Stoney Cove Night Dives

Night diving is the first and third Wednesdays of every month and we plan on being at every one. Please join us and bring your better halves. If you need a buddy or want any more information contact Gary on 07973 120122 or email

garry@marlinsac.co.uk

November 2009      4th and 18th

December 2009      2nd and 16th

January 2010         6th and 20th

February 2010       3rd and 17th

March 2010           3rd and 17th

April 2010             7th and 21st

May 2010              5th and 19th
June 2010          2nd and 16th

July 2010              7th and 21st

August 2010          4th and 18th

September 2010    1st and 15th

October 2010        6th and 20th

Angelsea Trip: Easter Weekend

As part of my dive leader qualification I am organising a weekend away in Anglesey.

Places are limited on the trip due to the accommodation, so early booking is necessary to avoid disappointment.

The weekend will start by meeting at Anglesey Adventures in Porth Dafach (picture of the accommodation opposite). The centre is a self contained unit with a kitchen, living room, single room, double room and a dormitory sleeping 6. There is also a drying room and ample parking on site. There is a bar approximately 200m away from the front door.Diving on Anglesey has been rated as the best in Great Britain and I'm sure that it will not disappoint.

Itinerary:

The cost of the trip will be approximately £100, this will include 3 nights’ accommodation and food.

Porthdafarch Bay is a small cove, bordered on either side by high, rugged cliffs, and an ideal spot for novices to train and do their early open-water dives. Entry and exit are easy - you just walk down or up the beach. The depths are shallow, about 8m maximum, but there are plenty of rock crevices to explore. Kelp covers the rocks, while the centre of the bay is covered in sand. Experienced divers can swim further out of the bay and explore a series of deeper gullies running up to the cliff face. Large shoals of pollack are often found gathered at the seaward end of the bay. During the summer months you could expect to come across bass and sand eels.

The Missouri wreck is about 250m off Porth Dafach beach. A former cotton-carrier, the three-masted steamer was carrying cattle from Liverpool to Boston when it ran into a terrible snowstorm and hit rocks here in 1886.
The Missouri makes a perfect  wreck dive for any beginner, though even the most seasoned diver can return to discover new parts as the sands shift with the tides. Lying in a sheltered bay at a maximum14m, with next to no current, you can drop down on the hull for a good, long look around. The wreck is quite badly broken up, but the large recognisable sections make this a fun and easy dive, with lots of plaice and dogfish around, as well as the ubiquitous wrasse.

May 29th – 6th June 2010

May 29th – 6th June 2010 will see a small and dedicated group of divers from the Marlin club embark on a long road journey to dive the sunken World War I fleet of ships just off the isle of Orkney. There are plenty of dives to choose from including wrecks, technical and the scenic variety. Clear waters and abundant marine life make for excellent cold water dives and great photograph opportunities.
The cost per diver for accommodation, boat hire, air (other gas mixes cost extra), cylinder and weights are included, amounts to £310.61 (11 divers). A deposit of £130 secured a place on the trip and remainder of the money will need to be paid by 29th March 2010.
The accommodation is called The Harbourlee in Stromness, a self catering house with laundry facilities, toilet and shower room, a well equipped kitchen and four ensuite rooms on the 1st and 2nd floor. This house is able to accommodate 12 people in total. Non divers are also welcome to join us on our trips and for this trip we have eleven divers and one non-diver signed up.
We have hired the MV Jean Elaine boat for 6days diving with 2 dives per day.

                                
                                       
                                                                                                   New lift to make it easy to exit!

Photographs from Jean Elaine website, you can access more from Jean Elaine website
On board are two independent compressors and it is IANTD registered Nitrox Facility. The wheelhouse is fully fitted with VHF, colour echo sounder, radar and GPS. The Jean Elaine has full third party liability insurance but doesn’t cover divers in the water. All divers are reminded to have their own diving cover.
For more details of the diving opportunities and details Andy Cuthbertson the skipper of the Jean Elaine has various links from their website Jean Elaine diving database

June 26th / 27th  2010 Farne Islands

 A Hard Boat and accommodation have been booked for the Farne Islands with; www.farnedivingservices.co.uk for the weekend beginning Friday 25th June 2010. Estimated cost at the moment is £110 per person, to include bunkhouse type accommodation, full English breakfast (Sat and Sun) and 4 dives, air will be charged on top and is available at the accommodation. Rooms are 6 bed dorms, doubles or twins. Camping is available. This year's cost was £8 a night for a pitch. Non diving partners are welcome; there is plenty of accommodation available. If anyone wants to go before Friday or stay on after Sunday that can also be arranged. There is a range of diving suitable for all grades with scenic dives, wrecks and diving with the seals.  The boat will take 12 divers max. For more info see Garry Hems. £25 deposit per person to be paid before Christmas please remainder will be due before May 31st. Cancellation fee will be the cost of the boat, roughly £80.

July 17th / 18th  2010

The  New  Hard Boat at Fort Bovisand, Plymouth, “Red Alert” has been booked for the weekend July 17th / 18th  2010. The boat can take 12 divers, offering a possible 3 dives a day depending on which dives we do. Boat costs  £80  per  person, £30 deposit secures place  accommodation  to  be  sorted  after  Christmas

Fort Bovisand Harbour offers a lot of life in terms of crabs, starfish, cuttlefish and many small fish renowned across the whole area. There is a really good nature trail marked out by a rope system leading you around the rocks to see a vast amount of plant life as well as the little creatures that live amongst it. A perfect place for training beginners and shore diving with plenty of life to give everyone something to look at

Accommodation
The Fort has a range of rooms, which are being refurbished over the winter. A harbour-side twin-berth room with en suite facilities costs £45 per night atm or £35 for single occupancy. Dormitories start from £12 per person per night. Self-catering accommodation is also available. Communal washrooms are situated around the Fort. Non divers and snorkellers welcome.

For more information on the boat, the site and the diving ask Steve or go to :- www.discoverydivers.org

August 21st / 22nd  2010

The  Hard Boat “Blue Turtle” out of Lyme Regis has been booked for the weekend August 21st / 22nd  2010. The boat can take 12 divers. Boat costs  approx £90  per  person, £30 deposit secures place  accommodation  to  be  sorted  after  Christmas. For further details ask Steve or look at www.blueturtle.uk.com