I Want A Buddy!

Often I am asked 'Is there anyone I can go diving with?' So how can I help? Well here's how: You want a buddy? Simply add yourself to the Blog and add a comment onto this post. Then keep an eye on it and as the list of people grows so will your chances of finding a buddy who is free to dive Wednesday afternoons or Friday mornings. I suggest you simply put the time and place you want. I do not recommend you post any personal details i.e. telephone numbers.

So July 3rd 3pm Leybourne Lake Need a Buddy Any takers?

What's on This Week.

The plan for this week so far!
Dive Shop Open 10am every day

Wednesday 10am Open Water Classroom 5pm Evening Dives in the Lake
Saturday 10am Enriched Air Course
Sunday 10am Open Water Classroom

Spaces available on courses.

Congratulations on Becoming a PADI Instructor

All the dive team at Leybourne wish to extend our heart felt congratulations to Sheila Sambrook on passing the gruelling PADI Instructor Examinations held this weekend in Weymouth. We look forward to her teaching her first students and wish her every success.

Sunday Afternoon St Margaret's Bay

Sunday afternoon was fun. Left the centre at 2pm, at St Margaret's at 3pm and straight off into the sea. Usual poor viz leading up to the tide but improving on the turn. Once again the lobsters survived to swim another day! Well done to the the sea diving virgins who had their first taste of UK shore diving. Back at the shop by 6pm for a well deserved few beers. Thanks to all who turned up. A few photo's to follow on this one.

Congratulations to the SMB Display Team!

Well that was a fun day. Four students completed their SMB Distinctive specialty with style in a balmy warm lake - 21c. Congratulations to Luurt, Hilde, Kelly and Dominic. A splendid quartet of firmly inflated sausages moving around like the Red Arrows of the lake as the real thing passed overhead. Also congrats to Keith B and Keith P on completing their Dry Suit and Open Water courses. Now time to prepare for Sundays sea dive. See you on the beach by 3pm, and bring your sun block!

Why Risk Comparison to Something Good?

Life can be so unfair! It has been brought to my notice that whilst virtually every scuba training shop, school or club in the Maidstone area features on a certain dive schools price comparison web chart - We don't. I mean come on let's be reasonable we are the 10th busiest PADI centre in the country, and we don't even get a mention! Well I've done a little research and I think I know why. Could it be because we are less expensive than they are and they would rather not say so. So if you or a friend wants to become a PADI Open Water Diver - we charge £330 - that's it, no long distance drives to far flung lakes, no lake entry fees to pay, no extra for dive slates that MUST be included, no lent DVDs (we give you your very own to keep) no extra charge for 2:1 instructor ratios, no hidden fee for the happy smiling instructors, the professional service. You get the picture, and if they do and include us I'll let you know.

Summer Sea Dives 2009 - Changes to Schedule

As many of you know our summer diving schedule has been scuppered by a skipper - he sold the boat and the new owner has torpedoed all bookings!
Well good news, we found another boat, the NEW dates for this year are now-
Monday 31st August (Bank Hol) 8am Ropes Off Wreck plus Drift Dive
Saturday 12th September 9am Ropes Off Wreck plus Drift
Saturday 26th September 9am Ropes Off Wreck plus Drift
Saturday 10th October 12pm Ropes Off Wreck plus Drift
This boat running out of Brighton is £45 per day has an Hydraulic Lift.
Those who have paid for the original trips will have priority bookings or can of course have a full refund. Please call for more info or to book.

SMB Specialty Saturday!

For those of you who wish to come sea diving this season and have yet to master the inflatable sausage, we have an SMB Specialty course on Saturday afternoon at the lake. Starting with a briefing at the dive centre at 1pm followed by 2 dives where there will be lots of practice at sending them up and diving whilst they are up there! An obsticle course, SMB in tow, will complete the day. Back to the centre - a whole 5 minutes drive away for tea and medals, well Speciality cards anyway. For those of you who want to show off your new skills, come diving at St Margaret's Bay on sunday afternoon. Spaces available.

Nobody Does it Better - That's Official

Isn't honesty the best thing? Isn't an honest person or business what we look for? Well let me be honest right now! I Martin Morgans am NOT a Platinum Course Director, nor am I a Gold one. There were just not enough Instructor students last year for me to achieve that. But for 2009 according to PADI I am a Silver Course Director, along with about 100 others around the world. And I'm proud of that. That makes me unsurpassed this year by any other Course Director I know of in Kent. And that's the bit that annoys me, why say you're a platinum Course Director when you know you are not. Trouble is when that happens it makes me ask the question - if that's wrong, hyped or inaccurate, just how many other claims are worthy of closer inspection. So beware the claims of some individuals with their virtual shops or virtual qualifications. They might give virtual service with virtual value and that will hurt in reality.

Sunday Sea Dive 28th June

As last sunday was so popular at St Margaret's Bay - let's do it again!!
Hight tide is at 4.14 BST! Meet at the centre at 2pm. Cost of admission is still FREE (come on it's a beach dive even a hardened PADI pro cannot charge for that!) Call the shop for more info or just see you there.

South Africa Nov 22 Dec 6

This trip is now confirmed as taking place. Same itinerary as last year with diving at Aliwaal Shoal, Sodwana Bay and Protea Banks. Tiger dives and game drives also included. Price remains £1125 for transfers, accomodation, breakfast, diving, game drives. Flights can be arranged for you or book oyur own. This is a fantastic trip and is at a very good price.

St Margarets Bay Dive

This morning's dive made a change - marching into the sea in the sunshine. Viz improved from about 20 metres out with a few good size crabs and lobsters to be seen. Very calm conditions, all in all very pleasent. Breakfast at the truckshop finished the outing off nicely.
Julian makes such a picture underneath his twinset, we are arranging for helpers to carry him in and out next time. Next time we might even bother find the wreck!

Timeliness is next to godliness?

So what exactly is the worst possible sin - well let me tell you. It's being late for the dive trip and making everybody wait at the dive centre until you finally show up. And as we wait for Julian, we consider this thought. The consensus is we should go without the plonker, but, that would mean we might miss the opportunity to drown the git later ! Whats your thought on the thorny issue of the worst possible dive sin?

IDC September/October

This years next IDC seems to have attracted a lot of interest with 7 places having been booked and confimed already. One space is reserved pending confimation. Being mindful of the need for space we are looking to use a larger classroom in the IT department of a local school to ensure we have the best of environments for the course. Details to follow once known.
The students already booked are now reviewing the DM exams in preparation and honing those in water skills. Rescue workshops are also running to ensure the IDC will be as stress free as possible.

Sunday Sea Dive

We off to dive the wreck off Deal tomorrow. high tide is 9.15 so we are meeting at the dive centre at 7.15 and at the castle at 8.15. Lets hope we are lucky with the viz!!!! Hoping to fine a jeep to sit in.

When Things Go Wrong

Why is it that things always, without fail, go wrong exactly the moment you need them?
Regs work perfectly for months, until 24hours before the dive holiday. Wetsuits that suddenly shrink the week before. Is it fate or is it more likely that we never check stuff until the last minute. Whats the result ? Usually the only person affected is the poor old service technician who has to get the job overnight! So spare him a thought and ease the pressure on yourself too - check your kit!!!