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!

Meridian Divers Meeting ~ 14th October

The MD meeting took place at the Berwick Inn and some plans for the next months and 2010 were discussed. In particular:-

1). A wreck dive from Buccaneer on Saturday 17th October (Tad & Ernie)
2). A pool session in the Sovereign Centre, Eastbourne, in early November (BOOKED! 3rd Nov)
3). A reminder to post any pictures you want to enter in the Photo Competition (judged at the Christmas Dinner)
4). Christmas Dinner , being held in the Berwick Inn on Wednesday 16th December.
5). A bowling night for January 2010.
6). A Film Night planned for 3rd February 2010 (BOOKED!)
7). A Malta dive holiday in May 2010
8). A Portland dive trip in late June 2010

Other plans :-
a). Producing 'buddy cards'.
b). A reminder to gather raffle prizes for the Christmas Dinner.
c). A reminder to select your menu choices for the Christmas Dinner
d). An update on the 'Protected Wreck Licence' project.
e). The potential to be included on the Licence to dive the historic submarine "Holland V"

As ever , plenty to plan and do!

Buccaneer Dive this Week-end? ~ Saturday 17th October

Tad has circulated a dive opportunity this Saturday . He says he will buy all the divers onboard a drink is there is NOT 8 metres of visibility!

Text or email Tad or add a comment if you are interested! Click HERE for the Buccaneer website.

Red Sea Liveaboard ~ St John's (Southern Red Sea)

The Benson's are back!

Ernie & I set out to dive the St John's area in the Southern Red Sea aboard 'Dreams'. A (new) addition to the Sea Serpent Fleet, but unfortunately on boarding the vessel we soon discovered that it was far from 'new'. The journey south is quite a long overnight trip to reach the southern reefs of St John's. They are mainly a selection of Gota and Habili (reef which reaches the surface or not). The coral is in good colourful condition and we saw white tip reef sharks, oceanic white tip sharks, dolphins, turtles and fantail rays as well all the usual reef inhabitants.

There were one or two issues with the boat which all on board had concerns with which have now been taken up with the agent.

Unfortunately we would not recommend 'Dreams' as a Liveaboard.

Just a word of warning Marsa Alam airport is very hot on luggage weight. Ernie & I were 2 kilos over (between 2 dive bags and 2 rucksacks) and had to pay 22 euros excess. No receipts were being given !

Mercian Regiment Commemoration on BBC News

Meridian Diver and underwater videographer Tad, had another of his videos shown on BBC News last night (Friday 9th October). On this occasion the video was of the wreck of the Oceana which Tad had been diving with Tunbridge Wells BSAC when Jamie Smith found a brass plaque commemorating the deaths of Nottinghamshire soldiers who died in India between 1819 and 1838. Jamie handed the plaque to the 2nd Battalion the Mercian Regiment at a special ceremony which Tad had the pleasure of attending. For full details on the BBC web site click HERE!

Christmas Dinner 2009

Hi all,

Just a reminder that the Christmas Dinner is to be held on Wednesday 16th December at The Berwick which as you are probably aware is under new management and now doing very well!

The price is £22 pp for 3 course meal plus coffee, mints & mince pies. A copy of the menu will be coming round by email shortly. I will need confirmation plus £5 pp (non-refundable) deposit by end of the month. Remember we also hold our annual raffle so any donations of prizes gratefully accepted!

Please add a comment, email or text me if you wish to be added to the list.

A belated 'Welcome' to blogging!

A belated welcome to PADI in joining the world of blogging. Since March 2009 PADI have been running a blog to track developments in their DSAT TecRec range of courses. In 2006 Meridian Divers was the first scuba blog in the South East and since then there has been a considerable growth in the media for promoting recreational diving, we are proud to have 'done our bit' to encourage interest and very pleased to see the TecRec blog.

The new range of DSAT TecRec courses becam available on 1st September , take a look at the TecRec blog for more information ...click HERE!

Unknown Wreck Mid Channel

Diving an Unknown wreck on Monday with Tunbridge Wells Sub Aqua Club.. I was fortunate enough to find I had Monday free and was invited out aboard the TWSAC rib to dive an unknown wreck 21 miles out in the separation zone which sounds a bit like an cliched sci fi series from the 1960'sall that needed to happen was that we could meet aliens ,come back and find we were the only people left in Newhaven (almost true there on a Monday) orfind that we had been part of some strange experiment. The truth is that we had a 21 mile journey out in the rib which took about an hour passing 3 dolphins on the way.
On reaching the site there was a very large factory Trawler moored nearby who took more than a passing interest in the 6 neoprene clad bods in a bright orange rib.

The sea was mirror calm and with small tides we had high expectations for the dive and with the wreck located and shotted we were not to be dissapointed, you could see the line at least down to 10m.
It was soon my turn to kit up and start the journey down and boy was it good. I touched the wreck at just over 40m and began to explore with my camera the vis was between 10-15m.
In a strange way the wreck and conditions reminded me of my first dive on the Rosie Moller in the red sea.

The wreck sits upright on the sea bed and drops down to around 47m . It also is massive and quite in tact although heading towards the bow the hull dropped away in what looks like a massive explosion has taken it off.

Turning back I headed back up midships and came across machinery and the massive engines in which a very large conger had made its home. I also came across a twin wheeled hand pump.
I allowed myself to go into 8 minutes of deco before heading back to the shot and start my very slow ascent back up.

TWSAC have dived this wreck in the past but conditions have to be perfect due to the depth and the distance out. Now the hunt is on to Identify this amazing wreck .

Certainly up there as one the best of my UK dives.
The film doesnt do it justice.

Tad