Mid week dive at Plymouth, 6 August.
I would just like to say thankyou to Mike Down for organising a mid-week dive with Plymouth Dive Centre yesterday. There were six of us, Mike, Bob Abbott, John Clayton, Neil Brent, Geoff Wilkinson and myself.
It wasn't the best of days but Simon, skipper of The Phoenix, which is a very big RIB (about 10metres I think), managed the boat very well and was always in the right place at the right time for putting us in the water and picking us up again. Actually, I think no one would argue with the word 'challenging' to describe the two outings we made, with lumpy seas above water and plenty of surge below!
Our dive sites were Hillsea Point in the morning and then Great Mewstone after lunch. Now that I'm far away from the water, and looking back on the trip I can say that I had a really enjoyable day even though my stomach didn't and I am looking forward to our next dive day ....
Sue Rosser

Sunday 27 July. Training day at Brixham.
Some reports of the days diving.
A total of 16 divers and their assorted family members turned out yesterday and at the end of the day were treated to a spectacular RNLI display in the bay to finish the day off (Tim thinks of everything !!) - we needed to be out of the water by 4.45pm which we just managed.
I'd like to say a big thankyou to everyone who helped out yesterday, but especially to the instructors for giving up their time to be there. Duncan and I also got some valuable help and advice which we really appreciate. Also to Tim who was the dive manager and Mark in charge of the first boat wave. The weather was great and we got quite a lot of training completed. I'm sorry though that some people had to wait quite a while for their first dive on shore and on the boat. Next time they will be at the top of the list to get into the water!
And also big thankyous to the trainees who were put to work above water in between dives and were brilliant at learning on-the-job about shore cover and logging the dives and who, for one reason and another had to work pretty hard at it! We got excellent service!
It seems that the dives from the RIB were brilliant, but I must apologise for not mentioning that there was a spare mask in one of the boat boxes .......... Sue Rosser

Saturday 19 July Chepstow NDC.

Saturday 12 July. Sorry folks, Brixham was off (for diving anyway), so it's the NDC.

Sunday 6 July. Chepstow NDC for training.
Weather was cloudy and warm; water temperature 10C; viz 2m; 10 dives completed.

Photo Chat Evening
A proposed evening to have a chance to discuss/ask/tell others about your photography.
Bring your camera(s)/photo(s)/idea(s) along as you like.
And talk about photography.
Date and venue TBA.

Beeses Riverside Bar and Tea Gardens
Social evening with drinks and food.
Friday 4th July at 7:30pm.
With Rattlesnake Shake, live. "Bristol's premier exponents of raw boogie".
Six of us went to Beeses and sat reasonably far from where the band were setting up...
However they expanded themselves and we ended up closer than expected, and, yes they were rather loud, about 127 dB probably. However they were quite good, but much improved at about 100 m.
Funny thing is that if we could have stayed inside, we would have had more food, I can never resist a good gob of something in chocolate. Anyway we heard some good stories of winter diving in the river outside and finding all sorts of stuff, like glasses, cuttlery and a mini. Beeses website

The Club's 50th year celebration
was on Saturday 7th June, and a fantastic day it was. See the 50th report.
The aim was to do 50 dives at least in one day at Cromhall Quarry, and possibly get a few of our dormant divers wet again.
There was a barbeque in the evening by our Club specialist.
Entertainment included an exciting underwater treasure hunt and .. lots of diving !

We dove!

We achieved the 50 dives and lots of smiling divers emerged from the deep (well 14 m) and into the sunshine.
Many thanks to all of those who took part, and to those who helped with the running of this event; special thanks to John for the stunning cakes, Harry and all for driving the barby, and to all who lent stoves and all the other stuff that was needed to make this event happen.

Easter Club diving at Plymouth, 21 March to 24 March; possible sites the James Eagan Layne, Scylla, Hilsea Point Rock, Mewstone, The Eddyston, or The Bovington Arms, all depending on the weather.
Unfortunately this did depend on the weather and was called off.

Sunday 16 March Sport Diver Training at Cromhall Quarry

Saturday 15 March Rescue Training at Cromhall Quarry

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Contact Us

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If you want to get in touch with us, our primary form of contact is email. However, you can also come along and meet us at our club night but it's best to make contact first.

For any contact reason, please send an email it will be forwarded to the relevant person(s).

click here to send an email to the Dive Officer

click here to send an email to the Training Officer

click here to send an email about a general enquiry

click here to send an email to the Webmaster

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Matt's Links

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Matt has found some very useful links that have transformed what we thought were very mundane dives into ones we all wanted to do again.

Triple expansion engines

Compoung engines

Polish videos

Mulberries

'Sidescan' pictures of the sites in Portland Harbour

Dive sites around Portland

Admiralty Easytide Tidal predictions

Met Office Weather

International Maritime Organisation

Maritime and Coastguard Agency

UK Hydrographic Office

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Meeting Places

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Pool Sessions

Monday nights from 8:10pm - 9:45pm
Badminton School Pool,
Cote Lane,
Westbury on Trym,
Bristol
A map is available here but don't go down Cote Lane, the drive into Badminton School is about a car length from Westbury Road.

Club Meetings

Monday nights from 10:00pm - 11:30pm
BAWA Leisure Centre,
589 Southmead Road,
Filton,
Bristol
A map is available here.

Please contact us before coming along, and we will arrange to meet you.

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Our Club

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Welcome to the Bristol Aerospace Sub-Aqua Club. We are a special branch of the British Sub-Aqua Club (BSAC Club No. 0088) and are affiliated to the Bristol Aerospace Welfare Association (BAWA).

Our club night is on a Monday. We meet at Badminton School Pool, Westbury on Trym, Bristol BS9 3BA, from 8.10pm until 9.30pm. Here is a map if you need it.

After the pool session, from 10.00pm we move on to the BAWA Leisure Centre, 589 Southmead Road, Filton, Bristol. See the map here.

If you do come to visit us, please contact Us beforehand, and we’ll arrange to meet you.

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Introduction

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Our club was formed around 1959 primarily by and for employees of the local aerospace industries of Rolls-Royce plc. and BAE Systems here in Bristol. However, the club is now open to all and we welcome, and indeed do have many members from other walks of life.

We are an active club and dive all year round both in the UK and occasionally in some more exotic warmer locations. We currently have about 50 members. You can read more about our latest diving activities in the diving section. Our oldest active diving member, Frank is eighty something years young, and our youngest start at 14, which is the minimum age currently permitted by the BSAC for SCUBA diving.

We are a ’family’ club and aim to provide a good social atmosphere, where non-diving friends or relations can join in. These activities are aimed at improving the relationship between members, allowing people to get to know the people that they will be diving with.

Apart from diving, we organize various events ranging from the annual Dinner Dance to the Christmas Fun Night at the pool. All members are encouraged to attend these functions, as any profits go to boosting the club funds.

Above all, we are a club of its members for its members.

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Club Facilities

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The club has a number of facilities which are open to members. A weekly pool session is held at Badminton School Pool for general use by members and their families. Activities range from a quick splash to swimming, members trying out new dive kit, training and even Octopush - If you dare! Pool sessions are held each Monday from 8:10pm until 9:45pm. See Contact Us for maps, addresses and contact numbers.

As the club is affiliated to BAWA, we have use of the BAWA facilities for the apres pool sessions in the bar. Here we chat over a drink and plan weekend or holiday diving, and plan other social events.

We even own our own wreck to dive on, the SS Bretagne She’s a single screw steamer of 1439 tons 231.6ft long, 35ft beam which sank along with her cargo of Welsh steam coal on the 10th August 1918 following a collision. She now lies upright on an even keel 18m to the deck, 25m to the seabed.

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Club Equipment

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The club owns a wide range of equipment. At present this includes two 4.8m RIBs (Rigid Inflatable Boat). Some members also own their own boats and these are often present at club dives to share the load, particularly on our weekends away.

The club also owns all essential safety equipment including Oxygen Administration kit, flares, VHF radios and GPS satellite navigation equipment.

We also have equipment to get new members under way with their pool training from day one. Masks, fins, snorkels, cylinders, regulators, BC’s (buoyancy compensator jackets), weight belts, etc. are available. The club also operates a hire scheme to assist established members who have equipment in for servicing etc.

In addition, the club purchases the latest tide almanac’s and a range of useful charts for use by the whole membership in dive planning activities.

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The 2008 Committee

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Honorary President Frank Rogers.

The club has an elected committee, which stands for a period of one year from the AGM, usually held late in October or early November.

The committee is currently made up of ten posts, seven positions being elected by the club membership. The others are co-opted by elected personnel; Training Officer by the Diving Officer, Advanced Diving Representative by the Dive Leaders and Advanced Divers in the branch and Membership Secretary by the Treasurer.

The committee is responsible for the smooth running of the club affairs and finances and meets on the third Wednesday of each month.

Any club member is welcome to attend and be part of any of these meetings and we would be glad of any member’s involvement, but, sadly, is not entitled to vote on any topic.

Chairman	Peter Davies
Secretary	Laurence Breeze
Diving Officer	Mike Down
Training Officer	Duncan Lamont
Treasurer	Sheila Watt
Boat Care Officer	Rob Boyes
Equipment Officer	Dee Pending
Entertainment Officer	Mary Breeze
Advanced Diving Representative	T B Ann Ounced
Membership Secretary	Jo Belcher

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Joining our Club

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To become a member of our club you must also join the BAWA social club, as well as becoming a member of the British Sub-Aqua Club (BSAC).
Starting out diving can be very expensive, with a lot of money to find up front. We can generally help you out by arranging payment of the membership fees in installments.

Once you’ve joined, you will receive a copy of the BSAC Diving Manual and your subscription to BSAC also includes a monthly subscription to ’Dive’ magazine.

The subscription to the BSAC has to be paid prior to starting aqualung training. Once you are a member of the BSAC, you are covered for third party liability in the unlikely event of a diving accident.

Fees are liable to change, so please Contact Us for further details.

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Online Resources

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Our club’s primary source of information is the club notice folder which is present at our weekly meetings, as not all members may have regular access to the internet.

However, a large proportion of our membership are now online so we do have our own private Email mailing list that can be used by any club member. Our mailing list is operated free of charge by Google, Google Groups. All new members are encouraged to sign up as this is an excellent means of communication for organising those last minute dives!

A similar service exists for the BSAC South West region. This is an open mailing list of interest to all clubs in our region.

To register for our BASAC Google Ggoup, you must either be a current or an ex-club member. Further instructions and information about the group will be forwarded to you on joining.

To register for the BSAC-SW list please follow these instructions on their website.

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Octopush

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The nearest thing to underwater hockey.

Some of us choose to play the game of Octopush.

The aim of the game is to try to gouge your opponent’s ears off with a wooden paddle while five or more of the opposing team (and some of your own) pin you to the tiles at the bottom of the pool preventing you from surfacing for a breath. From this position you can try to score for your team by shooting a puck into the opponent team’s goal.

But seriously, it is a very challenging and physical game of Underwater Hockey, and besides being great fun is a good way to build up your stamina, skills and confidence in and under the water. Read the report below from one of our young female players. A First Hand account

The British Octopush Association

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Diving

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We dive all year round in the UK primarily in the South & West of the UK (Dorset, Devon, Cornwall and West Wales). Throughout the year we organise many diving weekends around the Bank Holidays. These short breaks are always well attended by members and their families and offer a wide range of diving suitable for all levels.

Our diving takes place primarily from our own boats, though shore diving is very popular especially in winter. Occasionally we may charter hard boats for the clubs use depending on the site.

Looking to warmer climes there have been many club holidays over the last few years. Popular destinations with members include the Red Sea, Channel Islands, Ireland, Spain, Tenerife, Thailand, Cuba, Mauritius and the Maldives. Many of these trips can be read about in our Dive Reports section.

Future trips already fully booked for this year include Scilly Isles and Thailand athough I expect there will be a return to the Red Sea on at least one occasion.

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Organising a Club Dive

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Any grade of diver can organise a dive expedition provided they have a Dive Leader or Advanced Diver to help organise and marshal the diving activities. In the past many trips have been organised by Ocean divers or Sports Divers. So everyone can play a part.

If there is a dive that you want to do, why not organise it. A little basic research of the site, amenities, transport, and accomodation is often all that is required. Then issue a Dive On notice at our weekly club night and email the club mailing list to gather interest. Provided an experienced diver is available to Marshal, Dive On!

Of course, all club dives should first be cleared with the Diving Officer for safety before the day.

So, safe diving & lots of it for the future.

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