Project AWARE International Clean Up day - Sub-Mission's Grand day out.

Thank you to everyone who attended the Project AWARE Beach Clean Up on Saturday. We had a fantastic day with the most amazing weather and gorgeous sunny skies.

 

Katy had planned to clean Bull Bay but upon inspection the beach was incredibly clean, which is testament to the local community’s effort to keep litter off the beach. So, we decided to drive down to Trearddur Bay and clean up the main public beach at the top of Ravenspoint Road. Just as Trefor Beach fooled us into believing it was a clean beach, we actually collected a massive 74kg of rubbish on what looked like a well looked after area. The tide must play some part in washing fresh rubbish ashore everyday as this is a beach that is regularly cleaned.

 

With our team of 48 volunteers, including the group of Cub Scouts who came along to give us a hand, we set to work collecting rubbish from the shoreline and underwater after a briefing from Darren and Katy. The underwater teams found very little litter and again this may be attributed to divers collecting on their dives, although what was found was collated and carefully disposed of.

 

Some of the items found on Saturday include:

 

• 243 Lengths of fishing line
• 232 Food wrappers / containers
• 94 Glass Bottles
• 105 Lengths of rope
• 134 Cigarette stubs
• 1 Firework
• 1 Nappy
• 1 Plastic Bucket

Thanks to Tim, Barry and Jen who were on hand to keep us refreshed and fed all day with drinks and a Barbeque.

 

Thanks to everyone who volunteered their weekend to come along and participate in Project AWARE International Clean Up day. Hopefully you will realise that actually we can make a difference each and every time we visit the coast. Keep up the good work!

 

This will be Sub-Mission's last Beach and Underwater Clean Up this year, but if you would like to get involved, we have plenty of exciting idea's for next year already!

Help for Heroes Discover Scuba Session

Steve, a member of Sub-Mission Dive Club was tasked with organising an event to raise money for ‘Help for Heroes’ as part of a company wide charity initiative. He decided to drag his colleagues along for a PADI Discover Scuba evening with any donations being contributed to a charity that is doing some incredible work for our brave service men and women.

The evening went swimmingly with all of Steve’s colleagues eager and enthusiastic to give Scuba a go. Andy even brought his son along to experience the thrill of breathing underwater. There was plenty of laughter during the session especially when it came to doing acrobatics down at the deep end of the pool! There were some pretty impressive head spins on the bottom as well as somersaults.

Steve got involved by taking plenty of pictures on the night and actually participated in the underwater race and although he came first, we all know he cheated. The real winner of the evening is the ‘Help for Heroes’ Charity as Steve managed to raise over £100. Thanks for organising a great evening Steve and we hope that other organised events are just as successful.

Congratulations to Dawn who has achieved the prestigious status of Master Scuba Diver Trainer!

As I’m sure many of you who have had the pleasure of diving with Dawn will know that she didn’t find UK diving easy to begin with. She decided that she never wanted to get back into the water after her PADI Open Water Diver Course in the depths of a very cold February! But look at her now… there was just no stopping Dawn after the PADI Advanced Open Water Course. She is certainly a great ambassador for hard work and determination overcoming all obstacles.

Dawn became an Instructor last year and has been busy passing on her knowledge to our customers ever since. Otherwise known by the staff as Dawn Von Harsh, our divers know that Dawn is actually the epitome of patience, caring and encouragement that gets many students through the tougher aspects of some of the courses.

Not one for standing still too long, Dawn has been working towards her next step up and has now achieved the qualification of Master Scuba Diver Trainer. This shows her ability to teach a range of PADI scuba courses and also recognises that Dawn can teach at least 5 PADI Specialty Courses, including Deep and Wreck.

We can’t wait for Dawn to get stuck into teaching PADI Specialties and I’m sure that you will all join us in congratulating Dawn on her positive attitude and sometimes sheer determination to keep achieving. Well done Dawn!

Well done to the new PADI Open Water Divers and PADI Drysuit Specialty Divers!

And last, but certainly not least was the huge success of the PADI Open Water Divers and Drysuit Specialty Divers. Steve, Bev, Jennie, Vicky and Darren were all successful in completing the PADI Open Water Diver certification and PADI Drysuit Specialty Diver Course.

We would like to congratulate and acknowledge them all for their hard work and determination to get through the courses. The group certainly didn’t find all of the course structure easy, especially when nerves got the better of some of them. Giant stride entry took an amazing amount of courage for Jennie and Vicky.

Thankfully the visibility at Stoney Cove was good at the weekend and although nervous about what the dives would entail, the group got stuck in and enjoyed their time underwater. The skills that they completed on each dive were done with ease and made the Instructor’s job pretty easy.

After completing the PADI Open Water Diver Course they then went onto complete the PADI Drysuit Specialty along with Charles, to enable them to get the best out of their diving all year round. Considering that Charles has only ever been a warm water diver, he did a very good job at acclimatising to the UK waters. Even though he was feeling a bit green at times, he was determined to complete all of the necessary skills. They all had a great dive and a nice underwater exploration in search of the pike, which was a lovely way to finish off a fantastic weekend.

Well done everyone!

Tim, Patrick and Paul complete their PADI Advanced Open Water Course!

Tim, Paul and Patrick were getting stuck into the PADI Advanced Open Water Course over the weekend at Stoney Cove. They chose to complete a variety of dives including Drysuit, Peak Performance Buoyancy, Photography, Wreck, Navigation and Deep.

The three students completed their skills with ease over the 5 dives and certainly improved their buoyancy, amongst other things during the weekend.

The visibility was pretty fantastic giving Tim plenty of opportunity, light and clarity to get some great photo’s underwater, especially with the huge shoals of roach and perch that were ever present on the training shelf. Considering that Paul had not dived in the UK before we were really impressed with how easy he took to Drysuit diving as well as the less favourable conditions that were on offer.

Sub-Mission staff had a blast teaching the PADI Advanced Open Water Course and Ant said that the Wreck Dive was more like a pleasure dive than a training dive. Well done to the three of you!

Sub-Mission Deep Specialty - Well Done Paul!

Sub-Mission ran a PADI Deep Diver Specialty as well this weekend with Paul, who was keen to be able to learn more about the techniques of deeper diving. He learnt the processes necessary with regard to planning, preparation and conducting deep dives as well as experiencing changing factors such as temperature, light and pressure as you go deeper.

Paul was also given a redundant air source to carry on one of the dives in order to get used to differing equipment considerations and configurations. He was also tasked with breathing from this during an extended safety stop to simulate an emergency scenario.

One of the skills that Paul had to complete was a timed task on the surface and then again underwater to see if he was feeling any effects of nitrogen narcosis. The time it took Paul was exactly the same for both tests however; he did say that he had to concentrate harder at depth.

Well done to Paul for a great weekend’s diving and congratulations PADI Deep Diver!

PADI Rescue Diver Course Success

Another weekend finished, another bunch of happy divers with nice new certifications!

We’d like to congratulate Jenny, Jon, Paul and Mark who completed their PADI Rescue Diver over the weekend. They certainly didn’t have an easy ride and by the end of Saturday were suitably exhausted from all of their hard work.

Syd and Darren put them through their paces ensuring that they completed all of the skills required such as dealing with a panicked diver in the water, reacting to a missing diver situation, bringing an unconscious diver to the surface and rendering assistance to an unconscious diver on the surface, as well as many more.

Working in teams, the PADI Rescue students were not only expected to help with emergency situations but actually to manage the situation and control the scene. It wasn’t all hard work though; they all enjoyed the course immensely and had a good laugh throughout. They all came away with a great sense of achievement and we are sure they’ll go away feeling confident to assist another diver should the need ever arise. Well done!

PADI Coral Reef Conservation Course completed!

Yet again, last night Sub-Mission hosted another successful PADI Coral Reef Conservation Specialty Course. With 13 in attendance it was a great night, full of discussion and some brilliant idea’s presented for ways to help the environment.

Everyone was enthusiastic to learn more about the aquatic realm and enjoyed the presentation, which featured various aspects of coral reefs. From fish to coral and from Mangroves to barrier reefs.

The message was loud and clear though with plenty of emphasis on what we can do to help slow down the degradation of many coral reefs around the world. Everyone went away with plenty to think about and some great idea’s on how they can make a difference. We would like to thank Paul, Denise, Jen, Mark, Tim, Andreea, Bev, Charles, Lee, Nick, Paul, Kate and Sharon for attending the course and hope that you go on to do some good for the environment.

This PADI Specialty will also class as one of the five required for the prestigious MASTER SCUBA DIVER!

If you are interested in the PADI Coral Reef Conservation Specialty Course, the next date is October 25th. Call Katy to book your place!

Sub-Mission’s next PADI Rescue Courses – October 13th or November 17th

If you’ve completed your PADI Advanced Open Water Course and are wondering what to do next, why not consider the PADI Rescue Diver Course?

Ask any seasoned diver which course they enjoyed the most and the majority will quote that the PADI Rescue Diver Course is the most challenging & rewarding PADI course they took. The PADI Rescue Diver program introduces the necessary skills required in the unlikely event of a diving incident.

The PADI Rescue Diver program will build your confidence as a diver, give you valuable experience in emergency management and prevention and heighten your awareness of the surrounding environment.

You will learn the techniques needed to deal with tired, panicked, unresponsive and unconscious divers. This is developed through to worst case scenarios and in water resuscitation techniques.

Let’s face it, with those skills who wouldn’t want to buddy up with you on a dive trip or holiday!


The Next PADI Rescue Course schedules are as follows:

Wednesday 13th October 6.30pm          Dive Centre followed by pool session

Sunday 24th October 3.30pm                 Dive Centre followed by pool session

Saturday 30th October                           Capernwray



OR


Wednesday 17th November 6.30pm          Dive Centre followed by pool session

Sunday 21st November 3.30pm                 Dive Centre followed by pool session

Saturday 27th November                           TBC


The course fee is £249 for the Rescue Diver Course and £324 if you need to do the Emergency First Response Course.

Please contact Katy in the Dive Centre to book your space on this course. Spaces are limited so don’t leave it too late!

PROJECT AWARE Underwater and Beach clean up – Saturday September 25th

Due to the success of the last clean up we have decided to organise another for Project AWARE International Clean up day on Saturday 25th September.

Katy is organising an Underwater and Beach Clean Up at Bull Bay, Anglesey. This will be an effort to clean up the beach and the underwater environment just off the beach. All of the rubbish will be disposed of but more importantly the data collected will be given to Project AWARE.

If last weeks clean up is anything to go by we will have a fantastic day out on the beach, some brilliant diving and a fun club activity.

We know it's not the ideal way to spend your saturday but look at it this way, you get to help the environment, get in the water for a pretty decent dive, have a laugh on the beach and finish up with a BBQ to congratulate all of your hard work!

There is also the option and possibility to camp or stay over on the Friday or Saturday night as we will be organising some diving on the Sunday at either Trearddur Bay or Vivian Quarry. There are several campsites nearby so we’ll confirm where we’re staying shortly before we go.

We'll meet and start at 10.00am on the beach.

Address for Bull Bay:

Bull Bay, Amlwch, Isle of Anglesey, LL68 9SH

So, bring your rubber gloves (or heavy duty gardening gloves), any friends and family that want to get involved and your enthusiasm to do some good for the environment and I'm sure that the Sub-Mission staff will provide plenty of entertainment as usual!

Please contact Katy at the Dive Centre to confirm numbers and also to book any equipment that you may need. Once again we are offering any equipment hire on the saturday at half price with the money going directly to the Project AWARE foundation.

Call Us On 01782 207474 or pay us a visit at the dive centre to register your participation.

Project AWARE Beach Clean up Report

Sub-Mission would like to say a huge thank you to all of those people who volunteered their time on Saturday to participate in Darren’s Project AWARE Beach Cleanup. Upon first inspection of Trefor Beach and Pier we thought that the area looked pretty clean and tidy however several hours and bin bags of rubbish later we had collected 102 kg of waste!

We were overwhelmed with the turnout and once everyone was briefed set to work straight away cleaning up the vast expanse of beach whilst the divers geared themselves up for underwater cleaning. We chose to clean the underneath of the Pier and sectioned it off to ensure that each group were concentrating on a specific area. Although there was very little to clean from underneath the pier (which is a great attribute to the divers and users of the beach) the fishing hooks, lines and weights that were extracted could potentially have been disastrous for the wildlife living there.

Some facts and figures of what we found and collected:

• 122 Cigarettes / Filters
• 64 lengths of Fishing Line
• 69 Plastic Bags
• 78 Drink Cans
• 1 Mattress
• 1 Christmas Tree
• 1 Dead Seal
• 14 Fishing Hooks

Not only was it a clean up but we had a fantastic day out at the beach! Thanks to Richard and Karla Howes who organised the Barbeque for the masses, even during the rain in the afternoon.

Those that dived realised just how special the diving is at Trefor with an immense diversity of life under such a small pier. We saw seals, crabs, shrimps, blennies, gobies, plaice, pipefish, dogfish, scorpionfish and loads more. It was a fantastic day for all of those who took part.

Once again, many thanks to everyone who took part. Saturday’s Project AWARE cleanup was not just about cleaning a beach in Wales but to hopefully make people realise that small things can make a difference, collecting small bits of litter on each dive or trip to the beach will have a positive impact.

Liveaboard 2011 Confirmed – June 5th!

After the most impressive liveaboard trip to date, we have decided to return to the Red Sea in June 2011 in the hope of following up on this years successful trip. We will be staying aboard Tornado Marine Fleets brand new boat which hasn’t even been named yet! She is a 36 metre purpose built dive vessel, with all the mod cons today's divers expect. All 10 twin rooms are en-suite with self controlled air conditioning & fitted with safety deposit boxes. She is staffed by a fantastic team of hard working crew, who ensure that your stay aboard is as comfortable and enjoyable as possible.

Due to the popularity of this year's itinerary, we have decided to again book the wrecks and reefs tour. This is an ideal mix of some of the Red Sea's finest wrecks, including the infamous HMS Thistlegorm, Rosalie Muller & Carnatic, along with some of the worlds best coral reef dives. It is also a good time of the year to spot whale sharks, dolphins, sharks & turtles as last years photos will testify to.

We will be departing from Gatwick on 5th June 2011. Manchester flights may be available for an additional supplement, but this is yet to be confirmed.

The price of the trip is £1025 and is fully inclusive of flights, transfers (Egypt), accommodation, food, all soft drinks & most importantly up to 22 dives. The price does not include UK transfers, Manchester flight supplement, Visa (approx £15), Alcoholic beverages or tips.

We are certain that this will once again prove to be extremely popular trip & as we only have a limited number of places we advise early booking to avoid disappointment (last year’s liveaboard was fully booked within 3 weeks). We will require a £250 non-refundable deposit to secure each space. Please contact us to book your place and be part of what promises to be another cracker of a trip.

Due to the nature/depth of some of the sites visited during the week, you will need to be a minimum of PADI Advanced Open Water (or equivalent) with at least 20 logged dives and be over the age of 16. We also recommend the use of a DSMB due to the amount of boat traffic within the Northern Red Sea. We are able to offer the PADI SMB Specialty program to ensure the safe and correct use of SMB's.

To further enhance your enjoyment we also recommend both PADI Deep Diver Specialty & the PADI Wreck Diver Specialty.

So what are you waiting for? Email Katy at katy@divecourses.co.uk or call 01782 207474 to book next years dive trip NOW!