As a diving Club we try to get out diving every weekend the good old British weather allows. Unfortunately of course this does mean that sometimes we are forced to remain ashore due to the imfamous phrase "it's blowing a hoolie".
However we do manage to be a very active club when it comes to actually getting out there and going diving.
Our diving takes place on two levels - regular weekend club diving which takes place from Newhaven on the Sussex coast, and is usually from the club RIB, or diving trips further afield - such as Scapa Flow, the Shetlands, Croatia, Cyprus and Egypt - which tend to be organised far more in advance. Already organised for 2012 is a liveaboard trip to the Scilly Isles in September.
Any club member can organise a club dive - they simply need to clear plans with the diving officer first and ensure a suitably qualified boat handler or diver/coxwain is aboard (the club arranges training courses for these qualifications).
Weekend diving is normally arranged during the week before each weekend, and advertised both at our Wednesday night meetings and via our club e-mail. Dives can be advertised as being for specific sites/depths but more often they are simply planned for a specific "ropes off" time with the actual site being decided upon on the day, based on the weather and the experience of the divers on-board. Divers then contact the organiser to confirm they wish to go.
The 2011 Dive Season is now in full swing with dives every weekend and whenever possible, in the evenings when the weather and tide are suitable.
Dives completed so far include the Oceana, the Rio Parana, the Harold, the Braunton, the 'Assend' (so named as it's just the stern of a yet un-named wreck) and the 'Scallop Wreck' (again un-named but surrounded by scallops).
These are just a small sample of the wrecks dived - see our blog site for diving reports and videos
