Llantrisant Sub-Aqua Club
www.llantrisantdivers.com

 
Club News & Notices
 

Try A Dive

On Monday 25th February we will be holding a Try a Dive night and we will be opening the pool up to members of the public to come and have a go using the SCUBA equipment. So if you would like to try a dive in the pool then come along next Monday at 7:45 to the pool in Llantrisant Leisure Centre. All you need to bring is your swimming costume and an old t shirt.

The total cost for a Try a Dive is £5.00 and for that you get entry into the pool for one hour, use of SCUBA equipment and an instructor to show you how to use it.

See you there!


Las Vegas Night

On Friday Night 18th of January the club held another Las Vegas Style night.

The night was a total success and raised over £600 for the club funds.

For the full story read Phil's posting page.


The 2008 AGM

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.


Cocos Island 2008 Update!

The trip is now full!

In October/November 2008 the club is running a trip to the world famous Cocos Island in the Pacific Ocean off Costa Rica.

The charter is now full with all 18 places filled which means we will get the maximum discount on the charter price.

For up to date information and photographs CLICK HERE


Need Accommodation down west?

Stay at Brenda's B&B
THE BEST IN THE WEST

4 Driftwood Close
Broad Haven
01437 781647


Red Sea Trip Update

The trip is now full and all the deposits have been collected and sent off. The final balance of £600 is due at the end of July.

We will be travelling up to Gatwick (Horley) on Tuesday Sept 25th at around 5.00pm. A bus has been booked for the journey up and back.

We will be staying overnight at the Lawn Guesthouse. The cost of the guesthouse, the bus, transport to the airport and a tip for the driver will be £65 per person. I will need to collect this ASAP.

the flight schedule is as follows:- Airline: Astraeus.

Outbound flight no. 5W317 (all times are local)
..
26th Sept depart Gatwick 09:30 arrive Marsa Alam 16:45
Inbound flight no. 5W318
..
3rd October depart Marsa Alam 16:45 arrive Gatwick 21:30
       
(flights are from and to Gatwick North Terminal)  

The luggage situation is as follows (taken from the Astraeus web site):

Checked/Hold Baggage:

Standard Baggage Allowance for adult and child passengers on Astraeus flights is one piece, weighing no more than 20kgs.

However, all divers destined for Egypt (Hurghada, Marsa Alam, Sharm El Sheikh and Taba) are allocated an extra 5kg free hold luggage allowance. This is in addition to your original luggage allowance.

Sub-Aqua Equipment: On all Astraeus flights, for a payment of £20, divers can purchase another 10kg on top of their normal luggage allowance for the round trip. For an extra £50, they may take another 25kg. Thereafter, normal excess charges will apply.

Please ensure that tanks are empty and the cylinder valves loose before presentation at check-in. Payment can be made at the airport on the day of departure.

In consideration of health and safety regulations, we are unable to accept any single item of luggage that exceeds 32kgs in weight, irrespective of excess payment.

Hand Baggage:

In addition to the checked luggage allowance, each adult and child is allocated a free hand luggage allowance of one item that does not exceed 5kgs. Your one item of hand luggage may not exceed 56 cm x 45 cm x 25cm, which includes handles and side pockets.

Regretfully, due to minimising health and safety concerns, Astraeus will not allow any wheel-based hand luggage. All items of wheel-based luggage will be put into the hold of the aircraft on acceptance at check-in and may be collected at the luggage carousel at your destination.


Marine Conservation

In the absence of a club Marine Awareness Officer, marine biologist Vicky Swales a former Marine Officer has kindly agreed to supply us with current information relating to the marine environment to publish on our web site.

This information can be found on the Marine Conservation page.


Try a Dive

Our try a dive night as advertised in the local press and in the Llantrisant Leisure Centre, was a huge success.

On Monday night, 16th April 2007, twenty plus people turned up at the poolside. We managed somehow to kit everybody up and allow them to experience the thrill of swimming and breathing under water. Club members were on hand to supervise all activities and to answer the many queries people had. We didn’t need to ask if they had enjoyed themselves, the look on their faces when they had finished, said it all.

Afterwards, we gathered in the bar for a well earned drink and a chat. The visitors were all ears as the ‘old hands’ took centre stage, telling tales of diving exploits from the good old days; they get better every time I hear them! I’m sure we’ll see some of the new divers at our regular Monday night meetings.

Anyone who wants to have a try at diving in the safe confines of a swimming pool is most welcome. Come along to the Llantrisant Leisure Centre at 8-00pm Monday evenings; just bring your bathers, we have all the equipment. Further information is available from Richard 01443 663538, Phil 01443 226201/01443227667 or visit our web site www.llantrisantdivers.com


Dora the Explorer

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.


Red Sea Trip 2007

This year we are running another trip to the Egyptian Red Sea. We have secured a liveaboard boat called "Blue Waves", one of the famous Blue Planet fleet. She can take a maximum of 16 divers.

The main itinerary of the charter will be to Daedelus, Zabargad and Rocky Island but we will also probably visit St. John's, Fury Shoal and Elphinstone. Blue waves starts and finishes her itinerary from the marina at Ras Galeb which is about 10 minutes from Marsa Alam airport. On the last day of the trip we will be transferred to a hotel near the airport to spend the day there.

The dates of the trip are from Wednesday September 26th to Thursday October 4th but we will probably travel up to Gatwick the afternoon prior to the 26th and stay overnight prior to an early morning outbound flight.

The cost of the trip depends on the numbers travelling. The full cost of the charter is £906 which includes the cost of dive permits and a fuel surcharge.

If ten persons travel, the price will be £820 and if all sixteen places are filled, the price will be £800. However, we expect to fill the boat with a full compliment of sixteen.

The price does not include travel insurance which must be obtained separately and the cost of travelling up to Gatwick and staying overnight in a guesthouse which will be around £50.

There is also an option to spend a second week at the Coraya Beach Resort. This is a 5 star hotel situated about ten minutes from Marsa Alam airport. Several club members have spent a day or two here in the past. The cost of this will be £320 based on a B&B basis. There is a dive centre at the resort.

If anyone is interested, the deposit for the trip is £200 and these are being collected now. When all sixteen deposits are in there will be no more room. There are already a long list of names down for this trip so do not delay, grt your deposit in ASAP.


Further information:

Blue Planet Liveaboards
Coraya Beach Resort - Marsa Alam
Coraya Divers




A Lucky Escape!

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.


A letter from Vicky Swales, former marine conservation officer with the club can now be found on our "marine conservation" page.

British Marine Life - A new gallery page has been added showing some of the marine life found around the Pembrokeshire Coast. To access it - click here.

Martin's Photos - Martin Sanders has emailed me some underwater photos that he took recently. To see them click here.

Marine Conservation & Underwater Photography - A new page covering these topics has recently been added to the site. This page will soon be full of lots of information on these important topics. To visit the page click here.
 
SAA Club 349
 
 
Marine Conservation Society
 
Divernet Magazine
 
X-RAY MAG is an international dive magazine. It is complimentary and published in pdf-format and distributed worldwide over the internet every other month.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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