April Newsletter

April is almost here and some of us are already thinking about taking our first dip in UK waters ! The dive planning meeting took place a couple of weeks ago and soon the season will be in full swing. As for warm water diving, the first Club trip to Sharm took place in January; have a look at the photos posted in the Gallery section, and a second group will be departing this weekend... keep checking for photo updates !

We've had some great social events over the last couple of months (and not all centred around eating this time!) and have a few more lined up for you before the diving kicks in ... see below for details of our up and coming skittles night, film show and a meal, of course. Hope to see you at some of these.

Jayne

Update ... what has happened in the club since the last newsletter

Kimmeridge Tidings

The latest issue of Kimmeridge Tidings is now available; we have a version which we can e-mail to members should they wish, but as its a large file (too big for dial-up connections!), you may find it easier to read it on the Purbeck Marine Wildlife Reserve website here : Kimmeridge Tidings

LIDS Competition

Congratulations to Nick and Jeremy for being first out of the red hat and winning the free LIDS tickets. We hear that you enjoyed yourselves at the dive show and found one or two things to buy... ! We hope to have more tickets on offer for the Go Dive! show in Birmingham later in the year; watch this space.

Social Events

February kicked off with the monthly meal at the White Lotus in Swanage; gave those just back from Sharm an opportunity to meet up again & share their diving stories!

We had a great turn out for the quiz night at The Antelope in Wareham. With one round to go, three teams were neck and neck, but the final round was the decider, and the Fabulous Foursome crept 2 points ahead to win the game. Congratulations to them and thanks to everyone who came along and made it such a fun evening.

Our final and most fascinating event was the visit to Steve Etches' fossil collection in Kimmeridge. Those expecting a few dusty bones in a dingy garage were in for a surprise! Many thanks were expressed to Steve for allowing us to share his impressive collection and hear his amazing tales. Will diving at Kimmeridge be the same again ... ?!
Thanks also to Robin for suggesting and helping organise this event.

Caption Competition

Winner of the caption competition is Nick; see the gallery for his winning caption !

A New Member Website

Jon's latest website www.marinejewelry.co.uk is now up and running.
10% of any purchase from the website by club members will go directly to IPSAC funds.
Just purchase as usual on the site and e-mail Jon at jo@aqualandair.co.uk informing him of your purchase.

Up and Coming ... details of forthcoming events

Skittles Night

Because so many club members were unable to make the original date (mostly due to an impending holiday) the skittles night has been rescheduled for 13th April.
Still at the Drax Arms at Bere Regis, cost is £8 per person, to include their 'deluxe buffet' which I am told includes pudding !

Underwater Purbeck Film Show

To get us in the mood for getting back in the water/underwater activities, Julie and Emma at Kimmeridge have organised a film show for us. Underwater Purbeck will be shown on Thursday 26th April at the Marine Reserve, starting at 7.30 and followed by either a buffet or a barbeque. Bring a plate of food/BBQ (if you dare!). There will be a small charge towards club funds.

Getting Back in the Water !

Dive planning for the coming season has begun; Chris is currently finalising this year's schedule of dives. Further details about the on-line booking system will also be e-mailed out soon.

We enjoyed the eat all you can oriental buffet at the Ghurka restaurant back in November so much that we've decided to go back there for our traditional start of season meal on Wednesday 2nd May.

Book your place with us by 25th April.

Boat Handling

There is a regional Boat Handling Course on the 21st/22nd April with two or possibly three spaces available. Location likely to be Weymouth or Portland.

Seasearch

Seasearch is a national project for volunteer sports divers who have an interest in what they're seeing under water, want to learn more and want to help protect the marine environment. The first step in contributing to this project is the Seasearch Observer Course; training for this is taking place on Sunday 22nd April at Kimmeridge.

Nitrox Course

Nick is planning a nitrox course in the near future; if you're interested in this, please contact Nick.

Dates for Your Diary ... a summary of what is planned

Every Saturday Evening - Swimming pool sessions at Wareham swimming baths, see below for details.

13th April - - - - Skittles at The Drax Arms, Bere Regis

21st/22nd April - - - - Boat Handling course

22nd April - - - - Seasearch course

26th April - - - - Underwater Purbeck film show, DWT Kimmeridge

2nd May - - - - Start of Season meal, Ghurka

Pool Sessions

Make the most of the remaining pool sessions; its booked on Saturday nights until the end of April.
The sessions are from 8:00 pm until 9:00 pm.

Cost is £2 per person.