With several club members needing only the open water assessment of a surface diver rescue in order to complete their SAA Club Diver qualification, the club has been going down to Cromhall Quay diving centre (just off M5, Jn14) most Thursday evenings recently to get in plenty of practice.

Cromhall Quay opens till late in the evening on Thursdays throughout the summer making it an ideal option for getting some open water practice in after work.

Other members have been coming along just for a dip, but either way it's a nice way to finish the day particularly while the weather's so hot.

The club defied the bleak weather forecast expected after the spring bank holiday, heading down to Devon for the customary camping and diving expedition at Hope Cove.

The weekend following the bank holiday was chosen in order to catch the neap tide and although a little cold on the first two days it warmed up nicely with the Monday turning into a real scorcher.  The northerly wind coming off the land meant that the sea was pretty near the coast allowing diving several miles offshore.

Visibiliy underwater was the only disappointment with a thick green emulsion of plankton bloom stretching from the surface down below 30m.  However this did not stop us seeing the usual goodies such as lobster, conger eels and even a small tope.

So it's been a couple of months since a news article was posted to the website, but that doesn't mean the club's been idle!

It was good to see that groups of members got together when weather permitted to continue diving throughout the winter period.  However, remember to check out your gear (eg in the pool) and brush up on important skills well before your first trip away if you haven't been diving during this time.

After a snowy start to the year, some days in February proved to be pretty good for nipping down to the coast as the photos from a day trip to Babbacome show here.

After being winterised over the last couple of months, the boat has now been checked and maintained to it's usual safe and seaworthy condition thanks a recent working party of club volunteers.

Expect one or two impromptu day trips down the coast to give it a run before any of the main forthcoming weekend expeditions - this might interest any of the newly qualified boat handlers who want to build up a bit of boat handling experience before any of the bigger trips.

The club calendar is starting to fill up too, so make a point of checking it regularly for new postings - especially to sign up for boat charters and trips to popular destinations where there may be a limit on how many members can go.