Bury Sub Aqua Club recently celebrated its 50th anniversary , and now the members are focused on rejuvenation . Interview by Kristina Pedder
CLUBFOCUS
Team Bury after plaque installation at Capenwray
Bury Sub Aqua Club
Bury Sub Aqua Club recently celebrated its 50th anniversary , and now the members are focused on rejuvenation . Interview by Kristina Pedder
LOCATION : Greater Manchester MEMBERSHIP FEE : £ 150 plus BSAC
CONTACT : e info @ burysac . org . uk ! burysac . org . uk F facebook . com / burysubaquaclub
When was Bury SAC formed ?
In 1973 . Sue Platt was the first Diving Officer and by all accounts ( including husband Brian ’ s ) key to getting things off the ground . The club has just celebrated 50 years and invited some founding members to the party , it was great to hear their tales . Brian made his own regulators from gas valves back in the day , and everyone dived using whatever they could make or repurpose . It ’ s a miracle they are still around .
Who are your members today ?
There are 25 divers , of which 20 are active ; some of them have been with us for decades . Peak membership was around 45 . At present , we have three trainees , six Ocean Divers , four Sports Divers , eight Dive Leaders , two Advanced Divers , a First Class Diver and a PADI Dive Master . Just one is a junior member and we are working on changing that demographic , using snorkel training .
What ’ s club life like ?
Our training calendar is busy , with trips to inland sites for existing members , but we don ’ t yet have any new trainees . The dive calendar is not so busy , without critical mass there are few trips away , just our annual Porthkerris visit to look forward to at the moment . Members have a fantastic knowledge base of dive sites and dive kit , and the training department is very nurturing , it ’ s just that we haven ’ t had the numbers for dive trips lately . We take new trainees on our boat to show them what club diving has to offer .
Club RIB Orange Peel catching some rays
So , you own a boat ?
Yes . Bury was the birthplace of Robert Peel who is remembered for the formation of the Metropolitan London Police Force ; we named our six-metre RIB Orange Peel after him . The RIB lives in a boat yard in Anglesey ; no towing , no launching by members required . In 2023 , we installed an integrated sonar and navigation system to better find and identify underwater features . We replaced the original trailer with a ‘ new ’ secondhand one to be ready for the start of the season . We can take six divers plus a cox ’ n . Sadly , even after this the boat only went out twice in 2023 .
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