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Gulp News
October 2011 Congratulations to Jack who passed his Open Water Instructor practical, to become our latest fully-fledged instructor. Also, the Friday meetings at Gildy have ceased with the advent of dark nights, so it is back to first and third Thursdays at the pub.
September 2011 Here's a write-up from Jack of the Weybourne dive on the 24th. See the gallery for photos. "Hi all This Saturday Club dive at Weybourne went much better than expected, the weather was in our favor and there was a good turn out of experienced and new divers. John and his son Martyn ( good to see you again ) brought their 4m boat to Weybourne for 8am, myself and Colin met them in the car park. After a hot croissant from the corner shop we checked the "mill pond" sea and launched the boat (not a task for the unfit). Shooting the Rosalie first we traveled along the coast to the Sherringham chalk reef where, in two waves, we had a wonderfully clear and marine-infested dive, although there were a couple less lobsters after we finished. Arriving back to Weybourne around 12 we met the rest of the group kitting up in the car park getting ready for the wreck dive and after some refreshment and kit ferrying to the shore a second dive of the day was on the way. Not my choice but no arguments, myself and Julie were in first, a short boat ride with John the ferry man, much better than the walk and swim if you have ever done the wreck from shore. We were at the shot with the current still running slightly, and after sorting out a free flow we followed the line down to the well broken up wreck, but at 6-8m depth and good viz (not as good as the chalk reef) well worth a dive. We came up the mast to the surface after 30min as Julie's AS continued to slowly dribble air but not enough to abort the dive. Fortunately the boat had just dropped off the third set of divers still being ferried by John and recovered us, so no long swim back for us either, very spoilt. After John ferrying the last divers to the site, myself and Paul, being shore cover and photographer for the day, just could not stay out of the boat any longer and we took John, Martyn and Kevin for their well deserved dive, and after sorting out weights they sank to enjoy the wreck. Remember the wreck was 6m mainly, we then saw the classic fin breach of a feet first ascent and a slight loss of buoyancy and at that depth there is no time to recover! I have done it from 15m and had time to right myself, and a friend told me of a time his fins came out followed by his head just like a dolphin so it been done before, and knowing the safe depth and dive time of the dive it was fun to watch. All divers were recovered fit and healthy and after a pleasure boat ride for Paul and his daughter we pushed the boat up the shingle bank, much easer with ten people than the month before when there was just the 4 of us. We changed and finished the perfect dive day with a cold pint and some food at the close by pub."
August 2011 We had a bumper crop of diving qualifications this month: congratulations to Patrick, Cliff, David and Damian on passing the Ocean Diver course, and Julie who passed her Sports Diver course, and a record crowd congregated at John and Carol's house to enjoy an excellent BBQ. July 2011 Jack and Mark joined John Northall and his son Martyn in Pembrokeshire. Here's Jack's write-up: "John Northall again this year invited members of Gulp to join him
on a dive trip to Pembrokeshire. John has his own Bombard C4 inflatable
boat and is very familiar with the area. Also this month Paul, Gerald, Trevor and two of our new members Mark Holland and Patrick Roberts spend the day out of Littlehampton on Ray and Bernie's boat. The weather was very good, for a change! They dived the wreck called the Ore wreck about 9 miles out laying in 19 metres of water. This was Mark and Patrick's first sea and boat dive and they both did very well, especially considering that Patrick is only 15 years old. Two good divers in the making! Photos have been loaded for both the above events. The club's tenth anniversary trip to Egypt is coming up soon and as a very good lead in, we have an expert in all of the wrecks of the region visiting the club. Ned Middleton coming for a presentation and talk on the 1st September club night. A room is booked at the Crown Lodge and the talk will start at 7.30pm. There is a £5 charge to pay for the room. Ned is coming for free and hoping to sell some books. Each person has a chance to win a signed copy of the best book on the Red Sea wrecks written by Ned himself. If you are not the lucky one the books are £15 ( Jack paid £35 ) and it is well worth it with fantastic pictures and full history of each Wreck, invaluable if you are going in October and a beautiful book for the future if your not. Please notify Jack if you are going so he can make sure that the room is big enough. June 2011 Jack organised an excellent trip to St. Abbs. Here's his write-up of the trip. For photos click here. "Our club trip to St Abbs started off early on the 17th June 2011 although not quite as early as we planned do to due to some heroic fire fighting the night before by our Chairman Mark. However with my van loaded with all the kit Julie and I set off. John and Carol had a gently sleeping Mark with them and with the A1 our only turning needed the club trip was on the way. We had a few points of interest planned, the first being the large and impressive Angel of the North. Meeting up in the car park we walked to the attraction all excited and enthused although it may have been the bushes for me and Mark more than the big metal thing. Well worth a stop. Next was a pint in the last pub in England -so far worth the trip. Having left home at 7am we arrived at our B&B at around 3pm. The accommodation (www.prioryview.com) had lovely rooms and a friendly landlady, Dawn. We unpacked and went for alittle explore of the neighborhood; a 3 mile walk to the picturesque Coldingham Sands Bay and a wander along the coast path to the St Abbs harbour, meeting up with the skipper of our boat for the weekend. The boat, "Pathfinder" is a spacious dive boat with the all-important lift and we had an agreed leaving time of 8.30, so off to bed then! Or, maybe, the New Inn which is very close by. Oh my! The following morning we had the biggest breakfast we had all had in along time. Who could eat that much for 3 days? John, that's who! 8am and we were down in the harbour car park. It was packed with keen divers and talk of excellent 20m viz was the buzz, but us Gildy divers knew better as we loaded the boat, lowering our kit on ropes the extra 5m lower from yesterday - a good tidal range. We had all the boat all to ourselves -luxury! After a mile or so motoring north along the rugged coast with endless seabirds and the deep blue north sea gently rolling underneath us we arrived and kitted up at our first dive site, Skelly Hole to Anemone Gully. Dive check completed we jumped in Wow! Maybe the harbour talk was right! Beautifully festooned with dead men's fingers, vast plumose anemones and masses of elegant anemones as the name suggests through the gullies and life all around us. On our return an eel-like wolf-fish swam passed and headed to its hole where we paused to watch, and there were two of the meanest looking fish you might see. Fantastic, but maybe better were the razorbill sea birds joining us on our safety stop. Perfect. Carol and Julie spent the first full day on a sea shore safari and a walk to Eyemouth, then on to St. Abbs, meeting us on our return the the harbour. On the second day they joined us on the boat helping out and eating biscuits, keeping a look out for Sammy the Seal and the puffins. The diving continued to impress, as did the weather, although we did share the boat from then on. For our final dive number five we decided on Mar Carr, a shore dive straight from the car park. Once kitted up the heavens opened with thunder and lightning and hail-stones for good measure. We struggled through the waves and the rocks to our dive, one circuit of the rock for 30 minutes and then out to lovely weather again and a five-mile walk to St Abbs' Head via a terrific fresh water lake. Just a word for the wonderful air filling station atSt Abbs who charge for the air you need, not just a standard tank charge. Very fair. Our last night was spent enjoying mussels and local beer at the New Inn, having fun and talking about the 30m viz and plentiful sea-life! Monday, one more breakfast, for John that is, then the trip home but not without one more point of interest - the spectacular Holy Island and Lindisfarne Castle and much more. All in all a wonderful trip, top class walks, fine food and drink, with some of the best diving in the UK." June 2011 The hire of the Hudson pool in Wisbech has proved to be a tremendous success with many try-dives and several new members learning to dive with us from scratch. We've been that busy with training there has been significantly less leisure diving this year. April 2011 To celebrate the tenth anniversary of Gulp Divers we had a very enjoyable meal at the Butchers Arms, Parson Drove. April also saw a new Committee elected at a busy and well-attended AGM. John Oldfield stood down after many years of service on the Committee but will support the new Diving Officer in a non-Committee role. The new Committee is: Chairman - Mark Carter, Diving Officer - Jack Towler, Training Officer - John Beckett, Equipment Officer - Gerald Syred, Treasurer - Becky Thrupp, Secretary - Helen Beckett, Committee Member -Jez Davies. Finally, one important change is that through the summer we will meet at the Crown on the first Thursday of the month and Gildenburgh water for a dive or just a chat on the third Friday of the month. December 2010 Paul, Gerald and Jack had a chilly but enjoyable dive off Cley. See photos. September 2010 We had a very enjoyable (and sunny) BBQ at Ian and Angie's house. The food was great, the drink flowed, and the carp in the large pond were beautiful! August 2010 The summer is here and for a change it's sun, sun, sun! The Club's one organised trip to the coast was blown out, so no change there, however inland diving continues both at the pool and Gildenburgh. The Club has purchased a job lot of diving gear from Neptunes and some will be retained for training with the remainder sold on. Contact a member of the Committee if you are interested. A new calendar has been created using Google Calendar. See the Diving page. Anybody can view the diary but only those given permission can update it, so all members are encouraged to create as necessary a Google account and pass it on to the Webmaster. April 2010 The AGM saw a significant change in the Committee. Mick stood down as Chairman and Colin also stood down from the Committee. Ian has taken on the Chairman's role with the probability that Jack will take over at a future time. John Beckett has taken on the Training Officer's role, relieving John Oldfield of one of his two responsibilities, and Gerald has stepped into the new position of Equipment Officer, reflecting our growing collection of pool and other kit. Mick will carry on as Webmaster. Click here for the minutes of the meeting.. March 2010 The month began with an excellent evening when we hosted the Seasearch team of Dawn and Rob who gave us two very informative presentations on Seasearch's activities and life in the coasts around Britain. See the gallery for some photos from the evening. The pool sessions are have taken on a sense of normality, with Gulp dive kit labelled and in boxes and the proceedings capably organised by John. With Carol's help he's put tremendous effort into the pool sessions gathering kit, getting it fit for use and organising the students and instructors. John also organised the first formal club gathering of the year at Gildenburgh. He, Paul, Gerald, Trevor, Jezz and John N braved the cold for a dive. Jack would have joined them but for kit problems, at least he was spared the cold! Just the one dive was considered enough! January 2010 Paul ended the month getting a step closer to a rebreather when he participated in a course at Stoney Cove. He found it to be as good as he'd expected. December 2009 Another successful Hudson pool session this month with three Ocean Diver trainees (Abi, Lucy and new member Mark - welcome!) and several others in the water. Colin and Gerald had fun at the other extreme of diving, getting under the ice! One might say that after last month Gerald has gone from the sublime to the ridiculous! One should say all credit to them for doing something that many of us are too cold-blooded to attempt! He's again done a report with photos, so here goes:
Ian and Angie have also sent us some photos from their Maldives holiday. No ice in these! November 2009 The Hudson pool is booked for once a month for three months, and this month we had our first session with two Ocean Diver trainees (Abi and Lucy) and several try-divers. It was a busy night that went extremely well, thanks to John's organisation and plenty of members pitching in to assist and instruct. . November also saw Gerald and Paula jetting off to Western Australia. I'm grateful for their reports and photos from the Navy Pier dive, as follows:
October 2009 As the traditional dive season comes to a close we have a bit of a pick-up in diving. Paul organised a trip to Littlehampton for himself, Trevor, Colin and Gerald. All were impressed with the skipper and the boat and the quality of diving. Nick and Mick joined Cambridge SAC divers on a week at Scapa Flow. The weather forecast was awful, but turned out to be better than Mick's last trip there with no serious disruption to diving. A great time was had with the Cambridge divers and their new German friends (www.diwa-tauchclub.de) who had the other 6 places on the boat. Nick will be publishing the Cambridge members' photos but in the meantime Mick's can be seen at http://www.flickr.com/photos/micksbarratt/sets/72157622564001560/. The Committee continues to meet and is in the process of booking the Hudson Leisure Centre pool in Wisbech on a trial once a month basis for training, try-dives and social use. Finally, a welcome back to renewed members Mike Coleman, and Ian and Angie Corstorphine. Mick has created a dive log book insert - see the Downloads page. Finally, my thanks to Sarah Smith who sent me a link to a very useful web site devoted to knot tying. It includes animated instructions. See the Links page and look for the look to "Crest Capital - Learning about knots" September 2009 More try-dives this month, at Newmarket's SAC pool. Mick and Nick took two successful bidders at a Comic Relief event into the pool who had a great time. August 2009 Diving continues to happen with Paul, Trevor and others making occasional forays to Littlehampton and other members doing the usual Gildenburgh dives. Trips are thin on the ground this year, with organisers reluctant to make the effort after the last two years' disasters caused by the weather. It isn't helped when three of the usual trip organisers are this year somewhat distracted by other things, with Paul busy with his business and an extension to his house that seems to want to fall down, John with his house renovation in Spain, and Mick building two vintage Triumphs ready for a big show in August (which they were). June 2009 Summer is here and diving is happening! We have had try-divers in the pool at Bottisham and Wisbech, divers in Gildenburgh both training and having fun, and out at sea. The new Committee held it's first meeting. A number of decisions were made, detailed in the minutes that are available to download. The Committee hope to meet regularly every two months at least. The monthly instructor day at Gildenburgh has been reintroduced, which will rely on demand from members (ie instructors won't be turning up unless requested). We spent plenty of time discussing growing the membership and improving the public profile of the Club - ideas and help are gratefully welcomed! Planning is ongoing for the Club BBQ on August 15th - please contact Debbie or Eric. Paul has sold Julie B so when not at Stoney or Gildenburgh we'll be focusing on shore and hard-boat diving. April 2009 We had our AGM and saw several changes on the Committee. Paul has stood down from the Committee to focus on the boat and his business. Mick has moved over to fill the Chairman position vacated by Paul, with John also moving over to fill Mick's old Diving Officer role. John will continue to oversee training so instead of a Training Officer position we have two Committee members 'without portfolio', as such. Welcome Colin Rutter and Jack Towler to the team! The minutes of the meeting are at.here Paul has also published his JulieB RIB diving dates up 'till June - see here.
March 2009 Didn't we have a wonderful time, the weekend we went to the Sound of Mull! The weather conspired to add to the excitement and challenge of the weekend but all enjoyed several dives despite the wind. Gulp members Paul (organiser), Jack, Gerald, John, Trevor and Mick were joined by Emma, Kevin, Chris, Colin, Steve and Kaye. On both days the skipper found us two diveable sites, the Sunday dives on the Shuna and Hispania were particularly enjoyable. Kaye was not qualified for the boat dives so Mick took her for a very enjoyable shore dive just a stones throw from the accommodation (the Old Post Office). Paul's organisation was excellent, and covered all aspects of the trip, our first to Mull. He organised all aspects including transport, and did most of the driving. Emma therefore had no hesitation in signing off his expedition planning and Mick his Advanced Diver qualification. Well done Paul! See the photo gallery for photos from the trip. Gerald also had a busy weekend, marshalling on his first boat dive under John's supervision, and doing a great job. Finally Trevor also did extremely well, impressing all of us with his diving and boat-side conduct on his very first sea dive.January 2009 Well, Christmas has been and gone. Another successful and enjoyable Christmas meal organised by Debbie set us up for the great day when we got our diving pressies. Some of us had a few dives leading up to Christmas but we didn't repeat our Christmas dive. However diving continues through January and we'll soon be off to the Isles of Mull in March. See our future events page for more information.
October 2008 The month began with the first Red Sea trip, Gerald and Paula visiting Taba. Gerald thoroughly enjoyed the diving, with turtles, fish and a Swedish Girl.... He was also impressed with the Dive Centre "Waterworld Taba", good as new equipment and an eye for safety which is always reassuring. See Gerald's photos (funnily he sent me none of the Swedish girl!) Paul's trip to the southern Red Sea was a few days later. The liveaboard holiday on the MV Blue Waves went brilliantly. There was more wind than expected which made Paul and Mick suffer somewhat, and a stomach bug also conspired to keep Paul in his bed for a day or so. However they and Eric, John, Carol, Gary S and Mandy with guest Jon Potts had plenty of great dives, much great food, and loads of laughs. John, then Carol, and finally Eric had a very close encounter with an inquisitive turtle. There were loads of Napoleon wrasse through the week. Paul took loads of photos of 'Nemos' while John almost kept up with shots of his favourite, masked pufferfish. Mick meanwhile really enjoyed playing with Paul's video camera. Eric found Jon to be a great buddy and also got plenty of great shots with his camera. John succeeded in collecting all the spare dive computers and at one point had them all in a state of distress, thankfully not through poor diving technique (you'll need to get to the Club and ask!). They certainly will have helped John complete his Advanced Diver experience dives and he celebrated his new qualification in the customary way (see photos!). Our guides, Alla Eldin and Ahmed were brilliant, and the other divers were good company too. All there even forgave Mick his 'training demonstrations' (you'll again need to get to the Club and ask!). Oh, and did I mention the really close encounter with the turtle and diving with white-tipped sharks? Photos and a video are now loaded, and plenty of chat about these and other stories is guaranteed at the Club! It took a day or several for the divers to get their land legs back.
August 2008 Gulp Divers had a successful day diving the Vera and the Rosalie. Mick, Paul and John set off at stupid-o'clock and at Cley Paul and John buoyed the Vera. They then dashed down the coast to Weybourne where Mick and Paul dived the the Rosalie. Then lunch and back to Cley to meet and dive with Andy, Debbie, Eric, Nick, Jezz and guest diver Steph. Debbie's daughter Abigail and new trainee members Trevor and Lisa snorkelled. John had to retire hurt when he took off (literally) with Andy's parachute / kite thingy. The take-off and flight were fine, but the face-first landing in the Cley beach shale did the damage. Paul therefore managed diving proceedings with all divers getting to and returning from the wreck via a rope. We ended the month at Paul's for an excellent BBQ. Trevor completed his Ocean Diver course by taking his exam as the rest of us partied; dedication or what! Our thanks to our host, Julie!
June 2008 Paul started the month off in fine form by passing the practical element of his OWI exams, so joining the instructor ranks of BSAC. Well done Paul! Paul also effected repairs to the RIB (a new water pump) and Julie B gave no trouble whatsoever on the next Sea Palling day out. Shame the vis was so poor though.This was made up for however when Paul, Mick, John, Nick and guest John Northall had a stellar dive on the Galitea. Shame about the other RIB that created chaos with the shot, possibly the cause of Paul losing the second shot and rope this year.
May 2008 Several of us had a good day out on Paul's RIB. Unfortunately the visibility on the SS Isle out of Sea Palling was, well, appalling (as was that pun, sorry). Aaron, Nick and Mick descended only to abort the dive soon alter lining off the shot. Paul and John didn't bother so with the engine giving us cause for concern we returned. The problem with the engine was later diagnosed as water pump and the necessary repairs and testing means that the remaining boat diving dates in May have been cancelled.
April 2008 We held a vibrant and well-attended AGM. No Committee posts changed - see the AGM minutes. During the AGM there was much discussion about whether or not we should expand the Club through organic growth and the need to purchase pool kit to enable this to happen. On the night we decided to continue utilising members' own kit but subsequent discussions has led to the Committee investigating just a few sets of second-hand training kit. Watch this space!.
February 2008 Colin and Gerald took Colin's camera into a cold Gildenburgh water. See Colin's pictures at the photo gallery.
January 2008 Several of the Club have braved the cold January temperatures at Gildenburgh water. Paul and Mick went mad with Paul's camera again and the practice is starting to really show; see for yourself at the photo gallery. John, Carol and Simon elected for the warmer waters off Sharm and a jolly good time they had too. December 2007 The month started in swinging form with the Gulp Christmas meal at the Gallery in Wisbech. We had a good attendance with both present and past members and by all accounts kept other parties at the restaurant entertained with our flying balloons! Our thanks to Deb who again rose to the occasion to organise the event. We ended the year with a visit to Gildenburgh for a cold dip. In a balmy 6 degrees Nick, Aaron and Carol had a bimble for a very commendable 45 minutes, with Mick and various small pike posing for Paul's camera for slightly less time. John and Simon had the shortest dive by not much less but Simon carried out his plan to practice mask removal; taking skills practice to a new limit. It was good to also see Gerald but a cold prevented him from diving, as was also the case for Becky who sensibly stayed at home. November 2007 2007 has continued to be crap weather-wise for both Paul's RIB dates on the east and south coast and a planned day on Brighton Diver in October. To cheer ourselves up and for a very pleasant change we trotted over to Stoney Cove. This was Josh's first experience of open water diving and Paul's first run-time dive fully equipped with twinset and side-slung. The group, Debbie, Andy, Mick, Paul, Nick, Aaron (on his first dive with Gulp), Colin, Gerald, John and Josh paired up in that order. Most were diving for pleasure, but Mick and Paul visited the hydrobox with their twinsets and sideslungs for the 'teccy' dive and John took Aaron for his first open water practical training dive. All went well, with Josh taking to the water like a natural. For dive two John went in with Nick and Aaron, while Mick and Paul took Josh for his second lesson finishing off with a swim around the Nautilus. June 2007 Plenty of activity with several evenings at the Bottisham pool doing try-dives and divers getting wet at Gildy. At last Paul and the good RIB Julie B had some luck with the weather and viz and Paul, Nick, John, Colin and Gerald had a great day out of Sea Palling, one wreck being only three miles out! See the photo gallery. We had less luck on the Eastbourne trip, organised by Nick for the last weekend of June. By Friday morning it was clear that the winds and rain would be too much and the hardboat skipper canned the weekend. This was increasingly frustrating for Nick as the weekend was part of his Advanced Diver training. April 2007 The AGM went quickly, in part due to the low turnout. At the AGM Carol stood down as Treasurer and June stood down as auditor. Both were thanked for their service to the Club and were sent bouquets of flowers. Click here for minutes of the meeting. We'll obviously see plenty more of Carol but not June who will soon be emigrating with Graham. We wish them all the best with their new life. Our new Treasurer is Becki - welcome to the team! The Julie B has seen the water several times but the weather and vis has not been kind to divers so far. A full itinerary has been published by Paul - contact him for details. March 2007 Paul's hard work on his RIB during last summer and winter came to fruition when we took the renamed 'Julie B' out for her first run since purchase. She looks clean and ran well. There were teething problems with the radio which were eventually sorted. Paul, Mick, Andy and Paul's neighbour visited a wreck to practice with the boat and equipment. The day bode well for a busy diving calendar in 2007. November 2006 After getting merits in both his theory presentation and theory test Nick got an extremely impressive hat-trick with a merit in his OWI exam. An amazing achievement for which he was understandably "over the moon". Nick is putting his skills into practice by assisting the Cambridge branch with their training.
October 2006 The weekend diving from Weymouth on Tango was disappointingly blown out. So instead of immersing themselves in sea water the divers spent the weekend exploring alcoholic liquids. Paul has not been any luckier getting his RIB out to sea with several attempts being blown out.
July 2006 A welcome to new member Angie, who joined us on the Farnes trip. And congratulations to both her and Ian on their upcoming marriage. Nick and Mick had an enjoyable days diving off of Brighton on Brighton Diver. They travelled down and back in the same day quite comfortably, and with free parking at the marina and a good boat and skipper who knows plenty of wrecks and also good drift dives they highly recommend the destination as an excellent day's diving.
June 2006 Mick had a week on a Tony Backhurst liveaboard, MV Typhoon. The weather was good and he saw plenty. He followed it up with a weekend at Portland doing the BSAC Advanced Instructor Course. His verdict: an intensive weekend but very enjoyable, and highly recommended for all OWIs whether or not they plan to go on to do the AI exams. It was John and Carol's 25th wedding anniversary this month. They celebrated with a family party at which some of us attended. Congratulations to you both! John had a dive at Gildenburgh and returned to his car to find that it had been broken into with money and a watch stolen. Other cars had also been targeted. There had been a group of youths wandering about and they are prime suspects. Be warned. May 2006 Becki, Andy M., Gary S., Mick and Ian with new member Angie, Steve and Jeanette from Luton BSAC and Len and John from Watford BSAC had an enjoyable weekend at the Farnes. The weather north and south of Seahouses was awful but only the Saturday afternoon dive got blown out. Sunday was flat calm and very sunny, unlike the rest of the UK that was suffering torrential rain. To see the photos click here. Paul did his OWI at Mepal but didn't enjoy the experience too much. The visibility was really appalling and he had an instructor that had a very different view on how to do towing and rescue breaths.
April 2006 This month it was Paul's turn to get a distinction in his Theory Exam for his presentation on chartwork. It was also the first Gulp Divers group outing. Gildenburgh wasn't too warm yet but it was good to get in the water. Nick is already having a busy year, this month attending the OWI course.
March 2006 Nick had a spectacular success getting two merits in his Theory Instructor exam. Nice work! He and John have also been busy assisting Cambridge BSAC with diver training. John and Carol did something a little different by going hard hat diving. They found the equipment predictably heavy but not too claustrophobic. It was an experience that they thoroughly enjoyed and one they recommend. February 2006 It's congratulations to Paul and Julie on the birth of their daughter Ashleigh. I'm sure she'll enjoy playing on Dad's new RIB!
January 2006 Paul bought himself a nice big RIB. It needs some cleaning and tidying up but he, John and Mick can vouch for it's stonking performance when they took it out for a trial. This should extend he club's diving schedule once it is fully operational.
December 2005 The month started well with Mick passing his Extended Range Diving assessment. Unlike the last time, this time it went like clockwork. All the way to Chepstow for a single cold dive with a bottom time of 12 minutes, and not a single fish or lump of rusty metal! A good number of us met at Mendis for the Club Xmas 'do', and had a very jolly time with plenty of activity on the dance floor and almost everyone drinking like real divers (Mick was a designated driver and got throroughly pissed (off) with J2O!) Nick had some great news: he passed the Theory Instructor exam with two merits! Fantastic job Nick! November 2005 Just because there have been no entries in the diary definitely does not mean that Gulp Divers have not been busy. We've been diving off the Norfolk coast, despite the weather. There have been plenty of visits to Gildenburgh. Nick has dived off the South Coast of France, and Paul off of Cyprus, whilst Mick achieved his personal ambition and dived the Scapa wrecks. Congratulations to Andy McShane who completed his Dive Leader at this month's training day. The club has also been busy planning trips for next year. These can be downloaded from the Diving page. Non-members are welcome on all trips, but priority will of course be given to members. August 2005 Congratulations to Simon Oldfield who became a Dive Leader right at the beginning of the month, just before his return to University. With this year's unpredictable summer we counted ourselves lucky that the day of the summer BBQ at Mick's house was dry, if a little windy. That didn't stop us sitting out on the patio all day and evening, with the last stragglers having to go only as far as the goat field at the back of the house where their tents had been erected earlier in the day. Much food and alcohol was consumed, and Debbie and Andy brought along plenty of toys for John and Paul's son Aaron to play with. So all had a very enjoyable time. Our thanks must go to Mick's wife Amanda who laid on a great feast and Debbie for the wonderful sweets (that were eagerly finished off by the campers the following morning for breakfast!). Although there is plenty of activity at Gildenburgh, the RIB bookings out of Trimmingham are proving frustrating: as a result of various mishaps and crap weather so far not one has been possible. August has seen the number of nitrox divers in the branch rise significantly with five members passing their BSAC Advanced Nitrox. The SDC, organised and led by Mick, was a joint effort with Newmarket BSAC. Members from both clubs did the theory day together (that qualifies for the Basic Nitrox) but only Gulpers went on to take and pass the practical assessments that qualify for the Advanced Nitrox ticket. Congratulations to John, Carol, Nick A, David and Gary I. July 2005 Summer is well and truly here and there continues to be plenty of activity in the water. Highlight of the month was a very enjoyable weekend at Anglesey, expertly organised by Andy and Mandy McShane. They know the area really well so were able to ensure that we got the right boats to get the best out of the trip. We had a great time and a full write-up is available on the diary page. June 2005 With the refurbishment of the Crown Lodge Hotel now completed and increasing rowdiness at the Artful Dodger we thought it time to move. So from June 16th we will meet at the Crown Lodge Hotel. Diving and training is taking place on a regular basis. Various members have been attending training events within the region. John and Carol have been training Gulp divers and lending a hand to Cambridge SAC, whilst Mick supplements branch training by instructing at the occasional regional SDC. Finally, on the training side, Nick passed his BSAC Dive Leader. The trip to Plymouth on the 19th and 20th June went really well and was enjoyed by all. The Scylla and James Eagan Layne were unmissable dives that all should do at least once. Click here to read John's write-up of the trip. April 2005 The AGM saw a good turnout of members and plenty of discussion - click here for minutes of the meeting. The suggested diving plans were received well (see future events page). Pete Gosnell stood down as Diving Officer, so Mick Barratt has taken on the D.O. role, with Paul Booth taking the Chairman's role. John Oldfield is back as Training Officer, and Debbie Rawson and Carol Oldfield have stayed on as Secretary and Treasurer. Other proposals included the first Sunday of each month being set aside for training, and the Club compiling a business plan to support a lottery grant for training equipment. March 2005 Things are hotting up with the first shake-down and training dives of the year. Mick also passed his BSAC Advanced Diver. February 2005 Another year and another diving season to prepare for. Talk at the Club meetings is of kit servicing and possible dive trips for 2005. We are not going to the Farnes this year - the timing of 2005's trip has proven problematic with members not available and recovering from operations. We should however make up for this with plenty of other trips in the offing - see events page. January 2005 Last year's extremely successful trip to the Red Sea was repeated with eleven Gulp members having a great weeks diving. They were joined by several members of West Norfolk SAC. For a diary of the trip, click here. November 2004 Summer and autumn 2004 has been busy with plenty of pleasure diving at inland waters and off the coast of Norfolk. It has also seen several members participating in SDCs, such as Mick on the Nitrox and Dive Planning & Marshalling courses, and importantly Paul doing the Instructor Training Course - another Gulp instructor in the making! We have also seen several members complete training, such as Gary I. completing the Sports Diver course. Earlier in the year, in warmer times, we decided that a trip to Stoney Cove would be a good idea. We did it this month, and despite the cold weather a great time was had. Click here to read Debbie's excellent write-up of the day's events. Mick rounded off November by acting as an Assistant Instructor at a Combined Nitrox event in Cambridge and Gildenburgh. Mick passed his assessment and can now teach Nitrox to Advanced level. July 2004 Debbie and Andy hosted the annual BBQ, thanks to them for all their hard work. The weather was good and everyone enjoyed the enormous amount of food available. We were all very tired at the end of the day after playing on the trampoline, swing ball and other games. Thanks Joshua and Abigail for letting us play with your toys. Debbie is back – Debbie did her first dive at Gildenburgh following the birth of her beautiful baby daughter Harriet. Regular Wednesday evening dives are taking place at Gildenburgh throughout the summer. These are very popular, especially with members brushing up on their skills. So if you fancy a mid week plunge ring either Paul B, John, Carol or Mick.
Mandy and Andy organised a diving trip to Trearddur Bay, Anglesey and were joined by John, Carol and Gary Sprawling. They all had an enjoyable weekend camping, the weather was good (no rain). They did three boat dives and one shore dive, including the wreck Missouri, the vis was good. Thanks to Mandy and Andy for their hard work organising the trip and hopefully a visit to Anglesey can be included in the diary for next year. Paul B has completed his Sports Diver training. Well done Paul. Congratulations also to Mick who became an Advanced Nitrox Diver this month. May 2004 The trip to the Farnes was most successful. Pete, Alex, John, Carol, Paul, Mandy, Ian, Steve Wesson, Eric, Steve Harris June and myself made up the diving party with Julie and Graham coming along as non-diving partners. We dived the Chris Christiensen, Great and Little Harcar, the Britannia and the Blue Caps. For me the Blue Caps was a welcome revisit with plenty of wrasse and other life. The weather was perfect, and the company excellent. Farne Diving services looked after us really well again, and we've already booked for next year! Later in the month me, Carol, and John all passed our Open Water Instructor exams. Hurrah for us! (And thank god it's over!!) April 2004 Steve is very busy so it's back to Mick for a while as the news scribe. We had a full agenda at the AGM with conversation about SOLAS, diver responsibilities, and the purchase of an oxygen set. We also had some changes to the Committee with John and Alex standing down from their roles as Training Officer and Secretary. Both were thanked for their work on the Committee, in Alex's case from the birth of the Club. John was recognised for his busy year with a Silver plate, sent by BSAC as part of the 50th anniversary celebrations for the Chairman to award to a deserving member. Paul Booth and Debbie Rawson have stepped into their roles and I'm sure will do a great job. February 2004 Now everyone has recovered from Christmas and New year and your scribe is finally back in the country, having been diving in Mexico and the Caribbean and a family holiday in West Africa, its time to catch up with the news. The gulp Christmas meal was reported as excellent at the Gourmet Plaza and much enjoyed by those who managed to attend. Our members are either mad or very hardy since some of them still managed to get wet at Gildenburgh during December and January. John , Carol, Ian, Mike, Paul, Julie, Richard and Karen went off to the Red Sea on Jan the 25th. The complete diary is available under news /events diary. Training has continued apace with Sport diver and Dive leader new syllabus lectures. We are at Gildenburgh on 14th March for the practical parts of this. PLEASE NOTE THAT OUR A.G.M. IS AT 8 pm ON THE 15TH APRIL 2004 THE ARTFUL DODGER IN WISBECH. ALL WELCOME
November 2003 Nearly the end of the diving season and things have been quieter this month, unless you are into spending lots of money, in which case you could have gone to the dive show. Mick, Paul, Richard, Andy, Debbie, John and Carol hired a mini bus and went on a group outing. I'm told that they bought lots of goodies and spent far too much. Of course having acquired some new kit you just have to try it out and some hardy souls actually went to Gildenburgh on Sunday the 23rd November. A decent dive although the weather turned pretty awful later. I don't know if Mick tried out his new 5mm wetsuit ! On the training front, the group managed to find the time to do crossover lectures for new members and we now have lots more Ocean Divers and two Sports Divers. Well done to the training team. Carol, John and Mick also passed their BSAC Theory Instructor. John received a merit for his presentation. The Gulp Christmas meal has been arranged for the 20th of December, please contact Carol if you would like to attend for a good night out. (Sadly I can't go as I will be diving in Mexico.) October 2003 Your new scribe officially takes over the diary this month. I hope you like the new style. Following three major accidents at Mepal Outdoor Centre on Saturday 18th October, the club now has openings for a new Chairman , Secretary, Diving Officer and several new members. Anyone who is interested is welcome to our next meeting on November 8th.( Its not as bad as it sounds). Nick, Steve, Pete, Alex, John, Carol and Mick from Gulp with Gez and Gary from Grey Goose, under the able instruction of Gary Jennings, went on a two day Practical Rescue Management course . This consisted of an evening in the Cutters Arms in Ely doing the boring bit. Followed by a day at Mepal Outdoor Centre for the exciting and practical bits. The day included rescuing lost and unconscious divers from 30 meters (more like 3 feet really) , towing, av, oxygen, cpr, fending off onlookers and the press. Everyone got involved and into the spirit of things. A great days training and a terrific group outing. At one point in the afternoon it seemed that everyone was a casualty and the only person left standing was the man from the press, who with great presence of mind declared that the Ambulances, Helicopter and the Para Medics had arrived so we could all go home. Whilst waiting for the accidents to happen we also managed an imaginary Barbie with the left overs from August. The group are planning a trip to the Red Sea on January 25th 2004, further information from John or Carol. John and Carol have now completed their Dive Leader training , many congratulations from all of us. September 2003 The proposed trip to Pembroke was called off due lack of numbers but was replaced by a Club day diving at Gildenburgh. More training for some and fun being rescued , for others. A trip on a rib boat was also arranged and Mick, Carol, John, Mick Clayton and Pete managed two good dives from Trimmingham. This month saw us change our meeting place (to the Artful Dodger), which is now at a somewhat quieter venue (no Jazz nights!). It has met with approval from the members. August 2003 A somewhat quieter month with club members going on holiday and of course including some diving in Sardinia and the Red Sea. More training and trips to Gildenburgh Lake during the evening and some weekends. John and Carol provided a barbecue in the middle of the month which was well attended. A nice social afternoon with plenty of food to go around . June / July 2003 The last two months have been spent on dive training towards the Dive Leader qualification. This has mostly been on Wednesday evenings and the occasional weekend at Gildenburgh Lake , not the most exciting place in the world but an ideal venue for training and within reasonable travelling distance for most members. Those of us not training , had the experience of being rescued and acting as casualties. We also had lots of fun by playing at being novice divers and creating problems for the dive leaders, who to their credit, took it all in their stride. All in all a couple of nice months diving and it set an example to the rest of us to consider our own further training. May 2003 For a change the annual Gulp Divers pilgrimage to the Farne Islands took place in May, instead of September. The change of date gave us more seals and islands full of birds, but the weather was not that kind. Saturday morning saw Alex, Mick, Carol, John, Ann, Ian, Steve, Debbie and non-diver Andy, and Steve from West Norfolk SAC at Seahouses harbour waiting for the tide to come in and free the boat from the harbour bottom. After a long wait we finally loaded up and set off. By the end of the first dive most divers were cold and so were not too disappointed when the skipper said that another dive was not possible due to the weather and the spring tide. After getting our cylinders filled and a great night at the local, a comfortable night saw us up for an earlier breakfast and embarking into a quieter sea. Two dives and many seals later a happy group of divers were on their way back down the A1. April 2003 Our first trip to the coast proved to be a great success. John and Carol, who organised the weekend at Portland, were accompanied by Pete and Alex, Steve, Debbie and non-diver partner Andy, Paul and Mick and his non-diving wife Amanda. The diving, including the Hood, proved good even though visibility was not so great. The sunny weather and the millpond flat sea also contributed to a very pleasurable weekend. We also had our AGM this month. After two years of sterling service June stood down as Treasurer, and Carol Oldfield was voted in. Husband John is also joining the Committee as Training Officer. March 2003 At last, we are diving again! Not that there was no diving over winter, but we've got our kit serviced and the planned trips are now happening. So far these have been pretty much limited to warm up dives, with our first trip to Portland lined up for early April. October 2002 A reasonably busy seasons diving was capped with a 'dive and nosh'. Divers met at Gildenburgh and all had a dive except Mick who was experiencing ear problems. He kept himself busy being the dive marshall and taking photos. Then it was off to the Chinese for an excellent buffet that was enjoyed by all. For more see the downloads page for the Autumn/Winter 2002 newsletter.
September 2002 The annual pilgrimage to the Farne Islands went like a dream. Good weather, diving, and great company ensured that all had a good time. For more see the events diary.
August 2002 The diving season is with us and there is plenty going on - despite several organised dives for various reasons being called off. We've had a number of group dives at the inland sites of Stoney Cove and Gildenburgh that were well attended. For more see the downloads page for the Summer 2002 newsletter.
April 2002 Well, Christmas has gone by, as has our Christmas meal. All who made it (unfortunately, not including me) had a great time. Some hardy folk have been in the water through the colder months, however now we've had some sun, diving activity has increased significantly. I've been able to beat the ear problems and get into the water. Tony, on the other hand, still has major problems and on Doctors orders has reluctantly sold his kit. The plan is that it will be replaced when his ears do finally sort themselves out. Lets hope that happens sooner rather than later. Ed has also been selling most of his kit, but for a different reason. He has sold up and in early May sets off to travel the world, dive instructing along the way. His exploits can be seen at his site www.worldscuba.net. With Tony to be out of the water for some time, and with Ed travelling to pastures new, we've lost both the driving founders of the Club and our Chairman and Diving Officer. So at the April AGM yours truly (Mick Barratt) stepped in as Chairman and Pete Gosnell is now wearing two hats as our Diving Officer and Training Officer. Both Tony and Ed remain as members. More about the new Committee and the rest of the AGM soon. November 2001 Not much happening this month. Some lucky members have had excellent trips abroad, but there has been little U.K. diving going on that I know of. However we do have our first Newsletter - click here to access (in .pdf format). Of note is of course the Diving Officer's Conference which Ed and Pete attended. Here's Pete's notes: "1. As from 10th Nov 2001 the skill of buddy breathing is to cease being taught at any level. The emphasis is to be put on using your AAS, alternative air source. 2. The first dive grade is to become known as "Ocean Diver" for both clubs and schools. 3. There will be changes yet again to the content of all diver grades. Significantly, Dive Leaders will need Oxygen Administration and Practical Rescue Management as a requirement for core training. 4. Advanced diver can be taught within club. These changes are expected to be in place by September 2002. Instructor grades have been retitled and the cross-over was discussed. The introduction of a risk assessment i.e. SEEDS brief was introduced as in try and think of every dive being a risk so make a "risk assessment" before every dive and "use proper terminology"? Diving incidents were up this year. I have 3 copies left but it is on the BSAC web site. The self certified medical seems to be staying, and evidence was provided that the controversy of medical conditions being missed because the non-diving doctor did not ask the same questions which are on the self cert form was very far and few between. David Bellamy was a scream and made the DOC worth going to. First Class Diver, National Instructor awards were given out plus the safety, Heinke, Wilkinson awards. Talks on "gas blending" was given by Jack Ingle and a pro Greenpeace talk given by Gavin Newman. A good time was had by all. Regards all, Pete Gosnell Training Officer" October 2001 October was a stupendous month for me. Sadly, it was because after being unable to dive since Pembrokeshire due to an ear infection, the medical experts gave me permission to pool dive! That 2.6 metres felt so good! The BSAC Instructor Training Course that I attended was also excellent: even if becoming a fully-fledged instructor is not your thing you'd do yourself a favour by attending it. Sadly the medical prognosis for Tony is not so good. He's out of the water for at least another 12 months and as a consequence has sold most of his kit. He's remaining as our Chairman and will replace his kit when he is able to dive again. June and Graham had a very enjoyable two weeks at the Red Sea. By pure coincidence they met Kieran at the airport, and it turned out that Kieran was off for his one week holiday too, and was on the same flight and staying in the same hotel. The first that anyone back in the U.K. knew of this was when Ed got a call from Kieran. Kieran had returned and was still at the airport but knew that he'd got a couple of cracking photos and wanted to get them onto the web site before June and Graham returned the following week. This they did. Shortly after June and Graham's return I received the following email: Mr Chairman and Esteemed Members of Gulp Divers, I wish it to be known that contrary to the pictorial evidence I was in fact working very hard on the clubs behalf during my all expenses paid trip to Egypt. My personal trainer and financial adviser assured me that the only way the books would balance is if I were horizontal - hence the picture taken in my newly knitted nacrami hammock. As for the picture taken with saucer, this in fact was an in depth study of the effect on a Liptons tea bag in a non buoyant situation all very valuable research on behalf of the club. I will in fact be producing a thesis on this and 'How to enjoy a non diving weekend in the Farne Islands' or alternative title' The Gulp Divers Rambling Group' to be presented to the committee on my return. Yours very truly, June C Reader Treasurer. Nice try June. By the way, is the new Rover on expenses too? September 2001 The first blow-out for the club happened at the now annual weekend trip to the Farnes. The waves were rolling and the wind howling and the rain lashing so the man in charge of the hardboat had no alternative than to say "No!" "Never mind", said June, "let's go for a walk". "No problem!" retorted the group of disappointed divers. To a man and woman they all knew that as super-fit BSAC divers, a gentle jaunt down the lanes with one of the club's elder members (don't argue June, you are!) would pose no difficulty. Why, I'm told, they didn't see the need even to limber up! So armed with mobile phones and designer sunglasses (as one does) they strolled after June. And they strolled. And they strolled yet more. I'm told that, being nearer to the ground our erstwhile D.O., Ed, was one of the first to suffer. Then as 1000 yards passed (okay I exaggerate, about a couple of miles) Graham had to fend off a mutiny as weary divers pleaded to go back. June would have none of it, confiscating their phones and sunglasses to ensure that they stayed together (okay I made that bit up, but from various accounts it was something like that!). Eventually they returned to base, a weary yet fitter bunch. Later that evening they made up for the exercise at the bar, and funnily enough were not so keen to 'yomp' it with June the following day! August 2001 Congratulations are due to our erstwhile D.O. Ed who is now a fully fledged PADI Instructor. What is PADI? Well, ask Ed! Mind you, Tony beat Ed to a PADI Instructor T-shirt! (ask Ed to tell you the story!) Sunday 5th August saw a boat-load of members enjoy a days hardboat diving at Wells. I should have been there but an ear infection meant that I had to reluctantly sell my place. I've yet to receive a report from someone who was there so all I can tell you at the moment is that (i) the weather couldn't have been better; (ii) the diving was great; and (iii) Graham was not impressed when his brand new reel jammed resulting in a rather rapid ascent. Fortunately he was no worse for wear for his ordeal, and nor were the rest of the party despite not being able to run for cover when Graham vented his anger! Late July saw a great weekend at Pembrokeshire - see events diary for a complete write-up. Roger clearly has read my write-up since he's sent the following message to Ed:"Dear Ed, Both Michael and myself would like to distance ourselves from the not very subtle implication in Mick (scratch your eyes out) Barratt's write up that the rooming was fiddled to put us together. Having spent a weekend in an unheated caravan with him on the I.T.C. in December some years ago I can tell you he puts more clothes on to go to bed than most people actually own. Nick Dillnutt can vouch for this!! It was his caravan and anyway it was a new tube of K.Y. and I just wanted to know where it was. It was on the floor not on the pillow!!! I can assure you that we are both happily married (not to each other); my wife is a sword swallower and his is a Corporal in the Irish Guards. Signing off hoping I have scotched the rumours (on a quiet night you can hear screams as well). Roger Loose Bugger just broken my nail!" I can't follow that except to suggest that if you want to know what I said, read the diary. If you want to know what happened at the ITC then don't ask me. In fact I'd suggest that you don't ask anyone in polite company, especially Roger! It is obvious that June also saw my write-up! Here's a message from her: "Mick, As a member of the group that dived in Pembrokeshire I am somewhat 'miffed' that no mention was made of the time and effort us ladies put into our hair and make up for the BBC camera crew on Sundays Dive. I personally rose at 5am to wash and style my hair, apply 3 layers of Tango Pink nail varnish to my toes and complete a full facial. I think it was most unfair that the camera was not turned on until after our first dive and if anyone is interested 'No Graham had not given me a black eye, waterproof mascara is not what it used to be these days' and if anyone finds a strawberry blonde wig floating about please send it back. Oh, and I think some mention should go to the way Pete polished his pate, such a beautiful shine it dazzled us all, don't Cuprinol have some wonderful finishes! Anyway less of the diving and more of the important things in future. Thanks, June" And to think how complimentary we were to the ladies about their diving skills! I've amended the write-up! There is also some news from BSAC - for full information see their site or email me or Ed:
Please note that all BSAC news received from 8th August is now posted to a new page "BSAC News" (link is at the top of this page). BSAC news posted to this site before that date will be left on this page. July 2001 Sarah Deal did well this month, passing her BSAC Instructor course at the first attempt, with distinction. Well done Sarah! Yet again there was a healthy turnout for a day at Ed's, this time the Oxygen Administration course. It was led by Pete Gosnell and (of course) Ed, ably assisted by three mannequins, several oxygen cylinders and assorted masks, and Pete's huge rucksack of equally huge needles. What have needles got to do with oxygen administration? Pete's anecdotes about his life as a paramedic were a regular (and indeed enjoyable) interruption to the pertinent elements of the day. Somehow he got onto the joys of impaling anyone silly enough to get ill in the back of his 'truck' with a needle that is meaty enough to pierce the victim's (sorry, patient's) chest wall. To prove his point (get it?) he went out to the Range Rover and returned with his first aid kit: a rucksack the size of which you need a Range Rover to carry! No-one seemed to argue with his assertion that you'd want him in the boat if you got ill..... So what did we learn? A great deal through practical use of the mannequins, video and short lectures (which again seemed to veer into Pete's seemingly pathological dislike of patients!). We finished the day with a test and a role-play exercise where Ed played the buddy of a drowned diver. Oh, and we learned that the Americans have CC/AV mannequins that can be physically sick - nice! Those who are now qualified to handle oxygen in a diver-related incident are Alex, Spike, Simon, John, Carol, me (Mick), and Greg from Grey Goose Divers. Sincere thanks to Ed and Pete for the considerable effort taken to run this course. It was a most enjoyable, and potentially life saving day that no diver should not make the effort to do. After all, do you really want to impotently watch your buddy die for the want of some basic CC/AV/oxygen skills? May 2001 There was a good turnout for the Dive Leader course. Over half a dozen potential Dive Leaders spent the morning, afternoon and evening gamefully participating in lectures. All except Chris that is, who's excitement over attending the course got the better of him the night before and he left the lectures early because of his hangover. Congratulations to those who attended and sincere thanks are due to the Trainers: Pete, Sarah, Wesley and Ed. Those who use Nitrox need to read this: Dave Lock (BSAC Eastern Regional Coach) has reported an error on page 15 of the Nitrox tables: Table B, 18 metres depth Decompression Stop Dives between 92 and 108; dive time is printed as 161 minutes in error - it should be 101 minutes. Replacement pages are being printed and will be in stock in the next few weeks and enquiries for replacement pages should be directed to Mary Tetley, Operations Manager, tel. 0151 350 6220, email maryt@bsac.com. The Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society are holding walks as part of their SEA RED campaign. They are to be held on the 10th June - not much notice I'm afraid but I've only just found out myself! For information on this and other WDCS events call 01225 334511 or email Kate Sweeney at kates@wdcs.org or walks@wdcs.org. For more information about the WDCS SEA RED campaign email events@wdcs.org. Their website is www.wdcs.org. BSAC have had a larger than anticipated response about diver medicals (over 40% response rate) but expect to present their findings at the June Council Meeting for discussion and decision. Arrangements are unchanged until a formal announcement is made. Arrangements for the transition to the new Open Water Instructor Training Scheme have been announced. There's too much to include here so for details please see the BSAC web site or contact Maggie Cowling, NQI Level 1 Co-ordinator, maggie.cowling@bsac.com. Finally it is hoped that another Regional Conference will be held, in either Romford, or Soham near Ely. Dave Lock would like to know of any preferences over location. Please also let Dave or Ed know if you are likely to attend. Please do consider attending: Dave may be forced to cancel the event if there is insufficient interest. April 2001 General Meeting Thanks to everyone who attended the general meeting on the 19th, we now have a formal committee (details on the contacts page). During the meeting, we discussed dive trips and training proposals (see the future events page). As a club we are offering training of Sports Diver and Dive Leader theory along with an O2 Admin SDC to both our own members and to members of other clubs in the area. This is being organised by our Training Officer (Pete Gosnell), who is also our BSAC Area Coach. The idea of offering resources to other clubs is that we can share resources for example pool time or boat use. It should also allow us to arrange training for a small number of our own members that are interested in a particular course. e.g. If two of our members would like to attend the Combined Nitrox SDC and we have several interested students from other clubs; then we should be able to arrange a course between us, with help from the regional instructor team. P.S. We will be meeting every Thursday for the duration of the dive season, so we'll see you down the Blacksmith's Arms! April 2001 Let rejoicing sound across the land and the festivities begin! Gulp Divers has officially arrived! BSAC have done whatever they do and have approved their latest BSAC Branch, Gulp Divers. The next step is for the prospective members of Gulp Divers to translate commitment to deed and to join the Gulp Divers Branch. We also must now elect a Committee to take over from the interim Committee. This will be done at Ed's house at 8.00pm on the 19th April. To get directions please contact Ed or click here for a map. Remember to bring with you your qualification records and medical certificate. Did
you know.... that a sea that is deep blue
and has great viz is 'dead'? Want to know why? Then click
here! March 2001 Ed, Tony, Pete, Alex and yours truly went to the Regional Meeting held on the 29th March at Ely and what an interesting evening it was. Seriously. A number of topics were discussed and various gems of feedback given to the assembled BSAC instructors, coaches and a National Committee Member. The first topics on the agenda were Trimix and rebreathers. BSAC is developing instruction and rules to cover both types of diving, including a rebreather awareness course for non-rebreather divers. Next came a discussion on the cancelled Regional Conference. The Conference was cancelled due to insufficient bookings. The relatively few attendees that were aware of the Conference is in my opinion key to why it generated such little interest - a shame really since the agenda looked good and a great deal of effort had gone into its organisation. The issue of communication between BSAC HQ and members came up several times during the evening. Both BSAC HQ and members get frustrated that BSAC communications don't get through to members because Branch Committees don't pass the information on. A number of suggestions were given to redress the situation. In any case hopefully another attempt to hold a Regional Conference will be made. Steve Game presented on the a BSAC initiative to help potential Club Instructors through the course and exams. He stressed that the examination team are there to pass candidates, and that the regional coaching staff are there to help Branches and prospective Instructors alike. Keith Lawrence, a BSAC Council Member, gave a presentation on BSAC HQ's work plans. BSAC continues to regain strength and the members of the Council and much reduced BSAC staff should be applauded for their efforts. Keith also discussed the Wreck issue, by far the most important issue of the evening. The importance of this issue to all divers including those that don't see themselves as 'wreckies' cannot be overstated. I know from my motorcycling and shooting interests that Government tends to act in a very blunt manner so now is the time to stand up and be counted. Furthermore this issue now seems to be gathering an international dimension. For more information including web links see the BSAC site or www.wreckrespect.org.uk. Keith was handbagged by Ed and Tony (especially Tony) and will investigate the ongoing delays in getting our Branch paperwork through! February 2001 It was a quiet evening in early March 2001. I (Mick Barratt) was just finishing my tea when the phone rang. Said Ed: “Hey, I could do with some help with the web site. You're good at the writing thing, so how about you maintaining a news page on the web site?” I had previously offered to help with the site and it is true that I do enjoy writing. I’m also a sucker for a compliment so I agreed on the spot and the deal was done. I can't hold a light to Ed's web skills so he is continuing to build the site on his own. We do want to get items of interest onto the site as soon as possible, including topical ‘news’ items and that's the purpose of this page. So, what has happened lately? We've held one meeting so far to ensure that there was indeed sufficient interest to create the Branch. We agreed who would be the interim Committee, and the Branch name. We had one dissenting voice on the choice of Branch name (didn't we, June!) but she must have forgiven us because she agreed to be our interim Treasurer. The interim Committee has met with Dave Lock (BSAC Regional Coach) and we understand that he has has expressed support for the formation of the Branch. So once BSAC HQ have completed whatever it is that they need to do to get the "Officers Approval" the Branch will be up and running. So what has the 'Branch' been up to? Well not a lot really, but then again that's understanding given that until BSAC HQ approve us we don't yet exist! We will get together again when approval is given, at which time I will ensure that members get news, gossip and issues to me at news@gulpdivers.co.uk. One event that we are looking for members (and anybody else who can spare a weekend) to support is the Marine Conservation Society's "Beachwatch" campaign. "Beachwatch" is an annual litter survey that has run since 1993 and this year will be held on the weekend of 15th and 16th September. It is part of an event, co-ordinated in America, called the International Coastal Clean-up. Beachwatch will result in a clean beach for at least a few days. It will also identify the type of litter on the beach and the Marine Conservation Society will investigate the source of the litter and work to tackle the causes. For further information and to register as a volunteer please contact me. The beach to be cleaned has not yet been selected but will be somewhere on the North Norfolk coast. For further information about the "Beachwatch" campaign please see the MCS website at www.mcsuk.org. Some of us have partaken in the joys of Gildenburgh on a cold February day. Yes it’s cooler than in August but with so few divers Gildenburgh is also much clearer. Ed and I went in with a PADI Instructor and a PADI Dive Master who were doing the last part of the wreck penetration skill development course. A.N.Other was present at Gildenburgh but refused to join us on the dive, citing the cold. She knows her name! We swam through a shoal of this year’s crop of young perch, the fish bigger than they were last November but seemed to be fewer presumably through predatation. I spent most of the dive cursing the slither of cold water that felt like a flood down my back. This had slipped through my neck seal after I’d foolishly twisted my neck to watch the bus being ‘penetrated’ by the PADI guys. I’ll endeavour to keep all interested parties informed through this web page. In the meantime if you want a taster of our branch trips then read my diary from our last trip to the Farne Islands in September 2000. |