats at Reading BSAC

Please feel free to contact Eve at secretary@thedivingclub.co.uk if you have any questions.

2012 Photo Competition

Roger Selwyn — Thu, 14 Feb 2013 09:17:00 GMT

This years competition was held at our new club location, the Reading BSAC club house. The club house provides a great place for this type of event with facilities to seat 50 people with projector, screen, etc in place. So no need to bring our own gear long any more!

With a number of late entries, there were more photos entered in previous years, and one of the late entries went on to win a class for someone who hadn’t won before.

The big change for this year was the inclusion of the Newcomer class, for those that hadn’t won a class in previous years, ensuring that we have at least one new winner every year!

All the top photos can be found on the club website here - http://www.thedivingclub.co.uk/Gallery.aspx – and are posted on Facebook as well.

New Class for 2012

The Winners

Overall Winner

Ron Spillman’s Aquatic Life

Newcomer

1st – Julio Lema

2nd – Ron Spillman

3rd – Benjamin Selwyn

Aquatic Life

1st – Ron Spillman

2nd – Jane Wilkinson

2nd – Julio Lema

2012 Photo Competition: Aquatic Life 2nd

SuperUser Account — Fri, 08 Feb 2013 03:33:19 GMT
Jane Wilkinson

2012 Photo Competition: Aquatic Life 2nd

SuperUser Account — Fri, 08 Feb 2013 03:32:49 GMT
Julio Lema

2012 Photo Competition: Diver 1st

SuperUser Account — Fri, 08 Feb 2013 03:31:10 GMT
Ron Spillman

2012 Photo Competition: Diver 2nd

SuperUser Account — Fri, 08 Feb 2013 03:30:41 GMT
Jane Wilkinson

2012 Photo Competition: Humour 1st

SuperUser Account — Fri, 08 Feb 2013 03:29:34 GMT
Roger Selwyn

2012 Photo Competition: Humour 2nd

SuperUser Account — Fri, 08 Feb 2013 03:28:50 GMT
Ron Spillman

2012 Photo Competition: Humour 3rd

SuperUser Account — Fri, 08 Feb 2013 03:27:17 GMT
Nora Holford

2012 Photo Competition: Newcomer 1st

SuperUser Account — Fri, 08 Feb 2013 03:26:35 GMT
Julio Lema

2012 Photo Competition: Newcomer 2nd

SuperUser Account — Fri, 08 Feb 2013 03:25:52 GMT
Ron Spillman

2012 Photo Competition: Newcomer 3rd

SuperUser Account — Fri, 08 Feb 2013 03:24:12 GMT
Benjamin Selwyn

2012 Photo Competition: UK 1st

SuperUser Account — Fri, 08 Feb 2013 03:23:39 GMT
Roger Selwyn

2012 Photo Competition: UK 2nd

SuperUser Account — Fri, 08 Feb 2013 03:22:51 GMT
Ron Spillman

2012 Photo Competition: UK 3rd

SuperUser Account — Fri, 08 Feb 2013 03:21:58 GMT
Rob Hilton

2012 Photo Competition: Diver 2nd

SuperUser Account — Fri, 08 Feb 2013 03:20:14 GMT
Roger Selwyn

2012 Photo Competition: Wreck 1st

SuperUser Account — Fri, 08 Feb 2013 03:20:08 GMT
Malcolm Dubber

2012 Photo Competition: Wreck 2nd

SuperUser Account — Fri, 08 Feb 2013 03:19:22 GMT
Nora Holford

2012 Photo Competition: Wreck 3rd

SuperUser Account — Fri, 08 Feb 2013 03:18:59 GMT
Julio Lema

Updated - London Diving Chamber Charity Lecture - 15/02/2013

Roger Selwyn — Wed, 16 Jan 2013 23:30:14 GMT

London Diving Chamber Charity Lecture

The London Dive Chamber run an annual charitable event to benefit The Scuba Trust at the Royal Geographical Society in Kensington.

To register, please click here - http://www.londondivingchamber.co.uk/index.php?id=events&page=4

Date: - Friday 15th February 2013
Time: - 6.30pm (doors open at 6pm)
Location: - The Royal Geographical Society, 1 Kensington Gore, London, SW7 2AR

Paul Rose - Defined by Diving!

Paul Rose has been a diver for 43 years. During this time he has made thousands of dives in some of the most remote and challenging locations in the world and yet still loves any chance at all to be underwater, anywhere! He shares with us his lifetime of work, science and adventure diving with an enthusiastic, engaging and insightful talk. He asks us to bring enquiring minds and difficult questions!

Find out more about Paul at www.paulrose.org

Michael Pitts - Making Blue Movies

Michael Pitts specialises in filming underwater and is regarded as one of Britain's foremost underwater cameramen. However, he is equally happy shooting on the surface or from the air. Amongst his many awards he has received Emmys for cinematography on two BBC landmark series:

David Attenborough's 'Private Life of Plants' and 'Blue Planet'. He has just completed the underwater filming on Sky Atlantic's major 3D series on the Galapagos, presented by Sir David Attenborough. He is currently working on a 'Future Planet' Productions film on plastics in the worlds oceans which is due for cinema release in 2013.

In his talk, Michael Pitts will include anecdotes and film clips of some of the more memorable assignments in his career. He will illustrate how selected film sequences were shot using clips and behind the scene stills from various progammes, including: 'Swimming with Crocodiles', 'Private Life of Plants', 'Blue Planet', 'Life', as well as The BBC Natural World's 'Dragons of Komodo', 'Amazon Abyss' and National Geographic's 'Desert Seas'. He will discuss the trials and tribulations of working both above and below the surface on a variety of incredible subjects, with spectacular animal encounters and behaviour, much of which was shot for the first time.

His portfolio of photographic stills w

Updated - Photographic Competition - 06/02/2013

SuperUser Account — Thu, 20 Dec 2012 17:32:18 GMT

2012 Photography Competition

Each club member is entitled to enter one photo in each of the following 5 categories:

Wreck

Diver

Marine Life

UK

Humour (diving related)

And don't forget the new class for this year, which anyone who has not previously won a class may enter. The entry maybe a photo you have included in one of the other classes, but must be from one of the Wreck, Diver, Marine Life or UK subject areas.

Newcomer - New Class

All pictures (except for humour) must be underwater photos. All photos must have been taken by the submitting club member during 2012.

Minor processing is allowed (e.g. cropping, colour balancing, etc.) and pictures should be in digital format (preferably .jpg)

If you are in doubt as to whether your pictures are eligible, just ask!

Email your entries to Roger Selwyn (webmaster@thedivingclub.co.uk) no later than Friday 1st February

All members attending the meeting will be able to vote for their favourite in each category. Prizes will be awarded for the favourite in each category.

from 8:30 p.m.

at

Reading BSAC Clubhouse

Next to Palmer Park Sports Stadium, Wokingham Road, Reading, Berkshire, RG6 1LF
http://www.rbsac.org.uk/find-our-club

The Diving Club Newsletter: December 2012

Nigel Stephenson — Thu, 29 Nov 2012 14:14:00 GMT
New Venue, Christmas Quiz Night, Christmas Party, Scuba Santa

Updated - Quiz Night - 05/12/2012

Rob Hilton — Thu, 15 Nov 2012 20:22:44 GMT

If you think you've got what it takes to be crowned this years Brain of Britain then you need to attend this years club quiz night. All the top brains will be there along with our very own Magnus-Magnuson to pose the questions.

There will be mince pies and nibbles to munch on whilst pondering the probing brain teasers that will have even "University Challenge" competitors twiddling their tank-tops and adjusting their specs!!!

So come along, form a quiz-dream-team and claim your rightful title, and all in our plush new venue at:

Reading BSAC Clubhouse

Next to Palmer Park Sports Stadium, Wokingham Road, Reading, Berkshire, RG6 1LF
http://www.rbsac.org.uk/find-our-club

Updated - XMAS DO! - 14/12/2012

Administrator Account — Thu, 15 Nov 2012 17:09:50 GMT

Note this event is now on Friday 14th December

For the end of the year get together of 2012 we will be endulging in a lttle taste of the orient! Come along and delight your taste buds with a little sushi, try your hand at chop-sticks or slurp away at a bowl of noodles at the Japanese restaurant WAGAMAMA.
Based in the Oracle, Reading it's convenient to get to so that nobody has to drive as there's bound to be a few drinks involved!
Treat yourself and celebrate your fantastic dives of 2012 with fellow dive club members.

Where: WAGAMAMA, Oracle, Reading
From: 8:00p.m
Cost: £16.95 per head fixed menu
(or choose whatever you fancy from the whole menu at extra cost)

How to book?: e-mail Rob on social@thedivingclub.co.uk

Updated - 2013 Dive Planner Event - 09/01/2013

Administrator Account — Thu, 15 Nov 2012 17:05:34 GMT

The RDP Event

It's that time of year again; the Reading Diving club Planner event!!!

Eager to use all those new dive gadgets, gizmo's and new dive kit you got for Xmas? Then come along and learn all about the club's dives planned for 2013. From the Mysteries of Vobster to the Basking sharks of The Sound of Mull and the Wrecks of Eastbourne, a short presentation will be given on each to detail the likely dive boat, the cost and logistics and of course what you can expect to see on the dive.

Unsure which dives to go on in 2013? Then this event is a must for you!!!! It was one of the most popular social events last year, so don't miss out.

from 8:30 p.m.
at
Reading BSAC Clubhouse

Next to Palmer Park Sports Stadium, Wokingham Road, Reading, Berkshire, RG6 1LF
http://www.rbsac.org.uk/find-our-club

Updated - Scuba Santas - You know it makes sense! - 16/12/2012

Administrator Account — Thu, 15 Nov 2012 15:18:24 GMT

Let's get a group together and go and support fund raising for the RNLI at this year's Scuba Santa's event in Chepstow!

From their web site:

Scuba Santas is organised by Lloyd Watkin with help from members of the UK diving forum called Yorkshire Divers. Each year around Christmas time we dress up in Santa costumes to raise money for a charity.

In 2007 we raised a few hundred pounds for the RNLI with 8 participating Santas, a Viking, a snowman, and a fairy. Last year we have at least 5 times the numbers and each day the list grows! The next event will be held at an inland dive site called National Diving and Activity Centre near Chepstow.

We will be diving in Santa outfits and, if we get the go-ahead, will be aiming to break the world record for the largest number of simultaneous scuba diving father Christmas’ at one time!

Not only is this a great advert for British scuba diving, it provides much needed funds for the volunteer life savers at Christmas, and despite the freezing temperatures puts a smile on some otherwise very grumpy people’s faces! Again this year it has been decided by members of YD to support the RNLI for all the good work they do each and every day of the year…

http://www.scuba-santas.co.uk/

The Diving Club Newsletter: November 2012

Nigel Stephenson — Sun, 28 Oct 2012 15:54:00 GMT

Welcome to the November Newsletter

Hi all,

The eagle eyed among you will have noticed we didn't have a newsletter last month, which is as good an intro as any to the subject of empty committee posts! We still need volunteers for the following positions:

Publicity Officer – yes, the one that writes the newsletter . But also an opportunity to spend some of our marketing fund agreed at the AGM alongside the Membership secretary to promote the club and recruit new members.

Social Secretary – to continue the great work from last year and maintain a health series of activities at our social meetings (and beyond if the desire takes you). We already have a number of activities lined up so anyone volunteering will have a head start on the year and plenty of support.

Chairman – yes, I meant it when I said I would continue as acting Chairman! If any of you are interested, maybe we could look at the idea of a Vice Chair position to share some of the load with a view to taking over fully at the next AGM? This would provide continuity from year to year but keep the role fresh.

Upcoming Events – Above and Below (yes below!) the water

Are you joining us? London Diving Chamber Charity Lecture

The lecture is on Feb 15th at the Royal Geographical Society in Kensington but we need to know if you are going by OCT 31st (Wednesday). Tickets are free must be applied for early. There will be a collection on the door in aid of The Scuba Trust.

This is an excellent evening event with top notch speakers. Recent headliners have included filmmaker John Boyle, marine biologist Dr Jon Copley, Monty Halls, Terence Stamp, Frank Gardner, Rick Stanton, You can see videos of some past events at BLOWN OUT

Location/Boat: Wight Diver
Cost: £49 / day for two dives

Co-ordinator: Andrew Askwith

Minimum Qualification Level: Open Water

Dive Details:

Sunday: Camswan & Louis.........2 Wrecks!!!

Louis lies at 18 metres (59 feet). She was torpedoed in 1918 by UC 71. A good part of her cargo has been salvaged but you can still see some brass shell cases.

Camswan makes an excellent rummage dive with the sternpost standing 4 metres proud of the seabed and the steel propeller still in place behind it. She was built in 1917 and sank later the same year following a collision with the SS Polbrai. Although explosives dispersed much of the wreck in the 1920’s it is still a large site to explore with its average height 3-4m. The Camswan lies on a sand and gravel bottom and visibility is generally good. There is plenty of marine life on the wreck including conger, pollack and wrasse and some big shoals of bib.

Ropes Off 10:30hrs. Please be there at least 30 mins before and ready to load.

To book contact the Nigel Stephenson

Two cylinders required

Divers: Nigel Stephenson, Georgi Stephenson, Ness, Rob Hilton, Nigel Chapman, Pavel Sementsov, Sanda Petakovic + 1

Unconfirmed/awaiting deposits:

Other information:Cylinders available for hire on the boat if booked in advance. Contact the organiser for details.

Updated - Social Night - 03/10/2012

SuperUser Account — Thu, 27 Sep 2012 10:01:48 GMT

Club Night

Reading BSAC Club have kindly invited us along for a general social evening to experience their facilities with a quick chat about who they are and how they work. Maybe we can learn a thing or two for the future of our own club? Come along and see what you think!

at

Reading BSAC Clubhouse

Next to Palmer Park Sports Stadium, Wokingham Road, Reading, Berkshire, RG6 1LF. - Map: http://www.rbsac.org.uk/find-our-club

Updated - Swanage Diving - 01/09/2012

SuperUser Account — Tue, 28 Aug 2012 13:28:10 GMT

Swanage

Boat: Divers Down

Cost: £47 per day for two dives - £20 deposit per day

Co-ordinator: Roger & Clare Selwyn

Minimum Qualification Level: Open Water.

Dive Details:
Saturday:
- 10.45 - Valentine Tanks
- 14.45 - Fleur De Lys
Sunday:
- 11.30 - Clan MacVey or
- 11.30 - Kyarra
- 15.30 - Old Harry Drift

To book contact the Roger Selwyn

Only one cylinder required as we will be returning to pier in between dives and air / nitrox fills are available

Divers:

Saturday: Roger Selwyn, Clare Selwyn, Benjamin Selwyn, Nigel Chapman, Sarah Chapman, Rob Hilton, Kim Pierpoint, Nora Holford, Julio Lema

Sunday: Roger Selwyn, Clare Selwyn, Benjamin Selwyn, Nigel Chapman, Sarah Chapman, Eve McIlmoyle, Rob Hilton, Nora Holford, Nigel Stephenson, Georgina Stephenson, Julio Lema, Tom Briggs

Unconfirmed:

Other information:

Updated - Malta September Sunshine - 08/09/2012

Tim Burge — Sat, 25 Aug 2012 15:40:50 GMT

Malta

Location/Boat: Divewise

Cost:  €160 for 6 dives over 3 days. Additional dives €27/dive.
Co-ordinator: Tim Burge

Minimum Qualification Level:  Open Water

Details:
This long weekend trip to Malta offers the chance to get four full days of fantastic warm water diving and some quality time in the sun. By flying out late on Friday evening and returning home on Wednesday, you only need three days off work to do it.

Malta and its surrounding islands have over 100 dive sites offering reef and wreck diving for everyone from Open Water to Deep and Technical diving and in September the sea should be around 25C and the sun will be shining. Even if it’s a bit windy there are plenty of sheltered dive sites suitable for everyone, so you don’t have to miss out.

Our diving base for the weekend will be ‘Divewise’ who will be looking after us while we’re there. They are an excellent and extremely friendly dive centre run by Viv and Alan, who have looked after us very well in the past. The dive centre is located in St Julians, close to lots of hotels and restaurants and within walking distance of Paceville, famous for its lively nightlife.

Diving
We will start diving on Saturday with a check dive on the Divewise house reef to make sure everything works after the travel and to sort out any last minute kit issues. Once we’re all set, we will go for another local dive later in the afternoon.

On Sunday and Monday we plan to do two dives a day with the option of a night dive on one or both days. If you take an evening flight back on Wednesday, then you can get another two dives in on Tuesday or just take some time out to explore some of Malta’s historic sites.

There are numerous diving options available, including the Blue Hole and the inland sea on Gozo, Anchor bay, the Scott Craig, The Rozi, the P29 and the Um el Faroud to mention just a few. Something I’m really looking forward to is the option of a night dive on the Faroud. You’ll need to be AOW to do this due to the depth, but there are plenty of other night dive options for those less experienced.

The exact diving schedule will be decided closer to the time and will be dependent on the weather conditions and if there are any special requests. We also have the option of splitting into different groups for the diving if anyone wants to take it easy or do something more adventurous.  &nbs

Lochaline 2012 - The Sound of Mull

Roger Selwyn — Tue, 07 Aug 2012 15:50:00 GMT

When Nigel started talking about a trip to Scotland my mind immediately went to our trips to Scapa Flow – it’s a long way!! Well it is a long way, but what scenery on the drive, the mountains and lochs of Scotland are just magnificent. Unfortunately I forgot to take any pictures of them on the journey, only this one of the main A road across Morven, which is the single track road that leads down into Lochaline. The cottage we were staying in proved to be ideally setup for divers, lots of single beds to avoid the distractions of the opposite sex, and save your strength for diving. Very nice with lots of room for all. We were pretty much all self-catering, only some folks having lunch provided. The village comes with a shop/petrol station/post office/everything, a social club, restaurant and pub/hotel. And it is about and hour to the nearest town – Fort William.

The diving was with Lochaline Boat Charters on one of their boats, Brendan. They also have Peregrine. We had two skippers during the week – Bodie (who also captains the ferry to Mull) for the first three days, and Malcolm for the rest of the week. Both were great skippers who clearly knew the local waters well and were easy to get on with. Most days diving (of which there were six) consisted of at least one wreck and one scenic dive, with most days the option of a third. This catered for all tastes in the group, with some after metal, and some after scenic corals and the like.

Wreck dives during the week including – The Rondo, The Shuna (3 times), The Hispania, The Breda (twice) and The Thesis. All but the Rondo were substantially intact wrecks wit

Updated - Welsh Weekend 2012 - 22/09/2012

SuperUser Account — Sun, 05 Aug 2012 17:58:00 GMT

Location: Anglesey - Menai Bridge

Location/Boat: Quest Diving

Cost: £52 / day for two dives - 3 Days diving

Co-ordinator: Roger & Clare Selwyn
Minimum Qualification Level: Advanced Open Water + Deep or equivalent

Dive Details:

Specific diving to be decided closer to the date. The general diving is to do a relatively deep dive, max 40m, in the morning, and then a very shallow dive in the afternoon. Morning dives will be aimed at wreck, afternoon dives are likely to include seals at Puffin Island and a drift through the Swellies in the Menai Straits.

We are diving with Scott Waterman, who is the author of 'Anglesey Wrecks & Reefs'.

Potential dives include:-

Delfina - Divernet

Cartagena - Divernet

Penrhos - Link

Puffin Island - Link

To book contact the Club Dive Organiser

Divers will need two cylinders.

Divers:
Roger Selwyn, Clare Selwyn, Nigel Stephenson, Jane Wilkinson, Nora Holford, Antony Rodden, Jim Taylor, Bryan Johnston, Liz Speakman

Unconfirmed:

Other information:

Updated - Photo share evening - 07/11/2012

Rob Hilton — Tue, 17 Jul 2012 17:39:24 GMT

Show me Yours and I'll Show you mine!!!

Photo Share Evening

Remember the good old days when you went around your friends house and had the pants bored off you looking at holiday Photos?

Well those days are back!!!

As we wind down another fantastic year of diving, we should reflect on the good times, share it with friends and contemplate what to do next year. With that in mind we would like to encourage everyone to bring along their dive related photos on a memory stick and share them with the club. There is no need to present; just let the computer roll through them whilst having a drink with your buddies.

We want club dives, non-club dives, UK, abroad, above water, below water etc. No need to worry about the quality of the photos, it's the memory and what the picture conveys that's important.

So grab your 5 minutes of fame and have your memories splashed all over the big screen for all to see!

This event will only be as good as you make it. So get snapping and come along for a fun evening

at

The Maiden Over

from 8:30

Silverdale Road, Earley, Reading, RG6 7NG - Map: Multimap

Updated - Social Night - 01/08/2012

Rob Hilton — Mon, 16 Jul 2012 17:33:27 GMT

CAVE DIVING with Martyn Farr

We have been fortunate enough to be able to book world renowned cave diver Martyn Farr for an evenings presentation titled "The Darkness Beckons"

This guy really is a world leader in cave diving having taken part in several world record breaking attempts, published articles in just about every UK publication worth reading and having even taken HRH Prince William and Prince Harry underground!

This is gonna be the social event of the year and is not to be missed. Due to costs we will have to sell tickets for this event at £4 per ticket and numbers will be limited as we are sharing the event with Reading BSAC club.
In the mean time check out Martyn's website: http://www.farrworld.co.uk/

at 8:00 p.m.

Venue :Reading BSAC club house
Palmer Park
Wokingham Road
Reading

Map link   http://www.rbsac.org.uk/find-our-club

Updated - Get Wrecked in Eastbourne - 15/07/2012

Nigel Stephenson — Mon, 16 Jul 2012 14:36:53 GMT

Location: Eastbourne - 1 Day Only

Location/Boat:  Dive 125

Cost: £49 / day for TWO WRECK dives (2 slacks)

Co-ordinator:  Nigel Stephenson

Minimum Qualification Level:  AOW

Dive Details : Plan, subject to conditions on the day etc., is to dive the Rowcliffe (30m) followed by the Oceana (25m).
The Oceana is a P&O liner, 6,610 tons which sunk on March 16th 1912 as the result of a collision

To book contact the Club dive organiser

Load time: 8:15am (confirmed). Boat will leave approx. 20 mins after this.

Divers: Nigel Stephenson, Tim Burge, Richard Ward, Nora Holford, Tessa Price, Eve McIlmoyle, Anthony Rodden, Keith Peake, Sanda Petakovic , Graham Shaw, Andrew Rampton*, Sam Wise*

Reserve: Ron Spillman, Ryan Dowling

Other information:
Once again we have grabbed a great weekend for tides in Eastbourne giving us 2 x slacks and 2 x wreck dives. Unfortunately we could only get the one day (Sunday).

Air fills are available on the boat between dives. Nitrox normally available. If you want to be sure of 2 nitrox dives you may want to check before departing or bring 2 cylinders.

The Diving Club Newsletter: July

Nigel Stephenson — Sat, 30 Jun 2012 19:29:00 GMT

June – the month that never was!

Social update and BBQ Night.

Dive update and spaces – Last call for Anglesey.

Updated - Social Night - 04/07/2012

Rob Hilton — Wed, 20 Jun 2012 19:15:49 GMT

Summer Food Cremation BBQ
        +
We thought we'd have a break from an organised speaker and just have a general informal social evening for us all to kick back and chat with friends............... inbetween stuffing our faces with Burgers & Hot-Dogs!!!!!!!!!
If anyone wants to address the group to get a discussion going on what future dives or socials we could consider, or indeed even a non diving related topic, then feel free!!!
The BBQ is FREE!!! All we ask is that you let us know if you wish to attend by e-mailing Rob on social@thedivingclub.co.uk so we can cater for the correct numbers.

from 8:00 p.m.

at

The Maiden Over

Silverdale Road, Earley, Reading, RG6 7NG - Map: Multimap

Updated - Brighton AOW - 16/06/2012

Nigel Stephenson — Fri, 15 Jun 2012 21:29:01 GMT

CANCELLED DUE TO WEATHER

Location Brighton

Location/Boat: Brighton Diver
Cost: £45 for two dives

Co-ordinator:  Nigel Stephenson

Minimum Qualification Level:  Advanced Open Water

Dive Details: City of Brisbane

Saturday: Ropes off 8am (confirmed) Wreck lies in 20 - 27m range. Followed by drift.

To book contact the Nigel at chairman@thedivingclub.co.uk . Due to the short lead time I will be asking for the full amount at time of booking.

TWO CYLINDERS REQUIRED

Divers:

Saturday: Rob Hilton, Keith Peake, Nigel Stephenson, Roger Selwyn, Bemjamin Selwyn, Sanda Petakovic, Max, Ron Spillman, Clare Selwyn

Unconfirmed:

Other information:

Loading at Brighton marina. Free multi-story carpark. DO NOT park in the RNLI parking bays as they are monitored by cameras and liable to a fine. Can pull up to unload at bottom of ramp opposite McDonalds. Contact me if you are not familiar with the location.

Updated - Portsmouth OW - 24/06/2012

Nigel Stephenson — Sun, 03 Jun 2012 12:29:29 GMT

Portsmouth

Location/Boat: Wight Diver

Cost: £49 / day for two dives

Co-ordinator: Andrew Askwith

Minimum Qualification Level:  Open Water

Dive Details:

Sunday: Tanks & Bulldozers- Sitting on the sea bed these are believed to have been lost overboard on the way for use in the Normandy D-Day landings.

To book contact the Orientation Dive Organiser

Two cylinders required

Divers:

Sunday: Andrew Askwith, Nigel Chapman,Rob Hilton,Sanda Petakovic, Nigel Stephenson, Georgina Stephenson

Unconfirmed: Graham Shaw

Other information:

The Diving Club Newsletter: June

Nigel Stephenson — Thu, 31 May 2012 20:46:00 GMT

Recap of a busy month with The Diving Club,

Social update,

Dive update and spaces

Plymouth Bank Holiday

Clare Selwyn — Tue, 08 May 2012 20:05:00 GMT

A group of four of us (Rob, Kim, Roger and myself) met in the Hotel Mount Batten Friday evening and were joined by Ron Spillman, a cheery face from a few years ago. Good to see you again! Unsure what the weather was going to throw at us we went our way to meet for breakfast at 7.30.

Saturday dawned not too bad, dry we were glad to see! Along came Top Gun, with skipper Garry and deckhand Mark. Here we met Andrew Rampton and two others who had booked on through Garry, helping those who fell by the way side due to nasty work and poor admin skills (double booking diving and rugby!)

With an almost full boat we set off to find the Scylla, she’d not moved since I was there last in August 2005, but such a different dive to then. I buddied Kim, and Roger dived with Rob. Kim and I were soon down and pootling around. We took it gently as Kim was a little unsure AND had a new camera to look after I was amazed to see how little grey paint there was on the outside and how much life now sticks to the sides, also not that we went in, how silty it was inside. After a reasonable time we came up and were pleased to be greeted with teas, coffees and hot chocolates! Once all were up and safe we took to a bay for hot pasties and a selection of sauces, followed by cake and choc biscuits! Weight for 2^nd dives needed adjusting each day!

James Egan Layne was our 2^nd dive and that for Kim and I was a great dive, helped by our personal aquatic animal finder Ron finding a large cuttlefish. Roger and Rob missed it, but did seem to find crabs and lobsters that we didn’t!

That evening we were joined in the Borringdon Arms by Nigel, Tim, Eve and Tom. Sanda was otherwise occupied with a returned from Afghanistan partner but s

Updated - Plymouth Diving OW / AOW - 05/05/2012

Nigel Stephenson — Wed, 02 May 2012 12:26:36 GMT

Plymouth

Boat: Top Gun - Southwest Diving
Cost: £47 / day for two dives

Co-ordinator: Andrew Askwith
Minimum Qualification Level:  Open Water / AOW

Dive Details:

Saturday: Scylla & Drift (OW) & drift possibly on Eddystone Lighthouse - http://www.divernet.com/Wrecks/wreck_tours/159414/wreck_tour_64_hms_scylla.html
Or Scylla X 2 or Scylla & James Eagan Layne

Sunday: James Egan Lane & drift possibly on Eddysone Lighthouse - http://www.divernet.com/Wrecks/wreck_tours/159416/wreck_tour_62_the_james_eagan_layne.html
OR
Scylla, JEL or Coronation
http://www.coronationwreck.co.uk/index.html
Monday: Choice between

Rosehill - http://www.divernet.com/Wrecks/wreck_tours/159493/wrecktour96_the_rosehill.html

Persier - http://www.divernet.com/Wrecks/wreck_tours/159426/wreck_tour_52_the_persier.html

ELK - http://www.divernet.com/Wrecks/100_best_uk_wreck_dives/159624/the_hms_elk_72.html

To book contact the Dive Organiser

Divers:

Saturday: Andrew Askwith, (Nigel Stephenson double booked :-( ), Tom Briggs, Clare Selwyn, Roger Selwyn,
                  Rob Hilton, Kim Pierpoint, Sanda Petakovic, Ron Spillman, Andrew Rampton

Sunday: Andrew Askwith, Tim Burge, Nigel Stephenson, Tom Briggs, Clare Selwyn,
                Roger Selwyn, Kim Pierpoint, Rob Hilton, Sanda Petakovic ,Eve McIlm

The Diving Club Newsletter: May

Nigel Stephenson — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 11:58:00 GMT
Social update, Dive update and spaces, Club T-Shirts

Updated - Best of Scotland - 21/07/2012

Andrew Askwith — Sat, 21 Apr 2012 01:19:10 GMT

Lochaline, Scotland

Location/Boat:  Lochaline Boat Charters
Cost: CONFIRMED £322 for 12 divers or £384 for 10 divers; 7 nights self catering accomm and 6 days diving (plus travel, gas, meals). Price is based on you providing all your own equipment incl. cylinders. Local hire may be available on request. Compressor on the boat.

By reserving a place you will be committing to the max price above - still less than original estimate :-)

Co-ordinator:  Nigel Stephenson

Minimum Qualification Level:  Most if not all dives will be within AOW range. Opportunity to dive deeper as the sea bed will be below 30m on some dives (eg. walls, wrecks on slopes). Some sea experience required.

Dive Details: To be determined nearer the day. See charter site for samples of dives. Mainly boat diving with options for shore diving. Scenic and wreck dives. Ideal for photography. Renowned as one of the best places to dive in Scotland with options to dive in all weathers, good viz, exceptional scenery above and below water. Possible basking sharks (over a dozen in the area as I discussed the booking same week July '11)

Booking: If you are interested in this trip please contact Nigel Stephenson in the first instance. A deposit of £100 will be required. I will hold places for 1 week without deposit. After payment of deposit you will be liable for the full cost (above) unless we can re-sell your place (normal club terms). If you are unsure of your level of experience, remember that there is plenty of time to build experience on club dives or team up and go diving with other club members before the trip - it's what we're here for!


Divers: Nigel Stephenson, Keith Peake, Jason Matthews, Jane Wilkinson, Kev High, Roger Selwyn, Clare Selwyn, Rob Hilton, Kim Pierpoint, Michael Scott, Jackie O'Brien, Joe Scott

Unconfirmed/awaiting deposit:

Other information:

Fuller info including accomodation info on the discussion forum/upcomming section and facebook notes page.

Updated - Social Event - 06/06/2012

Rob Hilton — Sat, 14 Apr 2012 17:18:53 GMT

Photography Manipulation

After manipulation      Before manipulation

If you want to achieve results like that above then come along for a practical, on-screen demonstration of 2 different manipulation software programmes, Photoshop and GIMP. The evening will be hosted by our very own club members Roger Selwyn and Stuart Mitchell who'll show the pro's and con's of each.
Why not bring along a few photos on a memory stick and perhaps they can kindly "play" with them for you.

signed

David Bailey

From 8:00p.m.

at

The Maiden Over

Silverdale Road, Earley, Reading, RG6 7NG - Map: Multimap

Updated - Social Event - 02/05/2012

SuperUser Account — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 13:59:26 GMT

Thames Valley Police will be presenting on the specialist role of their search and recovery team.This will detail underwater searches of rivers and quarries, recoveries of decomposed bodies on land whilst using breathing apparatus, the equipment they use and hopefully a few interesting case studies!

So if you're a bit bored in your current job, why not come along and see what you could be getting up to from 9:00 to 5:00.........if you've got the stomach for it!!!

from 8:30 p.m.



at

The Maiden Over

Silverdale Road, Earley, Reading, RG6 7NG - Map: Multimap

Updated - Social Night & AGM - 05/09/2012

Rob Hilton — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 21:14:49 GMT

AGM 2012

Along with the usual items on the AGM agenda, this year will also see a budget proposal. New ideas will be put forward on how to spend YOUR money ! So if you want to have your say then you need to attend.
Come along and say good riddance to the old committee members and welcome in the new....in fact why not go one step further and stand for election for any of the roles.... every organisation needs a change from time to time!

From 8:30p.m.

at

The Maiden Over

Silverdale Road, Earley, Reading, RG6 7NG - Map: Multimap

New - DIVE 2012 - 27/10/2012

Rob Hilton — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 20:32:44 GMT

Are you in need of some replacement dive kit for next season, planning your next dive holiday abroad or just want to learn more about diving in general???

Then you need to attend the DIVE 2012 show on Saturday 27th October.

If you register your interest we should be able to hire a minibus like last year. It works out cheaper than driving there alone and it's much more enjoyable to share the journey with friends (plus you can have a cheeky drink in the bar area!)

If we get more than 6 people attending we can get advance discounted tickets, price tbd later in the year.

To register your interest please e-mail Rob at social@thedivingclub.co.uk.

Go on......... you deserve to buy yourself an early Xmas present!!!

The Diving Club Newsletter: April

Nigel Stephenson — Wed, 28 Mar 2012 22:37:00 GMT
Membership year extension! Seasearch, dive spaces, Divestyle Offers and T-Shirt

Updated - LIDS 2012 - 31/03/2012

SuperUser Account — Sat, 17 Mar 2012 18:02:25 GMT

Are you in need of some replacement dive kit for this season, planning your next dive holiday abroad or just want to learn more about diving in general???

Then you need to attend the London International Dive Show (LIDS) on Saturday 31st March.

If you register your interest we might be able to hire a minibus if there's enough of us! It works out cheaper than the train (from Reading) and it's much more enjoyable to share the journey with friends. It was a great success at the NEC exhibition last October and everyone agreed it was a fun way to travel.

Plus, if we get more than 6 people attending we can get advance discounted tickets of £7.50 per person (£11.50 on the door).

To register your interest please e-mail Rob at social@thedivingclub.co.uk.

Go on........you know you want to!!!

Updated - Lundy - 19/05/2012

Andrew Askwith — Mon, 12 Mar 2012 13:18:58 GMT

Lundy

Location/Boat: Obsession II

Cost: 139 for two days - two dives per day
Co-ordinator:  Beverley Collett

Minimum Qualification Level:  Advanced Open Water

Dive Details:

Saturday:  TBC but bound to include wrecks and seals

Sunday:

To book contact the Club Dive Organiser

2 cylinders required

Divers: Eve McIlmoyle, Bryan Johnston, Liz Speakman, Jason Matthews, Rick Bastin, Richard Ward,Tim Burge, Nigel Stephenson, Kev High,Nora Holford, Gareth Blades, Nigel Chapman

Unconfirmed:

Reserve: Tom Briggs, Sanda Petakovic

Other information:

Updated - Babbacombe Bay OW - 07/04/2012

Andrew Askwith — Mon, 12 Mar 2012 13:14:41 GMT

As there has been only a limited interest from Club members in this shore diving weekend we are unable to continue to offer this as a Club supported dive.
For anyone who has expressed an interest in this please use the Club's Facebook wall to make any private diving arrangements with your fellow Club members

Babbacombe Bay South Devon

Babbacombe Web Cam - http://www.babbacombebeach.com/web-cam
Cuttlefish - http://www.marinevisionstudios.co.uk/page9.html

Cost: Shore diving

Co-ordinator: Andrew Askwith

Minimum Qualification Level: Open Water

Dive Details:

Babbacombe Bay South Devon shore diving

In search of cuttlefish

Description: Reef

Depth: 8 metres (26 feet

Visibility: 6 metres (20 feet)

This dive site is in a quiet calm bay, found at the bottom of a very steep hill (don't over load cars or put tanks at the back of the car or you'll never get back up!). There are toilet facilities during the summer and a friendly pub and this is also a locals favorite fishing spot.

Unlimited diving no matter what the tide

Little or no current ideal for photography

Please let us know if you intend to come along by mailing the Orientation Dive Organiser


Air fills available

Divers:

Malcolm Dubber, Gareth Blades, George Rowland , Rob Hilton, Kim Pierpoint

Other information:

Last Meeting and Vobster Saturday 10th

Nigel Stephenson — Thu, 08 Mar 2012 04:12:00 GMT
Just a quick update and 'shout out' as my american colleagues would say for a dive this Saturday.

Last night Steve from Scubateks in Basingstoke ran through the work of a service technician and gave a great insite into the world of servicing and fixing our scuba gear. Actually made me think servicing costs are quite cheap given the time and effort involved!

Keith also started taking orders for a new Club Polo shirt featuring an embroidered logo available in several colours for £15. Look out for a communication soon if you want to order. We will place the orders already taken in the next week or so with a view to trying to get the first ones completed in time for the next meeting.

Diving

A bunch of us will be at Vobster this Saturday if anyone wants to join us. So far I know of the following folks:

Nigel and Rich - getting there for 9am.
Keith and Jim - 9:30 ish
Also Roger, Clare, Sanda and maybe others?

Why not join us? I suspect we will all get into the bottom car park but if not I have a slot reserved so could use my car as a base (dark blue Land Rover discovery - not the old one for those that knew it but very similar!).

Finally: DON'T MISS OUT!

Please make sure you book onto any dives you are interested in - especially the early season ones in Plymouth and Portsmouth as we will soon be offering places to other local clubs. You have been warned!

Regards

Nigel
Chairman. the Diving Club.

Updated - Social Event - 04/04/2012

SuperUser Account — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 17:09:35 GMT

Come along for an evening's talk by Chris Wood of Seasearch. Learn about the organisations aims and objectives, what they have achieved to date and how you can get involved.

We've all seen fantastic sights and sadly sometimes some not so pleasant things whilst diving around the coast of Britain. Well Seasearch can show us how to officially record these sights and contribute to the welfare of our coastal waters.

They also arrange training courses and dives at a very reasonable price so if we gather enough interest we may be able to arrange our own clubs training session!

from 8:30 p.m.
at
The Maiden Over

Silverdale Road, Earley, Reading, RG6 7NG - Map: Multimap

The Diving Club Newsletter: March 2012

Nigel Stephenson — Tue, 28 Feb 2012 13:55:00 GMT

Social update,

Dive spaces,

Divestyle increases discount to club members!,

The Diving Club T-Shirt,

Ideas for social nights - your input sought

2011 Photo Competition: Wreck 3rd

Administrator Account — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 12:38:17 GMT
Roger Selwyn

2011 Photo Competition: Wreck 1st

Administrator Account — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 12:37:49 GMT
Nora Holford

2011 Photo Competition: Wreck 2nd

Administrator Account — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 12:37:30 GMT
Les Ruse

2011 Photo Competition: UK 1st

Administrator Account — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 12:31:08 GMT
Roger Selwyn

2011 Photo Competition: UK 3rd

Administrator Account — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 12:30:49 GMT
Nora Holford

2011 Photo Competition: UK 2nd

Administrator Account — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 12:30:23 GMT
Jane Wilkinson

2011 Photo Competition: Humour 1st

Administrator Account — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 12:28:29 GMT
Nora Holford

2011 Photo Competition: Humour 3rd

Administrator Account — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 12:27:57 GMT
Les Ruse

2011 Photo Competition: Humour 2nd

Administrator Account — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 12:27:26 GMT
Jane Wilkinson

2011 Photo Competition: Diver 2nd

Administrator Account — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 12:25:36 GMT
Roger Selwyn

2011 Photo Competition: Diver 3rd

Administrator Account — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 12:25:15 GMT
Pam Pounds

2011 Photo Competition: ! Overall Winner for 2011 !

Administrator Account — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 12:24:39 GMT
Diver 1st
Morag Farley

2011 Photo Competition: Diver 3rd

Administrator Account — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 12:24:33 GMT
Malcolm Dubber

2011 Photo Competition: Aquatic Life 2nd

Administrator Account — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 12:21:30 GMT
Roger Selwyn

2011 Photo Competition: Aquatic Life 3rd

Administrator Account — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 12:21:02 GMT
Nora Holford

2011 Photo Competition: Aquatic Life 1st

Administrator Account — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 12:20:47 GMT
Jane Wilkinson

The Diving Club Newsletter: February 2012

Nigel Stephenson — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 21:33:00 GMT
Photo Competition
Sign up to Plymouth and Portsmouth Dive

The Diving Club 2011 Photo Competition

Roger Selwyn — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 08:03:00 GMT

Photo Competition 2011

This year’s photo competition is upon us at last. Please send your photos in to me by the end of this week if at all possible. The competition itself will be held next week at the Maiden Over starting from 8.30pm. Everyone is welcome since anyone there gets to vote on their favourite photos.

Previous years have shown this is one of the most popular nights in the club’s calendar. There will also be food available, so why not come along, look at the dive list and get booked as well!

This years awards will be presented by esteemed underwater photographer and experienced diver Nigel Wade. So get snapping and enter to win not just the trophy, but the recognition of one of the UK's top underwater photographers.

Each club member is entitled to enter one photo in each of the following 5 categories:

Wreck

Diver

Marine Life

UK

Humour (diving related)

All pictures (except for humour) must be underwater photos. All photos must have been taken by the submitting club member during 2011. Minor processing is allowed (e.g. cropping, colour balancing, etc.) and pictures should be in digital format (preferably .jpg)
If you are in doubt as to whether your pictures are eligible, just ask!

Email your entries to Roger Selwyn (webmaster@thedivingclub.co.uk) no later than Friday 27th January

All members attending the meeting will be able to vote for their favourite in each category. Prizes will be awarded for the favourite in each category, with an overall winner from the five gaining the crown of best photo!

Updated - Club Night - 01/02/2012

SuperUser Account — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 14:47:24 GMT

2012 Photography Competition

This years awards will be presented by esteemed underwater photographer and experienced diver Nigel Wade.

So get snapping and enter to win not just the trophy, but the recognition of one of the UK's top underwater photographers.

Each club member is entitled to enter one photo in each of the following 5 categories:

Wreck

Diver

Marine Life

UK

Humour (diving related)

All pictures (except for humour) must be underwater photos. All photos must have been taken by the submitting club member during 2011.

Minor processing is allowed (e.g. cropping, colour balancing, etc.) and pictures should be in digital format (preferably .jpg)

If you are in doubt as to whether your pictures are eligible, just ask!

Email your entries to Roger Selwyn (webmaster@thedivingclub.co.uk) no later than Friday 27th January

All members attending the meeting will be able to vote for their favourite in each category. Prizes will be awarded for the favourite in each category.

from 8:30 p.m.

at

The Maiden Over

Silverdale Road, Earley, Reading, RG6 7NG - Map: Multimap