Minutes of meetings of 02/06/2016, 21/04/2016 and 03/03/2016:
Bermondsey BSAC committee meeting, 02/06/2016
Venue: Sally and Clive’s
In attendance: Sally, Clive, Ross, Pat, Lee, Victor
Apologies: Ken, Teresa, Colin
Minutes of 21/04/2016 and matters arising
- These were agreed.
- Kim now has DBS clearance. Sally’s hasn’t
arrived yet. Ed has filled in the form. Lee, Pat, Geraint and Jonathan should
apply/renew.
- Club clothing order has been received.
- Stall at Dulwich Festival happened. No enquiries
subsequently received. Photo has been sent to Scuba magazine. Leaflets ordered
by Colin were distributed – leftovers are with Sally and Clive, posters are
with Victor.
- Most new kit (funded by Sport England grant) has
been received, but we are yet to get some suits, hoods and gloves.
- Weights have been donated to the club.
- The club’s oxygen kit has been found and is now
at Amphibian for testing, filling and for a new mask to be fitted.
- Spare carbon copy book of membership forms is
now with Sally.
Seven Islands temporary closure
- Closure date still not confirmed. Closure likely
to be for 3 months or more.
- Pool at St George’s Leisure Centre (Wapping) is
available on Tuesdays (2 lanes, 7pm to 8.30pm) and Thursdays (deep end, 8.30pm
to 9.30pm), sharing slot with Docklands Dive School club.
- Wapping pool has a proper deep end, but is less
easy to get kit to. Ross is available on Thursdays. Ken willing to move some
kit.
- Wapping pool also has a storage room. Agreed not
to use this.
- Lee to inform his contacts that we’d like to
take up their offer, but not make firm booking until Seven Islands closure date
is confirmed.
- Meeting room at Surrey Docks Watersports Centre
is available Wednesday evenings for lectures.
Seven Islands redevelopment
- LB Southwark’s consultation has ended. Report
regarding location of new pool will go to Cabinet in September. A database of
responses to the council’s consultation will be made public alongside the
report to Cabinet. Consultation on design and specification of pool will be
carried out after the Cabinet meeting.
- Victor to send letter to new Cabinet members,
and will draft a further letter.
2016 dive list
- Littlehampton dive has been moved to the
Saturday (11/06/2016) and is now full.
- Lee to advertise Weymouth trip on Facebook. Pat
has 1 person to add to list.
- There is potential interest in Newquay, but
plans for shark dive need clarifying.
- Some newer members have attended or signed up
for lake dives.
2017 dives
- Agreed to do Pembrokeshire again, late May bank
holiday. Sally to be DM.
- Anglesey trip is currently scheduled for a neap
weekend, and may be moved.
- St Kilda dates to be confirmed.
- Iceland dates are flexible and will be confirmed
early in the new year, working around whatever other dives are planned for
August.
- A possible Maldives trip in February half term
was discussed.
- Pat to obtain 2017 tides info.
Club 60th BBQ
- Victor and Pat to start collecting £15 from
members (NB – Victor away from late June).
- Attendee numbers not yet known.
- Pat to bring garden chairs and camping tables.
Training
- Sally to organise training for 8th
and 15th June at the same time.
- Sally, Lee and Clive are away on 15th
June.
- Kim will be running the June lake dive, and may
need assistant instructors.
- George and Milo have joined as snorkel members.
Ed, Steve and Frank have been doing most of the recent snorkel training. The
club would benefit from having a BSAC Snorkel Instructor. Clive has an SAA
snorkel instructor qualification.
- Sally to look into ways other clubs run theory
training for younger members, and will run a revision session for Emily.
- Ed has enquired as to the whereabouts of the
club’s laptop (donated by Dave to the club some years ago). Current committee
unaware of whereabouts. Sally offered use of her laptop for theory training.
Website
- Timescale for completion not known. Pat and
Victor to speak with Daniel (currently tied up with exams) about progress.
- Discussed using an off-the-shelf website package
and paying a website designer.
- Agreed to decide on options at next meeting.
New equipment
- Sets of new regs to be allocated to committee
members to activate warranty. Need product booklets (with serial numbers) from
Amphibian.
Rental of club kit
- Agreed to charge £10 per day for a full set of
kit (including 1 cylinder), £15 including 2 cylinders. Payments should be made
directly to the club, online. Payments will need to be given a clear reference
to assist Ken’s accounting.
- DMs will need to keep a record of who is using
club kit on dives.
Mayor’s try-dive
- This happened on 25/05/2016 and went well.
- Article appeared in Southwark News, 02/06/2016.
Journalist at Southwark News may be interested in a try-dive.
Any other business
- Clive has organised a rod-and-line deep sea fishing
trip (boat from Dover), 24/07/2016.
- Committee members to encourage other club
members to join next year’s committee.
- Next meeting 14/07/2016.
Bermondsey BSAC committee meeting, 21/04/2016
Venue: Teresa’s
In attendance: Sally, Clive, Ross, Colin, Pat, Teresa, Victor
Apologies: Ken, Lee
Minutes of 03/03/2016 and matters arising
- These were agreed.
- Kim and Sally are awaiting DBS clearance.
- A new club stamp is with Victor.
- Lee has sent off the club clothing order.
- No other matters arising.
Seven Islands temporary closure
- This is happening later this year (possibly June,
but date not definite) for 3 months.
- Lee knows about a pool in Wapping (actually
nearer to Shadwell station), where we might temporarily share pool space with
swimmers and/or another club. Handy location. A Wednesday night slot would be
ideal. Agreed to authorise Lee to investigate further.
- Sharing a pool with swimmers or another dive
club may be difficult, given how busy we are with training.
- Agreed to concentrate on pool training for
current cohorts, then theory lessons during pool closure.
Seven Islands redevelopment
- LB Southwark’s consultation appears to have been
extended to 29/04/2016.
- Club has made representations via letter,
members have completed questionnaires, and Ali from BSAC region has emailed.
2016 dive list
- Lee to look into moving Littlehampton to the
Saturday. Sally is aware of interest via Facebook.
- Lack of take-up was discussed. Some members lack
transport. Some aren’t aware of how to book themselves onto dives. Agreed to
email Ocean and Sport Diver students (and recent qualifiers), encouraging them
to come diving. Also agreed to speak with current cohorts directly before/after
one of their forthcoming lectures.
- Agreed to add on dive list an indication of who
needs, and who can offer, lifts.
- Agreed to add to lecture OT7 information about
how the club organises dives.
- Dive Managers should give early consideration to
who is on their trips, their needs, and what they might need reminding of.
- When requests re: dive list are received, Victor
to reply to check if the diver needs (or can offer) transport, has kit, and has
sorted accommodation, and include reminders as to how to pay for dives, and who
the DM is for that dive.
- Current Ocean Diver cohort will be given pool
lessons until Seven Islands temporarily closes, then theory lessons, so that
they are ready to come on the Swanage training weekend in August.
2017 dives
- St Kilda dates are tbc.
- Pat considering a Maldives liveaboard in January
or February, possibly Easter. Pat to put feelers out. Not a trip for new
divers. Sports Diver minimum.
- Pat to obtain 2017 tides info.
Club 60th
- BBQ invitations have been sent out (by post and
email) to almost everyone we have contact details for. Some have replied,
confirming they’ll be coming. Victor to send out last few invitations. Agreed
to invite Ali and Michelle from BSAC region.
- Agreed to encourage payment in advance.
- Alex has confirmed he’ll do food. Teresa
liaising with Alex.
- Sally to sort out birthday cake.
- Tables and chairs needed.
- Final decisions about format and details of BBQ
to be agreed at June committee meeting.
Training
- A plan for current cohorts is in place.
Website
- Daniel is progressing this.
- It was suggested that the website include
something re: the club’s 60th. Victor to ask if this is possible.
- Teresa asked for the website’s dive list to be
updated.
Dulwich Festival Fair
- Happening on Sunday 08/05/2016, 11am to 4pm.
- Colin is ordering leaflets. These will need to
be stamped by the club.
- James (Amphibian) is bringing a brass diving
helmet, and mannequin with dive kit. Clive is meeting James on Tuesday to
discuss.
- Agreed not to do simulated try-dive with a fish
tank.
- Agreed to take photo for Scuba magazine.
New equipment
- New BCDs and regulator sets have been received.
- New cylinders have just arrived at Amphibian.
Clive and Ross to mark with BBSAC identification.
- New regulators need registering to individuals
as part of the parts/servicing deal.
- Agreed to order hoods, gloves (3mm in S, M and
L) wetsuits (XS, S, M and L for females, M, M, L, L, XL and XL for males), and
boots (as per suit sizes).
- Weight belts would need paying for by the club
(not Sport England).
- The club may need more weights – we almost ran
out at the last lake trip. Agreed to appeal for weight donations from members.
- Agreed to discuss charging for
post-qualification kit hire at next committee meeting. Given that transfers/payments
are so easy by phone nowadays, and that the club now has a lot of kit to
maintain, this needs discussing again.
Oxygen kit
- Lee is of the view that the club shouldn’t buy
an oxygen kit.
- Clive disagrees. It would be a useful resource
for the Oxygen Administration course, and removes the risk of a skipper not
having a useable kit.
- Agreed that cost of the kit shouldn’t be
relevant to the committee’s decision whether or not to buy a kit.
- Cost would be around £400 or £500 (or less,
second hand), plus £25/year maintenance.
- Clive to investigate price of a second hand kit.
- Amphibian can fill oxygen cylinders.
- The alternative would be to keep checking with
skippers if they have a useable kit, in test, suitable for an unconscious
diver.
- Agreed to defer decision until Lee and Ken are
present.
AOB
- Colin will be continuing as Membership Secretary.
- Colin to order spare carbon copy book of membership forms, as he may not be able to attend on some Wednesdays.
- Next meeting 02/06/2016.
Bermondsey BSAC committee meeting, 03/03/2016
Venue: Victor’s
In attendance: Pat, Clive, Lee, Sally, Ken, Victor, Ross
Apologies: Teresa, Colin
Minutes of 14/01/2016
- These were agreed.
- Club stamp hasn’t been found. Victor to order
new one.
Grant funding
- Payment of Sport England grant expected tomorrow
or Monday.
- Grant has to be spent on 10 sets of kit as per
table (listing kit items) agreed with Sport England, but some can be higher
spec, others cheaper.
- Sally, Ross, Clive and Ken to discuss kit purchase
further. Sally and Ross to then shop around and make purchases.
- Sport England grant is for new, not replacement
kit.
Club kit
- Clive and Ross have sorted the club’s kit and
prepared an inventory. Some is close to the end of its life and has no resale
value, however part exchange deals are sometimes offered – agreed to keep
redundant kit for a year after the end of its life to see if a good deal comes
up.
- Club has lots of fins (but needs a few smaller
pairs) and masks.
- Agreed to buy 6 storage boxes for existing and
new kit.
Seven Islands redevelopment
- Victor to send letter to council after speaking
to other clubs/groups.
Cornwall Scubafest
- This is scheduled for 30/04/2016 to 02/05/2016 in
Mevagissey (www.cornwallscubafest.co.uk
has the wrong dates at the top of the page, but is otherwise up-to-date).
Compressor will be on site. Hard boats Woodpecker and Top Gun, and RHIBs, will
be there for dives.
- Club has 8 takers, and may yet have more.
- Clive to make enquiries re: dives and
accommodation.
2016 dives
- Agreed to tout Pembrokeshire and Littlehampton
to divers outside the club. Sally to tout on Facebook.
- Print-out of dive list to be brought to Sports
Diver lectures so students can sign up.
2017 dives
- Ken to collect St Kilda deposits soon.
- Victor will only book 2 dives for Iceland, and
will provide advice on (but not book) flights and accommodation.
- Pat to find out neaps and springs for 2017.
- Ken suggested more local 1-day dives.
- Lee suggested South of France and Spain trips,
and shore dives e.g., Selsey Bill.
Club 60th
- Teresa to liaise with Alex re: food.
- Victor to send out invitations.
- Cost to attendees will be £15 per person,
covering food and some drink
Training
- Sally has emailed all those who qualified as
Ocean Divers last year. Most want to progress to Sports Diver, although some
want to do more diving first, or do the Snorkel Diver course.
- 5 try-dives are coming up.
- Some instructors need DBS certification. Website
should have link to BSAC’s Buddyguard and whistleblowing policies if Teresa
thinks this is appropriate.
- Sally has drawn up and saved the current
training plan on Dropbox.
Website
- Daniel now has the graphic components of the new
website and will work on it this weekend.
- Clive obtained 3 quotes for a new website, all
below £1,000, with ongoing maintenance fees of around £30/year. We may go with
one of these quotes if the new website isn’t ready by 01/06/2016.
Publicity
- Sally has posters for Ross to take to Battersea.
- A stand in Surrey Quays Shopping Centre was
suggested.
- Agreed to pay £55 for a 3” x 7” stall at the
Dulwich Festival Fair on Sunday 08/05/2016, 11am to 4pm. Victor to organise.
Stall will need leaflets and items of interest.
Falmouth fills
- All divers have reimbursed the club for
Amphibian’s work.
- Ken to send letter to Seaways.
AOB
- Lee to organise a club t-shirt order.
- Next meeting 21/04/2016.
by Chris
The weather was perfect on the Sunday with low winds, an
almost flat sea and lots of sun. This made it possible to attempt the 20 mile
journey out to the Smalls lighthouse and reef which is rarely dived. Close to a
three hour journey was worth every second.
It was decided on day 3 to stick closer to harbour to enable
everyone to start the long journeys home a bit earlier. To get better
visibility we went just outside the bay to North Wall which was a wall dive
with a lot of life. At least 4 species of nudibranchs were spotted and some
were lucky enough to spy an Octopus.
