Buddies Needed

We are often asked if anyone needs a buddy, especially during the week. So maybe a solution can be found here. Use this thread to offer your availability. Make a date to meet at the dive centre and 'hey presto' you're diving.
Simply add a comment to this giving the time and day, and revisit to see if anyone has taken up the offer.
Use email addresses or mobile numbers, but please do not give away too much in the way of personal information as this is an open site.
Happy Diving!

UK Local Coastal Diving Available

In assocaition with Brighton Diver, here is a list of possible dives.

April to august diving for Individuals and groups. Other dates available for group bookings.
Some of the dives can be changed to other sites for group bookings please call or email if you would like to book on.

April
Sunday 18th Pentrych 22m 0715 away 6 spaces
Sunday 25th Clodmore 28m 0730 away 10 spaces
Wednesday 28th Ashford 40m 1000 away 10 spaces
May
Saturday 1st City of Brisbane 28m 1200 away----6 spaces
Sunday 2nd Quail 40m 0700 gone 4 spaces
Monday 3rd bank holiday Arial 28m 0730 away—7 spaces
Wednesday 5th Stanwould 34m 0900 away 10 spaces
Saturday 8th Fortuna 30m 0630 away 10 spaces
Sunday 9th Boat available
Wednesday 12th Glencoe 56m 0900 away 10 spaces
Sunday 16th Ashford 40m 1000 away 4 spaces
Wednesday19th Ramsgarth 28m 0800 away 10 spaces
Wednesday 26th TR Thompson 35m 0830 away
Saturday 29th City of waterford 34m 1115 away 4 spaces
June
Wednesday 9th Fortuna 30m 0730 away 10 spaces
Sunday 13th TR Thompson 35m 1045 away 10 spaces
Wednesday 16th Quail 40m 0700 away 9 spaces
Wednesday 23rd UBOAT U130 34m 0730 away 9 spaces
Friday 25th Boat available
Wednesday 30th Blainfield 33m 1230 away 10 spaces
July
Wednesday 7th Broadhurst 63m 1200 away 10 spaces
Friday 9th Boat available
Sunday 10th Clodmore 28m 0830 away 6 spaces
Wednesday 14th Braughton 36m 1200 away 10 spaces
Sunday 18th City of Brisbane 28m 1500 away one dive----8 spaces
Wednesday 21st Duke of Buccleugh 58m 1145 away 10 spaces
Saturday 24th City of waterford 34m 0930 away 12 spaces
Monday 26th Ashford 40m 1030 away 10 spaces
Friday 30th Boat available
Saturday 31st City of waterford 34m 1330 away 6 spaces
August
Sunday 1st Fortuna 30m 1400 away one dive----12 spaces
Wednesday 4th Moldavia 50m 0900 away one dive 10 spaces
Saturday 7th Aracatica 58m 0730 away 6 spaces
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Eastbourne 3 days P&O liners and Air Show
Wednesday 11th Oceana 25m 1045 away 12 spaces
Thursday 12th Alaunia 35m 0715 away then Air Show 12 spaces
Friday 13th Oceana 24m 0715 away then Air show 12 spaces
Monday 16th Pentrych 22m 0900 away 10 spaces
Saturday 21st Ikeda 24m 1430 away 12 spaces one dive
Wednesday 25th UBOAT U130 34m 1030 away 10 spaces
Friday 27th Boat available
Saturday 28th Pentrych 22m 0700 away 6 spaces
Saturday 28th Clodmore 28m 1200 away 12 spaces
Sunday 29th Tyco 34m 0700 away 12 spaces
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All above dives inc 2nd drift dive or pier if possible on the return journey. Dives deeper than 45m one dive only.
Dives need min 6 divers to go ahead
All Dives are subject to change due to weather conditions or unforeseen circumstances.
Cost pp £40 to £60 depending on distance
Book early and avoid disappointment
Call Paul, skipper 07901822375 or 01273 301367 and good diving

April Special Offers

Special Offers For April

Cressi BCD/Regs Complete £515.00 Moby Light Bag £75.00
Cressi Travel Light BCD and Regulator Package …….
….includes, the Cressi Travelight BCD with integrated weight pockets, the Cressi Ellipse MC5 Black Regulator and Cressi Ellipse Octopus and the super light Cressi Mini 2- Gauge console. All weighing in at less than 4.5kg (approx, with Medium BCD) The BCD is so lightweight and comes packaged in its own mesh storage bag - check out the images below. Possibly the lightest BCD we've ever come across. Cressi Ellipse Black MC5 regulator, balanced diaphragm, lightweight and low volume. Utilising the latest innovations to create a technopolymer shell which produces a durable yet and lightweight reg. The latest Cressi Ellipse Octopus makes the perfect partner for this set. Cressi Mini 2-Gauge console gives you your depth and air pressure in an easy to read compact and lightweight for­mat. To complete your Cressi Travel Light Diving package why not add the superb Cressi Moby Light travel bag weigh­ing at less than 3kg, an excellent, versatile wheeled hold­all. Retractable handle, sturdy wheels, 85 litre capacity with just one external zip making it easy to secure for travelling. Moby Light Dive Bag Dimensions - approx: 750mm x 400mm x 300mm

Tip of The Month
Always leave regulators stored with hoses hanging free and not curled up. Leaving hoses curled, especially in reg travel bags, causes1 the hoses to kink and deform. The re­sulting damage will mean that when serviced the hoses will need replacement.


Suunto Computer Specials
Suunto are giving us some special deals over the next few months and we are passing them straight on to you.

HELO2 RRP £695 Special £499
Vyper Air RRP £399 Special £299
Vyper RRP £239 Special £199
D4 RRP £367 Special £275
D6 RRP £575 Special £449
D9 RRP £925 Special £725
Cobra2 RRP £630 Special £499
We have only one of each at the special Suunto price, so numbers are very limited. A first past the post policy will apply.

Courses
Book One course before 1st April and get a Free Scuba Review.
Book Two courses before 1st April get 20% dis­count on course number 2.
Book Three and get a massive third off course number 3!!!! Yes 33%off.

Courses must be booked and paid for by 1st April, must be for the same person and cannot include pro level course. Offers cannot be combined.
Well Done Chris!

Holidays 2010
This year we are offering free holidays! Well free from any charges from us! We will tell you the dates, locations and hotels, you book it and we will see you there. This way you benefit from any savings you can make from early or late booking or by using air-miles or other discounts you might find. We will still be around to help with the diving and socialising!

El Gouna Egypt
A new hotel and location for 2010. For those of you who remember Sharm in the good old days why not try El Gouna. With all the character of Sharm, but less of the Russians! Added bonus the Thistlegorm is 2 1/2 hours away with the wrecks of Abbu Nuhas even closer.
The hotel we recommend is the Arena Inn.
The Arena Inn is a 4-star resort hotel located by a lagoon and connected by a bridge to the lively down­town area with colourful arcades, restaurants, bars and shops. The Arena Inn offers all the amenities and comforts of a full-service hotel with a private swim­ming pool and bar, and a beautifully designed restau­rant overlooking the lagoon. B+B, Half Board or Fully Inclusive options available. Prices start from £526.
Dates for El Gouna are 13th April, 23rd July or 11th October. To book contact the centre or lowcostholi­days.com directly

Aliwal Shoal South Africa
50 minutes south of Durban lies a sleepy hollow called Umkomaas home to Aliwal Dive Centre. ADC has it all, accommodation, restaurant, heated pool, the lot. With two big powerful ribs the shoal is only 20 minutes away. Our trips are for 14 days include transfers, B+B, 2 dives per day and 2 chummed shark dives. The famous dive sites of Cathedral and Raggies Cave and the wrecks of Produce and Nebo are all included in the itinerary. Shark’s are enivitable diving
The cost is £995 excluding flights. Flights can be booked from as little at £590 with Emirates Airlines. Fly via Du­bai then into Durban.
Dates for Umkomaas are May 16th and October 31st.
To book contact the centre.

I cannot stand it here anymore!

I'm sorry but frankly I've had enough. I woke up this morning to the news that the recession is officially over, if this is what it's like to be over then god help us! The next gem from the tele - the temperature is returning to below freezing and the snows coming back. That was it, enough, I'm off.
So where am I off to, well firstly in April I'm going to Sharm, nice week of warm weather with plenty of fish to look at. In May, South Africa where there is an IDC to be taught, July; Sharm again for the annual school holiday trip. In October Sharm once more, this time with a Master Scuba Diver programme on offer and lastly November back to South Africa for shark spotting.
All of these trips are open to all - the more the merrier. So if you too fancy escaping the UK and heading off diving why not take a place on on of our 2010 holidays.

Pool Practise and Refresher Training

Now the snow has finally left us, and the ice is off the lake maybe it's time to think about diving again. If the lake is too cold for you, how about a pool session to check your gear and practise those all important skills. Our pool is available on the Sunday 31st January from 8.30am to 11.30am The cost of a 3 hour practise session is £7.50
If you want to refresh skills we will also be running the following refresher courses:
Scuba Review
A complete review of all 18 of your scuba skills. Conducted with a PADI Pro, lots of time to go over the key skills, with lots of tips on how to make them slicker and easier.
On completion your log book will be endorsed entitling you to open water dive well into the new season.
Peak Performance Buoyancy Clinic
Concentrating on the art of buoyancy, skills are practised, new skills learnt, with loads of fun and games along the way. Designed to make hovering simple, breath control a doddle this clinic is a must for photographers and any diver who has been away from the water for a while.
Rescue Review & Workshop
Attention all Rescue Divers, when was the last time you reviewed your rescue skills? How would you cope lifting an unconscious diver from the bottom then initiating rescue breathing at the surface whilst removing equipment? Here's your chance to practise those critical skills in the warmth and clarity of our pool. Under the expert supervision of our senior instructor your rescue skills will be at pro level before you can say 'Diver diver are you OK!'

The cost of these sessions is £65, including pool entry and air.

To book any of the above, please call the centre. Spaces are limited. 01622 790055

All Change for Pro Training

PADI have just released their new style IDC which has some interesting new features and some options which need careful consideration.
The big change is the removal of the instructor candidate workbook and its replacement with the new PADI's Guide To Teaching. The guide goes hand in hand with the new style Instructor Manual. If you are thinking of starting any pro level training make sure you are obtaining the new materials from now on.
The IDC now has an eLearning option, 9 lectures completed on line, reducing the IDC time by 2 days. The same 9 lectures can be completed in the conventional instructor led way as part of the IDC returning it to the full 7 days. Here at Leybourne we are offering IDC's based on either version. Lastly changes have been made to the marking system used during the IDC and the IE. For more information please give us a call at the centre.

Dirt Hidden Under The Carpet

Air cylinders testers are rare, so for many years, and from different venues, I have sent my scuba tanks to the same company for test. And for many years the service has been problematic. Delays in collection, missed return dates. Cylinders leaking on filling, manifolds not sealed etc.
Finally enough was enough, bullet bit I commissioned our own in house testing service, paid out the money for the gear and the training, inspection, authorisation and bingo we now do our own. We are IDEST Test Centre 6W. Now we are opening cylinders for the first time and peering in, looking for rust, checking the valve threads. What do we find, rust and bad valves. How come in the last 6 years I do not recall ever having one being brought back needing new valves or requiring rust blasted out? We learned in our training that it is a requirement, when servicing a valve to replace all the innards. How come I have not seen that done before? Well all I can say is this. When we service your cylinder, we will do it quickly, efficiently and thoroughly. If there is rust inside, we will find it and rectify it. The valve will be stripped, cleaned and have the service parts changed. The valve and cylinders threads will be tested and the cylinder will be 02 clean. It might not be quite so cheap, but it wont be hiding something nasty!