HORIZON NEWS

November 2008 - The newsletter of FIVE STAR IDC CENTRE New Horizons Dive Centre

Printable Version

Christmas Party
This year we’re going for something a little different. New Horizons are bringing Vegas to Macclesfield giving divers and non divers a fun night out. This will take place on Friday 28th November at Macclesfield Rugby Club. You’ll be able to play the tables (funny money will be provided!), enjoy the buffet and dance the night away all for the price of £20 per person. So don’t just think about it come and join us for some fun. Please book your place before 24th November to allow us to confirm numbers. To book just contact the shop and get your name down.

Dive Society Annual Renewals
A reminder that it is time to renew your membership for 2009. To make this even easier you can now set up a Standing Order to pay your membership. Remember the many benefits you get from membership – free use of the pool; monthly dive society meetings and special events; discounts on gear rental and purchases and the monthly newsletter. Check out the Dive Society information on the website.

Christmas Dive
Our annual Christmas dive will take place at Capernwray on Sunday 14th December. Everyone is welcome; have some fun whilst getting out of the last minute Christmas shopping. Fancy dress can be worn before, during and after the dive, last year we saw Father Christmas (more than once!), Darth Vader and a Storm Trooper. To book your place and order any gear you require emails us, give us a call or pop into the shop.

Christmas Gift Ideas
Have you got enough socks and bath salts to keep you going for the next decade? New Horizons have lots of gift ideas at a variety of prices so start writing your letter to Father Christmas. We also offer gift vouchers if you want to make your own selection of equipment or even add to it.

Upcoming Courses

IANTD Advanced Nitrox
This is a great course for the experienced diver who is looking for ways to extend bottom time on dives. You will find this especially useful when diving on wrecks and reefs between 25 and 42m. The course covers the use of twin sets and decompression using stage cylinders. The course consists of a day in the classroom at NHDC and an evening session in the pool, 16th November, followed by 2 days at Chepstow, 22nd and 23rd November, to complete the course.

Advanced Open Water 15th and 16th November at Stoney Cove
A must do course for all Open Water divers. A fun filled programme of five dives where you learn new skills and practise your old ones under the guidance of an instructor.

Emergency First Response 23rd November at NHDC
This is a general first aid course that is just as suitable for non diving situations. In fact the EFR course meets the requirements for one day appointed person. If you have already done this course but your
certification is running out you can do your refresher on the same day.
(SAVE £30 if you complete this as a refresher – using your original materials).

Rescue Diver course – starts Sat 6th December
The Rescue Diver course is the minimum level we recommend all divers should attain. You will learn self rescue skills; techniques to help and rescue others; how to prevent and if necessary manage emergency situations along with improving your core skills and self confidence. In the classroom and pool you will learn and practise your skills before putting them together in the open water in a series of scenarios. Despite the serious nature of the course, it is always enjoyable and great fun.
Strongly recommended for all Advanced Open water divers.

Oxygen First Aid Course 7th December, NHDC 17:00
This course will teach you the techniques of administrating oxygen in diving emergencies. We all know that oxygen plays a vital role in diving first aid but do you know when and how to use it? This is an excellent course which fills the gap in much needed knowledge, not covered in the standard Rescue course first aid component.

National Geographic Speciality - Saturday 13th December at Capernwray
This course will help you increase your knowledge of the underwater world including the marine life, wrecks and geology by using the highly acclaimed National Geographic Diver Almanac and DVD. Then you will explore the underwater world during a day’s diving where you will fine tune your buoyancy skills, practice your underwater navigation then complete an exploration project with an underwater digital camera to record your dive.

Foreign Trips Update

Update on August Liveaboard Red Sea 14th -21st August 2009
There has been a slight change to the scheduled liveaboard in August. We will still be heading out to Hurghada and diving in the same area but we will be sailing on M/Y Blue Fin. The cost of the trip is £949 plus £79 New Horizons fee. Your Egyptian visa and Marine Park fees. For more details give the shop a call.

Trip Reports

Trip to the Isles of Scilly – September 2008 By Mark Neugebauer
We had the best week of summer weather. Whilst surface temperatures were good: sunny and dry – the water seemed a little chilly to me at 14°C.

This was my first trip with New Horizons. Ian was another newcomer. We both had trepidations about sharing in the 3 rented accommodations. No problem - all excellent diving companions and easy housemates. It was a week of great diving and making new friends. As Eileen explained, the trips are a great way of getting to know fellow divers and having fun. I couldn’t agree more.

The first dive was to prove to be my favourite HMS Colossus was about 12 metres down, a protected heritage site. As I left the Islands, I bought a book about HMS Colossus by Todd Stevens. It’s a great read about the wrecking of the ship, Lord Hamilton’s treasures, Lady Hamilton’s sexual intrigues and his finding of the stern section of the ship. The book explains salvage divers intrigues from late 18 century to current days! There have been 900 recorded maritime incidents in the Scillies, only 250 wreck sites have been found. Our diving continued onto these wrecks. One dive was a wreck upon a wreck, such was the popularity of the site.

Our boat skipper, Jo, was excellent. After the green colours of a few on the first day, the boat was taken gently to more sheltered sites. On the penultimate dive, a second diver boat came to use the site and our shot line. Jo and the other skipper shared information on conditions by mobile phone and either boat would sometime come to the others planned site, if their planned dive site conditions were poor. This second group of divers didn’t always seem very cheerful. As Jan returned to the boat she explained that they had been wrapping our shot line around anchorage points. In the waters she had looked at them severely. Jo came back to the group and explained that she had asked to other boats’ divers to secure the line because the local club was returning to the site the following day. Then Brian returned to the boat. He was cross “Those devils” (I think they were the words), “I couldn’t believe it! They were trapping our shot line down there.” Roger, our dive leader, asked Brian if he had freed it, “well of course.”

I felt I had been away from the hustle of work for a month not a week. We had loyalty to Jo. All great fun. Ian and I thank you all for the friendship and look forward to other New Horizons dive trips.

Clyde Challenges: A trip to the Clyde Wrecks and Reefs October 2008 by Tony New
Having gained some further experience on a number of New Horizons trips throughout 2008 it was time to finish off the year with the Clyde trip in October which was deemed as more challenging.

Following the atrocious wet weather during Friday evening we were blessed with surprisingly good weather over the following few days with virtually no rain and calm winds setting the scene for good diving conditions aboard the excellent dive boat MV Clutha.

Peter Surridge dutifully briefed the group on each dive with more specific details provided by skipper Elaine Watt who also provided sustenance in the way of delicious homemade soup between dives!

Day 1 consisted of a dive of the wreck Wallachia in the morning followed by a lovely wall drift dive in the afternoon. Marine life included Nudibranchs, Plumose Anemones, orange/white Dead Men's Fingers, Cushion stars, wrasse, shrimp and numerous types of anemones.

Day 2 and a trip to Great Cumbrae ensued for a deeper dive on the wreck of the steamship Beagle which was littered with Brittlestars and numerous soft corals. The afternoon dive was a scenic drift dive with plentiful sightings of good sized scallops as well as some very large anemones.

The previous two days set the scene for 2 dives on the wreck of the Akka laying close to Dunoon. The wreck was huge and very densely populated with soft corals and the occasional conger eel making for some excellent photographic opportunities for one or two of the group.

Apres dive activities did not disappoint with good food, good company and good humour in abundance in the bars and restaurants of Largs.

Thanks to all for making this such a successful trip.

Finally, does a trip to the Clyde live up to the word challenging, on a mental level it does and so one would be well advised to gain some good experience on other UK trips before attempting it.

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For details on these or any other events or for advice on gear sales, diving insurance or unaccompanied dive travel, please contact:

New Horizons Snorkel & Dive Centre, 51 - 53, Park Lane, Macclesfield, Cheshire, SK11 6TX

Tel: 01625 611108
Fax: 01625 611969
info@new-horizon.co.uk
www.new-horizon.co.uk