Contents:
Last update: 12/01/00Contents: |
|
The idea is to get some fairly regular diving trips going within the UK, including members of the Diving Leisure London Diving Club (and some friends).
We also try to meet up for a drink and a chat on the third Monday of each month. The location varies but is generally a Central London pub, often close to the Victoria Line.
Names for the group are under discussion, but we might answer to The FrogPeople and/or The Subventure Group.
| In any case, we have a mailing list for discussing our activities: SubVenture@onelist.com The mailing list is "closed" to keep out spam (junk email), but anyone is welcome to be added - just click the following button, and I'll register your membership asap. Among other things, the traffic through the list is automatically archived, and members can view the archives after logging on to the ONElist site. |
|
We are now also an associate of Amazon UK. Follow this
link to buy books, CDs or videos, and the referral payments received will be added to
the SubVenture group funds. Some recommended titles are on the SubVenture Books Page. |
These are not "organised dives": just a group diving together as friends. It's up to participants to dive within their own level of skill, ability and training. As such, it is not agency-specific therefore divers trained by any recognised agency are welcome.
Probably people would want experience to at least PADI AOW, BSAC Sports Diver, SAA Club Diver level or equivalent to be comfortable with the sort of diving we're likely to be doing. But it's your own call, and your own responsibility. If there's an "official" SubVenture position at all, it's "Don't go diving. It will cost you too much money and you might just possibly get hurt".
To quote from another place (the uk.rec.scuba group dives):
 |
We operate as a group with group decisions, the only 'organisation' (if that's the right word for it!) is that we may use our group buying power to charter an entire boat so that we can decide what we do. Singles, buddy pairs, groups no problem, it's just a group of friends who sort things out amongst themselves on the day(s). |
You can!
Seriously, anyone is encouraged to suggest possible activities. If there's enough
interest, then make a booking and call in deposits.
If you're a bit unsure about this, let me
know and I'll help with any details or suggestions that I can give.
 | 1999 April 30th to May 3rd: Mayday on the Manacles A long (bank holiday) weekend trip to Cornwall Details are here. |
| 1999 June 19th to 20th: Midsummer at Portland A short trip to Dorset Details are here. |
| 1999 June 24th to 28th: High and Dry at Glastonbury An even longer weekend inland. Team: Kim, Elaine, Angharad, Kevin and 100,000 others. Maximum depths... zero actually. Still seemed slightly narcosed at times, though: maybe it was something in the air? |
| 1999 July Umm, nothing as a group. But Angharad and Kevin went to Plymouth for 4 days diving off the Maid Maggie and checked out the facilities there, Tim was working hard at his DM training and others went to warmer waters. |
| 1999 August Tim's planned daytrip to Portland to survey HMS Hood for DM mapping assignment got blown out. |
| 1999 September 18th Kim's Brighton daytrip (Channel Diving's RIB to dive "City of Waterford" in about 30m) also blown out! |
| 1999 October 2nd/3rd: Devon "Lundy" trip, staying in Ilfracombe. Also blown out, though we did have surfing in North Devon on the Saturday and actually got to go diving from Exmouth on the Sunday. Details are here. |
| 1999 December 17th Feeding frenzy A bash to celebrate Yule/Christmas/Hanukkah, eat, drink and talk about diving was held at Tiger Lil's, Clapham Common on December 17th. And a very pleasant evening it was, too. (which for those who aren't familiar is one of those joints where you choose a pile of ingredients then have it stir-fried in a somewhat dangerous fashion inches from your nose). The cuisine is Thai, and is good for carnivore, veggie or fishie alike. Basic cost is £11.50 per head which allows you to indulge in the fashion of Mr Creosote should you desire, with pudding (if you can squeeze it in) and drinks on top.
|
Planning now |
|
This year: the 2000 season!JanuaryBrighton Diving from Channel Diver - decent hardboat, licensed for 10, with toilet, hot drinks and a fair amount of cabin space for shelter. Hardy souls so far include: February/MarchPowerboat handling group course weekend Weekend TBD: they will run the course any weekend for a group (minimum 3 or 4 people, maximum 6). Plas Menai in North Wales Interest expressed so far by: Sometime soonAny ideas anyone? The sea stays reasonably warm through the winter though the weather can be an increasing problem... A weekend in Portland at the Breakwater Diving Centre is £60 per head (minimum 4 people) including 2 nights B&B, 4 local boat dives and air refills. They will go to further divesites if weather permits which incur up to £5 or so per trip surcharge (the HMS M2 is about the maximum range, but Aeolian Sky, Alex van Opstal, Binnendyk, etc. are also possible). There are also some other similar deals in the Portland/Weymouth area. The hardboats Channel Diver (out of Brighton) and Voyager (out of Littlehampton) are also available through the winter for small groups or complete charters. Both well equipped with shelter, toilets and hot drinks! Sometime laterNon-diving: Diving: We should try to get back down to the south west sometime around May/June to coincide with the peak of the basking shark season. Another attempt at Lundy? Generally we should think about booking some hardboat charters, but this will need
people to chip in with deposits... JulyI have the excellent boat Voyager booked out of Littlehampton on July
15th/16th. Although there's a full moon on the Sunday the "spring" tides are due
to be very small and in fact no bigger than the neap tides the previous weekend (which was
already booked long ago...) List so far: |
 |
If you have any comments or suggestions then please let me know. Thanks.
Other possible future venues for the group are:
| Evening dives from Brighton/Littlehampton/Selsey |
| Isle of Man |
| Wales: Anglesey or Pembrokeshire |
| Scapa Flow |
| West Coast of Scotland |
| Ireland |
| Normandy (liveaboard?) |
| Scilly Isles (liveaboard?) |
If you have any other suggestions then please let me know. Thanks.
Let's also think about other interesting/adventurous activities that we
might like to do, perhaps in conjunction with diving trips (e.g. surfing, rockclimbing,
etc...)
N.B. Yes - taking appropriate precautions - avoiding getting significantly shaken up after
diving, or dehydrated before.
Here's a kit checklist which might prove helpful someday!
I still have the Hydro-Optic basic BCD (like the Diving Leisure
school BCDs) to sell.
Excellent condition, size nominally XS, but actually more like S.
Kim has tried this, and can vouch for it working :-)
If anyone knows anyone who wants it... about £80 or reasonable offer?
Also an Aladin Sport computer.
Perfect for non-deco air diving, but less useful now we've gone Nitrox.
Offers around £110 to include a perspex screenguard?
If you'd like to advertise something here, send an email.
Kevin Beurle, January 2000
Receive email when this page changes |
|
|
|
