SCUBA NOVEMBER 2024 issue 150 | Page 31

Imagine , a club based on an island , with two boats , plenty of dive managers and magnificent dive sites . Kristina Pedder meets the Isle of Man Sub Aqua Club
CLUBFOCUS

Isle of Man Sub Aqua Club

LOCATION : The Irish Sea
MEMBERSHIP FEE : £ 85 , £ 45 for juniors , £ 9.50 for snorkel / social members
CONTACT : Membership Secretary : Emma Wild e emmajane1073 @ googlemail . com
Chair : Leigh Morris e Leigh3666 @ hotmail . com
F www . facebook . com / isleofmansubaquaclub / I www . instagram . com / iomsubaquaclub /

Imagine , a club based on an island , with two boats , plenty of dive managers and magnificent dive sites . Kristina Pedder meets the Isle of Man Sub Aqua Club

When was the club formed ?
We are proud to be among the oldest BSAC clubs ; branch number 76 . Formed in 1959 , our origins are in the Port Erin Marine Field Research Station ( now closed ), where the original club committee members were based .
Tell us about the Isle of Man
The Isle of Man is at the centre of the Irish Sea . It ’ s not part of the UK you know , so if you came to dive here you could tick off another country . We are a UK Crown Dependency and , delightfully , the only whole nation in the world that is a UNESCO Biosphere .
Steering a RIB through the Calf Sound
Who are your members ?
Our 50 or so members are a mix of genders and ages : some born on the Isle of Man ; others who have moved here . Most are scuba diving members , but some snorkel as well . We have a spread of experience including two First class Divers , six Advanced Divers , nine Dive Leaders , five Sports Divers , 13 Ocean Divers and some 10 trainees , including those with other agency qualifications who may need drysuit training .
In the past year , we have had some notable people come diving with the club .
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