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
Scouts dive into adventure
107 ASTON SCOUTS BECAME THE FIRST NEW MEMBERS TO TAKE THE NEW Adventure Diver course with Diverstime , Long Eaton . This new course provides a scuba taster , perfect for young people , interested in experiencing the underwater world for the first time . Scout leader Alex Cureton explained : “ This was a wicked opportunity for Scouts to try scuba as part of our programme of non-scouting activities .” Adventure Diver credits parts of the Ocean Diver , namely OT1 and OS1 , and so can be claimed against the full Ocean Diver later . The Scouts used this to work towards their water badge , but also to provide the opportunity for a uniquely different experience . Alex said : “ I have never been scuba diving and I am 31 , so to give the opportunity to 10 – 14-year-olds is fantastic . The Scouts absolutely loved the experience , describing Diverstime instructors as “ brilliant , putting us at ease from the start ”. What was the best bit ? “ The freedom of being underwater and able to explore places you cannot see from the land ,” Alex said . In total 25 Scouts from 107 Aston will go through Adventure Diver , followed by 14 from Erewash Scouts . Mark Paisey , BSAC Centre Advisor
Vive la France !
I WAS INTERESTED TO READ YOUR Travel Special on the BSAC Centre CAP Plongée – Beyond the bouillabaisse – in the July / August issue of SCUBA . From 2011 to 2014 I was fortunate enough to be seconded to southern France and enjoyed some excellent diving along the coast , from Carry-le-Rouet on the Cote Bleue to Juan-les-Pins on the Cote d ’ Azur . I found the dive centres and clubs to be very accommodating and friendly . The dive sites are as plentiful as they are varied , my favourites being the Messerschmitt Bf-109 aircraft at Planier Island , Marseilles and the Aréthuse-class submarine , FS Ariane ( S640 ), at Pointe du Cannier , Saint-Mandrier-sur-Mer , for which authorisation is required . Diving in France can provide some unexpected treats , such as les aperitifs et pique-niques après la plongée . The bouillabaisse is pretty good too . It is , however , worth bearing in mind that French dive centres and clubs do generally require divers to submit a fitness to dive medical statement , signed by a physician , which is less than 12 months old . EDWARD ROBERTSON , Cumbria
Buoyant Blue Coats
FIVE STUDENTS FROM OUR SCHOOL ’ S RECENTLY ESTABLISHED SUB-AQUA CLUB completed their open water training at Vobster Quay in May . Craig , David ( Year 9 ) and Vihaan ( Year 10 ) gained their Ocean Diver qualification , and Kailan and George ( Year 10 ) gained their Sports Diver qualification . Many thanks to John Hudson for helping to organise the weekend , and Sergej and Benedicte for helping with instructing . JAMES HICKMAN , Reading Blue Coats School
Boston hits Sharm
A GROUP OF 22 MEMBERS AND FAMILY from Boston Sub Aqua Club ( 1200 ) headed to sunny Sharm El-Sheikh for a week ’ s diving and snorkelling with Camel Dive Club in May . The delights of Ras Mohamed National Park ’ s Shark and Yolanda reefs , Ras Za ’ rar and Ras Ghozlany reefs were taken in by 13 divers , with several members heading off to the legendary Thistlegorm wreck . Bob Bailey , Boston SAC
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