Indiana Dive Sunday 18th April

After the Easter diving had been cancelled I was getting itchy fins for my first sea dive of the year . Come up trumps Ocean View who had a space on Chris West's Buccaneer and as I was already down on the coast for the weekend I jumped at the chance to join the OV guys on their trip out to the wreck of the Indiana about 1.5 miles off Worthing, I had never dived this wreck before and as this would be an easy dive, conditions allowing, it would give me the chance to get the camera in for the first time this year.

I like Buccaneer a lot there is a real old fashioned charm about it. Skippered by Chris with Dave as Crew, we left shoreham in warm sunshine and flat calm seas hoping that the vis would be at least a couple metres, Chris had been out on Saturday and they had dived the City of London with a very dark and silty 1-2m vis but at least with the Indiana being very shallow there should be plenty of light.

About 45 minutes later we arrived over the wreck which only lies in 11m of water and the shot was dropped in and me being given the job of tying in I was soon kitted along with Nigel and popped in and down. Guess what we were blessed with around 8-1om horizontal vis and top to bottom vis wow.

Now I wouldn't really call the the Indiana a wreck dives cos there really isn't much that is recognisable as a ship its all completely broken up and flattened more like a reef,but what the Indiana lacks in being a good wreck it more than makes up for in life. With large shoals of bib and pollack following you around, some very large wrasse and some very very large congers, lying under the collapsed plates kept us more than interested for 68 minutes when it was the cold and the strengthening tide that forced us to leave the bottom and head back up the awaiting Buccaneer and hot coffee.

All the divers on board had a great dive. This is the perfect dive for those first ventures out into open water for the inexperienced and even for those with a few years and pounds under our belts there is still enough to keep you interested.

Thanks to Ocean View for the offer of the space and their divers for making me welcome. Thanks to Chris West and Dave from Buccaneer for another great trip out I'll be back soon.

Video to follow shortly

Wreck Dive ~ Sunday 25th April 2010

Hi All,

I have 2 spaces available for a Wreck and Drift dive on Sunday the 25th of a April. The plan is to dive a 20m Wreck and then follow with a Drift dive. Ropes of is a lazy 2:15pm

If you fancy a dive Text or ring 07729 277651 or drop me an E-Mail.

If this date does not fit then take a look at my website diary. I still have weekend dates available, including this weekend that has a great forecast !!!!

Hear from you soon

Mick Luff Sea-Zones boat charter(Newhaven) Tel 07729 277651
www.sea-zones.co.uk

Red Sea Dive Trip ~ November 2010 (Date TBC)

As promised , I am researching some options:-

Option 1a. Marina Lodge, Marsa Alam
Some of us have used this Hotel a few times, it has a built-in dive centre and dive boats (day diving) moor right alongside the hotel grounds. I'm not impressed with the immediate cost estimate from Scuba Travel (I think there will be MUCH better deals) .... "As a Rough estimation you would be looking to pay around £975 per person with the group discount of 10 % this price would include Gatwick flights transfers and 7 nights Half Board basis with a 5 day diving package (boat dives )".
UPDATE: Scuba Travel have come back with revised figures:-
Rates both from the Marina lodge and from the Airlines if you were to depart on the 10/11/10 the times would be as follows ~

LGW SSH
09:20 16:55

SSH LGW
17:55 21:55

All of the prices would be based on 2 sharing on a half board basis for the divers the cost would be £775 and for the non-divers the cost would be £615 ( both of these prices are subject to availability).

Option 1b. Marina Lodge, Marsa Alam
Same as Option 1a above but with Longwood Holidays. It seems their prices are £1270 FOR TWO, but excluding diving. 10 boat dives with Emperor are £205 (good price). This equates to £840 per diver and £635 for a non-diver (subject to any hidden charges I haven't yet found!)

Option 2. (Concept Only!) St Johns, Liveaboard.
London Scuba are promoting a Southern Red Sea Trip in September (wrong months - hence concept only! £1095 per person on Sea Serpent. Not everyone is a liveaboard lover (many are!) . For more info CLICK HERE. It's an option to see if they will run this trip in November.

Update 22nd May:

All plans on hold , not sure on who's 'in' and who's not!

Portland Dive Trip ~ Sunday 13th June

Good News MDers!

I have had the following response from Fathom & Blues Dive Centre :-

"You’ve picked the best weekend in June for 30m dives – well done you! I’d recommend the following: -

1). 10.00 departure for the M2 – complete submarine at 34m
2). 15.30 departure for the Aeolian Sky – HUGE cargo ship in 30m

Costs are £30 per person for the M2 and £30 for the Sky.
Do you need accommodation at all – we have the bunkhouse at £15 pp if you need it."

(i.e. £60 for two dives)
I think some of use will travel down the night before for a spot of R&R and B&B before the dive day! I have dived both of these wrecks before ... they are worth the trip!

Add a comment or email me if you are a "Yes Please!"

Pool Session - Sovereign Centre, Eastbourne

Eastbourne Sovereign Centre Pool has been booked for Tuesday 27th April between 20:00 and 21:00. Meet at approx. 19:30. Entry is through door at left side of the building.

Anyone intending to come along please add a comment ASAP, so we can gauge numbers. Cost per person is £5.00. Any profit above hire of pool will go to MD funds. Please be careful with your equipment ( e.g. no standing tanks (always laid on there side, when not on your back and be careful with your weights)

Ernie

Learning to Swim?

Being able to swim is not too surprisingly and important prerequisite to learning to dive , mind you it's pretty much a life skill that everyone should have. For details on swimming lessons available in Seaford click on this link EASY-SWIM

Meridian Divers Meeting ~ 7th April 2010

The MD meeting had a good attendance , anyone would think the UK season is starting to wake-up! I know, I know, it's a 12 month season, yeah, OK! It was good to welcome Philip to the meeting and pick his brains about his last year's visit to Malta , not least as we aresoon off to there ourselves!

Quite a lot of business discussed and some how amongst the competing voices our Hon Sec Sheila has managed to capture the outcomes, at least I hope she has! Full notes tobe circulated later but in the meantime , the following was covered:-

a). Return visit to Sovereign Divers.
b). The Malta Dive Trip (May)
c). Report on the Kent Lake Dive
d). Boat Dives cancelled due to weather (er, did I say it was a 12mth season?)
e). Buccaneer Dive & BBQ planned for 4th July.
f). The Air Show Dive (12/8/10)
g). Pool Sessions on 27/4/10 and another in October TBC)
h). Go Ape session at Leeds Castle in September.
i). Christmas Dinner Competitions (provisional dater 15/12/10)
j). Underwater Film Festival
k). Portland Trip 13/6/10 TBC
l). Seaford Beach dive & BBQ in August TBC
m). Possible return visit to Hyperbaric Chamber (for those who have not been)
n). Possible return trip to NEMO 33 in January 2011
o). Plans for a Red Sea Trip in November 2010
p). Girlies Night Out on 23/5/10
q). Bowling & Laser Quest on 8/6/10
r). Dive Book & other dive stuff swap shop (at meetings).

So just a few things on the go!

Channel Diver ~ Charter Dive Boat Dates 2010

APRIL
Thursday 8th Brighton Unknown Sailing Ship 10.30am away 48mtrs £55
Friday 9th Brighton UNKNOWN WRECK TRIMIX 63 13.00 £45
Saturday 10th Brighton CITY OF WATERFORD 34 08.00 £45
Saturday 10th Brighton ARISTOS 58 13.30 £45
Friday 16th Brighton HMS KERRYADO 39 11.00 £45
Saturday 17th Brighton PENTRYCH 24 12.00 £45
Sunday 18th Brighton CITY OF LONDON 26 07.00 £45
Sunday 18th Brighton FORTUNA 32 12.30 £45
Monday 19th Brighton GERLEN 50 07.30 £45
Wednesday 21st Brighton TYCHO 33 09.00 £45
Thursday 22nd Brighton WARILDA 50 08.30 £55
Monday 26th Brighton CLODMORE 27 09.00 £45
Wednesday 28th Brighton TR THOMPSON 34 09.30 £45
Friday 30th Brighton INDIANA & PIER 12 08.00 £45

MAY
Sunday 2nd Brighton CITY OF WATERFORD 34 13.00 £45
Tuesday 4th Brighton QUAIL 40 08.00 £45
Wednesday 5th Brighton DUKE OF BUCCLEUGH 58 08.00 £50
Monday 10th Brighton ASHFORD 42 07.30 £45
Wednesday12th Brighton INVERCLYDE 20 09.30 £45
Friday 14th Brighton LALEN MENDI 25 09.30 £50
Monday 17th Brighton STEAM TRAWLER 16 07.00 £45
Wednesday 19th Eastbourne UC65 German Submarine 43 08.15 £50
Thursday 20th Eastbourne CHATEAU MARGEAUX 37 07.45 £55
Friday 21st Eastbourne SEAFORD FERRY 46 10.15 £50
Monday 31st Brighton FORTUNA 33 13.00 £45

JUNE
Tuesday 1st Brighton HMS MINION 46 08.00 £45
Monday 14th Brighton INDIANA & PIER 12 10.00 £45
Tuesday 15th Brighton PENTRYCH 24 07.00 £45
Wednesday 16th Brighton TYCHO 33 07.00 £45
Thursday 17th Brighton RAMSGARTH 25 08.00 £45
Friday 18th Brighton new mark MOLDAVIA AREA 50 07.30 £45
Monday 28th Eastbourne ALAUNIA 36 11.15 £45
Wednesday 29th Eastbourne FRUCKNER 30 07.15 £45
Thursday 30th Eastbourne VILLE DE BORDEAUX 44 07.45 £45 JULY
Monday 26th Eastbourne OCEANA 25 10.45 £45
Tuesday 27th Eastbourne MOHLEN PRIX 30 10.45 £45

AUGUST
Monday 9th Brighton BRAUNTON 36 09.00 £45
Tuesday 10th Brighton TR THOMPSON 34 09.30 £45
Wednesday 11th Eastbourne ALAUNIA Cunard Liner 30 10.45 £45
Thursday 12th Eastbourne OCEANA + AIRSHOW + BBQ 24 07.15 £50
Friday 13th Eastbourne THE TWINS + AIRSHOW+ BBQ 44 07.15 £50
Monday 16th Brighton NORTHEASTER 44 09.00 £45
Monday 16th Brighton MIOWN + PIER 12 13.30 £45
Tuesday 17th Brighton RAMSGARTH 25 09.00 £45
Wednesday 18th Brighton MOLDAVIA 50 09.30 £55
Thursday 19th Brighton ARIEL 28 11.30 £45
Friday 20th Brighton CITY OF WATERFORD 36 07.00 £45
Friday 20th Brighton DUKE OF BUCCLEUGH 58 13.00 £50
Monday 23rd Eastbourne KINGFISHER 48 08.45 £50
Tuesday 24th Eastbourne HMS ARIADNE 27 10.15 £45
Wednesday 25th Eastbourne GLENARTNEY 40 10.45 £45
Thursday 26th Brighton PENTRYCH 24 11.30 £45
Friday 27th Brighton CITY OF BRISBANE 27 12.00 £45
Monday 30th Brighton FORTUNA 33 13.30 £45
Tuesday 31st Brighton QUAIL 40 08.00 £45

SEPTEMBER
Monday 6th Eastbourne ARGONAUT 40 09.45 £50
Tuesday 7th Eastbourne CHATEAU MARGEAUX 40 07.15 £55
Monday 20th Brighton PERSIANA 48 07.30 £50
Tuesday 21st Brighton PENTRYCH 24 09.00 £45
Wednesday 22nd Brighton Submarine U130 30 09.00 £45
Thursday 23rd Brighton TR THOMPSON 34 10.00 £45
Friday 24th Brighton SEAFORD FERRY 48 09.30 £55 Dieppe
Monday 27th Dieppe 5 DAY TRIP to DIEPPE 40 08.00 £345
Tuesday 28th Dieppe 5 DAY TRIP to DIEPPE 20-40 08.00 £345
Wednesday 29th Dieppe 5 DAY TRIP to DIEPPE 20-40 08.00 £345
Thursday 30th Dieppe 5 DAY TRIP to DIEPPE 20-40 08.00 £345

OCTOBER
Friday 1st Dieppe 5 DAY TRIP to DIEPPE 40 08.00 £345
Monday 4th Brighton CITY OF LONDON 30 07.30 £45
Wednesday 6th Brighton NYON 45 08.00 £50
Friday 8th Brighton UNKNOWN WRECK 53 10.00 £45
Tuesday 12th Brighton HMS KERRYADO 34 07.30 £45
Wednesday 13th Brighton CITY OF WATERFORD 30 08.00 £45
Thursday 14th Brighton WARILDA 2 Day French Trip 50 07.00 £165
Friday 15th Brighton LANFRANC 2 Day French Trip 52 08.00 £165
Monday 18th Brighton HMS MINION 50 07.00 £45
Wednesday 20th Brighton BLANEFIELD 33 07.30 £45
Friday 22nd Brighton ASHFORD 42 09.00 £45
Monday 25th Brighton BIG CRAB WRECK 36 10.30 £45
Wednesday 27th Brighton FORTUNA 28 07.00 £45
Friday 29th Brighton DUKE OF BUCCLEUGH 58 07.00 £50

To reserve a space call Steve 07970 674799

Next Meridian Divers Meeting ~ Wednesday 7th April

The next MD meeting will be held at the Berwick Inn at 7.30pm on Wednesday 7th April. The agenda is being circulated.

Puddy Muddle Done!

Well, Team MD conquered another Kent Muddy Puddle and now Holborough Lake has fallen to our superior allied forces (the 1st Bn OV Reservists added numbers to fray)! Poor puddle didn't stand a chance really, just like shooting another water rat in a barrel! There we were equipped to take-on the raging oceans at depth and in front of us stood a trembling pool of fresh water, still wet behind the ears and only recently let go of it's mothers apron strings. OK divers, let's not leaving it in suffering for too long, let's get in there and finish it off quickly! But the little blighter surprised us all and came back for more, taking a second shot before the finish was in sight.

The water tried to resist at 7Deg C and the viz ranged from 5m metres to slightly worse than none at all! After some searching, weapons of mass diving discovered, three boats (small, medium and medium-large) and a couple of diving platforms, at 7m & 8m. Max depth was just over 10m.

The hosts were Nemes Scuba Academy, and Martin (da boss) and his staff were all very helpful and welcoming, they positively rushed to get hot drinks to you as soon as you surfaced & exited. The centre has a small office with male & female toilets, hot showers were also available . There was a clean air compressor (£4 any size cylinder). There were about twenty cars there , all parked on new tarmac. Huge cable drums made perfect kitting-up tables.

It was a good opportunity to pre-test the kit before going back into the sea, and with an entrance of £7.50 including all the tea & coffee you could want, it was a very fair rate. Good staff made it all the better, but the nature of muddy puddles is that they can soon become silt clouds ...and that soon happened! There is a small but user friendly slip way and a small jetty. A good place for cheaply checking kit configurations. Oh, and there is a Wimpy 'Restaurant' about 500m away , but may be best not to comment on that too much!

Dry Suit Up For Grabs!

Hi all,

Due to continuing ill health & financial restrictions I am reluctantly reducing my kit down. I am looking to sell my drysuit - it is a Female, Medium Gates CBX450 with Size 5 feet. It would suit someone (either male or female even tho described as a 'female suit) around 5'3-5'7 (I am 5'4) . Build wise, it has seen my dress size go from a 14 to 16 back down to 12 so there is lots of scope for sizing. It has been serviced & had a new neck seal. The zip & valves were all checked & found to be in excellent working order. The suit has not been used since it's service.

I still hope to one day get back in the water but it's not going to be any time soon, I cannot afford to 'give it away' and so am looking at around £350 as it is in such excellent order & recently serviced (cost me £85) . If you or anyone you know is interested, email , add a comment or contact me & I will get back to you asap - however bear with me as between 2 jobs, dogs, child & housework my 'free' time is practically non existent!

Robbo's Down Under Diving

Sorry guys,
I should of mentioned that the wreck of the Canberra is in the Victorian graveyard which is south the Point Lonsdale Lighthouse outside of the "heads" which is the entrance to Port Phillip Bay. I was in my drysuit as the water temp was chilly although the air temp was 20C . The dive boat operated by Dive Victoria had about 12 divers on board and 2 crew. The conditions were good but the sea a bit bumpy. We set off from Queenscliff and passed through the Rip which is one of the most challenging areas for ships to pass in. The passage through the rip was not unlike a bad day off Newhaven when you would certainly not see any boats venturing out into the surf, however the area of most concern is only a mile or so wide and can be traversed fairly quickly. Whilst passing through the rip as we were going out a huge bulk carrier was coming in "awesome size vessel" the pilot was dwarfed by the size of the ship. The actual width of the channel is only about one and a half kms and its an S shape so all commercial ships must take on a pilot both entering and exiting Port Phillip bay. I hope that gives all a bit of back ground to the dive area.
Cheers Robbo

Update from the Down-Under Diver!

Update from Robbo:-

I have been in the water again, this time I dived the Pope’s Eye and the new wreck on the block, The Canberra, which is situated in 30 metres of water max with the main deck at 18 metres. By some quirk of Australian diving standards my qualification Advance & Rescue is only recognized as a 18-30 metre max qualification. To dive any deeper in Australia I have to have a deep cert and then that will only suffice for dives of 40 metres max. The Australian authorities are enforcing the qualification fairly strictly.

Before doing my double dive on the Canberra I was warned by Dive Victoria not to enter the wreck at any point and that included the Bridge area which has numerous windows and doors to get out of. Since I was a single diver I was buddied up with an Instructor who was taking three other divers on a wreck tour of the 18 metre deck level and internal compartments but if I was with a friend and we dived without an instructor /guide we would not be allowed to penetrate the wreck at any time.

Sounds as though Dive Victoria who have the principle contract for the moorings over the Canberra are protecting their investment. The ship isn't huge, probably on the same scale as the Scylla back in the UK. Not much growth on her but plenty of fish outside. With a deep cert the big attraction is diving straight down the ships funnel into the engine room (with a guide of course). I guess I’ll have to do a bit of training again.

The Pope's Eye is a man made structure in Port Philip Bay with about 12 metres max depth, I swam around it twice and was almost on to my third circuit before a certain lump of weed looked a bit familiar so I surfaced for a quick look and was heckled by the dive boat !!!

Robbo

MD GO Ape ...Again! ~ September 2010

Hi all, Linda has done some preliminary research fo a Meridian Divers social at Go Ape at Leeds Castle in September.

There is full availability for Saturdays and Sundays in September at the moment - up to a maxium group size of 14. Using Saturday 4th September as an example (Sunday timings and costs are the same), start times are every half hour between 0830 and 1630 and the cost is £30 per head. Early September is probably best for Simon and Linda.

Add a comment or email Linda or me if you're interested and let us know whether you have a preference for dates.

Muddy Puddle Dive ~ Sunday 21st March

I am joining a group from Ocean View to Dive a new Muddy Puddle in Kent this coming Sunday if anybody is interested to shake off the winter cobwebs and check out kit before the forthcoming boat dives.
The site is at Snodland near Rochester (details to follow) apparently it was in last months Sport Diver.
The lake has a max depth of 11m plus attractions at a cost of £7.50 includes a cup of tea plus airfills are available on site.

website is http://www.nda-scuba.com/

Post a comment if you are interested

Tenerife Scuba ~ March 2010

Just back from Tenerife and some very enjoyable diving, courtesy of Chris & Sarah of Tenerife Scuba . I enjoyed diving with Chris & Sarah five years ago and my return visit, sadly confined to just four dives, if anything demonstrated there was more interesting marine life than I expected.


Chris & Sarah are the most welcoming of hosts and good company through-out the day. They operate a RIB from the harbour of Las Galletas (East of Los Christianos). Much money has been invested in the harbour in the last five years and the benefits show! It's rather nice to enjoy lunch on one of the harbour arm restaurants during the surface interval.

Air temperatures were bewteen 21 and 23 Deg C and the water was between 20 and 21 Deg C. I was quite comfy in a full 5mm wet suit & hood. Underwater visibility was very good and one 35m+ dive we could easily see the surface.

Tenerife being a volcanic island has plenty of underwater rock but there was a good variety of marine life, huge sting ray, many morays, bait balls of fish , shoaling fish, barracuda, roncodores, long-legged spiney crabs, colourful shrimps, octopus, cuttle-fish. And there are some small wrecks and swim throughs. Many of the dives sites are a short run from the Harbour and one , Montana Amarilla is a MAMP (Protected Micro Marine Area). I really enjoyed it, may be one for Meridian Divers to visit in 2011?

Seazones - Easter Monday 5th April 2010

I have confirmed our places on Seazones with Mick for 5th April. Details as follows:-

Diving: Lancer & drift
Meet at Newhaven: 07:45
Ropes off: 08:15
Approx return: 15:00
Low water slack: approx 23 metres
Cost £35.00

Divers confirmed so far:-

1. Ernie
2. Simon
3. Tad
4. Trez
5. Chris

Please note anyone confirmed on the boat will be responsible for their place and if you do not turn up you still have to pay.
Mick and I are trying to fill the rest of the boat. If you are interested in joining us please add a comment.

Ernie

Buccanneer Eastbourne Dive booked

As mentioned at the meeting I have booked 5 spaces aboard Bucanneer Out of Eastbourne on Sunday 4th July

Meet and Dive times TBC

Divers

Chris P
Simon
Trez
Ernie
Tad

There a couple of spaces left if anyone is interested
once booked then you are liable for the cost

Get Well Soon Alex !

Best wishes to Alex for a speedy recovery from all at MD. Alex has been laid low by illness but is on the mend! Hope to see you soon!
Chris

Meridian Mutts - 21st February

Please see posting on Meridian Mutts for a walk on Sunday, or just click HERE!

PADI Forum 2010 Reminder ~ Brighton

PADI have sent me a reminder that their local 2010 Forum is being held on Saturday 27th February at Brighton College , Eastern Road, Brighton, BN2 0AL at 7pm.

This is always a great opportunity to hear what's new in the PADI world and to meet other PADI professionals.

Very conveniently it is being held in Brighton. Click HERE for details of the location.

Hope to see you there.

Meridian Divers Meeting ~ Wednesday 3rd March

The next MD meeting will be held at the Berwick Inn on Wednesday 3rd March at 7.30pm. The meeting Agenda is being sent out.

Channel Diver ~ Brighton Marina Boat Spaces

FEBRUARY
Wednesday 17th Brighton LANCER 11 27 11.00
Friday 19th Brighton IKEDA 25 7.00
Saturday 20th Brighton CITY OF WATERFORD 36 13.00
Saturday 27th Brighton UNKNOWN TL2's 54 07.30
Sunday 28th Brighton UNKNOWN SCALLOP WRECK 34 08.30

MARCH
Saturday 6th Brighton STEAM TRAWLER 16 13.00
Sunday 7th Brighton HMS MINION 46 08.00
Sunday 7th Brighton PENTRYCH 24 13.30
Tuesday 9th Brighton MARGA 50 08.30
Friday 12th Brighton TR THOMPSON 34 07.30
Saturday 20th Brighton UNKNOWN WRECK 50 11.00
Sunday 21st Brighton FORTUNA 33 07.00
Friday 26th Brighton ARIEL 28 12.00
Saturday 27th Brighton CITY OF WATERFORD 36 07.30
Monday 29th Brighton BRAUNTON 36 09.00
Wednesday 31st Brighton ASHFORD 42 10.00

APRIL
Friday 2nd Brighton PENTRYCH 20 07.00
Saturday 3rd Brighton CITY OF WATERFORD 30 07.30 £45
Monday 5th Brighton MOLDAVIA 50 07.00 £55
Wednesday 7th Brighton PAGENTURM 55 10.30 £45
Friday 9th Brighton CITY OF BRISBANE 27 07.00 £45
Friday 9th Brighton BESSELL 63 13.00 £45
Saturday 10th Brighton ARISTOS 58 13.30 £45
Monday 12th Brighton UNKNOWN BIG CRAB WRECK 36 08.30 £45
Wednesday 14th Brighton UNKNOWN WRECK 50 09.30 £45
Friday 16th Brighton HMS KERRYADO 39 11.00 £45
Sunday 18th Brighton CITY OF LONDON 30 07.00 £45
Monday 19th Brighton GERLEN 50 07.30 £45
Wednesday 21st Brighton TYCHO 33 09.00 £45
Thursday 22nd Brighton LANFRANC 2 Day French Trip 52 08.30 £165
Friday 23rd Brighton WARILDA 2 Day French Trip 50 09.00 £165
Monday 26th Brighton CLODMORE 27 09.00 £45
Wednesday 28th Brighton TR THOMPSON 34 09.30 £45
Friday 30th Brighton INDIANA & PIER 12 08.00 £45

To reserve a space call Steve 07970 674799

Buccanneer Eastbourne dates

Chris West From Buccanneer Has sent me this and I am definately up for a couple of the Eastbourne dates.

See Below June the 6th Is fully booked

Hi Guys,

We have some proposed trip dates for the summer.....

Fecamp - Three day trip. Dive on the way over to France. Maybe dive on the middle day and or dive on the return trip. You have to sort out accomodation, (I have contacts if you need them) and your meals. Dive costs approx £120 each. Max. 6 divers. Depths approx. 30metres. Bring back a case or two of wine too !

Leave Mon May 24th return Wed May 26th - Leave Wed July 21st return Fri July 23rd

Eastbourne - Dive from Eastbourne's Sovereign Marina on two different wrecks each trip. Approx. 30m first dive and shallower for the second dive. Usual cost for each day dive trip. Be aware there are no filling stations for dive gas in Eastbourne..

Proposed dates: Fri June 4th to Mon 7th - Sat July 3rd to Tues July 6th

Anyone interested, please let me know ASAP so we can start building/booking these trips trips now. They are all good neap tide trips and we shall have a really good time!

Chris
Buccaneer Dive Charters


I am Up for Monday 7th June and Monday 5th July

Tad

Advisory Committee On Historic Wreck Sites Annual Meeting

Today I found myself aboard HMS Belfast (above) attending the Annual meeting of the Committee On Historic Wreck Sites Annual Meeting for Licensees.
I was invited due to being involved in this years forthcoming Holland V dives of which Meridian Divers are included on on the Licence being held by Jamie from TWSAC.

The day consisted of various presentations ranging on the legislation for protected wrecks and updates on various projects around the country, there was also a question and answer session which at times became pretty heated which added to the fun.

The day was very interesting and was attended by many well known divers and Maritime Archeologists often seen on TV and Dive press. The venue HMS Belfast was very apt and added to the day plus they laid on a great lunchtime spread with other refreshments throughout the day.

Watch this space for the planned dates for Holland V dives which have to be reported on to the Advisory Committee .

Pentrych - Good Friday 2nd April 2010

Channel Diver/Steve is doing a trip to the Pentrych (20 mtrs) on Good Friday 2010. There are 6 spaces left. Cost £45.00. Ropes off from Brighton at 07:00.

Meridian Divers already booked are Simon and Ernie.

If you which to dive this wreck please contact Steve on www.channeldiving.com or 07970674799 or 01273 301142.

If you are going on this trip please post a comment.

Seazones - Easter Monday 5th April 2010

Meridian Divers has booked Mick/Seazones for Easter Monday. Cost is £35.00 each for wreck dive, drift and scones.

Seazones can take 8 divers. Please post a comment if you wish to reserve a space and state which wreck you would like to dive. Wreck with most choices will de dived.

1. Ernie - T R Thompson
2. Simon - S.S. Going with flow.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.

Ernie

Oceana, Air Show and BBQ - 12th August 2010

Eastbourne Air Show starts on Thursday 12th August 2010 and as usual Steve/Channel Diver is running wreck/air show/BBQ days.

Meridian Divers have booked places for Thursday (12th). Departing from Eastbourne Marina at 07:15 and costing £50.00 to dive the Oceana (24 metres), watch the air show and have a BBQ (bring own food). Divers confirmed are:-

1. Tad
2. Chris P
3. Simon
4. Sheila
5. Ernie

There are only 2 spaces left. If you wish to join us contact Steve on www.channeldiving.com or 07970 674399 or 01273 301142.

Please post a comment if you have booked a space

Arlington Film Show ~ Wednesday 3rd February

It was great to catch-up with divers from Eastbourne's Sovereign Divers and Tunbridge Wells Sub Aqua Club on Wednesday night. Simple plan that worked well, gather a pile of divers, talk about diving, watch some diving video and films, talk more diving , eat some snacks , drink some refreshments on and talk more diving! Anyone would think it was a February evening in a village hall full of divers ... er yes!

I usually find divers around the world are good mixers and with a shared interest it's not too difficult to bring things together. Jamie from TWSAC gave a briefing on diving on the wreck of the Holland submarine , a protected wreck near Beachy Head. We saw some video of the wreck and the viz was sooo good , it positively says 'come-on, come and take a look at me' , Jamie is the Licence holder and if you dive with him you can make a a 'look don't touch' dive on this most important of hostorical wrecks. And it's on our doorstep for goodness sakes ...what are you waiting for !

Well done to Tad for sorting out the technical stuff , thanks to the MDers for providing the refeshments ...very popular cakes Sheila ! All in all a very simple but good hearted get together . As a divers bunch of divers it's really good to get together. Networking ...it's what networks do well! So MDers ...lets do the circuit and make sure we follow-up the invites!

Meridian Mutts Walk - Sunday 31st January

Please see Meridian Mutts blog for details of Sunday's Walk.

Bowling - David Lloyd, Eastbourne.

Another good evenings bowling.

Team Pascoe & Taylor narrowly won, but they had an advantage of a secret weapon in the shape of 'Sharp Shooter Sue'.

Team Martin, Gregson & Benson gave a good showing but could not compete with 'Sharp Shooter Sue'. We know who we are having in our team next time. Definitely not my husband (Boss Eyed Benson). Should have gone to Specsavers.

Film Night ~ Wednesday 3rd February

The MD 3rd annual Film Night is a go on Wednesday 3rd of February , 7.30 pm at the Arlington Village Hall. All welcome, please bring some refreshments!

NEWSFLASH Jamie Smith from TWSAC will give a brief update on the planned Holland V licenced Dives this year (Licence has now been awarded) prior to the film being shown.
I will bring along the Holland V footage I already have just wet your appetites.

Per Ardua ad Astra .... and now the Seas!

Per Ardua ad Astra , is the motto of the Royal Air Force and means "Through Struggles to the Stars" but for members of the Air Training Corp Squadrons at Steyning & Storrington it might read "No Struggles to the Seas" as both Squadrons are planning to undertake the PADI Open Water Course. Iain S, an ex-military trained diver and now a work colleague of mine is putting the plan together which is hoped will involve twenty-five Cadets.

Iain has already started to put the plans into action with Ocean View Diving Services at Lancing. Twenty-five Open Water courses should keep them busy for a while and when they have done that Iain is planning a Red Sea trip for the Cadets to do their Advanced Open Water Course. Well done Iain, and thanks for the offer of joining you , I am glad to be of some assistance.

Malta Dive Trip ~ Wednesday 12th May 2010

The dive trip to Malta will be flying out on the Wednesday 12th May. See details on previous postings. I have booked the holiday for those who have confirmed. We can add to the booking, but to get the discounts we need to book before the end of the month. If you are interested please post a comment as soon as possible and I will contact you regarding, deposits, room type etc.

Sheila

Bowling - David Lloyd, Eastbourne.

I have booked two lanes at the David Lloyd for 19.30 on Wednesday 20th January.
Bowlers to date are:-

1. Chris P
2. Sue P
3. Tracey M
4. Sean G
5. Linda T
6. Simon T
7. Ernie B
8. Sheila B

May the best man or woman win !

Dive Malta - May 2010

We are looking to organise the trip to Malta sometime in May (but not the 1st week).
We will be diving with Deep Blue (http://www.divedeepblue.com/ ) 10 shore dive (boat dives incur a supplement) package is £232.00 if required 12 ltr Nitrox is £37.77.

The Hotel we have sourced is the 4 star 'Santana' (recommended by Deep Blue)which has a large selection of room choices. Board would be bed and breakfast which gives us the opportunity to eat out if we so wish.(http://www.hotelsantana.com/ ) We looked at prices for a superior twin room, bed and breakfast and flights with Air Malta (http://www.airmalta.com/ ) through Travel Republic which came out at £258.00 per person including transfers. Air Malta have a generous dive equipment allowance of an extra 32kg for £30.00.

This would make the whole trip around £600.00 if prices stay the same and we are able to book the choices above.

If you are interested please post a comment on the blog.

Interested so far:-

1. Chris P
2. Sue P
3. Simon T
4. Linda T
5. Ernie B
6. Sheila B
7. Debbie McD
8. Therese S

Makinac Disaster 1925, Newport, Rhode Island US

A posting on our sister blog , the T R Thompson illustrates the value of blogs in promoting maritime history and as a means to enable research. A US blog "Makinac Disaster" records the fatal explosion on a vessel off the coast of Rhode Island.

For details click HERE.

Diving Malta with Deep Blue?

Sheila has been doing some homework regarding a diving trip to Malta, just speculative at this stage with a range of options based on the week 3rd to 10th May 2010. There is quite a lot of information so I'll circulate the email for comments. It might be an idea to hire a BIG villa and all stay at the same place (though we don't have quotes for that just yet!) . Let me know if you want a copy of the information. Email / Comment as per usual.

Channel Divers ~ Dives

JANUARY
Wednesday 13th Brighton CITY OF WATERFORD 36 08.00 £45
Friday 15th Brighton BRAUNTON 36 09.00 £45
Saturday 16th Brighton UC65 German Submarine 46 08.30 £55
Wednesday 20th Brighton STEAM TRAWLER 16 07.00 £45
Friday 22nd Brighton TYCHO 33 07.30 £45
Monday 25th Brighton MOLDAVIA 50 09.30 £55
Friday 29th Brighton CITY OF BRISBANE 27 08.00 £45

FEBRUARY
Wednesday 3rd Brighton INDIANA & PIER 12 10.30 £45
Friday 5th Brighton RAMSGARTH 25 7.45 £45
Sunday 7th Brighton PENTRYCH 20 10.00 £55
Wednesday 10th Brighton CLODMORE 26 7.30 £45
Friday 12th Brighton BIG CRAB WRECK 36 8.00 £45
Sunday 14th Brighton SEAFORD FERRY 48 8.00 £55
Wednesday 17th Brighton LANCER 11 27 11.00 £45
Friday 19th Brighton IKEDA 25 7.00 £45
Saturday 20th Brighton CITY OF WATERFORD 30 7.30 £45

MARCH
Sunday 7th Brighton HMS MINION 46 8.00 £45
Monday 8th Brighton DUKE OF BUCCLEUGH 58 8.00 £50
Tuesday 9th Brighton MARGA 50 8.30 £55
Friday 12th Brighton TR THOMPSON 34 7.30 £45
Saturday 20th Brighton 10.30 £45
Sunday 21st Brighton FORTUNA 33 07.00 £45
Wednesday 24th Brighton NEW MARK MOLDAVIA AREA 50 08.00 £55
Friday 26th Brighton ARIEL 30 12.30 £45
Saturday 27th Brighton CITY OF WATERFORD 36 07.30 £45
Wednesday 31st Brighton ASHFORD 42 10.00 £45

APRIL
Friday 2nd Brighton PENTRYCH 20 07.00 £45
Saturday 3rd Brighton CITY OF WATERFORD 30 07.30 £45
Monday 5th Brighton MOLDAVIA 50 07.00 £55
Wednesday 7th Brighton PAGENTURM 55 10.30 £45
Friday 9th Brighton CITY OF BRISBANE 27 07.00 £45
Friday 9th Brighton BESSELL 63 13.00 £45
Saturday 10th Brighton ARISTOS 58 13.30 £45
Monday 12th Brighton UNKNOWN BIG CRAB WRECK 36 08.30 £45
Wednesday 14th Brighton UNKNOWN WRECK 50 09.30 £45
Friday 16th Brighton HMS KERRYADO 39 11.00 £45
Sunday 18th Brighton CITY OF LONDON 30 07.00 £45
Monday 19th Brighton GERLEN 50 07.30 £45
Wednesday 21st Brighton TYCHO 33 09.00 £45
Thursday 22nd Brighton LANFRANC 2 Day French Trip 52 08.30 £165
Friday 23rd Brighton WARILDA 2 Day French Trip 50 09.00 £165
Monday 26th Brighton CLODMORE 27 09.00 £45
Wednesday 28th Brighton TR THOMPSON 34 09.30 £45
Friday 30th Brighton INDIANA & PIER 12 08.00 £45

MAY
Tuesday 4th Brighton QUAIL 40 08.00 £45
Wednesday 5th Brighton DUKE OF BUCCLEUGH 58 08.00 £50
Monday 10th Brighton ASHFORD 42 07.30 £45
Wednesday 12th Brighton BLANEFIELD 33 08.30 £45
Friday 14th Brighton LALEN MENDI 25 09.30 £50
Monday 17th Brighton STEAM TRAWLER 16 07.00 £45
Wednesday 19th Eastbourne UC65 German Submarine 43 08.15 £50
Thursday 20th Eastbourne CHATEAU MARGEAUX 37 07.45 £55
Friday 21st Eastbourne CHATEAU MARGEAUX area 40 07.45 £55
Monday 31st Brighton FORTUNA 33 13.00 £45

2010 French Trips
April
Thursday 22nd - Friday 23rd 2 Day FeCamp Trip Lanfranc 52m & Warilda 50m
June
Monday 7th - Friday 11th 5 Day D-Day Beaches Trip 25m - 40m wrecks
July
Wednsday 28th - Friday 30th 3 Day Dieppe Trip 20m - 40m wrecks
October
Thursday 14th - Friday 15th 2 Day FeCamp Trip Warilda 50m & New Mid-Channel Wreck French Side

To reserve a space call Steve 07970 674799

Dead Sea Diving!

Nicky has sent me a link to Dead Sea Divers who offer some extreme diving in the worlds saltiest sea! Click HERE to view their website including a short underwater video.... I think it would have been a longer video if the housing hadn't 'dissolved' in salt! I'm not sure it's for me but it would be 'one for the logbook' !

Bowling ~ David Lloyd

Sorry, had the calender on May (looking at Malta Holiday) the date should be Wednesday 20th and comments by 13th. I have amended the original posting!

Bowling ~ David Lloyd, Eastbourne.

As discussed at the last meeting I was tasked with arranging a Bowling Night in January.

Bowling at the David Lloyd, Eastbourne on Monday-Thursday is £10.00 for 3 games or £9.00 for 2 games.

How about 3 games on Wednesday 20th January at 19.30.

If you are interested can you please post a comment by Wednesday the 13th so that I can get it booked.

2010 ~ Where Do You Wanna Go?

I thought it might be a good idea with Christmas behind us to think about overseas trips in 2010. The October meeting put Malta (in May) up as a suggestion and Sheila & Ernie are doing some research. While that is coming together if you have any other (additional) destinations in mind add a comment or drop me an email. Hard to imagine not visiting the Red Sea sometime in the year, creatures of habit and all that!

Happy New Year !

Best wishes for a happy New Year to all MDers and readers, fingers crossed for good weather & viz, and safe and fun dives!

Marsa Alam Video

Another genuine Christmas present ... this time details of a YouTube video posted by dive buddy Jan from the September 2009 visit to Marsa Alam ...lovely colours! Well done Jan!



Oh, and there are some super shots of Dennis the Dugong in this video! And if that sea creature isn't amazing enough , take a look at Jan's octopus video, which shows what a wonderful master of disguise the octopus is!

Happy Christmas to All Our Readers

Happy Christmas to all MDers and to all our many readers! We received a Christmas present from Canada today, details of the that are shown on our 'sister' blog on the Wreck of the T R Thompson, click HERE to read more about that.

Best wishes to you all and good diving for 2010.

Chris

Taba, Egypt ~ Only a Month Ago

Paul: "I tell you, it was that big!"

Andy, with the Egypt / Israel border fence on the rocks above

PADI Paddling Practice!

With snow , freezing conditions, black ice, rain and all the other English winter 'goodies' it's hard to remember it was only last month that three of us were diving of the coast of Taba. My dive buddy Paul , has sent some shots he took which I'll have to add to refresh myself of the contrast!

Happy Christmas Too!

Due to a number of reasons I am not able to get down to deliver cards etc before Xmas so to add to Ernie and Sheila's previous post I would like to add my happy Christmas greetings to all Meridian Divers and friends plus any others who read this blog!

Happy Xmas From Tad

Christmas & New Year Greetings

Ernie & I would like to wish you all a very happy Christmas and New Year. Looking forward to some good holidays, diving and social evenings in 2010.

Sheila

P.S. See Meridian Mutts re: New Year Walk.

Christmas Dinner 2009 ~ Done!

The Meridian Divers' Christmas Dinner was held at the Berwick Inn, Berwick on Wednesday 16th December. The Berwick Inn has been under new management since last April and landlord , Tony, has done a great deal on improving the Inn and creating a very welcoming atmosphere.

The 'traditional' MD pursuits of a Christmas raffle and Photo Competition were honoured. The photo competition was a challenge with over 100 photos taken from the blog over the last year being viewed, well just about anyway! Ernie took pole position with his black tipped reef shark , photo'd in the Caribbean !

After the dinner there was a compered quiz that had been arranged by the Inn and prizes were awarded for the winners, again courtesy of Tony , which we thought was a very friendly gesture.

The cold and dark night made us all think of warmer seas and good viz, lets hope we can get those plans acted upon as 2010 unfolds.

Diver Magazine ~ Meridian Divers & TWSAC

Meridian Divers & Tunbridge Wells Sub Aqua Club are mentioned extensively in an article by John LIDDIARD entilted "Newhaven New Identities" that is published in the DIVER Magazine (January 2010 edition, pages 72 to 76). The article covers several wrecks and in particular the T R Thompson , the subject of Meridian Divers NAS Wreck Project. John's article has some new pictures and extends our knowledge of the wreck , it really helps to have an expert on the team!

The article also promotes the Meridian Divers blog which is linked to our project blog. We hope that the national publicity will draw attention to the T R Thompson and that it will lead to even more people contacting us with more information . The project blog is a treasure chest of information on the wreck and we hope it will be a benfit to divers with an interest in the wreck's history.

Click HERE to view the T R THOMPSON Project Blog

Wreck Database & UK Hydrographic Service

The wrecksite has signed a license agreement with the UK Hydrographic Office and is now the most comprehensive resource of information about shipwrecks around the coasts of Great Britain and Ireland.

Along with over 40,000 positions reported, it displays these wrecks on 172 true maritime charts. This includes over 25,600 detailed survey reports , derived from the UK Hydrographic Office database.

All of this information is available for a small annual subscription fee of 25 euros: sign up at www.wrecksite.eu

Raffle - Christmas Dinner

We will be doing the raffle again at the dinner. Prizes would be gratefully received.

Images of a small island

We left London on a cold and rainy November morning and arrived in the Turks & Caicos Islands (T.C.I.) to a very comfortable 28 degrees.

We stayed at the Beaches Resort in Grace Bay. This resort was absolutely fantastic. It had 16 Restaurants from white glove service down to an American Fifties Dinner (yes we ate at all of them).

This was an all inclusive holiday which really was all inclusive.We did not have to spend a penny whilst there. There was even a bar in our room with every alcoholic drink you could think of (shame we don't drink). For those who want to be active there was a fully equipped gym and spa complex. All the water sports were included, hobbie cats, kayaks, water bikes, snorkelling (off shore and boat) and last but not least 2 dives a day with a choice of four dive boats from a very well run dive centre.

Just one of the dive boats we used

As well as five pools there was a large water park for the children

White sand and blue sea. What more could you want?

Below is a selection of the marine life we encountered on our 20 dives.

Goodbye from T.C.I.

Halcyon Equipment Workshop ~Saturday 12th December

Halcyon have agreed to put on an equipment workshop at Ocean View this Saturday,they will be bringing along about 6 sets of equipment including single tank systems as well as twin set up's including the new Cinch set up,8.5L cylinders,torches etc etc.
There will be a chance to try these sets out in the pool between 12.00 and 3.00pm they will also be bringing some of their other products for people to look at.
If there is anything that anyone genuinly would like to look at, let Graeme know and he will call them.

If you are interested please call Ocean view on 01903 767224

All welcome and a happy Christmas to you all.

All you ever didn't want to know about Diving Cylinders

For all info the latest update on the manufacture , inspection & carriage of diving cylinders , click HERE!

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.