By Nic Faulks (1st September 2019) After a bit of WhatsApp-ing, it was finally decided that the six of us would take the Sunday afternoon slot on Oceanic with Derek as skipper. An early start would have meant a very really early start for the retirees, and we could have that! So a 1.30pm ropes […]
Eyemouth, Caves and Boilers Read More »
By Nic Faulks (23-26 August 2019) This was “our” second club trip to the Sound of Mull. Well, I say “our” but both trips were actually organised by Dave Taylor who is the chief of Durham Divers. He couldn’t fill the trip with his club members, so kindly allowed us all to come along again
Second trip to Sound of Mull Read More »
28 July 2019 By Nic Faulks This year we have had 8 people sign up and undergo training for the Ocean diver qualification. Of these keen divers, two have progressed on to Sports Diver training, plus a new member, making three trainees. The weekend of the 27/28th July was full of activity with the lectures
Sports Diver Training – Ellerton Read More »
7-14th July 2019 By Nic Faulks Not strictly a club trip, but I thought it would be a good article to put on the website to enthuse divers about the opportunities that are out there. Since first donning a rebreather, Si and I have been wanting to dive the wrecks of Malin Head, the big
Malin Head a Dream Come True Read More »
By Andy Moss, ( 22nd June 2019 ) I tried to arrange a St Abbs dive on 11 May and had Pathfinder booked for 6 divers but as so often proved to be the case in the summer 2019, the sea was smooth during the week whilst I was locked in my cell but come
St Abbs, second time lucky? Read More »
May 2019 By Nic Faulks A team of intrepid divers set out on the 26th May 2019 in the rhib to visit Gun Rocks to clear the trail, install the marker buoy and check the trail ropes. The forecast wasn’t the best, but we hoped to get at least one dive in before the wind
Gun Rocks Trail Check Read More »
20 April 2019 By Nic Faulks It’s Easter and the weather is looking okay for a change. Not like last year when the beast from the east (version 1.1, 1.2 and 1.3) ruined our fun. So in between all of the diver training, we squeezed in some salty club diving at St Abbs Voluntary Marine
Anemones in New Asgard! Read More »
19 April 2019 By Nic Faulks Having come through the winter, and some training at Ellerton Lake, it was finally time to finish and qualify the Ocean Divers at Capernwary. So on a sunny Friday morning (Easter Friday no less); a merry band of instructors: Andy, Si and Nic, met up in the car park
Capernwray Ocean Diver Training Read More »
6-7th April 2019 By Nic Faulks Easter was late this year, so we managed to fit in a Mull trip before the Easter break. The trip was organised by Dave Taylor and ran like clockwork. We stayed in the Morvern Dive Lodge which as ever was very comfortable. Dave had also arranged for us to
Marvellous, but Murky Mull! Read More »
01 April 2019 By Andy Moss After lots of publicity around the region the function room at the Ravensworth Arms was taken over for a second hand sale. With the function doors wide open lots of kit was unloaded from car boots and arranged on tables around the room. All sorts of kit was for
Bring and buy – an April fool? Read More »
05 January 2019 By Andy Moss The morning of 5 January dawned (eventually) cold and dark. A number of club divers wanted to go diving, so had arranged to go diving on the Farne Islands. The first dive of the year is always special, memorable and vitally important to do early in the year. Whilst
First club sea dive of 2019 Read More »
9th December 2018 – By Andrew Moss The morning of 9 December dawned bright ready for a trip to Capernwray. Tiago, Richard, Simon and I met in the car park at 09.30 slightly bleary eyed to be ready to jump in the lake. I was wanting to blow the dive cobwebs away after a couple
A Fairy & A Cracked Windscreen Read More »
By Nic Faulks Background I learned to dive back in 1996 at university. My instructors back then tended to be post graduates who owned their own kit. Kind patient people who would not only teach us, but would lend us their kit too. When I was one dive short of qualifying as a Sports Diver,
Becoming an Open Water Instructor Read More »
By Richard Moss It was a month after booking a holiday in Iceland that it occurred to me – could I tick Silfra off my bucket list? My wife and I had planned to spend two weeks driving around Iceland’s ring road in autumn 2018, and I reckoned I could tweak our itinerary to fit
Silfra – diving the continental divide Read More »
By Brian Dinsley This trip had been in the making for several months as a qualifying trip for my BSAC Advanced Diver Qualification. The target site was identified, prospective dive buddies assigned, accommodation booked and plans made with local dive charter skipper, Paul O’Callaghan using his boat, Pathfinder. Bass Rock is one of those places
Tyneside 114 does Bass Rock. (Well, almost!) Read More »
Club trip to Shetland on board the MV Valkyrie. 21 – 28th July 2018 – By Nic Faulks A whole week diving the clear waters of Shetland, what could be better, and with the UK basking in sunshine and calm seas, surely the weather would be fantastic too? We all 8 met up at Aberdeen
Shetland Islands Wrecks and Kelp! Read More »
7th – 8th July 2018, Club trip to Sound of Mull, By Nic Faulks. Our first weekend diving the sound of Mull this year and the weather was looking gorgeous. But would it last? Si and I arrived mid afternoon, to do the food shopping, then have a nice beer, in the sun shine. it
Sound of Mull – Based in Oban Read More »
By Nic Faulks Saturday 9th June 2018 The dive had been advertised for a week, but only four interested from Tyneside 114. A little bit surprising, the weather forecast was good, but hey ho, not everyone is as addicted to diving as me…. Oh hang on, our fifth group member was Darren, definitely more addicted
St Abbs – Afternoon Dip Read More »
By Nic Faulks Sunday 20th May 2018 Only five for the hard boat dive, but finally William confirmed that the trip was on. Three clubs and some random individuals on the large comfy dive boat Glad Tidings VIIII or should that be IX? Anyway, even with 18 of us on the boat there is so
Farnes Island dives – in the sun! Read More »
By Nic Faulks Monday 7th May 2018 Bank Holiday Monday – never good for traffic, and this day was no exception. The temperature on leaving home was 25oC. However, as we slowly eeeeked our way up the A1, the temperature begun to drop. Almost 2 hours later when we arrived in Seahouses, the temperature was
Diving the new Gun Rocks dive trail Read More »
By Nic Faulks 6th May 2018 We knew it would be a hot day, wearing shorts and t-shirts at 7.30am as we set off in the car. By the time we got to Capers at 9.30am the carpark was looking pretty full. I was surprised, I thought most people would be out in the sea,
Capernwray – Diving in the sunshine Read More »
By Nic Faulks May 4th 2018 After a few failed attempts due to the beast from the east, this trail laying day dawned hazy, but with no wind and no swell. By the time we launched at Seahouses, the sun had even come out. The day was to entail one dive, two groups (Nic, Darren
Laying the Gun Rocks Dive trail Read More »
By Nic Faulks 30th March – 2nd April 2018 This trip seems to have become an annual pilgrimage. The diving is based on Loch Fyne, so is generally much more reliable and less weather dependent than the east coast which often is blow out at this time of year. A group of 8 of us
Loch Fyne, Tarbert – Easter Trip 2018 Read More »
Part of the Gun Rocks funding was earmarked to increase the knowledge of archaeological survey techniques for club members. Although some members already had some Nautical Archaeological Society training, many didn’t and we chose the BSAC Wreck Appreciation course as a good starting point. While this course focusses on wrecks where there is a recognisable
Wreck Appreciation Course Read More »
