CLUBFOCUS
Working on the new club space
Country and Western music enthusiasts , and the Karate Club . Sundays saw the Yorkshire Federation of Divers convening at our venue . Over the years , we hosted countless divers during our annual river races .
And now ?
We haven ’ t had our own clubhouse for several years but have been part of larger sports clubs . We recently wanted to upgrade to a larger space as the club grew and to save some money , and so we undertook a huge move . We are lucky
Training at Ellerton Park
24 enough to have a new club meeting space at Huntington Sports Club , north of the city centre . As part of the move , we took the opportunity to upgrade our club compressor and nitrox offerings and expand the storage we have for club equipment . We have a regular pool session , which we share with the University of York Sub-Aqua Club . This allows us both to share the cost of the sessions and to share instructors . It also gives both clubs the opportunity to socialise and share diving plans .
PHOTO : AARON COOK
That sounds great . When do you go diving ?
There is a range of diving throughout the whole year ; a mix of inland , shore , charter boat and liveaboard diving . We run club trips to dive in the Lake District , Scotland , and we have recently also visited Malta and the Red Sea . The club has always focused on the health of local seas and in the last couple of years we have undertaken beach cleans , joining the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust ’ s Waves of Waste initiative .
What is your local diving like ?
Luckily , we are not too far from east coast diving in South Shields , the Farne Islands and St Abbs so we have plenty of opportunity for really great local diving . The club ’ s favourite spots are the Farnes and St Abbs , as these have been where many of our members have had their first sea dives . On our most recent dive trip to the Farnes everyone was very excited with not only the seals but the dolphin sightings .
Sadly we don ’ t have a boat at present ; we had a RIB only a few years ago but this was sold when we had fewer members and it was not being used as much . Now we think we could benefit from having a club boat again . With a rigid-hulled inflatable boat ( RIB ), we could offer more local diving .
What type of training is most popular with members ?
The club offers the Diver Training Programme at all levels and , as we speak , members are working on Ocean Diver ,