Time to Dive Again!

The new diving season is almost upon us and like usual the Croydon 23 divers are preparing their kit ready for 2012 action. Some club members are already braving the various inland lakes to test their kit and continue to refine their skills, you never know when these will be needed so we like to practice, practice, practice. Various equipment has been sent off over the winter months for servicing and await their fresh trials back in the pool before jumping into our British sea’s. We have access to a pool on a Wednesday night from 8pm to 9.30pm, so this gives everyone plenty of opportunity to meet up, test kit and have a good catch up. The 2012 calendar was well received at the AGM in late November and we are all looking forward to the full year’s day dives we have booked with the various skippers on the south coast. These are of course in addition to the usual Plymouth weekends away on Venture in April and August run by Paul and Alan’s annual trip to Scapa Flow, this year he will be racing to the north on the 7th -14th July and taking up the usual week’s residence aboard Sunrise to explore the various wrecks and sites of Scapa. This is a great trip and always enjoyed by everyone, Alan has been running this for about 19 years now and everything is thought of and runs like clockwork. Some will of course also explore overseas waters and we have 3 trips already booked to explore the French waters.

The number of Rebreather’s has increased in the club over the past 6 months so I’m sure we will start to see some trips being planned for greater depths and long bottom times. We have also seen an excellent increase in club members as the word continues to spread that we are a diving club that actually goes diving very often weekly in the summer months. This allows the training team to continue their busy programmes of bring along new and existing members to greater skill levels.

Anyway, enough from me for now – catch up soon.

• Marc Dellow (Expeditions Officer)

2012 Dive List Now Available!!!!!!!

Our list of dives for 2012 is now available online. As usual we have a great mix of locations, depths and single/weekend/week long trips to make sure everyone from trainees to salty old sea dogs gets a splash. Highlights include:

• Our usual Brighton stuff from the excellent boats Channel Diver and Brighton Diver
• Eastbourne jollys diving from Dive125
• A couple of Plymouth weekends with the rather brilliant Pete on Venture Charters
• A big old beano up to dive Scapa Flow from Sunrise

You can download the PDF Dive List here. If you are interested in joining the club and diving with us please feel free to get in touch.

Club Dive, 4 September 2011: HMS Moldavia

7am ropes off is never what you want the conspiracy of moon sun and sea to have plotted as your Sunday morning fate, but the chance to dive the Moldavia can entice any diver to manfully walk the plank onto Channel Diver despite a force 5 on the horizon. 12 not so angry men, despite the hour, did just that last Sunday and were rewarded for their efforts.

Club Dive: 14 August 2011, The Pottery Wreck

This trip to the Pottery Wreck from Eastbourne turned into a brilliant day out that was enjoyed by all. A key factor was the additional interest of the Eastbourne Air Show. The good ship Channel Diver was strategically positioned to enable the crew to gain optimum enjoyment from the experience. The sound of a pair of Typhoons on a low level fly-pass with their after-burners on regulo 12 was unforgettable.

Some footage from the dive:

• Roger Smith

Chairman’s Chatter, Croydon 23 Bulletin #1

Dear Members,

There have been a number of positive developments in the club over the last few months so I thought I’d put together a chairman’s report in the form of a bulletin to keep you all informed.

Trip Report: Lundy Island 23-24 July 2011

Diving with seals is one of the 1000 things to do before you die, and Lundy is the place to go to tick off this particular chore.  It’s a long drive to get to Ilfracombe on the north Devon coast (6 hours on a Friday evening), and then a long sail to get to the island (1 ½ hrs against the tide) the following morning.  

Trip Report: The Twins, 29 July 2011

With our lovely British weather causing so many dives to be blown out of late, it was music to my ears to hear from Chris Vanstone that he had some spaces to fill on an Eastbourne week from Monday 25th to Friday 29th July on our much loved Channel Diver ( AKA Choppy Charters ).  Looking through the list of planned dives for the week, I immediately thought I wonder if I can have a week off they are all such great wreck it was difficult to know which ones to pick and the weather was looking at its best for a long time.

Trip Report: Dieppe 2011

After the success of last year’s trip to Dieppe I booked another 3-dayer with Steve on Channel Diver for 2011. Unfortunately the weather didn’t play ball, but being hardy types we got on with it and went diving.

The Crew

Trip Report: Scapa Flow 2011

As dawn broke on Friday 17^th June 2011, the nocturnal tranquillity was broken by the clatter of a turbo-charged diesel minibus being fired into life. A determined Bonner was at the wheel focused on his first diving trip toScapa Flow. The initial destination was Chateau Glen nestling in the suburbs of leafy Streatham. At this venue, other sleepy-eyed participants joined the party and we were off for in search of a comfortable overnight stay and a very welcome curry inHamilton, a relatively upmarket area on the outskirts ofGlasgow. Mason and Lucas had planned a further photographic/diving jolly to the remote Shetland Isles. Mason, therefore, was independently travelling in his dive-mobile with Proudfoot as co-driver. Lucas was flying viaAberdeen toKirkwall airport on Sunday, the final leg being by a turbo-prop Airfix model dating back to the early sixties.

Club Dive: 7th May, The Ramsgarth

Another club dive from the good ship Channel Diver skippered by Steve Johnson. A choppy sea, pouring rain and some thunder and lightening greeted us in Brighton, which is hardly the best start to a day’s diving…especially after the fantastic weather we had at Easter. Still, us Croydon BSACers are hardy sorts and strapped the gear down for a lumpy ride to the Ramsgarth.

Not much to tell about this one as the viz was terrible, with the May plankton bloom having arrived in full force. Still, everyone had a decent-ish dive and made the best of it, with a few scallops being procured. After tea and biscuits we were heading back against the sea so were in for a bumpy ride to our second dive site (South West Rocks, just off of Shoreham). Lessons learnt on the way the the second dive include:

• Strapping your gear down properly is a good idea when it’s rough.
• 15l twinsets don’t necessarily put holes in the deck when they fall off their benches.
•  Dave I sounds like a lion roaring when he’s being seasick.

Not the best day we’ve ever had, by some diving is better than no diving. Let’s hope the viz improves soon.

Paul Brown