JOTTINGS

The Editor's bit

Welcome to the latest WB - a little later than usual for various reasons - not the least of which was me not having two minutes to spare to put it together!

For me it's been a really busy summer, and yes, it really is true, I have been back in the water, both at Stoney Cove and on a trip. It was a dive interval of 22 months, and there were times when even I wondered if it would happen. I even enjoyed Stoney Cove - sad or what!

While the Club has been doing plenty of diving, recent events have, of course, cast something of a shadow. No doubt we have all been asking why these incidents should have happened, and why, after so many years incident free diving, we suddenly get three in such a short space of time.

As Bob has written elsewhere, this is not the place to speculate on individual events. The Club has reviewed its own training and some trip procedures have already been revised.

As individuals we should, I think, also be looking at our own diving practices. It is all too easy to get complacent, especially if you're diving regularly and with a buddy you've dived with loads of times before. DJ's article later on in this issue is a good example, and looking back, I don't have to think too hard to recall a time when, not really thinking, I've done something stupid and potentially dangerous.

Committee ...

Yep, it's that time of year again.

As Bob said, new blood on the Committee is essential. Although I don't think our Committees have ever found themselves getting divorced from the membership, new people do bring new ideas.

Also, for new or relatively new members, don't think that you have to have been with the Club ages to come on board. Your contributions and ideas are just as important as those of the 'old farts'.

Instructor Review

Following their review of the Instructor Training Scheme, BSAC have decided that no new Club Instructors will be appointed after the end of the year. Instead, members will go straight from Assistant Instructor to Open Water Instructor. Present Club Instructors will however remain until they decide to 'move up'.

This is not dissimilar to the original proposals for phasing out Dive Leader and it wouldn't surprise me if we see a similar battle about this.

As they say, watch this space!

Midweek Daytime Diving?

If anyone fancies a midweek daytime dip at Stoney, I am occasionally available. Give me a call and we'll see if we can fix something up.

An Apolgy ...

... to anyone who e-mailed bits for this WB to my home address before late August. I have had some major PC problems as a result of getting a virus which my software didn't pick up at the time, and when it did, couldn't repair. Subsequently I had to have my hard disk wiped and as a result lost all my e-mails I hadn't bothered to print.

The good news is I now have some new software which not only updates automatically, but scans outgoing mail and attachments as well as incoming ones. So you should be safe from me at least!

Newsletter Contributions

As ever, thanks to everyone who's contributed to this issue. Every little helps. I can never have too many bits to put in, however short. All contributions to me please, preferably by e-mail or on disk, but I still take that old fashioned stuff called paper too!

And Finally ...

Happy diving, but please, take care. We really could do without any more incidents.

If you have to stop to think whether you're fit to go in, the chances are you're not.

May you bubbles ever upwards go.