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 boat with the damaged engine is currently with Quinquari Marine in Pembrokeshire being re-fitted with its brand new engine.

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.

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The recent Las Vegas night at Taffs Wwll 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.

See the Photos!

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

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.

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!

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.

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.

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)

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:

Click Here

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 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

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

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.

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.