Club Nights, Wreck Diving and Scuba Reviews

Suddenly I seem to have hit busy having arrived home from Bristol to hit both the centre club night and the Junior club night in the pool and a couple needing a scuba review.

Once again we put a talk on at the club night this time covering wreck diving. The presentation included wreck identification and anatomy. We also considered the main legislation covering sea wrecks. For those that didn't get to the meeting the three main acts are, Protection of Wrecks Act 1973, Military Remains Act 1986 and the Merchant Shipping Act 1995.

The relevance of these acts was more pertinent having just visited Lundy where we came into close proximity to Iona II which is protected as a site of historical interest under the first of these acts.

We also had a chance to talk about some of my favorite wreck sites and look at some of the photos that I have taken on these. As predictable as it may seem the Thistlegorm is still high on my list and looking at pictures served to wet the appetite of those booked on our Northern Red Sea safari as they will get a chance to explore her themselves.

There was a call at the meeting to run a disabled diving course for those that want to help out as part of our team. I expect to get some dates out very shortly for this so keep watching the web page.

On Friday evening we had another good turnout at the Junior club night in the pool. It looked to me that as though Gary had his hands full in the pool. Meanwhile I was taking Robert and Catherine through their paces in a scuba tune-up. Both have done a reasonable amount of diving in the past and were now planning a foreign trip. Going through the tune-up book reminded me of how important this type of activity is for ensuring that you are up to speed.

Both said they enjoyed the experience as we reflected on some things they remembered and some things they didn't. Robert could not recall ever doing a weight check which have to say worries me, but now he has been reminded I hope that he and Catherine are better weighted when they dive in Taba later this year.

It was also good to see Claire's smiling face back at the pool. Our Dive Master has been away at university for the academic year and should now be back getting involved for the summer. Just in time to help us with our next International Scout camp coming up in July. More on that later.