Congratulations For Completing Emergency First Response

Congratulations are in order to all those that succesfully completed the PADI EFR (Emergency First Reponse) course at the weekend. We can't stress enough how important vital first aid skills can be in making a real difference to someone's life.

As you may be aware, Darren attributes the fast action and knowledge of 2 members of the public, Tom & John, who performed First Aid & CPR on his dad, to his survial and recovery.Without these skills the outcome would surely have been very different.

So well done to Naomi, Rob, Simon, Phil, Keeley, Garry, Colin, Martin & Chris. Let's hope you never need to use you new found skills, but if you do, you know you can make a real difference.

Please contact us for details of the next PADI EFR course.

New NANUK Protective Cases available at Sub-Mission

Nanuk durable, protective cases are designed to protect the most sensitive equipment in the harshest environments. These cases are not only virtually indestructible but also lightweight and watertight. The NANUK cases come loaded with innovative features such as the foam inner for you to customise to fit and fully protect your camera equipment, nitrox analysers, medical kit or whatever you are transporting. Other features include Powerclaw latching system, impact resistant NK-7 resin, integrated bezel system and a lifetime guarantee.

There are 7 different sized cases from the NANUK 905 6 litre capacity to the largest case the NANUK 945 at 54 litre capacity, all acceptable as hand luggage except the two largest. Each size also comes in 4 different colours; silver, black, yellow and red.

So, to protect your most valuable diving possessions come along to the Dive Centre and take a look at these fantastic new cases or check out the website here.

Stoney Cove Price Increase

Stoney Cove will be increasing the entrance fee with affect as of March 1st 2010.

For those members who have a Diverlog Card the entrance fee will increase from £10 to the new price of £11 per day.

For day visitors without a Diverlog Card the entrance fee will increase from £15 per day to £17 per day.

To sign up for Diverlog registration the fee is now £25 for 2 years and a form is available to complete here

Check out this Film Trailor - End of the Line

For more information regarding this eye-opening film visit the website here.

New On-Line Cetacean Species Guide available to download now

I’m sure like me; you’re all interested in getting something free, especially when it has anything to do with the ocean.

The WDCS, Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society, has launched a new free, on-line guide providing an introduction to 85 currently recognised species of whales, dolphins and porpoises.

Did you know that a baby blue whale drinks up to 225 litres of milk a day or that the common dolphin is not the most common? Could you believe that a dolphin embryo looks like a human one?

The guide provides information such as population, habitat including maps showing where each species are found and animal behaviour. Conservation efforts and the threats facing species are also included along with some great photos.

Check out the guide here.

Environmental Tip of the Week - Saving Water

Like other natural resources, water is a precious resource and should not be wasted especially now at a time of increasing population and globally unreliable rainfall. On average every person in the UK uses 150 litres of water each day in their homes which is 70% more water than we used 30 years ago. Some of this water is wasted by inefficient appliances and some of our daily habits.
The higher the demand for water, the more is abstracted from our water sources, and this can impact on river flows and ecology. 1 litre less used is equal to 1 litre more in the environment.

So, by thinking about your use and by making simple changes to your habits, you can all reduce the amount of water you waste and how much has to abstract from the ground and rivers. This could save you money not only on your water bill, but also on your energy bills.

Turning the tap off when you brush your teeth can save up to 18 litres of water a time, that’s more than 13,000 litres per person a year.

But my tip of the week is to think about how much water is flushed down the toilet. If you place a bottle filled with rice or sand into your toilet cistern, you can reduce the volume of water used with each flush. This will act the same as replacing your toilet with a low flush system and means that water use can be reduced by up to 8 litres for every flush.

Congratulations for PADI Enriched Air Specialty and PADI Wreck Specialty

We have been busy of the last few months with various different courses and so a few more congratulations are in order to celebrate the achievements of a few students who have been studying hard.
Firstly, we would like to say well done to those students who attended the PADI Enriched Air Specialty recently. Andy, Lindsey, Mark, Andy, Stephen and Anne all passed the course with great exam success and we hope that the chance to dive on enriched air will now significantly extend their time in the water.
We also wish to congratulate Chris and Shaun who braved the snow and cold weather this weekend to complete their PADI Wreck specialty. The cold water was certainly a shock to the system on the first dive but both of them were determined not to let that put them off. It was smiles all round by the end of the day and we are proud of both of them for their great skills, good buoyancy and fantastic attitude. Well done.