MD Christmas Dinner ~ Thursday 1st December

Just a note to say that I have emailed the menus to all that have indicated they wish to attend. If you haven't received the email please let me know ASAP!
Thanks
Chris

MD Christmas Dinner ~ Thursday 1st December

The MD Christmas Dinner will be held at the Juggs Inn, Kingston, Lewes on Thursday 1st December. Details will be circulated asap.

Eastbourne Airshow dive

On request I have asked Chris West about running the annual eastbourne airshow dive as steve from channel divers is unable to do it this year.
Chris has offered to make the trip up from shoreham to Eastbourne on Friday 12th august the cost would be £50 pounds to cover the cost of fuel and overnight mooring fees. The plan would be to dive Alunia with 8.45 am ropes off we would need a maximum of 8 divers to make this cost effective

Please post your interest

BBC Britains Secrets Seas

For details of a new BBC series click HERE

Bowling - David Lloyd

Kuba from Planet Divers has contacted me regarding our invitation for a joint bowling night. They are up for it and favour a Friday night and have suggested either 3rd June. Approx 10 members have indicated that they would be up for it.

Lets make it a good night with plenty of Meridian diver bowlers showing off their prowess.

Easter weekend diving

Anybody fancy some dives this weekend
Saturday Buccaneer doing steam trawler ropes off 1.00 pm which I need to film for a project someone is doing on Sussex fisherman and on sunday will be trying to swing another dive somewhere else hopefully

Tad

Britains Secret Seas (BSAC) on BBC2 ~ 8th May 2011

With BSAC members involved in the programme, including presenter and expedition leader Paul Rose, Britain’s Secret Seas is a fantastic way to show non divers – and potential new BSAC members – just what we have on our own UK doorstep.

This stunning four-part series travels around the UK coastline from north to west, focusing on the diverse marine world we have around our own coastline, with many of the locations featured well-known to many of our divers.

To view the BSAC link click HERE!

Arsend (Big Crab ) Wreck Dive ~ 10th April

Silly hat contest winners
Photo courtesy of Rob King TWSAC

Saturday I was due to dive out of Shoreham with Chris West and after setting my alarm clock for 4.45am I then pressed snooze and the upshot of that was that I got up at 6 loaded the car and set out but realised that Shoreham wasn't doable in an hour so after profuse apologies on the phone to Chris I drove back home and back to bed.

In every dark cloud there is they say a silver lining which in this case came from an offer from Ian from TWSAC to go out in his boat Wasp Sunday morning so rather than risk another over sleep I headed down to Sussex that evening crashed at my parents and made sure that I was in Newhaven for plenty of time for ropes off.

I always prefer to do something reasonably shallow for the first dive of the season plus just having the kit serviced I like to err on the side of caution so it was instead of the 15m dive I was going to do on Saturday I found myself heading out to do a TWSAC favourite lovingly named the Arse End or to the Charters The Big Crab Wreck sitting at around 31m on a low tide. I was joined on the boat by TWSAC stalwarts Jamie (mankini) Smith, Rob(I have a stiff one) King, Jools (a penny for them)Attwood Ian (for gods sake speak English) Davis and Dawn (does my bum look big in this) .....

Having just done my boat handling course with Ian on Wasp confidence is high on reaching the wreck and shotting it which was done with expert precision by Ian. The sea was a bit choppy and didn't look as clear as hoped but we were here and we were going to dive. Rob and Jools were first in and sent up the shot confirming that we on the wreck. Jamie and I were soon kitted up and rolling over the side and down the shot vis worries were soon allayed as we reached the wreck at 30m plus there was reasonable ambient light.

Being a new wreck to me Jamie led the dive as it is one of his favourites and he was soon wriggling in a gap in search for goodies and out again with a couple of Victorian pennies how the bloody hell he does that I don't know he can just smell the spidge. we worked around the stern area and across towards the engines. I have to admit that not having a warm under suit the 9.c water wasn't helping my concentration plus I needed a piss badly.

The wreck is split in two with the bow section slightly away from the main body of the wreck we didn't get to this as there was plenty of the main wreck to explore. I hadn't taken the camera in as it was my first dive of the years plus I had just had my regs serviced so wanted to be ready in case there was a problem, but if you want to see a previously shot video shot by sheila from TWSAC there is one on the TWSAC blog shot a couple of years ago www.twsac.blogspot.com look at the twsac wreck tours.

Starting to get very chilly I was relieved to see Jamie shoot the blob after 30 mins which meant that we were doing a minimum of stops so no long hangs in the cold. Once back on the rib we waited for Ian and Dawn who had dropped in once Rob and Jools had surfaced and I was given the chance to put my newly acquired boat handling skills into practice by retrieving them both and taking the rib back to port.

Sitting in the warm spring sunshine back in Newhaven it was great to reflect on a great first dive of the year although reports were coming in of 10 -15m vis on the wrecks further west and the words to Ian "Go West Young Man" echoing in my ears from earlier that morning when deciding where to go.

Thanks to Ian Rob Jools Dawn and Jamie from TWSAC for a great first 2011 dive and introducing another new wreck to me.

Tad

Next MD Meeting ~ Wednesday 6th April

The next MD meeting will be at 8pm on Wednesday 6th April at the Berwick Inn.

Taba Heights , March 2011

Frog Fish (aren't they hard to photo!)

What with a few tourists being nibbled by an Oceanic White-Tip shark a few weeks ago and political unrest in major cities like Cairo & Luxor , it might not be surprising to learn that the occupancy rate for hotels in Taba Heights was lower than normal.  Of course, no marine life incidents have been reported recently and it was quiet and very peaceful  during my visit.

My visit was a 'Holiday with Diving' status trip , as opposed to a diving holiday! I went with an ol'buddy who I taught to dive some years ago, his son and our better halves!  The airline's as SUCH a pain these days, for the first time I decided to hire a wet suit rather than take my own (and carry the weight!).

We had planned to do only four dives , but my plans were reduced by 50% when on the second day, it transpired the wet suit on board was (despite assurances from Waterworld to the contrary) was used by another diver ... well he got to it first and there were no other hire suits on board!  So the second day was a 'lovely' boat ride along the coast of Taba Heights. Waterworld did (thankfully) refund the whole day.

So my TWO dives were :-

a). Mugabila , 47mins at max depth of 21.3m , and

b). Jack's Tables, 46mins at max depth of 18.6m

The better dive was the second dive at Jack's Tables, as the names suggests plenty of big table corals. Highlights on that dive were sightings of an octopus, a big green and red frog fish, stone fish and a devil scorpion fish.

The water temperature was 21/22 degrees C and the air temperature varied from 26 to 34 degrees, it was quite breezy on occasions , but that is not unusual in that part of the Sinai.

A very pleasant and relaxed trip ... oh, if any finds a fuji underwater camera (no , not mine) , my buddy managed to part company with his on a second Jack's Table dive!

Clown Fish (You always have to photo one!)