The Ponty Big Bite.

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. And there was plenty of interesting things for them to see including stalls laden with tempting foods and a full programme of displays including dancing dogs, dancing kids, lumberjacks, even sheep dogs herding ducks.

Our stand was in the Well Being Zone, a marquee occupied with groups and societies promoting healthy lifestyles. Last year we were situated next to the alcohol abuse team and I wondered who had been telling tales. This year our neighbours were from heart- start. One of their team was a diver so we managed to get the latest info on how to handle an emergency.

We used material kindly provided by the SAA and the Marine Conservation Society; the kids were thrilled to pick up glossy pics showing seal pups and coral. Irene from the SAA loaned us two stands which added colour to our display and we took along a couple of laptops.

Our DVDs shot on recent club trips and some stills of a training event held at the National Dive Centre Chepstow had a constant audience.

Club members took it in turns to man the stand and I’m grateful to Owain Jenkins, Mike Rees, Sam Ady, Mark Jones, Richie Grice,‘Tall Paul’, ‘Paul The Gas’ Ray Williams, Gareth H and young Rachael for their efforts; I don’t know what they all do for a living but if they show as much enthusiasm in their work as they did promoting our sport their bosses are lucky people. Apologies if I missed anyone out and please tell me if I did so I can add your name to the list of honour.

Our ‘name the diver’ competition was well supported; the mannequin dressed as a diver was very realistic but I’m not sure about the open mouth and judging by some of the names submitted neither were the public at large!

By 3:00pm on Sunday we were close to 150 names and telephone numbers from people interested in having a go at Try-A-Dive and just before the show closed Mark Jones got the 150th candidate to enter their details on the list.

The event closed at 5:00pm. Sunday. By 6:00 we’d cleared the stand and left the park. Mark Richie and me then retired to Rickard’s for a well earned pint.

Over our drinks we talked about the stand, the club and diving in general and concluded that Big Bite is a good showcase for our sport and our club. We’re already making plans for 2011.

Weight Watchers.

Ok, I put my hands up; I’m guilty as charged, I did it and in front of witnesses who can’t be trusted to keep their gobs shut. I thought that divers were supposed to be buddies and remember Billy Whiz telling me not long after I’d joined the club that what happens on the boat stays on the boat. So was I entitled to think that if I did something daft whilst diving and my MATES were there to see me do it, they’d be entitled to see the funny side, maybe pee themselves laughing but the matter would be left there? I think so. That’s not how it was. Somebody just couldn’t keep schtum and bad news spreads faster than swine flu.

So here’s the senario. Despite what happened, I’d had a good day’s diving and was on my way home. My mobile was on the passenger seat amongst various junk. I was making good progress and would soon be necking one or three Speckled Hens’.

Then the phone went. I glanced at the tiny screen. The name Dai Flip Flop was pulsing and an image formed in my mind of a thin baldy guy who used to dive some time ago but then went off to do cliff jumping or blancmange juggling or something equally engrossing. What the hell could he want? I pulled over, stopped the engine and the conversation went something like this.

“Hi Dai what can I do for you? ”

“I just heard”

“Just heard what?”

“Just heard you jumped in without your weight belt.”

“Who told you?”

“Had a text. Is it true”

“Yes.”

“Who blabbed?”

“Not telling you. Got to go.”

Silence.

By now he was probably telling the world or at very least the diving fraternity via twitter or face book and I’ve got a feeling that what happened to me today could well get a late mention on the 6.00pm news.

So I admit it. Phil jumped ship without his weight belt. And I wondered why I couldn’t get down, DOH!! Fair play to the boys on the boat, when they eventually stopped laughing they hauled me back on board, helped me de-kit then re-kit and re-enter the water, this time plus 12Kg of lead…. Then via the wonders of technology they began to tell the world.

Of course there is a serious side to this. When I first started diving the need to carry out buddy checks was mandatory. BRWAF - BCD, Releases, Weight belt, Air and Final Check… Common sense I hear you say, so why don’t us ‘experienced’ divers do it? Is it because we think we’re too good for any of that? Or because we just can’t be bothered? Or is it a combination of both? Whatever, I didn’t check my gear or my buddie’s and thus deserve to join the Hall Of Shame that includes some very famous names including:

1. Richard Rattle who rolled off the boat minus his fins. We were on the Smalls where the tide runs fast. He was some way away before we stopped laughing and was fuming when we finally managed to catch up with him.

2. Mark Jones who whilst diving off Skomer one chilly day in April, forgot to check his dry suit zip was fastened. It wasn’t a dry suit that day.

And I won’t be the last on the list; as my fingers fly over the keypad news comes through of another incident. Whilst diving off Stack Rocks none other than Dai Flip Flop rolled off the tubes only to discover he wasn’t going to get anywhere fast without his fins. See. It can happen to anybody. Dai, it wasn’t me who blabbed… Honest.

Who’s going to be next?

PHIL. THE POST

It's all in a day's diving.

How is that we meet up at 9.00 but it's dinnertime before we ready to dive. I've tried for ions to come up with a solution to this persistent problem but there's always something to cause delays. This time it started with the lack of a cupboard key. Now you'd think with two committee men present we'd have at least one key between us. No. I was sure Lyn would have one he thought I'd have one. We were both wrong. Luckily Dai Flip Flop had one and he went back to his caravan to get it. Meantime we waited.

Now there's not a lot to do at Monty's. When we used to met at West Wales Divers there was the café and I've spent many a happy hour there gorging on pure cholesterol whilst others who can (I can't) have tinkered with screws and played around with wires. There's no café at Monty's, there's not a lot at Monty's but fair play it's a safe haven for the boats and without the distraction of a café we should be on the water quicker. But we're not. We should be more prepared. But we're not.

Fifteen minutes later Dai arrives back with the key. Meanwhile Lyn is debating the weather forecast with the coastguard. There's some concern about the wind direction and speed, finally they concur. Wind, north, north-west, force 3 to 4.

Having a key is one thing getting into the cupboard is another. This requires a two part manoeuvre involving a pair of rusty old pliers and a lot of brute strength. It goes something like this.

1. Using a key, undo the padlocks top and bottom.
2. Insert the pliers between the bottom of the cupboard door and the slabs; using your left hand apply upward pressure.
3. With your right hand, remove the locks then ease the hasps away from the staples.
4. If this fails delegate the task to someone more able.

If you've applied enough pressure with the left hand, the hasps come away easy and all you suffer are rust encrusted fingers that are still stained even after a day's diving. If you get this pressure wrong be sure to count your finger ends when the door finally springs. If you're unsure number 4 applies.

Loading the boat takes ten minutes, after all we've done it zillions of times; oxygen, first aid box, tool box, throw- line. Have we an anchor and a dive flag on board? Is the radio working? Will the engine start? Yes. Yes. And Yes.

It's going too well. We fit the trailer board only to discover the coupling on the Pajero has corroded and is dangling. A search in the back of the cupboard results in a mould encrusted bungy cord. Lyn, ever resourceful, probably a boy scout maybe even a policeman in an earlier life, lashes the coupling to the bumper. This provides a temporary repair which will survive until either:

1. The bungy rots or
2. The clips rust through or
3. Martin finds out and throws a wobbly.

It's 10.15 and we're almost ready to roll. Now LSAC is, has always been a democratic club, we all have a say about where to launch and where to dive after which Lyn decides we're launching from Gelliswick but hey, he's a big fella and who's going to argue? Not me, cause whilst we're topping up with fuel I can buy some food and drink which I've somehow forgotten to bring along.

Chris the Kiwi in his swanky Merc takes the lead, Lyn in the Pajero towing the boat is in the middle and I follow up keeping a watch through the rear view mirror at the evil eye from the driver of the following car who has to crawl behind at 20mph until we turn off the main road for Milford. The journey passes without incident, we even have a trailer board that works and that's got to be a first. Lyn tops the fuel then adds £20+ of diesel to the Pajero tank. We're ready to rock and roll.

There are several dive boats waiting to launch at Gelliswick which just goes to prove we're not the only dive club who couldn't organise a you know what and where. We take the straps off, detach the trailer board, put the little plastic plug into the hole at the back of the boat, take the wedge from behind the engine and load the gear. It's all going like clockwork and I can't help thinking maybe just maybe we'll get a dive before noon but I hadn't accounted for the crew who one by one traipse down to the little boy's room and spend what seems like ages. I follow suit; when you're grave side of 60 it pays to squeeze out the last little drop especially if you're wearing a dry-suit.

We're ready to launch and with almost military precision Lyn backs the trailer down the slip where the tide has somehow waited for our entrance. We undo the painter from the trailer and push; the boat glides off, Dai FF leaps aboard, the engine fires.

Ten minutes later we're on our way. Chris the Kiwi has been eyeing the controls but he doesn't stand a chance. I've decided to have a go and having exercised my rights as a committee man I take the wheel and head for Skokholm. I'm bloody ruthless…not! There's a bit of a swell around St. Anne's head but nothing we can't handle and the new engine plows the rib through the waves almost without effort. I familiarise myself with the dials and note there's enough technical info to keep Martin happy for years to come.

We arrive at the island at 12.30 and jostle for space in a sea crowded with puffins, seals and razorbills. Lyn decides to dive with Dai FF and John Crabhook Evans. As they prepare their equipment Lyn's regulator decides it's time to play up and he needs to effect running repairs. We watch as he strips his second stage, waggles the needle, applies pressure in just the right place and puts it all back together again. Meanwhile John dons his rig, a wonder of straps and clips that all have colour matched ends so you know which bit clips in where – or at least John knows which bit clips in where. Dia FF dives in a wet-suit. He's hard. We're drifting close to an unfamiliar buoy with the letters PYC painted on it. So what! Lyn decides they'll go down the rope attached to the buoy; we watch as one by one the first team descend in a cloud of bubbles.

Shortly afterwards an expensive looking yacht can be seen coming towards us, it reaches the buoy and turns swiftly. In a flurry of sails and ropes, an efficient crew meet the conditions change tack and they're on their way again. Another yacht approaches. It dawns on me, ( I admit to being a bit slow)we're in the middle of a yacht race-track. Luckily when our divers surface it's some distance away. We poodle (as Chris likes to say) over. By this time he has charge of the wheel and is sporting a big smile. Lyn is first to the boat.

"Quick, grab my weight-belt," he shouts. Chris, reluctant to leave go of the wheel in case I grab it, is a fraction late… The weight-belt is consigned to the depths. We recover all the divers. They report good viz but bugger-all else. John is convinced we should have gone to Stack Rock I wonder why? Dai FF is shivering, maybe he ain't so hard after all, Lyn looks glum, he's mourning the loss of his belt. Now I knew it was sort of newish because he usually wears a leather contraption that would look better on a shire-horse. This one looked proper…almost.

"Was it expensive?" I ask

"No," he replied turning to look at me with big soulful eyes, "I had it off Gatchie, he found it on Stack last year, suppose I'll have to buy one now though, maybe one with a harness."

I look at Crabhook. He's unfastening his cat's cradle of straps and belts. I decide there and then to stick with my tried and trusted…Thank you very much.

Equipment problems multiply. The Kiwi's first stage won't couple to his air cylinder. We try a variety of O rings. No joy. Lyn has a go and eventually forces a seal. By now it's 2.00pm and I still haven't dived. I wait patiently until Chris seems happy with his regs. We cross check and roll in.

By heck but it's bloody cold. We go down the rope and meet at the bottom. Viz is good. I take the lead, Chris follows. We scour the gullies and rocks. There are the usual spider crabs, wrasse and Pollack and some very pretty sea cucumbers. I look at my computer dial, the water temperature reads 11.0C. I'm cold but glad to be underwater. We swim around for 30 minutes till Chris points to his air gauge which is behaving oddly. It's time to go. We surface. I'm glad because by this time I'm freezing.

Only John and I want to do a second dive. We promise to look for Lyn's belt but there's little chance of finding it as we were drifting when he dropped it. The viz is still good but with no sign of the lost belt, within minutes, John returns to scouring the seabed. There's little in the way of crustaceans however and after 25 minutes the cold kicks in forcing us to surface.

Chris drives the boat; it's consolation for his regs which will need a major overall before he can use them again. He enjoys the responsibility but is disappointed that the sea has flattened off somewhat. He wanted a go at the 3 metre swells we met on our way out. The water is lapping the slip at Gelliswick. Lyn backs the trailer down, we couple up and take turns on the winch to recover the boat.

Back at Monty's we store the gear, flush the engine and wash the tubes. It's been an eventful day, as is normal for the start of the season. There's been issues, but between us we've met the challenges, found solutions and enjoyed each other's company; that's what it's all about. I'd be willing to wager Jacque Cousteau didn't have half as much fun.

PHIL. THE POST

He bought a boat!

A guy bought a new boat and decided to take her for her maiden voyage.

This was his first boat and he wasn't quite sure of the exact procedure for launching it off a slip but he figured it couldn't be too difficult.

He consulted his local boat dealer for advice but they just said "don't let the trailer get too deep when you are trying to launch the boat".

Well, he didn't know what they meant by that as he could barely get the trailer in the water at all!

Anyhow, here's a picture below.


You're gonna love this bloke!!!

You can't make this stuff up!

Sharm Experience
by Mike Rees

My wife and I booked two weeks at the Coral Hills Hotel in Sharm el Sheikh starting 10th Jan 2010. The plan was for me to get in 5 days diving and spend the rest of the time together soaking up the sun.

Back at home with yet more snow forecast for Sunday morning (flight day) we wisely made a last minute decision to stay overnight at The George and Dragon just half a mile from Bristol airportl. Just £55 for a comfortable room and full English gave us a stress free start to the holiday.

The outward journey went well. Flying with Thompson we each had 20kg luggage allowance plus I had a free 5 kg for diving equipment. No hassle at the check in desk but I had a copy of their email confirming it just in case. We duly arrived at the Coral Hills at 11pm. The restaurant had closed but the helpful bar staff quickly rustled up some food from somewhere and changed our room to one on the second floor at our request.

Next day we visited the new “on site” dive centre run by Alun and Moria Evans of Elite Diver fame where we were given a typical “valleys” welcome – loads of tea and plenty of banter.

Alun has been providing diving in Egypt for a few years now but has only recently opened the new Dive Centre. He has already started giving Welsh language lessons to his staff so Welsh divers can be expected to be greeted by “Bora Da “in an Egyptian or Italian accent every morning. For my part I helped by demonstrating one of the meanings of “couch” to the lovely Francesca.

I dropped off my kit at the centre and thereafter it appeared washed and cleaned on the boat for every dive. I prefer to do an initial shore dive just to test/confirm my kit is ok rather than risk finding a problem on the boat and waste a day’s diving.

So Francesca took my wife and I to the beach at Sharks Bay for a pleasant afternoon. No problem with my kit and a nice dive to boot.

Alun’s usual boat is “Delphin 2” which I found to be quite good. There was plenty of room for divers and the food was excellent. The crew were always smiling and eager to help with your kit. We alternated the diving between Ras Mohamed and the reefs off Tiran.

As usual, unless there are enough divers to fill the boat it is sometimes shared with other dive centres but only once did I find it a bit crowded. I had two weeks to get in my 5 day diving so I was able to pick and chose when I went diving to avoid the busy times.

In the first week our dive leader was Steve who was as solid as a rock yet still prepared to think outside the box when it came to selecting dive sites.

For example “Woodhouse”, a long narrow reef is generally a drift dive on the more sheltered Tiran side of the reef because normally the sea on the Egyptian side is just too lumpy for the safe recovery of divers.

But when we arrived at Woodhouse with just 6 divers and unusually calm seas we decided to dive the “backside” of Woodhouse to examine the damage caused by the “Hamburg” which ran onto the reef on 31st December.

The damage was a huge vee shaped gouge directly into the reef. There was a metal box 3 metres deep which we thought could be a jettisoned air con. unit and various scraps of metal.

The freighter had clearly struck the reef at right angles yet was supposed to have been travelling parallel to the reef. Quite how the helmsman managed this is still under investigation but the date of the incident, 31st December, may prove to be significant. Russian divers are keen to discover what he had been drinking so they can get some as well. Few divers will have the opportunity to see this damage but it’s in MY log book.

From another less popular reef in Ras Mohamed I finally managed to make out the outline of the prophets head which gave the area its name. We saw the usual moray, barracuda, rays, turtles etc but my very last dive we saw a rare feather tailed ray and that’s in my log book as well!

Yet another rare sight (or more correctly a sound) was that of the underwater singing undertaker. A certain Cardiff based undertaker, who shall remain anonymous, has taken to singing through his regulator in an effort to improve his air consumption. We (the other divers) were all rather puzzled as to where the muffled tones of “The men of Harlech” were coming from until we found out. What the fish thought of it I have no idea but they had better get used to it because plans are afoot for the first ever underwater welsh choir.

In the second week we saw damage of a different kind. A few drops of rain in the early evening soon turned into a monsoon with tremendous lightening by nightfall. Egypt normally expects half an hour shower of light rain per year and makes absolutely no provision for any rainfall.

No gutters on buildings and no drainage in the roads. Most buildings are flat roofed and not particularly sealed against water. Within an hour Sharm and most of Cairo was awash. The electricity supplies failed and the mobile phone networks went down. Sharm airport was closed and flights diverted to Cairo where the planes stayed for two days. In Cairo itself buses were overturned by the flood waters. They even stopped the dive boats operating for two days. The terminal at Sharm airport was still closed when we left. This was definitely not a shower!

Coral Hills, like most resorts, became a water park. Water poured into the building through the ceiling lights and was blown in under patio doors. The corridors became rivers and the stairs became waterfalls. The swimming pools overflowed. Large sections of the ceilings in the foyer and restaurant fell to the floor. In many rooms the beds were soaked by water pouring in from light fittings. We both spent the night together in a single bed. The hotel staff were wonderful. They all worked for 24 hours solid to sweep away the water and restore the facilities.

Virtually everything was back to normal with a day or two. It was the worst storm in fifteen years or living memory depending on whom you asked - and - we were there! -but it’s not in my logbook.

After all that excitement it would be nice to report an uneventful return journey but I can’t. The travel rep forgot to arrange the transfer to the airport (complaint already written) and the flight was delayed an hour. A strong headwind added another hour -AND THEN - they closed Bristol Airport for runway repairs. So they diverted us to Cardiff, bused us back to Bristol to collect our car and we drove back home to Wales. That’s not in my log book either. Sometimes diving in West Wales looks a lot more attractive.

Finally because Richy is organising a trip to Sharm here are some tips for the Sharm “virgins”. They are based on my experiences but other, more experienced divers may differ so listen to them as well and make up your own mind.

1. Watch out for the luggage allowance when booking flights. Some only allow only 15kg. Monarch and Thompson give an extra 5kg in a separate bag for divers if you produce your qualification at check in. I get them to confirm this in an email and take a copy with me just in case. If you need extra weight allowance you can purchase it from the airline in advance to avoid excess baggage charges. You can always hire some or all the kit from the dive centre.
   
   
2. I have been told that, if possible, you should take your own regs because you should know they have been serviced and are in good order. They are the most important piece of your kit.
   
   
3. Generally, I take a 3mm long john, boots, fins, BCD, regs, mask, smb, reel and computer. I also take my “Lidl” weight belt which although designed for shot weights will take standard size solid lead weights in each pocket. It makes for easier and quicker weight adjustment on the boat when you do your buoyancy check. This January I found it a bit cold for the optional third dive so hired another shortie as an oversuit. I will also take my hood next time.
   
   
4. Out of interest I weighed all the kit. It came in at 13kg. My Buddy BCD takes up all my extra 5 kg even with a lightweight bag. Other BCDs are lighter.
   
   
5. On arrival at Sharm airport you will be asked to purchase an entry visa at $15.They will accept £15 but don’t expect change. They also now ask you to complete a medical/health form as well. You will also need to fill in an exit visa when you leave but there is no cost for that.
   
   THE EXTRAS
   
   
6. The dive centre will provide transport to and from the boat for you and your kit. They also provide your 12ltr air / nitrox bottles. Nitrox and 15ltr bottles may extra.
   
   
7. On the boat water, coke, tea/coffee is provided together with a lunch. There is normally a charge of 50LE (£5) for this payable on the boat. There are toilets on board.
   
   
8. Ras Mohamed is a Marine Protected area and all divers have to pay a levy 50LE for entry. This will be an extra payment to the dive centre when you settle up.
   
   
9. Dive packages are normally based on two dives per day.Time permitting the dive guide will normally offer an optional third dive to those who want it. This will be an extra charge.
   
   
10. Dives to the Dunraven and the Thistlegorm will also attract an extra charge because of the extra distance involved.

Heart Attack!
What Heart Attack?
Diving 9th August

What a difference in two Sundays. On Sunday 2nd August I awoke at 02:00am with pains across the chest.

I tried indigestion tablets but three hours later the pain was still there and in fact getting worse so much so that I woke Sandra (not a task to be undertaken lightly) and between us she decided to take me into the casualty unit at the nearby Royal Glamorgan Hospital – by now, I was not only in pain but sweating heavily, feeling faint and wondering who would be first to claim my dive gear.

A very efficient nursing team coupled me to a machine, checked my temperature, oxygen levels, and took blood samples (ouch). I'm sure to this day it was only trapped wind, but as a precaution I was admitted and given further tests.

Eventually the pain eased. I was released at 6:00pm after a day filled with tests and tests and tests and finally a visit from a consultant who told me if I was still feeling bad I was to remain in hospital. It's funny how you feel so much better when someone gives you this option.

That day, I was supposed to be on duty at the Big Bite and am grateful to Richie Grice and Allan and Owain Jenkins for covering for me. So, life goes on – thankfully, and though it took me all week to recover – and I'm still due to go for a treadmill test – I'm trying to live as normal which of course meant that on the following Sunday 9th August I was ready with my dive gear and at Monty's by 08:45.

There were nine of us. Jeff was dive marshal; he decided to use both boats; that we would launch from Gelliswick and dive around Skokholm Island. The logistics of two boats and one tow vehicle were overcome by teamwork and in minimum time we were underway, through the jetties and out into the Haven proper. The weather was perfect with light winds and sunny skies but the sea around St. Anne's Head was still affected by previous spells of bad weather. Big swells made for slow progress until we cleared the Haven and were able to open up the throttles and power across the bay.

Club members had been diving around Skokholm on both Friday and Saturday; they reported good visibility and plenty of marine life. Indeed we saw some seals as we approached the island, they were basking in the sunshine and completely oblivious to our presence even when we took the ribs close to the rocks.

The water temperature was a heady 16.0c and in what must have been at least six metres of viz I had a very pleasant first dive with Chris the Kiwi. Despite Chris being slightly under-weighted and lumbered with a camera we managed to stay together and spent 45 minutes at depths up to 20 metres observing all types of aquatic life and trying to persuade bored looking lobsters, crabs and prawns to pose for a picture.

Our second dive didn't go so well. We descended into thick kelp and in trying to find a way out, we separated. The current had by this time strengthened making conditions difficult. Back on board the rib Chris was cursing; whilst de-kitting he'd donated his weight-belt to Neptune.

The trip back was smoother and despite losing Gareth's hat and turning back to retrieve it, we were soon at Gelliswick. We'd had a cracking day, the viz had been so good that even Crabhook John excelled himself by managing to stay with his buddy for a whole dive.

Phil Gillett had been feeling 'crook'; he blamed it on fumes from the engine but admitted to a few pints the previous night. Gareth dived with Jeff and added two more descents in his log-book. Alan managed a couple of decent dives at the end of his week's holiday; he's back as Store Manager at Asda Llanelli first thing Monday.

Owain had a bad back, we suspected we knew why but because his father was sat by him, he couldn't reveal the cause. Dai Flip-Flop wasn't too pleased with the kelp but still seemed to enjoy his diving. Chris will need to use some creative accountancy to hide the cost of a new weight-belt from the wife.

And me; well apart from being glad to be alive I'd really enjoyed my day, good weather, good diving, good company and the prospect of a couple of pints to follow, what more can you ask for?

PHIL. THE POST

Just Another Dive Day
Sunday 5th July 2009

9.00. Monty’s: Despite a brisk (for brisk, read blowing a hooly) southerly wind and a dramatic drop in air temperatures, six hardy souls turn up at Monty’s to support the D. O. on this his first ( for this season anyway) stint at Dive Marshalling. A boat has been prepared but where to launch from? Following deliberations that would not have been out of place on Who Wants To Be A Millionaire the D.O. asks the audience who respond with 66% Broadhaven, 24% Gelliswick, 10% don’t know (don't care).

10.30. ( why the time gap?-don’t even bother to ask) Broadhaven car park: boat loaded, divers suited and booted, fuel organised, Martin’s flask filled with hot water, knots checked and triple checked. The D. O. gladly hands over dive marshalling to the secretary. His dry suit, which he keeps in his garage, has been attacked by mice over the winter and has more holes than a colander – so he can’t go. (Peter, you should really come out more often). The secretary isn’t keen to launch from Broadhaven, but as he’s not known for decision making, unless there’s a drink involved, he opts to proceed with plan A.

11.00. Broadhaven Beach: The sand is deserted apart from one or two people with packs of rabid dogs and some suicidal canoeists. It’s almost low tide; the breakers are up to two metres (six feet in real money) and coming in three at a time. We roll the trailer into the surf and manhandle the boat to face the waves. Four divers struggle aboard, Martin takes the helm, the boat is almost vertical as the engine (when it finally fires) struggles to cope through giant surf, Philthepost and Peter Swarfield (ex product development executive from the Del Ray) watch them clear the waves then recover the trailer and drive off the beach to park up.

11 15. Lima 1 can be seen beyond the waves. Phil and Peter ( yes, drysuits zipped up, we’ve all been there) struggle through the waves until their hats begin to float. Lima 1 stays put. Phil and Peter wait about in the surf until Peter is heard to say “There’s summat wrong out there, they’re all crowded around the engine”.

“Glug,” You can’t say much else with ten tons of sandy seawater down your gullet Phil clears his airway before assessing the situation then makes his way up the beach to the Lifeguards’ hut where he reports that Lima 1 appears to be having engine problems.

12.00. A lifeguard rides out on his surf ski Hawaiian style, through the breakers, finally reaching Lima 1. A problem with the engine is identified and the inshore lifeboat is summonsed to assist. Phil stays with the other lifeguard, Peter Swarfield waits chest deep in the surf.

12.30. The inshore lifeboat comes out of Littlehaven, attaches a tow to Lima 1 and proceeds to seek shelter. Meanwhile Gatchie, Billy and Peter turn up at the lifeboat station; they’ve been contacted by Martin on his mobile phone. Their reaction, ‘what’s the problem, they could have drifted in from there’ is answered with some well chosen expletives from Phil.

13.30. Dai Flip Flop and Gareth Henderson (yes, there was one sensible member in the party) plus the dive kit are delivered to the beach by the lifeboat crew. Martin and John Evans are taken into Littlehaven. We make our way there to join them The lifeboat coxswain very kindly offers to recover Lima 1 when the surf drops back. He promises to return with a crew at 15.30.

14.00. till 15 30. The dive party can be seen frolicking like kids in the waves. It’s absolutely pissing down, the sky is black and they’re the only ones daft enough to be out and about, everyone else, except Dai Flip Flop’s missus who is sheltering under the little bridge with their dog, is making merry in the local hostelries.

15 30. True to their word the lifeboat crew turn up complete with rib and launch in the haven. Within half an hour they return with Lima 1 in tow, we can’t thank them enough. (a donation to the RNLI was authorised at the next meeting along with a more tangible thank you for the local crew). The surf is almost non- existent, we recover our boat and make for Monty’s.

17 30. The boat is washed down and covered up and the equipment stored in the cupboard. We laugh and joke but are aware how serious the incident could have been and how grateful we are to the RNLI.

Billy will look at the engine and fix the fault, (where would we be without him?) Phil has calmed down and after ranting on about launching from bloody Broad Haven he relents and accepts it opens the door to better dive sites.

Peter Swarfield is grateful he wasn’t on the boat as he’s sure they would have been sick as a dog. John (Crabhook) Evans is for once going home empty handed but at least his tanks are filled for next week.

Martin has greased the winch (and anything else that stops still for two minutes).

Dai Flip Flop resolves to have a shed load of beer tonight, a move that has the full backing of the club secretary who intends doing the same.

We all head for home. On the way I think back. It seemed we’d had a wasted day and when you only get one day a week off work that hurts, ouch!! But on reflection it was just another learning curve.

Shit happens, it’s how you handle events that matters. We got into a situation and made the right decisions to resolve it. At the end of the day we all returned safe and sound.

The boat was recovered as was all the kit. Club diving is all about team work and being a member of that team is what makes for a good day. Yes, we’re there to dive, but getting on well together, having a laugh, tolerating each others weaknesses or idiosyncrasies and being on hand to help out when needed makes us want to come back for more.

See you next week.

PHIL. THE POST

A Post Script by Martin Sanders (AKA Captain Sensible)

Due to an engine breakdown I called out the RNLI to tow the boat initially to a safe anchorage, and then to shore for recovery. The options for other recovery were limited as no one else was in the bay at the time.

As the breeze was southerly, allowing the boat to drift to shore was not an option. (There were rocks that way!)

As soon as it became apparent we had a problem the anchor was deployed, mainly to maintain the boat into the wind, though it did appear to be holding OK.


We spent maybe an hour working on the problem before calling for help. I'm not sure of the exact time.

I look forward to the barbed comments at the next club meeting!

A further comment by the DO.

When I discovered that mice had attacked my dry suit and chewed several big holes in it rendering it useless, my initial reaction was to seek revenge by putting down mouse traps and killing off the culprits. However, when I saw what happened to the others I was really glad that I wasn't on the boat. If the mice hadn't destroyed my dry suit I would have been. So I am very grateful to the little beasties and I have decided to give them a reprieve.

RED SEA DIVING
Coraya Divers - Marsa Alam
June 10th to 24th 2009

Divers on the whole aren’t shy about their sport and take every opportunity to tell the world that THEY’RE GOING DIVING. At the gate for flight TOM38 to Marsa Alam we saw plenty of hand luggage emblazoned with big brand dive names, Mares, Scubapro, Northern Diver, etc.

There were several passengers wearing tee shirts that stretched over big bellies and carried bold messages; Dive Thailand, Dive Maldives and Dive Red Sea, even Dive Cocos Island (Guess who?).

Other people perhaps less inclined to brag about their travels wore shirts with quirky dive slogans like Dive Now Work Later (I like that one), Dive In A Wet Beaver (didn’t quite get that) and there were several PADI Dive Masters and PADI Instructors in evidence. Well, that’s what it said on their fleeces and jackets and who was I to argue?

We divers like this show of identity, it gives us an opportunity to communicate, a series of nods and winks, a half smile and maybe an opening for a conversation.

However, there were not many UK divers at the Coraya Dive Centre and although most people there spoke reasonable English I didn’t speak their languages making conversation a rather one sided affair.

Sandra (my wife) and I stayed at Lamaya Resort, one of four hotels situated around the bay of Marsa Umm Gerfait and about ten minutes travel from the airport.

The Lamaya is rated "5T" by travel company Thomson and the facilities here are excellent. Our accommodation had two large rooms plus a bathroom and a balcony with views across the bay. Air conditioning, satellite TV and a fridge full of drinks added to the comfort.

Our all inclusive package included all meals and drinks. The beer was a little bit gassy for my taste but hey! When it’s free…. There are three swimming pools and plenty of sun loungers.

Entertainment was provided by an enthusiastic if somewhat amateurish young animation team who worked hard from 10am till almost midnight trying to get guests involved. Sometimes this was a little bit too much like Hi-De-Hi for my liking.

Even though the food, presented buffet style, was very good, the cavernous restaurant was noisy. At times it felt like being in a posh work’s canteen making leisurely eating not an easy option.

Coraya Divers, an independent dive centre, was a mere 5 minutes walk from our room. The reception staff remembered me from previous visits and greeted me by name before allocating a locker and checking my plastic. (they keep your cards for inspection by the tourism police).

Later I took the opportunity to meet up with the dive guides most of whom were at the centre when I visited last year. I needed to re-acquaint myself with the facilities. The lockers had been re-situated and a new comfy area created. Here amongst big cushions and colourful throws folk can relax, fill in their log books, have a coffee or a soft drink, read up about marine life or watch DVDs of trips to Elphinstone, Port Galib and other dive sites, it’s a dive anorak’s paradise and believe me there were more than a few of them!!

This was my first visit to Coraya without the company of a dive buddy. I was a little unsure of how I’d cope.

On day one I elected to join a group who were planning to dive a site to the north of the resort. Our young Egyptian dive guide gave the briefing (perfect English), we kitted up; suits, BCDs and regs, and made our way to the jetty. This is the starting point for all local diving. Here a friendly and efficient team are on hand to assist with air cylinders, nitrox for those qualified, and weights.

The centre has three RIBs, two big ones with powerful twin engines, these are used to ferry divers to sites north and south of the bay. The third rib, a smaller boat is used to drop divers along the reef edge allowing a pleasant dive to depths of up to 30 metres where you can drift in a gentle current back to the jetty.

On that first dive I saw moray eels, spotted rays, lion fish, and a host of colourful reef fish. Visibility was at least 30 metres and with water temperatures around 27C we drifted along the reef face for an hour before surfacing.

Over the two weeks I dived on sites to the North and South from the large ribs and used the small rib to explore the reef within the bay.

I had no trouble finding a buddy and dived with a number of different people including a fireman from Luton and an engineer from Sheffield.

I did 14 dives and as well as the usual marine inhabitants saw octopus, sole, turtles, dolphins, barracuda and crocodile fish, in fact I’m sure there was a greater variety of fish to see than on my last visit.

This time there were a lot of jelly fish in the water and I wondered if more fish had been attracted by this feeding opportunity? In between dives Sandra and I went snorkelling.

We entered the water from the snorkelling jetty which goes to the edge of the reef. Here the wall drops to 25metres but along the reef top there are all types of marine life all easy to spot in clear warm water. Some fish were so tame they swam right up to our masks.

All in all we had a good holiday. Of course I suffered (as usual) with the Pharaohs’ Revenge. Following past visits to Egypt I’d sought prior advice and been told to drink plenty of water and stay away from the alcohol.

This worked for the first few days but then in a moment of weakness I downed a few ales followed by a shed load of rum and coke. The following morning I suffered – and boy did I suffer. Imodium!! Forget it. Sandra went to a local pharmacy with a fistful of Egyptian wonga and came back with some dubious looking yellow capsules, some white tablets and some re-hydration powders. I followed the instructions and thankfully they did the trick. I was more cautious for the rest of the holiday.

We booked the holiday on-line with Thomson Travel and were aware from the outset that we were each allowed 23kg of luggage. There was an option to increase this by 5kg at a cost of £17.50. This is a small price to pay and avoids un-necessary stress and arguments at check-in.

I paid for the increased allowance for myself and we packed all the heavy gear including two wetsuits and two sets of fins into my case. We also pre-booked an in-flight meal at an extra cost of £6.00 each. The food supplied, a starter, a chicken meal on the way out and sausage and mash on the way back, + a dessert, was standard aircraft nosh, I’m sure you know what I mean. Tea and coffee came free but we had to pay for the wine.

Thomson’s have introduced a facility where you can check-in the evening previous to your morning flight so we travelled to Gatwick a day early and after checking in our luggage (no queue) made our way to Horley where we spent a comfortable night at the Lawn Guest House.

Our flight was 10:30am. We booked a taxi for 9:00am and were in the departure lounge in plenty of time to do some last minute shopping prior to take-off. Leg room on these flights is still a problem (First Choice – the operators, classify this "five hours plus" flight as short haul and cram the passengers in) especially if you’re tall but the stewards were very good and used what free seats there were to try to accommodate people.

On the return trip we were pleasantly surprised at improvements made to the airport at Marsa Alam. Members who know this airport from previous club trips to the area will remember how spartan the facilities used to be, but not any more.

Now there are plenty of comfy seats and a variety of shops. There’s even a Kentucky Fried Chicken counter and a Pizza Hut. Thankfully in our case both out-going and in-coming flights were on time but should a delay occur as has been our previous experience, conditions are much improved.

And to end, just a word of warning: At the duty free shop they only take American dollars. On the resort and in the dive centre all the prices were quoted in Euros.

I took Egyptian pounds. They will take local currency but I lost out on the conversions. I won’t bore you with facts about Marsa Alam; information about the area and Hotel facilities are well documented in past reports.

If you are considering a visit to the area, you can read up about the diving at www.coraya-divers.com or drop them an e-mail, info@coraya-divers.com

PHIL. THE POST

Sub-Aqua Association
2009 Annual General Meeting

The four Llantrisant delegates at the AGM

This year’s AGM was held on Saturday 14th March at the Buxton Palace Hotel, Buxton. The meeting started at 10-30am which meant us leaving South Wales at 06-30am. Our journey took us north to Stafford where we left the motorway to travel through towns and villages and some stunning countryside. We reached our destinations with just minutes to spare.

At the meeting there were thirty five clubs represented. Mike Burley, Chairman opened proceedings by introducing members of the National Executive and commenting on the recently announced resignations.

A number of ordinary resolutions were then put to a vote. All were passed un-opposed. Falling member numbers was a cause for concern. The special resolution relating to Direct Membership caused much comment from the floor. Issues such as Diving Officer involvement, insurance, potential loss of members to the clubs, the lack of an alternative plan and other concerns were voiced by members.

Llantrisant Sub-Aqua has a thriving membership. We told the Executive of our success in promoting the Club and encouraging new members. We explained that we have a varied programme that includes regular diving around the Pembrokeshire coastline, overseas trips and a number of social events. We have good web-site that is both informative and up to date and our Officers encourage new members. We queried whether the SAA do enough to encourage member clubs to promote themselves within their communities? Perhaps this should be plan A.

Following a coffee break the meeting re-convened and the Chairman asked member clubs to vote. On a show of hands and including postal votes, the special resolution failed to get the 75% majority needed and was rejected.

The meeting ended with a variety of awards to individuals and clubs. These were presented by Executive Member John Gough. This was followed by a power-point presentation given by new Executive Member Mark Durham. Mark has re-designed the SAA web-site. He showed members the new facilities which included club information for prospective members, downloads and a members’ page. The graphics are illustrations of coldwater diving. Despite difficulties with connections, Mark managed to access enough from the site to show members the improvements he has made.

Just before lunch we spoke with the National Diving Officer. We put to Steve Love our concerns about the lack of suitable courses. Steve took our points on board. We also spoke with the new National Training Officer and made him aware that our club needed more open water instructors and that South Wales was short of Regional Instructors.

These events are useful for networking and before we left we took the opportunity to re-acquaint ourselves with both head office staff and members from other clubs. We arrived back in South Wales at 17-00. It had been a long day but we all agreed – D.O. Peter Rees, T.O. Richie Grice, Marine Conservation Officer Ceri Jones, and yours truly, that it had been a day well spent. We’d helped to conduct the business of the S.A.A. whilst at the same time managing to put a lot of names to faces and making some very useful contacts. I just hope that next year’s AGM is a little closer to home.

PHIL THE POST

Llantrisant Sub-Aqua Club presents:



VIVA LAS VEGAS!

an evening of superb entertainment

Friday 16th January 2009

7.30pm

Taffs Well Rugby Club

“You can hear the girls declare, he must be a millionaire.
You can hear them sigh and wish to die
You can see them wink the other eye
At the man who broke the bank in Monte Carlo”

And last Friday night to anyone watching club president Viv Griffiths playing the roulette tables at Llantrisant Sub Aqua Club’s Las Vegas event, the words of this old music hall favourite had a ring of truth. Looking quite the part in an immaculate dinner suit and bow tie, Griff had a string of big wins that had the croupier on more than one occasion, sending out for extra chips. The biggest winner on the night though was Llantrisant Sub-Aqua, where ticket sales, a raffle and of course the legendary auction at the end of the evening all contributed to net almost £500 for the club.

Venue for the night was Taffs Well rugby club whose committee not only allowed us to use their functions room, but organised the bar to include a barrel of real ale… Wadswoth 6X. Entertainment was provided by Rockin Dave Riley who kept the dance floor full until the early hours with a non stop selection of music from the 50s, 60s and 70s.

And the buffet was to die for. Elaine, partner to Lyn Eade our hard working entertainments officer, must have been baking for days. There was just about every savoury imaginable, pasties, sausages, chicken legs, sausage rolls, sandwiches, the list goes on and on; there was even a plate of black pudding, and if this wasn’t enough there was crisps, nuts, olives, pickles and more dips than enough, and yes, there was plenty of goodies for the veggies amongst us. This feast was set out along one wall and I was not alone to re-visit the tables on more than one occasion. Elaine, it was wonderful and we can't thank you enough!

Business on the gambling tables was brisk. As well as the roulette where El Presidento was doing his own version of spread betting, there was black jack and the atmosphere was tense as ‘Big Paul The Gas’ dealt the cards with the air of a professional. On the other table Richie ‘Training’ was a convincing double for Maverick… until the 6X finally got the better of him.

The job of selling the raffle tickets was delegated to Vanda who managed to charm wads of dosh off all the fellas in the room… and the bar… and God knows where else because she came back with a pint glass literally stuffed with tenners.
A big thankyou to Vanda!

The auction at the end of the evening was an opportunity to spend those hard earned chips. Lyn had been shopping and there was a raft of quality goods to bid for. Auctioneer for the event our much slimmed down D.O. Peter Rees took the microphone and controlled the bidding which was at times quite frantic. One by one the items were knocked down to the highest bidder and some of you must have woken up the morning after to ask yourselves “Where the hell did I get that pedal bin/ radio alarm/ set of ankle weights/painting/digital tuner? But it was all for a good cause and raised lots of cash.

Lyn is stepping down from the post of Entertainments Officer. This is his third Las Vegas night; they’ve all been successful, they’ve all been enjoyed by those who’ve attended and they’ve all made money for the club. He organises the events and with his partner Elaine does all the hard work that makes for such a marvellous evening. Lyn, we can’t thank you enough for what you’ve done for the club and we look forward to your reports as the club’s next Marine Conservation Officer. Entertainment Officer for 2009 is Emma Reece (see I can spell your name right) and we wish Emma every success in her new role.

PHIL. THE POST

Ramsay Island and The Hen & Chicks
August 24th 2008

With light winds and calm seas forecast, we journeyed across St. Bride’s bay to Ramsay. This craggy offshore island has cliffs up to 120 metres high and numerous caves around the shoreline.

Here, gannets dive spectacularly and there are numerous other sea birds to spot. There’s also a resident colony of grey seals and we spent time watching as they played around the rocks coming closer and closer to our boat.

There are regular boat trips around the island from nearby St Justinian, so the seals are quite used to seeing visitors. The diving here can be quite spectacular but today conditions were murky and underwater visibility practically nil.

Our dive lasted just twenty minutes when I lost sight of my buddy amongst the kelp and made my way to the surface. He surfaced just after me. Other members of the team had similar experiences so we decided to try a different venue, and made our way over to the hen and chicks, a rocky outcrop 2 miles out of Little Haven.

Here conditions were much better and with underwater visibility around three or four metres and a water temperature of 17c we spent almost an hour in and around the rocks and canyons. There was plenty of marine life to see including spider crabs, velvet crabs lobsters, an array of colourful anemones… and a big shoal of trigger fish.

These visitors to British waters are residents of the Mediterranean but have been regularly spotted by divers and fishermen at this time of year around the Pembrokeshire coastline.

It is usual to see trigger fish wedged in crevices in the rocks; they have the ability to lock their dorsal fin thus securing their position then unlock by depressing the second spine – the trigger, but today they were out in numbers, swimming around, almost as though we weren’t there.

Back on board we discussed our day. Everyone had seen the triggers and there would be some good photos to show friends back home. Our party included three novices, this was their opportunity to practice skills learnt over many weeks of pool training and gain the experience needed to become qualified divers; they all did well.

PHIL. THE POST

Some Photos
by Martin Sanders

Oxygen Administration Course

On Sunday 6th July, several club members attended a Sub Aqua Association course on resuscitation and how to administer oxygen.

The venue, the Tynant Inn, Morganstown was the same one we had used for the recent nitrox course. It's a convenient location with good parking and the first floor conference room is ideal for training purposes.

With our beloved leader and D.O. Peter Rees on holiday (yes, again!) in Beijing, we were fortunate to secure the services of regional instructors Mike Rose and Steve Jakeways.

The first session of the morning saw Mike take us through a power-point presentation on the types of dive related incidents where oxygen admin is beneficial.

After a break for coffee, there was a talk on the type of cylinders used including the unique two pin connections and practical guidance on storage and precautions to be taken when using oxygen.

This was followed by a practical demonstration on how to connect the hoses and masks to the cylinders, after which we were all allowed to 'have a go'.

Lunch was served from the extensive range of food available on the hotel menu, and apart from a mix up over what had been ordered resulting in Peter Swarfield almost going without, all went smoothly.

After lunch it was time for Steve to show us how to deal with casualties. He talked us through various situations, dealing with conscious and unconscious persons and what to do if the casualty is not breathing.

Then he introduced us to 'Annie' or in this case, several 'Annies'. The mannequins provided for the day from the organisation Heart-Start were used to demonstrate the techniques involved in applying CPR.

I have been on several first aid courses including one not too long ago, but it's amazing how quickly methods change; CPR now involves 30 chest compressions followed by two mouth to mouth breaths.

Later, during a recap, Mike went over the salient points covered throughout the day and he finished the session by asking if anyone had any questions.

We broke once more for coffee then it was time for the dreaded test – 50 questions – not multi-choice mind, proper written answers were required from all the material covered through the day.

We were allowed an hour, during which time there were several vague expressions and lots of anxious scribbling.

Finally we were allowed to retire to the bar for a well deserved pint of Bass whilst Mark and Steve marked our papers. When we returned we were told that we'd all passed – phew! It had been a long day, but very interesting and very rewarding.

My thanks go out to Mike and Steve for giving up their day and presenting their material in a most professional manner.

I must also thank Dave Pring, SAA Regional Representative who not only organised the course, but also came along to be 'one of us' for the day, Dave, you really should consider joining a proper club like ours.


And finally I must mention our D.O. Peter Rees whose hard work in forging links with the SAA have resulted in firstly the recent nitrox course, then this Oxy admin course and the forthcoming boat handling course to be held in August.

Hopefully other courses will follow and I urge all club members to make the effort to attend – what you learn may be a life saver!

PHIL. THE POST

The Coraya Beach - Marsa Alam
June 4th to 11th

For the full story
Click HERE

This is a copy of an entry made by Phil on the Trip Advisor web site:-

We have just returned from a week's holiday at the Coraya Beach Hotel. This was our second visit to Marsa Alam, in October 2007 we stayed at the Lamaya Hotel, part of the same group of hotels, Iberotel. The Coraya Beach is within the same complex, and is just a 10 minute drive from the airport; a definite bonus after a long flight from Gatwick.

We booked the holiday on-line through Thompson's; the process was user friendly and the documentation sent to us was easy to follow and full of useful tips on how to enjoy our holiday.

On landing at Marsa Alam we were met by representatives of the travel company and taken by coach to the Hotel. Check -In was quick and efficient; we left our cases by the Hotel entrance and they were taken to our room by the hotel staff.

Accommodation is in blocks built in traditional Nubian style; ours was on the third floor which meant climbing 40 steps. It was worth it however if only for the view which took in the three scenic swimming pools, the hotel buildings, the sea and the desert.

The room had a double bed, a dressing table and a large wardrobe which also contained a small safe to store valuables. We made a request for extra pillows and was pleasantly surprised at being offered a choice of hard soft or medium! we asked for two soft pillows; they were delivered within minutes. The air conditioning was efficient and not too noisy. There's a mini- bar (all chargeable if you're half board), a kettle and all that's needed for your early morning cuppa and a television though visitors from the UK be warned, the only English speaking channel we could access was the BBC world service. (but who comes to Egypt to watch the telly?) The bathroom contained a toilet and a shower and a hair drier. Ali, our room boy, was very friendly and extremely hard working. He visited daily to clean and keep us supplied with fresh linen and towels. Electricity is 220 volts and two pin plugs; don't forget your adapter.

The main restaurant is a large airy room staffed by a very efficient and friendly team of chefs and waiters. We were very impressed with the choice and variety of food available and had no complaints about the cleanliness or service from the waiters who were always on hand to supply drinks on request. There is also an a la carte restaurant, a snack bar and a beach bar where sandwiches are available but the food was so good and plentiful in the main restaurant that we only visited the snack bar once.

In the evening we would visit the Night and Day bar to enjoy a cocktail and listen to the 'easy' music. There is a wide choice of other bars each with their own attractions. Bar and table staff were friendly attentive and polite and have the ability to greet and speak to guests in a number of languages.

If like myself you like scuba diving, there is an excellent dive centre which is situated across the bay. For those who just like to snorkel, there is a terrific variety of marine life and beautiful corals to view in crystal clear waters just yards off the hotel beach. There's no shortage of things to do and we were amazed at the energy of the young animation team led by Max who worked hard to entertain guests throughout the day and well into the night.

We found little to complain about (which is very unusual for Phil), but I must make comment on the Thompson Rep, Mark. The fat bastard invited us to a welcome meeting on our first day and after telling us that the presentation would only take about twenty minutes, he went on to bore us for almost an hour in a stuffy room without air conditioning. He explained in detail the facilities available to guests who'd booked on an all inclusive basis but gave very little info to those of us who had booked in half board, it was as if we didn't exist. I found this 'welcome' meeting to be of little use to me.

Mark did however give info on how to avoid stomach upsets - a common illness with visitors to Egypt, and advised us to "go and see him if you were suffering". The following day I was, and I did. Mark advised a visit to a pharmacy, telling me how to get there on foot, however, he failed to tell me it was literally miles from the Hotel in blistering heat. Also, a trip we took into the desert by camel which we booked through Mark was somewhat disappointing as our 'guide' spoke little English and was as much use as a chocolate teapot when it came to answering questions.

All in all, a good holiday though next time I'd check out the difference in price between half board and all inclusive. Due to my dodgy stomach I avoided alcohol all week; the cocktails my wife had cost us 65 Egyptian pounds each (they were supposed to be made from named brand spirits but I very much doubt that they were) and water cost us 15 EP per bottle so it would be easy to run up a big bill. (the exchage rate was £1 = 10LE).

Would I go back? I liked the Hotel and the scuba diving is amongst the best in the world, but I suffered with a bad stomach through the week. My wife suffered as well though not for so long and not so bad; other people I spoke to (including those who had stayed at other hotels) had been affected with diarrhoea at some time during their stay. It seems almost un-avoidable. If there's anyone out there with any advice that will prevent stomach upsets on future trips to Egypt, I'd be most grateful.

PHIL. THE POST

For advice on Travellers' Diarrhoea
go to the Travel Doctor web site!!
www.traveldoctor.co.uk

Diarrhoea is quite common amongst travellers to Egypt. Commonly known as the "Cairo Quick Step" it is usually quite mild, normally lasting for around 24 to 48 hours, but in a few cases a bit longer. It can easily be treated by taking imodium (loperamide) and oral rehydration solution (dioralyte, etc.).

However, sometimes more serious forms of food poisoning can be contracted such as acute gastro-enteritis which is characterised by headaches, a feeling of malaise together with bouts of diarrhoea and vomitting. Fortunately this usually subsides within 24 hours. Another more prolonged illness also exists and can last for several days even up to a week. In this case 500mg Ciprofloxacin twice a day for 3 days should clear it up. Remember to take plenty of fluids too.

Besides taking all the usual hygeine precautions, a course of Pro-Biotics prior to travel can be taken to boost the body's immunity to stomach bugs. This would be of particular use to people who seem to be prone to getting stomach upsets.

The Travel Doctor

London Dive Show
Sunday 9th March 2008

"Me and Gatchie didn't come down this way", the advice from the back seat was sound but I carried on in the wrong direction regardless; thank goodness we were nearly there. M4 – M11 – A113. Sound simple? Well it was really, it's just a bloody long way from South Wales and I managed to pick the most awkward route to the Excel Centre. Eventually though we saw the signposts and followed the road into London's dock land. Parking our car in a multi storey cost £10 for 5 hours but the place looked reasonably secure and it was only a short walk to the Excel centre and the exhibition halls.

Once inside, all the familiar names were on show: AP valves, Mares, Northern Diver and many more. The stalls were loaded with all the latest in dive gear and manned by friendly, helpful staff. Peter wanted to visit the Maldives Scuba Tours stand so we made this our first stop and whilst he was renewing acquaintances with the staff, I spent a pleasant five minutes watching a video of manta ray, whale shark and coral reefs. Gazing at this paradise took me back to December when I was there in the flesh experiencing the sights first hand – happy days!

I wanted to look for a new dry suit and boy, was I spoilt for choice. We walked around and eventually stopped at the Beaver stand (it's all in the mind - honest) where I managed to find a suit to fit and not a bad price either!

The day passed quickly. We collected carrier bags like they were going out of fashion – so much for global warming – and stuffed them full of brochures, leaflets and the odd freebie. Along the way we bought strobes, knives, torches, dry-bags, gloves and other bits and pieces that will make a day's diving easier and safer. It didn't take long to spend a shed load of dosh, so we were grateful for a coffee break and even at £1.60 a cup and £3 for a Cornish pasty, it was worth it to take the weight off our feet for a while.

Later in the day Chris had a go with a re-breather and was mighty impressed, Martin bandied words with a German guy on a camera stall and Peter had a really useful conversation with the people on the SAA stand, then all too soon it was time to leave. We carried our loaded carriers to the car and set off. Leaving dock lands wasn't so easy but thanks to the guys where we stopped for petrol we were soon on the right road.

"Me and Gatchie didn't use this route." I was just about to reply with something sarcastic but when I looked in the rear view mirror the offender was eyes closed head lolled and the only sound was a rhythmic snore. It had been a long day. It's a long way to come and it seemed even longer going home because I ignored the directions coming from the back seat as I headed towards Dartford in exactly the wrong direction but we'd enjoyed the experience, made some useful contacts especially with the SAA and bought plenty of gear. And now I can't wait for the start of the season to try my new dry suit.

PHIL. THE POST

Las Vegas Night
Friday 18th January 2008

For all those members who didn’t attend the club’s Las Vegas night held recently at the Taffs Well Rugby Club, I have this message.

You missed a very good night!

The venue was ideal. The club let us use their upstairs premises, a lovely big room with a stage, a dance floor and of course a bar.

Entertainment was provided by ‘Rocking Dave’, a larger than life character who sang along to a selection of well known tunes from the 50s, 60s, and 70s. Dave was very good; he could sing almost any song requested and he invoked many memories with hits from Cliff Richards, The Platters, Dean Martin, and even Cilla Black. I wondered at one time during the evening whether there was too much nostalgia for our younger members, who, fair play, had turned up in droves to support the event, but judging by the energy they put into their activity on the dance floor, they enjoyed ‘Rocking Dave’ as much as us ‘old uns’.

The buffet was superb – there’s no other word to describe it. Lyn’s partner Elaine must have been up all the previous night preparing the food. There was so much variety and everything was so well presented and so delicious – I went back at least three times and I wasn’t the only one. A big thank you to Elaine.

‘Strictly for fun only’ the roulette wheel manned by Lyn’s guest for the evening, Keith gave members a chance to win chips which could be used to bid at the auction to be held later. There were those who knew how and those who hadn’t played before. I couldn’t tell you who came off best, but judging by the crowd around the table and the wry smiles even the losers seem to enjoy having a flutter.

And big Paul Morgan was ‘in his element’ in charge of the Black Jack table. He had a willing audience even after ‘Rocking Dave started his second session. I must mention also, the initiative of Paul Markwell who on being given the job of selling the raffle tickets, devised a spiel so good that he abstracted a minimum of £3 from every purchaser. He was so good he even had me convinced I’d had a good deal!

The night ended with an auction and Peter Rees did a superb job as auctioneer in separating members from their hard won chips in exchange for a range of useful household items.

The event not only raised much needed funds for the club but it gave members an opportunity to socialise, get to know one another away from boats and salt water and neoprene suits.

A big thank you to Entertainments Officer Lyn Eade and his partner Elaine for organising the event, selling the tickets, and generally seeing that everybody had a very good time. Lyn, you did a bloody good job, and Elaine, that buffet was to die for! Thank You, and I can’t wait for your next event.


PHIL. THE POST

Club Diving
Sunday 9th September 2007
by Phil the Post

John Evans can list amongst his life experiences, teaching, caving , rambling, and world travelling. He’s also a good scuba diver and was originally with a Cardiff club but is now a well established member of LSAC. His standing within the club is renowned, but despite this he is amongst the first to offer words of encouragement to new club members during their initial West Wales diving ventures. Some say this is because he is always on the look-out for recruits to help him on and off with his dive gear, a spaghetti of straps, hoses and dubious bits of equipment, all colour coded, but requiring a person with a degree in logistics to decide on the order of unbuckling so as to avoid consigning the lot, to the depths.

John’s dry-suit has always leaked – and I mean really let in the wet stuff. This is in spite of his efforts to find a solution to the problem. On Sunday last, as we sat in the café behind West Wales Divers, enjoying our bacon and egg butties and mugs of tea, John came in and announced he had finally solved the problem… by getting a replacement suit. Not a new one mind. He had been rummaging in the attic and unearthed a suit belonging to his son. “It fits perfectly and the seals feel brand new.” He told the assembled audience.

There were eventually eight of us. Paul Gray, dive marshal, decided that we would use one boat, and that launching from Broadhaven would allow access to Skomer Island.

We parked in the back car park and loaded the equipment then struggled into our suits. “What do you think then?” John stood there in said suit – black and shocking pink. We were speechless – but at least we’d have less chance of losing him on a crowded beach!

Launching was a doddle and within thirty minutes we were moored to the visitor’s buoy in Skomer haven. Buddy teams were decided – I was to dive with Martin and Mike Rees – and we motored slowly to the north wall, before dropping into twenty metres of water. Visibility was very good – 8+ metres and we did the drop off, seeing lots of marine life including big pink fans and some lovely anemones. Our dive lasted 40 minutes. John and Club President Viv Griff did the same dive whilst Max, Richie and Paul dived on the Lucy. All reported excellent viz and enjoyable diving. We returned to the visitor’s buoy to eat lunch and were joined by a very tame cormorant that came right up to the boat in search of free offerings. John commented on his ‘new’ suit; “I feel quite dry – except for my left foot – or maybe my right leg. And what’s that trickling down my sleeve?”

It happened just before our second dive. John decided he needed a comfort break and whilst climbing out of his suit, tugged half of a cuff seal off – the eight years lying in his attic hadn’t improved the suit’s quality. Now I know it’s not funny but we couldn’t help but laugh, and of course that put an end to he’s diving for the day. Our second dive on the hen and chicks was really special. Again, viz was really good and we saw amongst other marine life, trigger fish – a first for me in British waters. We were also joined on the dive by a grey seal that played peek-a- boo around the rocks. Our dive in depths up to thirteen metres, lasted an hour.

The day was not without further incident and Richie added to our ‘equipment lost at sea’ list by somehow losing his weight-belt after ascending from the Lucy.

It had been another successful day. The boat was re-fuelled and readied for next weekend’s training event. John is still without a ‘dry’ dry suit. Will he invest? Or will his inventive side come up with another home made remedy? I think we all know the answer to that one.

PHIL. THE POST

August Bank Holiday Sunday
Sunday 26th August 2007
by Phil the Post

Our Monday evening events have of late, been very well attended. There are twenty plus people using the pool and the training team are kept busy with a stream of new recruits. Later our numbers are swelled as other club members join us and with thirty plus people in attendance, we just about take over Llantrisant Leisure Centre’s main bar area. At the last Monday meeting, D.O. Peter Rees asked for a show of hands re- diving over the bank holiday weekend; the response for diving on Sunday was good and so when I didn’t receive many phone calls on the Friday, I wasn’t unduly concerned. The weather through the week was glorious and the forecast for the weekend was for more of the same.

Sunday dawned with bright sunshine, rising temperatures and no wind. By 9-30 there were fifteen of us at West Wales Divers, – our best attendance so far this season. Lyn Eade was dive marshal. We readied and launched both boats and with assistance from Billy and his trusty tractor, launched successfully from a crowded Broadhaven beach. The sun had prompted a rare attendance by our D.O., who, complete with a cap clearly marked ‘THE BOSS’, skippered Lima 1. Mac took charge of Lima 2 and we bumped across a choppy sea to anchor just off the Mares rock.

I was buddied with Phil (the blade) Gillet. We rolled off the boat and swam over to the rock then descended, landing on a rocky seabed at 14 metres. Visibility was murky - probably due to divers in the water before us, because as we crossed the bottom, the water cleared. There was plenty to see including the usual spider crabs, velvet crabs and lobster, whilst above the rocks, huge pollack and wrasse hovered in search of lunch. Underneath one particular ledge we spotted a conger eel’s tail and had to swim around a rock to find his head. He was all of four feet long – well, that’s my version – I am a fisherman after all. Our dive lasted the best part of an hour and we ascended slowly into bright sunshine.

We ate our lunch in Solva Harbour. Of all the beautiful places along this coast, Solva is my favourite; we spent a pleasant hour enjoying the scenery and relaxing.

Our second dive site, Dinas Fawr, was one I hadn’t visited before. Visibility here was poor, but we managed forty odd minutes at depths up to 13 metres. Our day had been good; we’d had almost perfect weather, good diving, and enjoyed good company with plenty of chat and laughs. What minor difficulties we encountered had been solved one way or another and even a little difference regarding tank fittings – Din versus A. Clamp concluded in uncontrolled laughter.

We returned to Broadhaven around 4-30. One of the boat trailers needed attention – Billy was on the case – what would the club do without this man? He’s a dab hand at repairs and always the first person to volunteer; he must save the club a fortune. The other boat was taken back to base. The road home was surprisingly quiet; by 9-30 I was sorting my kit and half way down a glass of Speckled Hen. It had been a perfect day.

PHIL. THE POST

Who’d be Dive Leader?
Sunday 12th August 2007
by Phil the Post

I’d had a nagging doubt whilst driving down to West Wales. The response at our Monday night meeting was positive, but there had been no contact since. Surely somebody would turn up – and what if they didn’t? Well, I’ve been a club member for long enough to have faith. ‘Don’t worry; it’ll be alright on the day’, should really be our club motto

By 09-15, there were six of us. We operated like a well oiled machine; the boat was prepared, the jeep hitched up, we were ready to go – but where to? And more important, who was going to be the dive marshal? My nagging doubt had come true and as I looked around, I realised that I was the only person present with a dive leader ticket – and that had only recently been acquired – there were others present better able and more experienced, but… Suddenly, for me at least, today was going to be different. The others seemed happy enough so I became a dive marshal for the very first time, and started my duties by driving the jeep with boat in tow down the narrow lanes to Gelliswick boat slip. By the time we were ready to launch, there were eight of us; Richard Griff and Wayne had been delayed, but would join us as soon as they’d filled their cylinders.

A strengthening wind and a heavy swell meant that diving today would be confined to the sheltered waters of Milford Haven, and a consensus opted to find the shipwreck ‘Behar’, a cable laying vessel that was one of the first casualties of WW2. Our navigation was spot on and we dropped anchor almost into the wreck. Selecting buddy teams, part of the dive marshal duties, means matching divers’ ability and experience. Luckily we had all dived on previous occasions making selection quite an easy task. I paired up with Mike, who has just recently qualified as a diver. We were the first to roll off the boat and descended through the murky water to land beside the wreck at 16 metres. Visibility wasn’t bad – around 2 maybe 3 metres.

Mike hadn’t been on a wreck before so I took the lead and we swam slowly around the rusty metal and exposed spars. My torch beam picked out ‘dead men’s fingers’ and other marine growths as well as shoals of fish hovering safe within the wreckage. Ropes and old fishing net swayed in the gentle current, whilst long strands of seaweed added ghostly movement to an otherwise still, silent scene. Our dive lasted 45 minutes and we ascended slowly into bright sunshine.

The wind was still causing a heavy swell. Our second dive was on the wreck of the ‘Loch Shiel’ a ship that went down in 1901 off Thorne Island. She was reputedly carrying a cargo of whisky and bricks and whilst there are still lots of the latter, I’ve yet to find any bottles of the ‘hard stuff’. The wreck itself is now very skeletal but covered in marine life. There are lots of crabs, fish, and the occasional lobster to see. In the relative shallow depth of under10 metres, Mike and I enjoyed a relaxed dive that lasted the best part of an hour.

The day had been good. We headed back to shore, recovered the boat and were soon on our way back home. En- route, I reflected on my day. It had been different. In between my dives, I checked on safety issues, kept an eye on other boat traffic, and timed the others on their dives. There had been no incidents and the boat was returned safely to base. Later there would be reports to complete and logs to keep. Maybe this dive marshal bit isn’t too difficult after all…. or do I owe a round of drinks to a very experienced and well organised crew. I’ve a sneaky feeling it’s more the latter than the former.

PHIL. THE POST

The weather had started off fine and sunny but clouds were forming as we approached Haverford West. According to the cheery forecaster on national radio, most of the country was to be bathed in glorious sunshine and temperatures would be in the middle 20s C. Len Bateman on radio Pembrokeshire was more conservative. ‘ A cloudy start with rain coming in by the early afternoon and maximum temperatures 17/18C’. Why does West Wales always have to be different? There were six members at the Dive Centre and another couple turned up as we enjoyed a bacon sandwich.

By 9-30 there were twelve of us. We decided to go to Skomer and prepared both of the club boats. Launching from Broahaven is never easy, but today we had Billy Whizz and his trusty tractor. He pushed the boats through the big breakers and into the smooth waters beyond. We headed out taking our time and riding lumpy swells. In the lee of the island, conditions were much calmer. Jeff Canning, dive marshal for the day, set the buddy pairs and we kitted up for our first dive. I was paired with Paul ‘the gas’ Morgan. We rolled off the boat alongside Skomer North Wall, landing at 20 metres, onto a rocky bottom. Visibility was good – 5 maybe 6 metres. Finning against a mild current we saw loads of marine life; spider crabs, lobster, big edible crabs, ballan wrasse, cuckoo wrasse and Pollack. They weren’t worried by our presence and seemed to recognise their safe status within the marine reserve. After half an hour, we turned around and drifted gently back with the current. Our dive lasted 45 minutes and with my air supply at 50 bar, we ascended slowly. At the surface, it had started to rain. Our boat was 50 metres down tide and as we drifted slowly towards it, gulls wheeled overhead, and the odd puffin flew by. Back on board, we ate lunch in North Haven then decided to head back to the ‘Hen and Chicks for our second dive. The rain was now falling steadily and visibility deteriorating.

The ‘Hen and Chicks is one of my favourite dive sites. It’s shallow, with little or no current, and the viz is generally good. We spent almost an hour around and under the rocks, seeing lots of marine creatures including shoals of juvenile fish, probably bass.

It had been a good day’s diving and by the time we’d washed the boats and stored the equipment it was after 7-00. There are always things worthy of recall and today was no exception. Mark Jones had a new toy; a green force torch, which he wanted to try out. Well, according to his dive buddies, it was so bright, the crabs and lobsters hastily took opposite sides; they thought someone had arranged a night match and had forgotten to tell them. And Billy Whizz had new spring type fin straps. He was full of praise after his first dive, but we learnt some new words when he accidentally lost a fin complete with new strap, over the side. Is there anybody in the market for one fin complete with (new) spring strap? Then we learn that Jeff C had tried a minilistic approach to his equipment by rolling off the boat minus his weight belt. The quest to discover his unsuccessful attempt to descend was solved via a series of elimination.

But my memory of the day would be twofold. Firstly, Wanda one of our novice divers enjoyed her first undersea experience in the safe confines of Skomer North Haven. Accompanied by ‘tall Paul’, she spent 30+ minutes enjoying the marine environment, and is looking forward to more dives in the future. And, our oldest member, ‘Phil the Flute’, celebrated his 76th birthday by completing two dives. Well done Phil.

PHIL. THE POST

Yesterday's diving trip was very successful. I travelled down West with Peter Swarfield. The journey was uneventful; we chatted about club events past and present, club members, and other 'man' topics.

Arriving at West Wales Divers we met up with John Evans, Jeff Canning and Richie Grice. A brief discussion, then Richie left to fill the boat with fuel; he met us at Broadhaven. Our launch was almost successful, but we misjudged the depth of water and the boat grounded onto the sand. Thankfully the tide was rising; we manhandled the boat into deeper water and were soon riding the wave crests as we headed for Ramsey Island.

The journey was lumpy, a result of the poor weather conditions of late, though thankfully, the sun was shining; it was a lovely day. Arriving at Ramsey, Richie used our new monitoring system to gauge depths and we dropped anchor in a sheltered bay.

I dived with John 'Crabhook'Evans. We dropped into 18 metres; the visibility was good and the current slight. John followed his favourite pursuit ie, find the lobster I followed behind, admiring the marine creatures of which there were lots.

Towards the end of the dive, John shouted at me (well, he would have if he could have) I followed his moving torch beam and saw a large grey seal. This inquisitive creature played hide and seek with us and eventually came close enough to nibble at my fins. I was ecstatic!! I've seen it happen to other people, read about it, and seen pictures, but when it happened to me, I was over the moon. He or she looked up at me with large soulful eyes; I reached out, and in a flash, he was gone. He re-appeared as we were ascending, this time playing around John's fins.

Back on the boat we were like a pair of school children as we tried to relay our experiences to the others. The same seal interacted with the next pair of divers. After their dive, they recalled similar experiences.

Our next dive was in another bay. Here we experienced a mixture of reef and sand. There were lots of dog fish, lobsters, velvet spider crabs, and scallops.

Boat recovery was a smooth operation and apart from having to negotiate lots of holiday makers who are unfamiliar with the narrow lanes of West Wales, there’s nothing else to report.

We got back to base around 6-30pm.

PHIL. THE POST

Club Training Day
Sunday 15th July 2007
by Phil the Post

Her Very First Time

There's something special about that very first time. We sit there exchanging glances, making small talk; throwaway remarks. I can tell by her expression that she's anxious. I know what's going through her mind. 'Will it be as good as they said it would be? Will it be safe? I've come so far, is there any way of turning back?'

And now it's the moment. We've been through the checks together, weight-belt, air turned on, releases identified, fins and mask in place. I motion that I'm going in first, then confidently roll off the boat and on resurfacing, encourage my student to follow. "Come on in, the water's lovely". She remains statue like – then there's movement and almost as if in slow motion she falls backwards; there's a mighty splash, she resurfaces thankfully, her regulator clasped tightly in her mouth. Her eyes are wide – she's breathing fast; I issue words of encouragement – "well done, stay calm". And then, "Are you ready?" She nods, nervously, unable to answer for fear of losing the regulator. I know how she's feeling right now; it's not too long ago that I was in a similar situation. I remember how my instructor encouraged me and try to do the same for my student.

I sense the time is right, and raise my inflate/deflate hose with my thumb on the deflate button, indicating for her to follow the example. We prepare to descend. She finds the controls and together we leave the surface; the sky disappears from view; now we're entering the undersea world and within seconds my feet hit the sand. Thankfully my student is within touching distance, wobbling clumsily, almost toddler like, trying to balance in this unnatural environment. She tries to move, and falls over. I motion for her to add a small amount of air to her jacket and demonstrate. She follows my example and instantly gains neutral buoyancy. I clap my hands in encouragement, and prepare to move off. Visibility is good – at least three metres and at this shallow depth – 4/5 metres, there's plenty of light. We spot wrasse, small flat fish, and lots of spider crabs. All this is new to my student and she is clearly enjoying this new experience. There's lots to see, anemones, different coloured weed, and in the eel grass, hundreds of juvenile fish. But she's smitten with the spider crabs, and I watch with amusement as she gingerly picks one particularly lively specimen up taking care not to engage with its extended claws, and then gently replaces it to the sea bed where it scuttles to the safety of a large rock.

I've been monitoring the air gauges throughout the dive; at this shallow depth, air consumption is conservative. We've been underwater for thirty minutes, I'm beginning to feel the cold, and at thirty five minutes, give the signal to ascend. She adds a little air to her jacket almost as if she's been doing it for years. We ascend slowly and soon there's the sky, and scores of puffins wheeling overhead. I signal the boat and watch as they respond. We bob together in the gentle swell; I'm tempted to ask "How was it for you?" But the huge smile behind her mask make words unnecessary.

Liz was confident throughout this her first boat dive. She managed to control her buoyancy and her breathing; a compliment to club trainers and training policy. The dive had been one activity of the training weekend and congratulations are in order for Chris, Alan, Owen, Phil, 'Smudge', Mike, Paul and Liz who all attended lectures and completed several exercises at both open water and club diver level. A big thank you is also owed to club training officer Richie, committee member 'Tall Paul' and Max who gave up their time over the weekend. Both club boats were used on the Sunday, a rare sight these days according to one local observer; but hopefully with plenty of new divers being introduced to the pleasures of diving off the West Wales coast, two boats filled with Llantrisant Divers heading out to sea, will in future become a frequent sight.

PHIL. THE POST

On Sunday 10th of June, several club members took advantage of excellent weather conditions to chance a trip to the Small's lighthouse.

This rocky outcrop 22 miles out from the Haven, is a once a year trip, and that's if you're lucky.

Due to its remote location, sea and weather conditions have to be near perfect to be able to go there, and enough members need to turn up as club safety policy dictates that two boats must be used when travelling this far out.

On this particular Sunday, the sun was shining, there was almost no wind, the temperature was approaching 20c at 9:00am, the tides were favourable and there were ten of us present and correct at WWD, ready and eager to go. Due to fuelling needs, we decided to launch from Gelliswick. Lyn, dive marshal for the day, used the Pajero to tow one boat, Jeff Canning followed on with the other.

Launching went smoothly and we were soon zooming out of the Haven. There was a mist over the sea, and it was mainly thanks to our senior members, Mac, Billy and Lyn, that we eventually saw the tall lighthouse. I feared a day out in Dublin was on the cards, had navigation been left to the rest of us. A compass or GPS on each boat, and members properly trained in their use was never more obvious, (strong hint to the committee).

En route we were privileged to see feeding puffins, shearwaters and my favourites, the mighty gannets; we were also lucky enough to be joined by a pod of dolphins as they played in our bow wave for several seconds before disappearing only to be seen minutes later in the distance.

There were several boats at the Smalls, fishing boats, dive boats, and a hard boat full of excited people who had come to see the seals.

There are lots of seals here, big ones and small ones; they sprawl across the rocks as though catching the rays, or pop up at the side of the boat with an inquisitive look on their face; they really are most amusing creatures, I could willingly watch them all day. But we were here to dive. It was slack tide. Perfect! Lyn paired people up and we were soon underwater.

Visibility was good, and I'm not just saying that! Apart from a bit of suspended sediment, it was possible to see clearly for at least six metres. We saw wrasse, pollack, and the biggest crabs and lobsters you could imagine. The marine vegetation was stunning; every rock surface was covered with bright, beautiful colours, you could almost have been in the tropics. Water temperature wasn't bad either, a heady 13c, wow!!

By the time we had all got out of the water, the tide was racing and boy; for our second dive we needed to change location and so reluctantly we left this paradise and headed back towards Skokholm. The ebb tide was flowing as we rolled off the boat; this time I buddied with Jeff. We levelled off at 16 metres and explored the many gullies that are a feature of this mark. Again, the viz was good and we saw plenty of marine life.

It was 6:30pm when we eventually got back to WWD. There was a queue to wash the boats; we waited our turn patiently. The temperature was still in the 20s, it would have been nice, after putting the boats away, to enjoy a couple of beers and watch the sun go down, but we needed to head East, and it was 9:00pm when I and my travelling companion Peter Swarfield pulled into the Cross Inn pub near Llantrisant. Over a pint or two we reflected on what had been a brilliant day. Perfect weather, lots to see, a few laughs.

I promised not to tell about Richie Griff rolling off the boat without his fins on; he was quite a way down tide when we managed to catch up with him, we couldn't move for laughing, and I've a feeling it'll be some time before he's allowed to forget it.

Next week I'm travelling to Cuba and whilst I'll be diving there, I'm sure it won't be half as much fun as a day out with the club 'down west'.

PHIL. THE POST

The Training Weekend
Sunday 20th May 2007
by Phil the Post

It was quiet in the little café behind West Wales Divers; surprisingly quiet considering it was a lovely Sunday morning in the middle of May, but understandable, taking into account the nasty winds and heavy showers that had been the weather pattern for the previous week. There were seven of us assembled; men on a mission; all present for this, a training day; all anticipating the challenge involved in demonstrating skills that would lead onto a higher level of S.A.A. recognition.

We launched from Broadhaven, the scene more reminiscent of an Australian surf beach as we fought to hold the boat against powerful oncoming rollers. Luckily, we managed to remain upright and Richie, dive marshal for this trip, powered across the bay, past the Hen and Chicks and out towards Skomer. Today’s exercise was a deep dive and Richie had chosen the site of the wreck, Lucy, to complete the necessary tasks. The Lucy ran aground in Jack Sound on Valentine’s Day 1967. The next full tide lifted her off and she sank into 40 metres of water where she still sits perfectly upright. Further details on www.westwalesdivers.co.uk.

We tied up to the buoy and assembled our kit. Paul Morgan, Max, and myself were doing this dive as part of the Dive Leader level. Richie gave a briefing, going through the hazards of deep diving, and then using tables, we calculated our dive plan. We rolled off the boat and descended the shot line. The water temperature was 12.C; not violently cold, but I was thankful for the layers of insulation. Visibility was awful, a result of the previous week’s storms, and as we got to the 25metre mark the light faded; we were literally, in the dark; it was eerie; I couldn’t see anything, and needed to use a torch to read my computer.

The top of the wreck is at 36 metres; at this depth, my computer told me I had 10 minutes before de-co. Groping in the blackness, I followed the rail towards the stern, shining my torch and picking out huge spider crabs and dead men’s fingers in the narrow beam. The combination of darkness and depth was awesome; I gripped the rail tightly! A further glance at my computer revealed 6 minutes remaining; it was time to turn around. We gathered at the shot line and made our ascent slowly, pausing at 3 metres for a safety stop.

Back on the boat we discussed our brief adventure into the depths and all admitted to a heightening of sensations as we had descended into the dark. There’s no doubt in my mind that a deep, dark, and cold environment provided a challenge that I hadn’t encountered before and one I would have to try again several times before I could say I would be confident in this sort of environment.

Richie and Tall Paul were next, and they completed a more involved ‘deco’ dive as part of their dive supervisor level. Phil Gillett and Mark Jones were last in the water. We had lunch whilst watching the antics of the Puffin population around Skomer, and were entertained by numerous grey seals. They popped up frequently as if wanting to know what we were doing in their backyard. Our second dive, on the ‘North Wall’, was abandoned due to zero visibility and we completed the day with a relaxed dive on the Hen and Chicks, where the ‘viz’ was slightly better.

By the time we had recovered the boat and returned to W.W.D., it was after 7.00pm; it had been a long day, but luckily traffic heading east was light and we were enjoying a well deserved pint in the Barn on the outskirts of Llantrisant just before 9.00pm.

Next weekend is a bank holiday and West Wales diving will be extended to Monday. I look forward to seeing you there.

PHIL. THE POST

Diving Report
Sunday 22 April 2007
by Phil the Post

Why would you want to get up at 05-30am on a Sunday morning? Well, if you’ve a dog to walk, a hundred mile+ journey to do, a date with a bacon sandwich and a mug of steaming tea; and all to fit in before 09-00am; you ain’t got much option. Martin picked me up at 06-45am and we headed West. We spent the journey discussing mundane topics; family, work, holidays; and trying to ignore the darkening clouds and the odd speck of rain. Why, after such a lovely week of weather must it suddenly deteriorate on a Sunday? The odd specks turned to big drops, and the windscreen wipers needed to be on constant, to cope with the downpour. Like little boys, we talked our way through the rain. Maybe it was only a shower; it wouldn’t be raining in Haverford West – would it?

By the time we pulled up outside of West Wales Divers the rain had stopped; see, told you so!! Max and his buddy Dave were in the little Café. The rest of the team began to arrive; two more, then two more, then two more, and more… Dive Marshall for the day, Lyn, appeared on the scene. Now there were ten of us; and only one boat!! Lyn, not known for making hasty decisions, and armed with the knowledge that West Wales Divers had cancelled their charter for the day,( because of the deteriorating weather conditions) called a conference. We decided that given the circumstances, it would be safe and sensible to have one dive each and to confine our activities to the seas around the Haven.

Launching was a doddle as the full tide was lapping the top of the slipway at Gelliswick. Martin took the helm and we headed around the piers and out towards St. Anne’s Head. The sea was a horrible grey colour and the breakers made progress slow. It soon became obvious that conditions outside of the Haven would be un-comfy to say the least. A dive on the wreck of the Behar seemed a safer option. We buddied up and dropped into the water. It was cold – around 10C according to my computer. Martin and myself followed the anchor rope down onto the seabed. Visibility was surprisingly good (this would have compensated for the cold which was by now making my fingers very numb), except that there was nothing to see!! The seabed was featureless and the Behar? The old hands on board told tales of a huge wreck. Well either we had dropped on the wrong spot or somebody had pinched the rusty old hulk overnight. Our dive lasted half an hour during which time we managed to find several patches of rough ground where there was at least a little bit of life to see.

Back aboard the rib, it transpired that nobody had managed to find the wreck. Max and Dave had come the closest. They had found a huge anchor, but when they followed the rusty old chain, it ended in nothing!! Maybe a working GPS on board our rib, would help.

Recovery was achieved with polished performance. We really are getting quite good at this; though I must admit, the Pajero makes life a lot easier. Back at West Wales divers, we washed the boat down and stored the safety gear. We were on our way East by 4-00pm. Not the best day’s diving, but good to see so many enthusiastic members so early in the season, and it’s always great to get out on the water, regardless of the end results.

The ten members who braved the cold were Lyn (dive marshall) Martin (he has a tool for just about any situation) John (Crabhook), Max, Dave, Phil (Crabhook’s apprentice), Mike Rees,(who only came to feed the fishes) Gail and Griff; nice to see Gail come back to cold water diving, next time she may even get into the water) and yours truly

PHIL. THE POST

P.S. I look forward to seeing you on future dive weekends; come along and join us, there’s plenty of room for more.

The weather over the Easter weekend, was glorious. On Easter Sunday, an early veil of mist gave way to blue skies, bright sunshine, and virtually no wind. We met up at the West Wales Diver’s base, Hasguard’s Cross, which is just beyond Haverfordwest.

There were seven of us including a rare appearance of our leader Mr. Rees. Once a frequent diver in West Wales, in recent years, Peter is better known for his diving exploits in warmer climes. Maybe this is a comeback, watch this space!

After a substantial breakfast and two mugs of tea, we towed the boat to Broadhaven. The tide was just off the slipway; ideal conditions for launching and we were soon on our way, zooming across the water towards Mare’s rock. The sea was silky smooth. We saw cormorants, shearwaters and as we approached Solva, a lone dolphin rolled on the surface.

There were five of us prepared to dive and we split into two teams. I was partnered with Phil ‘the Blade’. We rolled off the boat together and hit the water. It was cold; it might have been a warm day but believe me, the sea was cold…ten degrees Celsius according to my computer, and it got colder as we descended. Visibility however was surprisingly good and we made our way across the rocky bottom down to twenty metres. Along the way we saw pollack, wrasse, dogfish and literally hundreds of spider crabs. Our dive lasted forty minutes by which time we were running low on air.

After a leisurely lunch spent in the picturesque Solva harbour, we headed back, past Stack rock, and anchored up at a well known dive mark, ‘the hen and chicks’.

Our second dive was similar to the first; maybe the visibility was a little better but it was still very cold. There was plenty to see though including lobsters edible crab and the biggest spider crabs you could imagine. As in the first dive, our air supply began to dwindle after about forty minutes and we surfaced slowly into bright sunshine.

Back in Broadhaven, team effort made boat recovery a doddle and I was soon on the motorway heading east. It had been a perfect day; good diving, good company, and most important, I’d be home in time to enjoy a couple of pints of good beer in my local.

Club members please note, the dive calendar has been published on the club web site. www.llantrisantdivers.com I hope to see you over the next few dive weekends.

PHIL. THE POST

Start of the Dive Week
(29th & 30th July 2006)
by Phil the Post

Some call it Sod’s Law – others are more explicit! But that’s how it goes. So on the Sunday that ten of us turn up to dive, the wind is blowing at force 4/5, limiting our choice of venues and launch sites. We divers are a resourceful lot mind, and following a discussion, we decided that Gelliswick slip would be a safe launch site, and that this would be an ideal opportunity to see how we could handle a situation – towing and launching two boats with just one tow vehicle. Tall Paul volunteered to drive, and with Lima 1 hitched up, was soon on his way. Meantime, we took advantage of the café facilities for a leisurely breakfast. Paul was back within the hour, and with Lima 2 in tow, we set off in convoy for Gelliswick.

Launching went smoothly and two boats headed around the jetties out towards the mouth of the Haven. The wind had picked up, and it soon became clear that our diving today would be very restricted. Amidst rolling waves, we decided to dive inside the Haven; our first dive would be on the wreck of the ‘Dakotion’. Now. I make no secret of the fact that I do not like wreck diving, and see the ‘Dakotion’as a pile of rusty metal sheets! But, any dive is better than none, so after the buddy teams had been appointed by marshall for the day Jeff. Canning, we dropped into the murky water and followed the anchor rope down to the sea bed, some 18 metres below. Visibility was just about zero, but thankfully my buddy Phil. (the blade) Gillet had a powerful torch and we fumbled our way around the bottom spotting small lobsters, and several species of fish amongst the wreckage before deciding to ‘knock it on the head’.

At the surface, the sun was shining brightly, in fact it was a glorious day, but the wind and the tide were causing the anchored boats to rock about wildly. On our boat, young Peter Swarfield was sharing his breakfast with the fish whilst on the other boat, new member, Mike Rees who many of us considered was more at home on the sea than Popeye, had turned a ‘whiter shade of pale’ and was close to joining Peter!

We decided to seek shelter and headed for the Thorn Island; our second dive would be on the wreck of the ‘Loch Sheil’. Here, visibility was a little better and we spent a pleasant half hour perusing the wreckage, and searching for remnants of the cargo, bottles of whisky, and bricks, (we found the bricks). It was now time to go; we made our way back to the slip; boat recovery went well, and we were soon back at base, West Wales Divers. Just after six pm I settled down as passenger in Martin’s car and enjoyed a very pleasant journey home.

There was supposed to be diving all the next week, in fact, I fully intended to return to West Wales on Thursday, but the weather deteriorated and reports indicated that visibility remained poor so I didn’t make it. The next dive weekend is 12/13 of August when it is intended to visit the ‘Lucy’ for some deep dive training. Yes! I know, another wreck, but----. Maybe I’ll see you there.

PHIL. THE POST

Last Weekend's Diving
(1st & 2nd July 2006)
by Phil the Post

After two weeks spent diving in the Maldive Islands, I couldn’t wait to get back to the challenging waters of West Wales – (NOT!) The recent spell of fine weather held out. Sunday dawned bright and sunny with temperatures of 20.0c and rising. My early morning journey to Hasguard’s Cross was rewarded with the sighting of a kite hovering over a roundabout at St. Clears; quite a start to the day.

The café behind West Wale’s Divers was heaving; workers toiled valiantly to satisfy demand for healthy breakfasts; bacon, two eggs, sausage, beans and toast being the order of the day. I spotted our treasurer Jeffrey, working his way through what is commonly known as a Diver’s Delight and joined him. Jeff had come down on Friday with every intention of a camping, canoeing and diving weekend. He confided in me that he had forgotten to bring with him one basic piece of kit – the tent, but in true pioneering fashion had managed to secure accommodation locally. He asked me not to tell of his dilemma, and I promised not to; so please don’t tell anybody else!

The rest of the gang arrived and we prepared the boat. Later, using our recently acquired Pajero, we launched Lima 2 from Gelliswick. We had been joined by our President, Viv with his own boat, and we made our way together, around the jetties, out towards Skokholm Island. Our team for the day, Viv, Phil the flute, Martin, Jeff, Mac, Phil Gillet, and myself. Dive Marshall for the day was Jeff, and he set the buddy teams.

Mac and I were first in. The shock of cold water-13.0c- penetrated my dry-suit, under-suit and base layers. It was a sharp contrast with the 30.0c Indian Ocean I had been enjoying just a week previous! Visibility however was good and there was plenty to see amongst the rocks and kelp. Half-way through the dive, the current seemed to pick up. It was not surprising therefore to discover when we surfaced, that we had strayed into the race and were heading at a rate of knots towards Jack Sound. Luckily, Jeff had spotted our SMB and followed us to the pick up point.

We all managed two dives before the weather turned. The journey back was a wet one. Gelliswick slip was thankfully clear, and following a smooth recovery we were soon back at base. It had been another successful day with plenty to see, including, seals, puffins, cormorants; and underwater, pollack, wrasse, dogfish, crabs, lobsters, and a host of other colourful marine life. WHY THEREFORE were there so few of us diving? Surely we can’t all be just warm water divers. Perhaps we’ll have a better turn out next weekend. Members please note, if you’re unsure of the arrangements for the weekend’s diving, give me a ring on my works number, 01443 226201, during office hours on Fridays. I have up to the minute details of who will be Dive Marshall, and how many people are likely to turn up. There’s no problem with towing now that we have our own vehicle. I look forward to hearing from you.

PHIL THE POST

Bank Holiday Weekend 2006

Sunday is Dive Day!

by Phil the Post

After a week of dismal weather, Sunday started dry and bright. Richard arrived to pick me up at 7.00am, and following a minor emergency when I took time to find my glasses, we were soon heading down the M4. Conversation at this time of the morning tends to be limited, and I took a rare opportunity of being a passenger, to admire the lovely countryside. The journey was uneventful and it was just after 9.00am, when we rolled up outside of West Wales Divers where the other club members making up the team for today, were waiting. The ‘look’ we got didn't seem right and we were greeted with the news that the promised tow vehicle, our very own long awaited 4x4, wasn't available. We resigned ourselves to using the smaller Humber. It never ceases to amaze me what a co-operative bunch we divers are however, and over a cup of coffee in the café, the Dive Shop owner offered to tow and launch our Cobra. We were very grateful to Roland for saving the day.

At Little Haven, a stiff breeze was coming off the sea, causing breakers to roll up the beach. We made our way slowly towards Stack Rock where we hoped to get a little shelter. The Cobra rode the waves well; and we were soon anchored; grey seals eyed us warily as the dive teams busied themselves kitting up. There were two other dive boats in the area, a sure sign of the weather which would restrict out diving today. Jeff and Martin were first to roll off the boat; Richard discovered he had forgotten to fit a low pressure hose to his first stage, but prepared as we always are, (or if we’re honest, purely by good fortune), we had a spare and he was soon ready to join John Evans, and Phil. Gillett; they disappeared beneath the grey sea and I watched their bubbles as they made their way towards the rock. The sun had stayed out and in the shelter of the rock, it was quite pleasant. I watched the seals and the sea birds whilst looking out for the S.M.B. which would signal the divers return. Martin and Jeff surfaced after 50 minutes. Due to the low tide, their dive had been restricted to 12 metres. Visibility however had been reasonable; they had spotted edible and spider crabs, as well as ‘dead men’s fingers’ and the ever present dog fish. The others surfaced soon afterwards. All had enjoyed the dive. We decided to try the ‘Hen and Chicks’ for our second dive and made our way back slowly. Following a respectable surface interval, and ‘butty’ break, the dive teams entered the water. This time, visibility wasn't as good, and due to the state of the tide, depth was restricted to 8 metres. By the time the divers had surfaced and we’d stowed all the gear away, it was 4.00pm. We made our way to Little Haven and following a challenging recovery were soon back at West Wales Divers.

The day had been enjoyable; we had managed to get two dives in, and in between, there was plenty of surface activity with seals, and a variety of sea birds to view. What’s that you say, “Why didn't I dive?” I almost forgot to mention. We had kitted up as we usually do, in the car park at Little Haven. As I was struggling into my dry suit, a wrist seal ripped, consigning me to boat cover for the rest of the day. In fairness, Martin, (always the man to be relied upon to have just about anything you might need) tried a repair using strong tape, but I didn't fancy a soaking! As you can well imagine, when the boys came up from their first dive and said that the sea temperature was a staggering 11 degrees Celsius I was truly disappointed that I hadn’t shared their experience. And on their second dive when the viz was almost zero; well, I was gutted. So, on our return,it was West Wales Divers to the rescue again; they took my suit and fitted two new wrist seals. I won’t need it for while as it’s the Maldives for me in June. I won’t be diving in the U.K. again until July; hopefully the water will be warmer by then; I hope so because I’m fast running out of excuses!

PHIL THE POST