TRAINING

In The Pool Every Friday evening, throughout the year, we meet at the Gloucester Park swimming pool in Basildon town centre. Members bring their Scuba gear and practice their skills, learn new ones or to try out new equipment. Members try each others equipment to help them decide what to buy for themselves. New divers are trained by our experienced instructors and prospective new members may be taken in for a 'Try-Dive' in order to give them their first experience of breathing underwater. New members are usually provided with a SCUBA set (cylinder, regulator and Buoyancy Compensator) for the first 6 months (subject to availability). A section of the pool is set aside for those who just want to have a swim. Our club has many family members and some bring their children along for a swim. They are likely to become future diving members.
Diving Dive trips are organised through the club throughout the year. Formal club dives are laid on to further the training programme or to simply go diving for enjoyment. Such expeditions can be to inland lakes (mostly for training) and of course to the sea. Favoured inland sites are Stoney Cove in Leicestershire and Gildenburgh Water near Peterborough.
Marine dive trips are organised to coastal locations around the British Isles. In 2005 we went to Oban, Farne Islands, various sites in Dorset, Brighton and Littlehampton. Diving at sea is usually from chartered vessels with skippers experienced with divers needs.	Frequent shore dives are conducted as they are a good introduction to the sea for new divers, they are pretty good for those of us who have lots of experience too. Our club owns a small Zodiac inflatable (4.5 mtrs) and several members also have similar boats of their own. These are used for inshore dives and offer a good deal of flexibility, as they can be carried in a car and set up quickly.
	Lots of our members also dive abroad, Many arrange their holidays specifically for or to include diving. In the recent past, members have visited, Jamaica, The Maldive Islands, Egypt (The Red Sea), Australia, South Africa, Cuba, Bonaire, Spitzbergen, Turkey, Belize and the USA.
Socialising After training or swimming many members adjourn to the bar at a local Snooker Club, where we have associate membership. Here you can discuss training issues in a relaxed informal atmosphere, put the world to rights or just gossip, tell jokes and have a laugh. A number of Social events are organised throughout the year. On occasional evenings some members meet at the Snooker Club for a social get together.