Muddy Puddle Dive Anyone

Its that time of year again, the summer is a long way off and I dont know about everyone else but I am starting to get withdrawl symptons.

I am up for suggestions for a dip in a local puddle or maybe think about one a bit further afield .

Post a comment if interested.

Taba ~ Frog Fish Fables

All-white Frog Fish

Just back from another jaunt over to the Red Sea at Taba. Taba is situated right on the Egyptian / Israeli border . The marine border is marked in a low key way by having two Egyptian Police Officers sitting in a small dinghy , probably the worst posting there is!

Moray Eel

It was a bit of a lazy holiday in diving terms, with just five dives (2x shore dives, 3x boat dives), my diving buds were Paul and Andy. I have trained them both in the past and previously signed-off Paul's MSD and some specialties for Andy, so it was nice just to do some relaxing dives.

Traditional 'turning-left' signal!

We dived with Aqua Sport who have dive centres at the adjacent Hilton & Movenpick Hotels, both right on the waters edge. We saw frog fish on every dive , several frog fish on some dives. I learnt that photographing them was easy as they just sit still for you ....but that it's not easy to get a good photo of fish that are so highly camouflaged that they are hard to see in the view finder and the final shot! The solution is to find the plain coloured ones which curiously seemed harder to find (or they were just less in number!).

No dive complete without a clown fish pic!

The dive time limit at Aqua Sport is 45 minutes , although with such personal service my average dive time over the five was 48 minutes. Most of the staff we met and dived with were Egyptian , although Karina , a German Instructor led the boat dives.

Say "Arrrrh" for the camera!

The coral was not the best I have seen in the Red Sea but it encouraged a close look to find interesting marine life and in that regard there was plenty to see.

Soft Coral Snacker!

Christmas Dinner

I am still waiting for some deposits & menu choices!! An email has been sent to those concerned but if you want to come & not yet paid or given me your choices you need to do so by the END OF THIS WEEK!

There are still places available so email me or add a comment

Thank you

Tech Talk at Ocean View

I trundled down to Ocean View to listen to the the talk given by Mark Powell as an intro to Tech Diving. Having done the PADI tec rec course almost 10 years ago I thought it may be a good idea to refresh myself on what is happening around the training of Tech Divers and maybe look at opportunities to update skills that I haven't really used since doing the course.

Mark's talk was very informative and gave me the itch to carry out a refresher couse on the tech basics and perhaps progress to the next level, trimix.

The benefit of this sort of diving to me is that I may not necessarily want to dive to great depths, but to do the dives I do now for longer and with a clearer head. So Mark I may well be knocking on your door next year.

Thanks to Ocean View for the invite to the talk and an enjoyable evening.

To see the courses Mark has to offer, go to his website at www.dive-tech.co.uk

Tad

Pool Session - Sovereign Centre, Eastbourne

Pool Session - 3/11/09 (Tuesday)

Meet at 19:45.
When you arrive at the Pool go towards the car park and then turn right into a slip road at the side of the building.

Sheila & Ernie
Chris & Sue
Tracey
Therese
Mandy.

See you there.

Marine Conservation Zones off the Sussex Coast

On Monday 2nd Novenber at 7.30pm on BBC One , Inside Out South East takes a close up look at Marine Conservation Zones - one of the hottest topics for naturalists across Sussex today. For video , links and more information cick HERE.

For information on delivering marine conservation zones and the wok of Balance Seas click HERE. Balanced Seas is one of four regional projects in England that will work with sea users and interest groups to identify and recommend Marine Conservation Zones to Government. These new protected areas will be designated at the end of 2012.

Seazones - Saturday 31st October

Message from Mick Luff:

Spaces available on Seazones on Saturday, diving the Brisbane (28 metres max) followed by a drift. Ropes off Newhaven 07:45.

If interested phone Mick on 07729 277651

Ernie

Mark Powell Talk ~ 7.30pm Friday 6th November

Hi all,
Just thought I'd post this to see if anyone would like to attend Oceanview on the above date for a talk/presentation given by one of Britain's leading technical instructors Mark Powell.

The talk will have something for everybody, especially aimed at recreational divers looking to go further and deeper or stay longer including redundancy, kit configuration, basic deco, advanced nitrox, trimix and not forgetting intro into technical diving.

The talk is already filling-up so if anyone is interested please let me know numbers either by email mattwest1@hotmail.co.uk or by phone, Tad and Tracy have my mobile number and are free to give it out.

If anyone went to the diveshow you'll know Mark's talk was one of the highlight's and was standing room only on both days.

http://www.dive-tech.co.uk/

Many thanks

Matt

Meridian Diver Film Night ~ Wednesday 3rd February

Following the last MD Meeting I have booked Wednesday 3rd February 2010 at Arlington Village Hall for the next MD Film Night. More details to follow. I imagine the usual light refreshments , film & photo show will be the style of the evening.

Easter Monday 5th April 2010

I have booked Seazones on Easter Monday for Meridian Divers. We know this is well in advance but if you wish to secure a place please post a comment.

Times and where we will be diving will be discussed nearer the time.

Ernie

1. Chris
2. Ernie
3. Simon
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.

Pool Session - Sovereign Centre, Eastbourne

The diving pit has been booked to Meridian Divers on Tuesday 3rd November between 8 and 9 p.m. Cost will be £5.00 per person.

Anyone wishing to get wet please post a comment.

Ernie

1. Tracey
2. Chris
3. Sue
4. Ernie
5. Sheila
6. Therese

Meridian Monkeys Go Ape!

Doh! I have posted pictures and words from the Sunday 18th October "Go APE" adventure day on the Meridian Mutts blog by mistake! Double Doh! Oh well follow THIS LINK to view them!

Holland 5 Diving Opportunity

At the meeting last week I mentioned that Jamie from TWSAC was applying for a licence to dive the Holland 5 submarine next year. TWSAC has offered any Meridian Divers the opportunity to be named on the licence to dive this protected wreck as guests of TWSAC on their ribs.

If you are interested please add a comment including your dive qualifications, experience and if you have any maritime archeological experience such as N.A.S dont worry if you dont have this it wont prevent you diving the wreck.

The object of the dives will be to gather photo, video and marine life data plus general visual inspection which can be added to the data already gathered.

Tad

NAS Link to Holland V Project , Click HERE

Mira Dive from Buccaneer

A chilly start saw Ernie and me leaving Shoreham harbour aboard Chris Wests Buccaneer on Sunday.With bright autumn sunshine skipper Chris decided to head east to the wreck of the Mira. With flat seas all week and no rain plus good vis reports during the week hopes were high for a good dive, but the further east we got the more our hopes were falling as the colour of the water was changing. After an hours motor out to the wreck our hopes were well and truly dashed, no video today was the consensus amongst the divers on the boat and Chris was kicking himself for heading east and not west like his name.

Still we were there now and we were soon kitting up and crewman Roger was in tying the shot to the wreck. It has been about 16 years since I last dived the Mira and as I remember that dive was pretty awful, going down the shot it looked like this one wasn't going to be much better.

Once on the wreck Ernie and I contented ourselves to stay midships around once was the engine room. The Mira is a big wreck but the conditions on this dive were not going to allow us to appreciate just how big she is.

Ernie busied himself worrying the blennies whilst I dropped down the side of the hull to investigate a ventilation grill.

The vis was a very grainy 2m at the most and very dark, but a dive is a dive so we made the best of it for around 3o minutes before heading back up to the surface.

Back on board Chris took a bit of ribbing but everyone had made the best of the dive and with crewman Dave playing mum we all enjoyed coffee and cupa soups on the journey back.

I really like the atmosphere on Buccaneer and look forward to the next trip out with Chris sometime in the near future.

Tad

Happy Meridian Day ~ 20th October

Well it's a good enough excuse to crack open a bottle for a toast! Today is the 125th Anniversary of the Prime Meridian , or if you prefer, the anniversary of the day that the Greenwich Meridian Line was drawn and Longitiude 0 0'00" was created. So there , Meridian Divers, now you know when it all began! Loads more info HERE!