SCUBA October 2022 Issue 129 | Page 27

Each month we feature a selection of your letters

Each month we feature a selection of your letters

We ’ re still looking for a new prize for a Star Letter , so please bear with us for a while longer . It ’ s a difficult time for the diving industry , so sponsorships are a tricky proposition at the moment .

ChatSend your letters to simon @ scubamagazine . co . uk

Inner Space Odyssey

FOR ME , DIVING WAS A NEW YEAR ’ S resolution that changed my life for the better . It started as a fun novelty , and soon a hobby became an addiction to the water .
Simply looking and enjoying the marine life in the Silent World is one of the best feelings . Who knew that one day I would hunt for tiny , adorable creatures such as nudibranchs ?
I owe my thanks to the great BSAC dive

Guildford ’ s river royalty

EVERY YEAR , OUR CLUB TAKES PART IN A CHARITY RIVER RACE , AND THE HEATblasted month of July saw us take to the water in darkest Surrey . The theme was the Jubilee and the environment , so we decorated our raft as a castle , complete with members of the Royal family .
It was easy to use recycled materials , as the raft itself is many years old and gets recycled every year in any case . We used old cardboard for decorations , made seat covers from an old sheet , and used water paints destined for the bin . Our ‘ crown jewels ’ were purchased in a second hand shop for 20p . Members Duncan and Ralph did a river clean the day before and off we went .
The raft was crewed by Gill , Alfie Alex and John in fancy dress , to many laughs from the public . Alex portrayed the Queen , and generated so much interest , I think he was the most photographed person on the day .
After being attacked by water guns and water bombs by the public and fellow competitors , our raft was partly underwater , but we made it to the finish , bested only by an inflatable boat . We won first place for best dressed raft and crew , raised funds for the incredible Lions charity and it was a great day had by all . GILL VANCE , Guildford BSAC 53 team at European Space Operations Centre Diving Club in Germany . They gave me the opportunity to discover this new world . I will be forever grateful for the patience and that they showed as I worked towards my Ocean Diver qualification .
Now , unfortunately , I am relocating and I can ’ t continue my Sports Diver course with them , but I express my thanks to them all : Frank Buskase , Antonio Rodrigues , Miche and Doro Koller , Derick Lean , Suzy Kasten , Joao Ventura and Daniel Firre .
I will keep my promise , and five years from now I will be sufficiently experienced to plan the August 2027 Egypt trip that will combine our two worlds : Space ( the Total Solar Eclipse ) and water .
Last but not least , for my two buddies who made scuba diving so much fun and a great experience every time , thank you to Laurent Beauregard and Jedrezj Mosiezny . Looking forward to seeing you all again underwater . Thank you BSAC ! ELIZABETA PETRESCU , European Space Operations Centre Diving Club

Beige on the page

I ’ M A MEMBER OF SOUTHDOWN Divers and would really like to thank the club for welcoming my son Sam into our club . Sam recently completed his Sports Diver with Warwick University SAC , and also volunteered as their treasurer .
He very much enjoyed diving with the club – here ’ s a photo of them going out on a recent Saturday . Our ‘ freeloading student ’ is wearing a red drysuit , sold to him by a fellow member with additional kit for an amazingly low price .
While most of the guys seem to be engaged in some weird ‘ king of the floppy beige hat ’ competition , I would like to thank them all for making Sam welcome . ANN PARKER , Southdown Divers
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