RIB trip to Swanage 2008

July 2008. Eleven divers (and two non-divers) visit Swanage with the Club RIB for a weekends diving. Dive sites were wreck (the Kyarra) and scenic (Old Harry Rocks). Weather was bright sun but a strong wind made the boat trip "interesting"

Stoney Cove

July 2008 and another quick trip up the A5 to Stoney Cove. Viz was not bad and the seven metre ledge was filled with monster size Pike as well as native Crayfish.

Only problem was the torrential rain; on one occasion the surfacing divers were not quite sure where the lake stopped and the rain started! Even the resident ducks looked a bit fed up.

Newport Pagnell Carnival

July 2008 and once again the RIB takes part in the Newport Pagnell Carnival. The weather was better than last year although our position towards the end of the procession meant our charity collection was leaner than normal.

Not the Isle of Wight...

29th June 2008 should have been a dive from the RIB on the Luis off the Isle of Wight. As usual the weather gods were against us so it was decided to foray towards the Welsh border to the National Dive Centre at Chepstow.
Viz was slightly disappointing but there were three waves of diving. (As is increasingly the habit) cameras almost outnumbered divers; a few pictures are shown below.

Egypt

June 2008 saw a group of four MKSAC members travel to Sharm el Sheik for a 10 day break and 6 days of day boat diving, Highlights of the trip were a dive with Hammerhead and Thresher sharks in the Straight of Tiran and the all inclusive availability of beer. As temperatures were 45 degrees the latter cooled the body whilst the former raised the temperature! Though someone took a bit of persuading to look behind him as he thought that his buddy was taking the 'Mick' indicating that a shark was there......some recognised and some new hand signals were used, though in his surprise he managed to capture the only half reasonable photo of the occasion!

Stoney Cove

Mid June 2008 and up the A5 to Stoney Cove. An introduction to a new site for a new Ocean Diver and a refresher for the old hands. Visibility was surprisingly good both on the Stangarth and around the 7m shelf.

MKSAC Lottery

As part of MKSAC fund raising, a lottery has been started by Pete and Liz. First draw was on June 17 2008, first lucky ball to be pulled out was no 46 giving the prize to Frank.

Cornwall 2008

June 2008 and off to Porthkerris for a weeks diving off the Club RIB, Red Breast. Wrecks dived included the Volnay, Mohegan and Carmarthen; reef dives included Chynhalls Point and Drawna Rocks. In between were Cornish pasties, Cornish cream and (of course) Cornish scrumpy!

Dive Planning and Management

May 2008 and a full BSAC Dive PLanning and Management course. A day of lectures and preperation in the MKSAC clubhouse with the students then being sent away to prepare and submit a comprehensive dive plan for a site of their choice.

Nitrox Workshop

A Tuesday in May and an opportunity for those members who gained their last diving grade prior to 2007 (when Nitrox was introduced to Ocean and Sports Diver training) to pick up the basics in a "Nitrox Workshop". With a number of new members also crossing over from other training agencies, the opportunity was taken to give an introduction to the BSAC decompression tables (although one current member opened his tables and a "Maltaqua" receipt dated 1993 fell out!)

Day trip to Bognor

May 11th 2008 and off for a day trip to Bognor Regis in the Club RIB. The original intention was to dive HMS Northcoates and the Shirala; navigational problems (like we couldn't find the wreck...) meant we actually dived the Shirala twice.

Sports and Leisure Forum

Mid May 2008 and, since there was a Sports and Leisure Forum at the Community Centre, we thought it only polite to join in.

Amongst the swimming, tennis, Tai-Kwon-Do and Football, the RIB was dressed ready for action, diving videos were on show and members were on hand to chat about diving and training within the Branch.

Compressor Course 2008

April 2008 and time for another BSAC Compressor Operators Course. Six students learnt the intricate design details of a multi-stage compressor and the purpose of the various filter elements. After lunch, time for "Hands On" experience as each student got the opportunity to fill their own cylinder.

Nitrox Course in the Snow

First weekend in April, 2008 and a BSAC combined Nitrox Course. The only unexpected feature was the snow on Sunday....

Saturday was lectures in our Clubhouse; Sunday was two dives at our local dive site (the Blue Lagoon) with the usual gas switching and SMB deployment.

Dive Leader Rescues

Mid March 2008 and almost the end of the line (literally!) for our Trainee Dive Leaders. Lectures almost complete, most practical skills under their (weight) belts; what better way to spend a Saturday morning than at the Blue Lagoon honing their rescue skills. A brief period tangling their Instructor in rope (better known as "Parbuckling") finished the day off with the satisfaction of a job well done.

Dive NW

February 2008 and up to Lancashire for the North West Diving Conference. Amongst the presentations was an account of diving the Carpathia (155 metres to the bottom, 25 minutes dive time and five and a half hours deco) and charting the wrecks of Liverpool Bay. The later included an explanation of how one wreck (previously thought to be two) ended up with the front of the bow pointed at the back of the stern.

Diver SE

For the third year, MKSAC attended the Diver SE conference in February 2008. This year, the venue changed from Guildford to Kingston meaning spaces were at a premium. Amongst the presentations on breath-hold diving and the real difference between Pirates and Treasure Seekers were Diving the Wrecks of Normandy and how to map a wreck in eight minutes using ultra high resolution sonar equipment.

RGS Lecture - 2008

A free (yes, free..) lecture or two at the Royal Geographical Society just off Hyde park in London.

First up was Richard Pierce telling his tales of tagging Porbeagle sharks just off Cornwall. Second was Mike Valentine, underwater photographer on Casino Royale, Tomb Raider and The Bourne Ultimatum (to name a few). The latter told of his underwater shooting from Papua to Pinewood.

AGM 2008

The last Sunday in January 2008 and time for the Annual General Meeting. The formal business of minutes and motions was broken by a coffee break and the lighter side of the Wally Award (this time won by Adrian and Cameron) Pictured, the outgoing Chairman congratulates the new Chairman. Members breath a breath of fresh air at Coffee Time.

Oxygen Administration Course

Saturday January 26th 2008 and our first SDC (Skill Development Course) of the year. Oxygen Administration available in three flavours, Dive Leader lectures only, O2 administration refresher or the full blown course. Fourteen Students, Six mannequins, five Oxygen kits and four Instructors.

Diving into History

Early January 2008 and our first social event of the year. A talk by Ian Barefoot of the Nautical Archaeology Society In a fascinating two hour talk, Ian explained the difference between Maritime and Nautical Archaeology, What is special about the blockhouse at Stoney Cove and just how long HMS Victory (of Trafalger fame) did serve the Royal Navy.