Castaways Sub-Aqua Club
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Castaways Sub-Aqua Club |
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A Branch (Branch No 2071) of The British Sub-Aqua Club |
The newsletter of Castaways Sub-Aqua Club
No: 5 - Spring 1998
Voice from the POT
(Editors comments)
Happy new year! I hope that everyone has recovered from the excesses of the holiday season. Does your diving suit feel a little tight? Has too much turkey, sherry trifle and Xmas pudding taken their toll? I know they have for me L Its time to start dusting off your dive kit, and think about all the wonderful diving ahead this year.
This club is run for the benefit of the members, if any of you have suggestions or ideas about what you would like the club to do, please let the committee know.
Thank you to everyone who contributed material for this newsletter. If you have anything you feel other members would be interested in please send it to Slay.
Keep those bubbles going upwards!
Anthony
7 February 1998
The Castaways AGM is planned for Sunday 26th April, at Andy, Amy and Diane’s house in Reading (thanks to them for agreeing to host this). A party is planned on the Saturday night, with accommodation for those that want it. If you would like to come to the party and stay over for the AGM please let either Amy or Suzanne know so that numbers can be planned for.
A Castaways Web site has been set up, for those of us cruising the information superhighway in our Reliant Robins. It is maintained by Anthony, and currently contains all of the trip reports. It is planned that back issues of this newsletter will be available there as well.
URL: http://www.chime.ucl.ac.uk/castaways/
Reminder: Castaways’ club subs are now due. Please send your cheques for £12, made payable to “Castaways Sub-Aqua Club”, to the Treasurer. Thanks to those who have already paid.
Current BSAC membership rates:
CASTAWAYS membership is £12.00, due 1st January every year.
When you get your BSAC reminder can you reply as promptly as possible.
Anyone wanting to change their BSAC renewal month should contact the Secretary.
If your medical is due, let the secretary know and a medical form can be sent to you. Please allow a couple of weeks.
The club owns an emergency Oxygen Kit for use on club trips.
The kit comes in its own carry case with a ‘D’ size cylinder, an external ‘E’ sized cylinder is also available
The general outline of its conditions of use are:
Date: 1-3 August 1998 (arrive 31st July)
Description: 3 days hard boat diving, out of Seahouses. A few wrecks, but mainly excellent scenics. Guaranteed diving with seals.
Date: May/June (TBA)
NB Suzanne & Jake would like to know numbers and dates before booking, if you are interested please contact her ASAP.
If you have an idea for a trip please let the DO know. If you want to run your trip through the Castaways bank account please contact the Treasurer.
Scillies
20th - 27th September 1997
Blue sky, blue sea, long sandy beaches, palm trees and still in the UK. Tinky winky, dipsy, lala and po went to dive the Scillies.
No-one was ill on the way there, human or flower. Everyone was so tired on Sunday that they didn't get wet, but went to town for food and custard. Next day they all dived with the man from the TV program with his red and white boat with the hole in the middle. There were lots of seals and far too many bubbles from certain people, so everyone had to go home early.
Thereafter it all went well, 2 dives a day, old wreck (Firebrand 1707) and new wreck (Polearia 1971), but not the Cita (March 1997) as it was too lumpy for the poor dears.
Daily toast, mashed potatoes as well as custard for tinky winky kept everyone happy. Sunshine and gin clear water made everyone smile until it was time for tubby bye bye!
“Round and round the Scillies like a Teletubbie,
One dive, two dives, lets fill our tummies” (with a cream tea)
Dipsy (AKA Jake)
Stoney Cove
25th November 1997
5am and the diving mantra - “I love diving, I love diving, ...” - can be heard in the wilds of Essex. 8am, the chant is the same, but the location has shifted to the wind swept car park of Stoney Cove. 9.30am and the objective of the day - to aquaint Anthony with the delights of Stoney - have been meet, and the serious task of trapping bacon and sossie rolls is under way.
11.30am - too early to go home, so a second dive is planned. A quick look at the “Map Board” shows a 'beginners route' to a pseudo-wreck in 7m at the back of the cove - this looks like fun. Entering the water, the main training area is rapidly left behind and with it the PADI trainees and associated lack of visibility. At the end of the training ledge is an old 'block house'. Looking through the doorway, the opposite window and ground beyond are perfectly reflected on the quick-silver like qualities of the air trapped in the roof - then Anthony shatters the image into a thousand shards by exhaling!
Beyond the block house the ledge ends in a vertical wall which drops to 30m - very reminiscent of Southern Ireland - but not a place I would want to bring a 'beginner'! Cruising along the wall at 8m we come across a large pike hanging on station about 2m below us - the only sign of life so far! After 20 minutes of strenuous finning from the start, the “wreck” comes into view. (20 minutes of finning! And this is supposed to be a 'beginners' dive!!) Another large pike is seen, then another, then a massive brute, easily 5 feet long, and what’s that in the gloom but another beast. I never knew pike shoaled!
There's only so much 'pike watching' that you can do in a day, so after a brief tour of the wreck we proceeded on our way. After a few more fin strokes we decided to surface - at the far side of the cove - and surface swim back! Now who was it who had previously been making sarcastic comments about divers who surface away from their exit point!
All in all, an excellent dive but not one to recommend to beginners or to start with only 130bar in your cylinder!
William Howard
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