The 2012 AGM was held on Monday 16th January 2012 at 8.00pm in the Leisure Centre.

Following the meeting the club has two new committee members and one new club officer: Conor Wilmot is the new Marine Awareness Officer and Ceri Jones will take up the new post of Committee Member without portfolio.

In addition, we also have a new club officer: Paul Gray is the new Deputy Training Officer to assist the club training officer and to deputise when the training officer is absent or unavailable.

Red Sea 2012
There will be a liveaboard trip to the Red Sea next November (2012) taking a far south charter to St. Johns Reef and Fury shoal.

Cuba 2013
A trip to the famous "La Jardines de la Reina" in southern Cuba will be organised for early 2013. This area is famous for its shark encounters.

Palau 2014
Also in early 2014 there is a planned trip to Palau in the Pacific Ocean with an optional stop-over in the Philippines.

Tidal Energy Ltd. have now received the go ahed for a tidal generator in Ramsay Sound.

It will consist of a structure incorpoating three underwater propellers which are capable of generating electricity when driven by the strong tidal stream in Ramsay Sound.

If successful this project could lead to more of these installations being constructed around the UK coastline. The environmental impact will be closely monitored but early indications are that there will be very little impact on the surrounding marine ecosystems.

For more information see the

Non Technical Summary.

The issue of diving in the area was reviewed by the UK Government's Department for Energy and Climate Change (DECC) prior to granting consent. The Marine Coastguard Agency considered that a safety zone is not required and that the following mitigation is sufficient:

It is proposed that when the construction of the project commences a notice to mariners will be issued and notice given again to all local dive groups, boat groups and local harbours. Once the deployment is complete Tidal Energy Ltd will make further contact with the United Kingdom Hydrographic Office (UKHO) to notify of the exact coordinates of the deployment for update of UKHO admiralty charts.

See the Notice to Mariners

On Saturday 10th September, Haven Diving Services hosted an evening especially for recreational divers.

The event which was held at the Lord Nelson Hotel in Milford Haven was attended by sixty people representing dive clubs from all around Wales.

For a full report on the evening: CLICK HERE

The Welsh Scallop Order was introduced to maintain a viable and sustainable scallop industry in Welsh waters, whilst safeguarding important marine species and habitats.

No scallop dredging is permitted anywhere within one mile of the Welsh coastline. The only scallop dredging around the Pembrokeshire coast is North of Fishguard to Ceredigion. There are a number of restrictions on the size of vessel and the number and configuration of dredges as detailed in the link below.

There are however a large number of vessels involved in scallop dredging in Cardigan Bay. Again, no dredging is permitted anywhere inside one mile, and there are a number of open and closed areas, as detailed in the Scallop Order. There is also a Map at the web page below which will illustrate which areas are open and closed.

The club trip to the Maldives in September/October 2011 was a resounding success with some truly superb diving and a fantastic time was had by all.

A full trip report including some stunning photos taken during the trip can be found by following the link below:

The annual Las Vegas night took place on Saturday 14th January 2012 at the Taffs Well Rugby Club.

Everyone present had a great time and the whole event was a resounding success.

Many thanks to Sam Ady for organising the event.

The 2012 Sub Aqua Association AGM will be held at the Hellidon Lakes Golf & Spa Hotel, Northampton on Saturday 21st April 2012.

Attending the AGM gives members an excellent opportunity to meet members of the National Executive and SAA divers from other clubs and regions.

Last year several members attended the AGM in Kegworth and found it to be a very worthwhile experience. It is hoped that even more members will attend this year's AGM and give our club a higher profile in doing so.

There is usually a dinner dance held in the evening folowing the AGM.

RESTRICTION ON FISHING FOR SCALLOPS
confirmed 4/12/97

No person shall fish for or take or otherwise remove from any part of a fishery within the South Wales Sea Fisheries Committee District, scallop of the species Pecten maximus between 1st July and 31st October, both days inclusive, in each year.

In other words, the last day for taking scallops is June 30th. After this date it is illegal to take them.

This applies to the whole sea area around south and west Wales, not just the Marine Nature reserves.

These are South Wales Fisheries regulations and must be observed by divers as well as commercial fishermen.

There are heavy penalties in place for non compliance. A fine of up to £50,000 is mentioned in the bye laws.

See also:-

• South Wales Fisheries Byelaws
• South Wales Fisheries Information Leaflet

Need Accommodation
down west?

Stay at
BRENDA'S B&B
THE BEST
IN THE WEST

4 Driftwood Close
Broad Haven
01437 781647

Club Secretary Phil Dewhurst and club member Mike Rees recently took their wives on a five star all inclusive holiday to Marsa Alam in Southern Egypt.

They stayed in the Lamaya Hotel part of the Coraya Medinat group which is situated on the Red Sea coast five minutes from Marsa Alam airport and only ten minutes from Port Ghalib where many safari boats set sail from.

Right next to the hotel is the "Coraya Divers" dive centre which provided Phil and Mike with some superb diving together with club DO Peter who also joined them.

To find out how they got on read the full write up by following the link:

Steve and Ellen were on a diving holiday staying at the Shark's Bay Umbi Diving Village with Oonasdivers.

During a dive on the 3rd April, they were down at 30 metres on the glassfish pinnacle in Sharks Bay practising their photography when they spotted the first whaleshark of the season cruising at about 20m. The team and guests at Sharks Bay are looking forward to seeing many more.

Currently there are many reports from both the northern and southern red sea dive centresthat marine life is far more abundant than normal due to there being less boat traffic over the last few weeks. Now could possibly be the best time to head for Egypt and take advantage of some of the great offers currently available.

Milford Haven Coastguard is to close as part of major changes to the service across the UK.

In Wales, Milford Haven and Holyhead are to close as the number of centres across the UK is reduced from 18 to 8.

Although a consultation is to be launched, it is proposed that Milford Haven will close in 2012/13 and Holyhead a year later.

The port of Milford Haven is the biggest in Wales and the third largest in the UK and it handles 25% of the UK's petrol and diesel.

Talking about the threat to the Milford haven Coastguard centre, earlier this week, Rhys Sinnett, Plaid Cymru's Assembly Candidate in Preseli Pembrokeshire said: "Milford Haven is the 4th largest port in the UK. It is an exceptionally busy waterway with the oil refineries and LNG facilities. The idea that there is any chance of us losing our coastguard station has to be strongly opposed.

"The local knowledge of the coastguard officers based here is far more valuable that anything a more remote service could possibly offer and on top of that we absolutely cannot afford to keep losing quality jobs and services from this area. "People along the Haven are already angry that there is even the slightest suggestion of this service being threatened.

There are currently 23 Coastguard jobs at Milford Haven.

Attacks by what is believed to be a single oceanic whitetip shark have left several Red Sea snorkellers seriously injured.

From reports emanating from Egypt and international press, confusion surrounds how many people were hurt and how seriously in the incidents, near Sharm el Sheikh.

In a statement issued yesterday, Egypt’s Chamber of Diving and Watersports (CDWS) referred to “three Russian tourists” attacked “in the last 24 hours”.

The “three separate incidents” occurred in “an area north of Naama Bay”.

One of the injured, said the CDWS, was “reported to be in a critical condition”.

However, quoting Mohammed Salem, Director of Sinai Conservation, and health officials, a number of press reports have stated that the attacks numbered four, and that all the snorkellers were gravely injured.

The nationalities reported have varied from four Russians to three Russians and a Ukrainian.

Reports state that two snorkellers were attacked together on Tuesday and two more together yesterday, in the Ras Nasrani area near Sharm. Serious injuries have been listed, but details vary.

Club members have the opportunity to buy brand new Scubapro gear at bargain prices.

The discounts range from 30% to 70%

For full details and a list of gear available go to the members section.

This is quite good.

To view it Click Here

Other interesting videos can be seen on this web site too.

On the evening of Monday September 20th Mike Burley the SAA chairman visited the club at our meeting place in the Llantrisant Leisure Centre.

Among the topics discussed were diver training and regional courses. Mike also mentioned the forthcoming DO's conference in Poole in November.

For a full write up of the evening:

Click Here

Dr Andrea Marshall the "Queen of the Mantas" will speak about her manta ray research in Mozambique at this year's dive show at the NEC in October. [video]

During her research she also visited Hani Faru lagoon in the Maldives to study the mantas there.

Hani Faru will be one of the sites visited by this club during the 2011 Maldives Trip.

Other speakers at the NEC will include; Paul Rose who made the BBC documentary series "Oceans" and Martyn Farr the world famous cave diving nutter.

Ceri Jones our marine conservation officer has been confirmed as the the new South Wales Representative of the Sub-Aqua Association.

During the 2010 SAA AGM in Harrogate on April 24th Ceri was welcomed to the National Council by SAA chairman Mike Burley.

This is the first time a member of our club has held a position on the National Council of the SAA.

Ceri will now be responsible for ensuring that national and regional courses are being run in our region. He will also liaise with WASAC and keep the SAA informed of events in South Wales.

Ceri joined our club back in 1991. Since then he has been an active member of the club. He currently holds the Dive Supervisor qualification and is an Open Water Instructor. Over the years ceri has occupied various positions on the club committee including Training Officer and WASAC rep and is currently the Marine Conservation Officer.

He has travelled and dived extensively during his career including club trips to Scotland, The Red Sea, The Maldives, Thailand and Costa Rica. He has also visited Australia's Great Barrier Reef and dived with Great Whites in South Africa.

He is currently a PADI staff instructor and has completed part III of his commercial diver ticket.

In the next few weeks Ceri will be visiting all the SAA clubs in our region to assess their various needs.

We wish him well in his new position.

This year the club is running TWO trips to the Red Sea in the autumn.

Training Officer Richie is running a land based trip to Sharm el Sheikh based at the Coral Heights resort. The trip runs from October 31st to November 7th. Flights will probably be from Bristol.

Diving Officer Peter is running a liveaboard trip from Sharm el Sheikh aboard the MV Freedom 8. This trip will run from November 1st to 8th and will visit dive sites like the Thistlegorm, Abu Nuhas (wrecks), Ras Mohamed and the Straits of Tiran. Flights will be from Cardiff.

There are currently spaces available on both trips so anyoune interested should contact either Richie or Peter.

Richard Williams has produced a set of stunning posters for display in the cabinet on Level 3 in the Leisure centre.

The posters represent the different aspects of our club including Membership, History, Marine Conservation, Try-A-Dive and Forthcoming trips abroad. There will even be on displaying our 50 Years od Scuba Diving logo.

These magnificent posters are bound to have an impact on anybody visiting the Leisure Centre who sees them and they are a great way to publicise the club.

Many thanks to Richard.

To view the posters

The Suunto D4 is a full-decompression dive computer that incorporates four operating modes together with dive planning and analysis functions.

It calculates the safe dive time and any necessary deep stops, to make every dive as carefree as possible.

Programmed to sample depth three times a second, Suunto D4 records highly accurate data on the true depth reached. Surface time and depth alarms help the diver make responsible decisions both in and out of the water.

In both Air and Nitrox mode, the clear, easy-to-read screen can display the current and maximum depth; current time, dive time, decompression time and temperature. Audible and visual depth and time alarms warn when it's time to start the ascent.

In Nitrox mode, the user can increase the time underwater by adjusting the oxygen content of gas between 21% and 50% and adjust the PO2 limit between 0.5 and 1.6 bar.

The Suunto D4 uses the Suunto RGBM algorithm for decompression calculations which allows the diver to choose between taking traditional safety stops or, with the Deep Stops feature activated, taking the safety stops at depth.

Before diving, the no-stop-time planner helps to prepare for the dive. By entering the planned maximum depth of the dive, the Suunto D4 will tell how long to dive before needing a decompression stop.

After diving all the data in the computer's logbook can be instantly reviewed.

The Suunto D4 is also compatible with the optional Suunto Dive manager PC software, which provides more in-depth analysis and graphical representation of the dives.

The Suunto D4 not only serves as a functional diving watch, but also as a total timepiece. With dual time, calendar date, daily alarm, and stopwatch, it doesn’t need to be taken off when the dive is over.

Constructed from lightweight, composite material, the design is contemporary and sleek and it comes with a scratch guard that helps to protect the display against scratching.

Back in November the club successfully applied for a grant to the Welsh Church Act Fund to help in the costs of replacing one of our boat engines.

The engine had suffered severe internal damage which was most likely caused by water corrosion and the cost of a full repair was estimated to be in the region of £6500.

Following a special committee meeting held to decide the best course of action it was decided that the best option was to go for a full replacement engine as the cost of this was not significantly more than the cost of repairing the old engine.

It was also decided to explore the possibility of obtaining grant aid to assist with the cost of the new engine.

In mid December we received the good news that we had secured a grant for £5,300 from the WCAF.

The new engine has now been purchased and fitted to the boat and the boat returned to the club in working condition.

The new engine, a Mercury OPtimax 150 was supplied and fitted by Quinquari Marine in St. David's, Pembrokeshire.

This is being held on the morning of Sunday 7th March 2010.
Open from 10AM

Venue:
The Car Park
South Glamorgan County Hall,
Atlantic Wharf,
CARDIFF.
Admission £3.00, accompanied children free.

Map link to venue here

The 2010 AGM took take place on Moday 25th January 2010 at 9.00pm in the Leisure Centre.

For a full report go to the members' section of this web site.

Llantrisant Sub-Aqua Club are set to reap the benefits of a cash investment. It was announced that the Sports Council for Wales Community Chest scheme is ploughing £950 into their Try-A-Dive scheme.

The club is running a series of Try-A-Dive nights where members of the public are invited to come along and have a go at scuba diving in the safe confines of a swimming pool. As many as twenty people at a time can turn up on the night and this has put a strain on club equipment particularly the air cylinders.

Phil Dewhurst club secretary said: “this grant money will be put towards the purchase of extra cylinders and hopefully give even more people the opportunity to come along and sample the delights of swimming and breathing underwater."

Community Chest, which is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year is a National Lottery grant managed by the Sports Council for Wales and supported locally by Rhondda Cynon Taff County Council. It is designed to encourage more people to become more physically active, more often.

Since its inception in 1999, communities across the length and breadth of Wales have been investing heavily in sports and physical activity projects.

The Sports Council for Wales has recently raised the level of grant available. Organisations keen to develop sport and physical activity in Wales can receive up to £1000 for a qualifying project over a twelve month period and Llantrisant Sub-Aqua Club is one of the latest to benefit.

In late 2009 Parliament will enact the Marine and Coastal Access Bill.

This new law will establish a new network of marine conservation zones to protect species and habitats of national importance.

On Wednesday 14th October Vicky Swales will present a lecture on marine surveys around the Welsh coast and the likely impact of the Marine and Coastal Access Bill on Wales. The the introduction of new Marine Protected Areas will also be discussed.

For more details:
visit the

Marine Conservation Page

A row over scallop-dredging in Cardigan Bay has escalated after fisheries regulators ignored a demand by the Welsh Assembly’s wildlife advisers for an immediate and total ban in areas protected by European conservation legislation.

The call by the Countryside Council for Wales (CCW) for all scallop-dredging authorisations to be suspended pending completion of investigations into threats to wildlife followed a formal complaint to Brussels by four conservation groups, who accused the UK and Welsh governments and fisheries regulators of defying EU law by failing to stop scalloping-boats disturbing dolphins and seals and damaging or destroying their habitats and breeding sites.

The CCW is now effectively backing that line, saying that current dredging is breaking European wildlife-protection legislation.

Written statement by the
Welsh Assembly Government - Elin Jones,
Minister for Rural Affairs

In February this year, as a result of increased concerns about scallop dredging in Cardigan Bay, I made a statement that explained that I had asked my officials to work with the Countryside Council for Wales, the Welsh Federation of Fishermen’s Associations and other fisheries managers to review the current management arrangement for the Scallop Fishery.

The Groups findings have been presented to me and officials will now be meeting stakeholders in July for informal consultation prior to the issuing of a formal consultation over the Summer on the package of measures that I hope to put in place in time for the coming season as well as consideration of the longer-term management of the scallop fishery.

My aim is that these measures will be the first stage in securing the sustainable management of the scallop fishery as part of a healthy marine ecosystem.

Save Our Seas campaign

Our Marine Conservation Officer (MCO) Ceri Jones is currently in South Africa undertaking commercial diver training. So there won't be any monthly blog until he returns later in the summer.

Every month Ceri will be informing members about events, news and all things marine that will be taking place during the diving season and throughout the rest of the year.

You will find this blog on our Marine Conservation page.

We must now be the only club in the world with a Blig and a Blog!

The Maldives trip in May was a resounding success.

The trip aboard MV Sea Queen visited the southern atolls almost as far south as the equator.

The coral reefs down south were in pristine condition and were absolutely stunning. The fish life was prolific too. There were several encounters with large numbers of grey reef sharks.

A gallery of underwater photographs from the trip has now been uploaded on to this site.

To see a full report of all the dives we did on this trip
click here

To view the Underwater Photo Gallery
click here

There was an incident involving one of our club boats and the Little Haven inshore lifeboat on Sunday 5th July.

The boat skippered by Captain Sensible and his crew of Dai Flipflop, Crabhook John & Gareth the Novice ran into trouble when Captain Sensible was unable to start the engine.

After having launched the boat through ten foot surf the boat was left bobbing up and down helplessly beyond the waves on Broad Haven beach.

Parrot Fish Pete and Phil the Post Dewhurst were left on the beach cursing and wondering what the hell was going on.

Meanwhile Captain Sensible put down the anchor (because that was a sensible thing to do) while he tried unsuccessfully to start the engine.

Eventually the Little Haven lifeboat came to their rescue and towed them to safety.

For further reports go to the "Postings" page.

This is to remind members that with the start of the new 2009 diving season, a new club rule comes into effect:

Rule 1.12: All divers must now carry some form of Surface Location Aid (SLA) such as an S.M.B., a delayed S.M.B., a Marker Flag, an Inflatable Sausage, etc. The suitability of any SLA will be determined by the Dive Marshall on the day. The use of safety strobes is to be encouraged but is not mandatory at this time.

Failure to comply with this rule could invalidate the diver's third party liability insurance.

The use of strobes is encouraged but is not mandatory at this time.

Last Monday (20th April), the club chairman Gatch, actually bought a round of drinks.

Stunned onlookers could hardly believe their eyes as Gatch bought Billy Whizz and Dai FlipFlop a drink from the bar in the Leisure Centre.

Dai FlipFlop said he normally buys the first couple of drinks because he gets a lift down to the club meeting.

Billy said that on Monday they decided to have an extra drink rather than their normal couple.

"You don't want another one?" he was heard to ask, but the others did and so he made his way muttering to the bar.

The lady serving behind the bar said it only goes to show that "wonders will never cease".

LIDS 2009 was held on the 28th & 29th March 2009 at the Excel Exhibition Centre, London.

It was an excellent event and well worth attending even it is a long way to travel.

VIVA LAS VEGAS!
an evening of
superb entertainment

On Friday Night 16th of January 2009 the club held another Las Vegas Style social event. The night was a total success and raised £480 for the club funds.

For the full story read Phil's posting page.

The full report of the recent trip to Cocos Island has now been published with the full story and photos.

Click here to see it

The 2009 AGM will be held on Monday January 19th at 9:20pm.

Any nominations for committee positions must be made in writing by a proposer and seconder to the club secretary at least 48 hours prior to the meeting.

Similarly, any proposed changes to the constitution must be made in writing by a proposer and seconder to the club secretary at least 48 hours prior to the meeting.

Note: in order to facilitate a change to the constitution a majority of a least 75% of members pesent and voting is required.

The charter is now full with all 18 places filled which means we will get the maximum discount on the charter price. The final payment is due at the beginning of August.

There will be a meeting held very soon to go over any final points that need covering e.g. baggage allowance, what travel vaccinations are reqiured, money issues, etc.

We will also need to discuss getting up to Heathrow Airport and back. A minibus has been arranged so we will need numbers to be able to work out costs. Not everyone is travelling back from Costa Rica on the same dates so some may not require a seat on the bus on the way up to Heathrow. We also need to determine pick up points.

For up to date information and photographs
CLICK HERE

As you can see from the above photograph, the Panorama Explorer sank on her maiden charter to the southern Red Sea. This happened last October about two weeks after travelled there aboard the Sea Flower.

We were supposed to be aboard the Panorama Explorer but she was not quite finished in time for our charter so we went aboard Sea Flower instead. At the time we were disappointed at not having the brand new boat but it turned out to be a lucky escape.

The Sea Flower may not have been a brand new boat but at least she stayed afloat.

Oonasdivers have discontinued their agency with the owners of both the Panorama Explorer and the Sea Flower and have now become the agents for the popular Blue Planer Fleet.

This year we hope to charter one of the Blue Planer fleet for a charter to Zabargad and Rocky island.

Former club member and sex goddess Louise Ling is currently travelling the world and keeping a web blog about her adventures.

She is going under the name of "Dora the Explorer" and her blog can be found at the following address: http://www.getjealous.com/linglo.

Louise, if you read this, have a great trip and send us an email telling us how you are getting on.

This is an important development that required our immediate attention. The deadline for any input was 31st January 2011. WASAC are actively involved in negotiations regarding this issue.

• The PCNPA consultation Document (PDF)
• The PCNPA Strategy (DOC)
• The PCNPA Response Form (DOC)

Click here to go to the Marine Conservation Page
for more information

On Sunday 26th June, a ceremony was conducted in Goultrop Roads, St. Brides Bay, Pembrokeshire according to the last wishes of our late member Phil (the flute) Marshall.

Phil had requested that following his cremation that his remains were to be scattered on the waters of St. Bride's Bay by the club Diving Officer.

It was only a very short ceremony with ten members present on the two club boats. Members of Phil's family together with three other club members observed from the cliffs above Goultrop.

The ashes were committed to the sea and flowers laid over the spot. This was followed by a few words from the Diving Officer and then a minute's silence.

The ceremony ended with both boats circling the area then heading off out to sea.

The following is an email received from Phil's son Carl:-

Peter,

On behalf of Philip Marshall's family, I would like to thank you and the Dive Club for the way that the scattering of Dad's ashes was conducted yesterday.

It was kind of you to provide Gatch as a guide, so that we could watch it from the best vantage point.

You kept the level of ceremonial to a minimum, which was entirely appropriate for a man as averse to ritual as he was. It was also conducted in just the right mixture of reverence and solemnity, combined of course, with the practicality befitting a prelude to one of the Club Dives that Dad loved so much.

Thank you again for all your efforts in helping to make his last wish go so well.

We hope you had a good dive.

Carl Marshall

The 2011 Sub Aqua Association AGM was held at the: Yew Tree Lodge, Kegworth, Leicestershire.

Club members Peter Rees (DO), Training Officer Richie Grice, Fund Raising Officer Sam Ady and Marine Conservation Officer (and South Wales Regional Rep) Ceri Jones were present at the meeting.

All four attended the day's meetings plus the dinner dance event in the evening.

The 2011 AGM was held on Monday 17th January 2011 at 9.00pm in the Leisure Centre.

For a full report go to the members section. Click Here

A terrified British holidaymaker yesterday told how the sea turned red with blood as a killer shark tore a swimmer to death in front of her.

Helpless Ellen Barnes struggled to get back to the beach as the beast thrashed around in the water with its victim, a 70-year-old German woman, in its mouth at Sharm el Sheik, Egypt.

The elderly tourist’s right arm was torn off and her thigh savaged while she was snorkeling. Her multilated body washed up on the shore later.

Shaken Ellen, 31, said: “I was being thrown around in the blood. The shark was thrashing and tearing at this poor woman and I could barely keep my head above water it was so choppy.

“And the swimmer was screaming, ‘Help me! Help me!’ in English.

“I have never felt pure terror like that. The water was churning like I was in a washing machine.”

Ellen, of Horsham, West Sussex, blasted Egyptian life-guards on duty at the Red Sea hot-spot, adding they were “useless and petrified”.

Doctors say the pensioner died from a “catastrophic” loss of blood. The tragedy came just days after four divers were badly injured in a spate of similar attacks.

Rolf Schmid, manager of the Sinai Diver’s Centre, said: “It is very unusual to have so many incidents in such a short time.

“The latest attack happened in a shallow area called Middle Garden north of Naama Bay, but no sharks have been reported anywhere around here for years.”

The annual Las Vegas night was held on Friday January 21st at the Taffs Well Rugby Club and it was a resounding success.

Everybody who attended had a fantastic time and the club raised over £700 in the process.

Many thanks to Sam Ady et al for organising and running the event.

2012 Club fees
are due!!

Members are reminded that their fees will becone due on January 1st.

The new annual fee will be decided at the AGM on January 17th so anyone who pays before then can pay at the 2010 rate and avoid any possible increase.

Members are also reminded that failure to pay their fees by 28th February will result in their membership being discontinued. This will result in their entitlement to use the pool at members rates, undertake training or use any club equipment including the club boats will be lost.

Any committee members who fail to pay will be automatically stood down and will need to seek re-election.

Former member Richard (Rattle) Griffiths won the big raffle prize at the dive show in the NEC recently.

The prize which is a £10,000 luxury holiday for two in Fujairah in the United Arab Emirates was drawn on the day and Richard was informed of his win whilst driving home from the show.

Phil Marshall (Phil the Flute), one of our long standing members, passed away on August 17th 2010 aged 79.

Phil was a member of the club for over 35 years and during that time he was very active within the club. He will be sadly missed by all the membership.

Phil's funeral was held at the Cwmbran Crematorium on Thursday 2nd September at 4.00pm. Club members were invited for refreshments after the funeral at the Greenmeadow Golf and Country Club in Cwmbran. The club was well represented by 15 members and former members present.

Phil didn't want flowers at his funeral but requested that a donation be made to the RNLI instead.

Phil has requested that his ashes be scattered over St. Bride's Bay in Pembrokeshire by the club Diving Officer.

Phil also remembered the club in his will and has left us all his diving gear to be auctioned off and all proceeds to go to the club.

Phil's Obituary

For the third year running the club had a stand at the Ponty Big Bite.

This festival held over three days in the beautiful Ynysangharad Park Pontypridd attracted over 20,000 visitors.....

For the full story and photographs:

At the 2010 Sub-Aqua Association AGM in Harrogate our club was nominated as "Club of the Year"

This is a fantastic honour for our club and reflects all the hard work put in by all the members during the past year to make our club one of the most successful and active diving clubs in the UK.

The award is made by the SAA Executive and carries the following engraving:

This is the first time our club has ever won this award and the first time a club in Wales has been awarded this prestigious title.

In the past year, besides being an active sub-aqua club our club has three members on the WASAC committee and one member on the National Council of the SAA.

Well done Everyone!

The 2010 Sub Aqua Association AGM was held at the: Barcelo Majestic Hotel, Harrogate on Saturday 24th April.

Club members Peter Rees (DO), Training Officer Richie Grice and Marine Conservation Officer Ceri Jones were present at the meeting.

All three considered their presence at the meeting to be very fruitful and enjoyable and attendance at this meeting is a must for our club in future.

It gives us an excellent opportunity to meet with, and discuss issues with members of the National Executive and to find out what is going on at a national level within the SAA.

It also puts our club on the map by introducing the Members of the Executive to our club members where we can inform them of our various activities and needs.

During the meeting Ceri was confirmed as the new South Wales Representative.

Ceri Jones our Marine Conservation Officer has asked that we report any sightings of crawfish (crayfish) to him.

The Skomer Marine Nature Reserve are currently undertaking a survey of crawfish numbers in and around the reserve and would like to be informed of any sightings.

The Welsh Sports Council in conjunction with WASAC are embarking on a project to make a film about the best dive sites around the Welsh coast.

The video film will be approximately 20 minutes long and feature dive sites from the Gower Peninsula in the South to Anglesey in the north.

The film will include some of our most scenic dive sites and also some of the wrecks that can be found around our coastline.

For a full report on this project

Planning is underway for a club trip to the Maldives in 2011.

The club has chartered two liveaboards with Maldives Scuba Tours - MV Sea Queen and MV Sea Spirit which enables us to take up to 24 divers.

We will be going out there for the Autumn Equinox which is a good time to visit as there will hopefully be a lot of reef activity with all the usual reef inhabitants in large numbers but we are hoping to have encounters with the big stuff like the Mantas and Whale Sharks.

The plan is to visit Baa Atoll to the north west of Male the capital where they have had several encounters with these huge creatures in the past.

Lisa, one of the dive guides aboard Sea Queen believes that late September in Baa Atoll is the best time and place for whaleshark encounters.

Here is a quote from Biffo Bryning the boss of Maldives Scuba Tours: "For those of you who seek the unusual, then you really should book a trip covering either the autumn or spring equinox. This is when just about everything in the world's oceans get together. They are either mating or feeding en masse on the spawning corals. We have seen groups of literally hundreds of mantas with whalesharks feeding with them".

See the article on Mantas and Whalesharks
in Baa Atoll on our Marine Conservation page.

The cost of the trip will be around £2500 based on today's prices.

There has already been considerable interest in this trip so anyone who wants to go should pay a deposit of £250 to the diving officer to secure their place.

Visit our new Maldives News Letter page to read about the amazing diving in the Maldives:

The recent Las Vegas night at Taffs Well Rugby Club was a resounding success. Everyone who attended said that they'd had a fantastic evening.

The club raised over £300 to boost our funds. So its a big thank you to Emma and Andrew for organising such a fantasic event.

Egyptian liveaboard, Coral Princess, capsized and sank in open water near Jackson Reef in late November 2009, with the loss of two diving guests from Spain.

The two Spanish tourists are still missing in the Red Sea after their dive boat sank off Egypt's Sinai coast.

The married couple were the only two not to make it off the boat when it sank. It is believed that their bodies are still in the boat, which now lies hundreds of metres below the surface.

The fourteen other Spanish tourists and seven Egyptian crew were all rescued.

According to survivor reports, the sad reality for Coral Princess was that the captain was the first to abandon ship.

In 2003 our club went on a week's diving safari aboard the Coral Princess. A report of this trip can be found in the expedition pages on this site.

This incident was followed in mid-December with the loss of Emperor Fraser, one of the Emperor Divers fleet, on Dunraven Reef, near Sharm El Sheikh.

Guido Cherif, former owner of Egypt’s famed Coral Queen liveaboard, has died after a long illness.

Abd El Megeed El Cherif, popularly known as Guido, was one of the true pioneers of Red Sea diving and one of the industry's most beloved faces”.

A true character who brought joy to every situation he encountered, Guido sold his successful textile business in Alexandria to pursue a belatedly found love for diving and the Red Sea.

A dedicated diving enthusiast, Guido designed and built the 24m-long Coral Queen.

In 1996 after she was built in El Tor, Llantrisant Sub-Aqua club went out on Coral Queen on her first charter. She quickly became very popular with British divers until her demise at Sha’ab Sataya in 2005.

The boat was a real landmark in Red Sea liveaboard diving with a unique atmosphere. The relatively small and unassuming boat twice won an award for "Best Liveaboard in the World", for the services in diving and hospitality provided by Cherif and his crews.

A close friend of Llantrisant Sub-Aqua Club Guido Cherif was a true Red Sea diving pioneer who will be missed by all those who knew him.

New pages have been added to this web site with reference to the byelaws governing the landing of fish and shellfish by divers.

During a recent committee meeting the subject was discussed at length and it was decided that it would be helpful if the regulations were published on the site for the benefit of the membership.

The regulations are enforced and penalties for breaching the regulations can be severe and include large fines and/or confiscation of boats.

The new links are as follows:

South Wales Fisheries Committee Byelaws

South Wales Fisheries Guidance Leaflet

EU Minimum Fish Sizes (PDF)

For the second year running Llantrisant Sub-Aqua took the opportunity to promote both the sport and the club at the Big Bite Event held in Ynysangharad Park Pontypridd over the weekend July 31st to August 2nd. We took a stand in the Well Being Zone and used materials provided by the Sub Aqua Association and club members to create an eye catching display.

Over the three days the show attracted 15000 visitors. Our stand was kept busy with enquires from both experienced divers to people with a dream of just wanting to have a go. It’s surprising how many people dive on a regular basis but don’t know there’s a dive club in the area. We had lots of divers who said they may come along one Monday night just to see how we operate.

However, it’s the non divers who have all the questions, but have they the bottle to ask? They pause by the stand to watch the dive videos that we had running on two machines throughout the day and maybe pick up a leaflet or two. It’s at this point that our club members make contact and boy, did they do a good job.

Gareth Henderson who joined the club as a result of visiting our stand at last year’s show was keen to engage people in conversation. He told visitors of his experiences ands though he’s only started open water diving this season his enthusiasm for the sport came over in his explanations. Gareth was first on the stand on Saturday morning and last to leave that evening. Richie Grice, Jeff Canning, Emma and Andrew Reece, Martin Sanders, Mark Jones, Alan and Owain Jenkins, Mike Rees and Richard Sheldon, many thanks for giving up your time and promoting our sport so well.

We have a list of almost 100 names, people who fancy having a go at a try-a-dive. Richie Grice has marked three dates on the calendar for try-a-dive nights and these are:

• 14th September
• 12th October
• 9th November

We’ll be looking for plenty of help on these nights so I hope as many of you as possible will be available to assist. Information will go out in the press, posters will be put up within the leisure centre and hopefully Richie can pull some strings to have an announcement put out on local radio.

These try-a-dive nights are really good recruiting events but beyond that the look on peoples’ faces when they’ve had a go and the buzz of excitement in the bar afterwards is reward enough in itself.

At the request of the National Park Authority and the Community of Dale the Yacht Club has taken back the lease of the Dale Slipway.

This means that the Yacht Club in consultation with the local community can ensure the slipway is maintained and managed in the most beneficial and effective way for the benefit of all users.

The Club has to give full consideration to the maintenance, insurance and management of this facility. It has already had to increase its insurance cover to include the slipway.

Therre are currently no public funds to help with this task so the club may have to give consideration to how the costs will be met in the future. As part of the management of the facility we must consider the safe use of the slipway by all users. With this in mind, there will be a few days in the in the year when events are taking place, when we will need to restrict slipway access.

Any restriction will be posted on the clubs web site and we will be happy to post the information on other web sites if requested.

PROPOSED SLIPWAY RESTRICTIONS 2009
(No Vehicle Access)

July 25th 9 am to 5 pm.
Paul Satori and Village Fun Day.

August 16th 9 am to 6 pm.
Dale Dinghy Regatta

August 29th- 3lst 9 am to 5 pm.
Cruiser Dinghy and longboat weekend.

Sept 29th The slipway will not be accessible
from 9 am to 2 pm due to road closure
for the Dale Half Marathon.

Dale Yacht Club 01646 636362
http://www.daleyc.freeuk.com/
---

The WASAC AGM
was held on Sunday 26th April
At the New Inn,
Newbridge-on-Wye, Powys.

Many topics were discussed during the meeting including access from the slip at Dale and diving in the Haven. There wll be follow up to these topics throughout the season as the situation becomes clearer.

One outcome of particular interest to our club is that we now have two representatives on the WASAC committee:

Martin (sensible) Sanders has been voted in as Vice Charman and Phil (the post) Dewhurst has been voted in as the new Secretary.

Wales Underwater

The WASAC Conference 2009

Sunday 22nd February 2009
Faraday Building,
Swansea University Campus

On Sunday 22nd February the 2009 WASAC conference will be held in Swansea. This is the first WASAC conference to be held after a long period of inactivity.

The event promises to be an excellent day out and all club members are encouraged to attend.

See below for details:

The Programme:

Chairperson (Morning Session) - Andrea Dickens

9.30 Opening Address/Introduction - WASAC Chairman.
9.40 Historical Perspective - John Stubbs
10.15 'A Confusion of Shipwrecks' - Chris Holden

10.50 Break.

11.15 Darkness Beckons - Martyn Farr
12.00 Photographing Underwater - Charles Hood

12.45 Lunch

Chairperson (Afternoon Session) - Allan Jeffery

14.15 Technical Diving - Dennis Wigg
14.50 A Deep Water Experience - Mike Rowley

15.35 Prize Draw

15.45 WASAC Initiatives - Andre Dickens, Leigh Batchelor
16.00 Open Forum
16.30 Closing Address - WASAC Chairman

Supporting Attractions:
RNLI, Police Underwater SAR Unit
Marine Conservation Society, Bristol Channel Divers
Celtic Diving Fishguard, BSAC, SAA

The Club was recently invited by Rhondda Cynon Taff, to take part in ‘The Ponty Big Bite’, a three day event held annually in Ynysangharad Park.

This Welsh Food and Agricultural extravaganza attracted over 20,000 people and was an ideal showcase for our sport, our association and our club. We had a stand within the ‘well being’ marquee which housed, amongst other activities, the RCT Leisure Team.

Prior to the event I contacted Irene at SAA headquarters and was more than pleased when she offered to not only loan us some very professional looking stands but also supplied us with lots of colourful display material, information leaflets and lots of pens, bookmarks and bottle-openers to give away. We ‘borrowed’ a mannequin which we equipped with a bcd, regs and a mask, and we ran a film showing scenes from a club trip to the Maldives.

Although I say it myself, our stand looked very attractive. Over the three days we had lots of enquires and as a result club training nights have since been crowded with new faces. At the event we advertised two try-a-dive nights and interest in these has been very encouraging.

Apart from the efforts put in by members, the cost to the club of taking part in this event was very little. The rewards however in terms of exposure and potential new membership were (are) huge. We will certainly take part again next year.

Phil Dewhurst.
Club Secretary

On Sunday July 6th a number of club members attended an Oxygen Administration Course.

The course was well presented and resulted in all those who attended gaining the qualification. For a full write up on the day go to

Phil's postings.

The Coraya Beach Hotel
Marsa Alam

For the full report
including underwater photos

CLICK HERE

We held our 2008 AGM on January 14th. A full copy of the minutes can be found in the members section.

The same committee officers that served last season will continue in office for the 2008 season.