Scubaducks News

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8th March 2010

CLUB NIGHT – Thursday 11th March 8pm onwards – Honey Bee Pub
This Thursday is the first of our Monthly Club Nights, we are still going down to the Honey Bee each Thursday but we have one main club night each month now on the 2nd Thursday of the month so that those of you that can only occasionally make it to the night know which one is the best night to attend.

We will be presenting award certificates to all those that have achieved a qualification in the previous month, if you attend to collect your award you will be entered into the monthly draw to win a £25 voucher to spend in store, but you have to be there to win it! You will get your photo taken and go up in the hall of fame!

This month is a bumper month as we are presenting awards for January and February on the same night.

This months Superstars who have awards to collect this Thursday are:-

• Bill Petchell
• Bobby Ellis
• Chris Smith
• Chris Winman
  
• Geoff Mountford
• Ian Stainer
• Jonathan Horn
• Karen Sinden
• Karen Jeffries
• Martyn Dunn
• Pete Harris
• Peter Ward
• Rob Payce
• Steve Sinden
• Tim Buddle
• Val Mills
• Tony Brock
• Jeff Creamer
• Rob Bleasdale
  

Please give these club nights your best support as it is a great way of meeting divers and finding new buddies!

PADI PRO NIGHT – Thursday March 25th – Scubaducks Dive Centre
Richard Hawse our regional manager from PADI will be giving a great talk on becoming and remaining a PADI PRO.
This looks at all that you can do within the organisation both home and abroad.
If you are a PADI Pro or are thinking of becoming one then this is the night for you to learn all that you want about being a diving Professional.

After we are going to The Bengal Blue Indian Restaurant for dinner and Nic & Paddy will outline how you can earn money and rewards by working with Scubaducks.

If you haven't already done so please can you call drop us an email to get yourself a place on this night – we are a little limited on the space so first come first served!

DAHAB – June 20th to 27th
There are still 4 places on the Dahab Diving Trip in June, but these really MUST be taken by the end of the week or they will be lost – call us NOW if you want more info or to book.

SCOTLAND LIVABOARD – September 11th to 18th
We have 3 places left on this trip, it is going to be a great wrecks tour of the west coast!
Ed the skipper has added two new cabins and is as we speak fitting a shiny new diver lift for easy exits!
Please call now or email if you want more info or to book.
£70 secures your place!

STOP PRESS!
SETT – Submarine Escape Training Tank
I have just come off the phone from SETT, I am afraid it is very bad news.
Not only are we going to have to cancel the visit to SETT but I have been told the reason for the delay is that Defence Estates have the whole site under review and that it is very likely that it is going to close down completely!
So guys I am sorry to have to cancel the trip but if the facility does not exist than there is not much we can do about it.
They have promised to keep me informed and if the situation changes we are first on the list!

DIVING CALVERT – 20th March
I should here tomorrow (Wednesday) that diving will commence at Calvert! At long last I here you cry!
So what I am proposing is that now SETT is cancelled we go to Calvert instead and explore our new local dive site!
We will give more details at the club night on Thursday, but in the meantime if you are interested in joining us for this dive please call or email us to register your interest.

SECOND HAND DIVING EQUIPMENT
We have helped a few of you to try and sell your second hand diving equipment but this is not proving very successful as we are gaining more than we sell!
So what we will do from now on is put any Items that you want sold on to Ebay, we will do this without a reserve price (occasional exceptions) and then after ebay and paypal fees we will take a commission of 20% returning the balance to you. You can of course just sell it on ebay yourself.
So if you are looking for a bargain please visit the UK Ebay site and look us up under ScubaducksDC and book mark us then each time we put something up there you will be informed – there is nothing there at the moment but will be by the end of the week!




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16th February 2010

The new British Leisure Showwww.britishleisureshow.com , to be held from Friday 19th to Sunday 21st March 2010, at the Royal Windsor Racecourse on the picturesque banks of the River Thames, is a brand new exhibition and family show, celebrating some of Britain’s most loved outdoor pursuits and hobbies with new products and ideas from a fantastic range of companies in the dedicated leisure zones; Outdoor & Country, Britain & Abroad, Caravan & Camping, Cars & Bikes, Britain&Abroad, Extreme Sports, Motorhomes & Campervans, Boats & Watersports and Holiday Homes.
 
The British Leisure Show is a unique family-friendly event that offers a great day out for fans of the outdoors, with a variety of things to see and skills to learn about. Some of the free activities include Cycling, Canoeing, Diving, Land Yachting, Kite Making & Flying, Mountain Biking, Boat Building, Indo Boarding, Mountain Boarding, Running, Horse Riding, Dinghy Sailing, Geocaching, Running, Fly Fishing, Rowing and Quad Biking, Bungee jumping.   
 
Attractions for children include a Kite Making Workshop, Boat Building workshop, Play Zone and Climb Trials.
 
With FREE parking, FREE activities, FREE show guides, Free Child Safe Zone scheme, onsite camping and dedicated boat trips to Windsor town, it’s definitely a show worth visiting.
The nearest trains stations Windsor and Eton Central, Windsor, Eton Riverside and Slough.
Venue Address:  Royal Windsor Racecourse, Maidenhead Road, Windsor, Berkshire, SL4 5JJ

To take advantage of the special ticket offer, simply visit www.britishleisureshow.com  and enter the code ‘scubaducks’ when making your ticket purchase. Daily adult tickets are £10, family £20 and OAPs £5.

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15th February 2010

STOP PRESS! - Change to Club night talks!
This Thursdays Club Night Talk has changed, it was meant to be the PADI pro talk but due to unforeseen circumstances this has been postponed to March 25th!
Instead Paddy Green will be giving his presentation on diving in the Philippines this Thursday 18th Feb we know it is short notice but please come along and support this event it starts at 7.30 at Scubaducks Dive Centre.

The PADI Pro Night on the 25th March
This is a great presentation Richard Hawse PADI area manager will come and give a presentation (its really very good!) to all potential and all existing PADI Pros. We are then booking a table at Bengal Blue Indian Restaurant for after where Nic & Paddy will give you an overview on the future development of Scubaducks and how you can be involved and how you can earn money as a PADI Pro working with Scubaducks.
We strongly urge ALL existing PADI pros that are associated with Scubaducks and ALL of you that are thinking of becoming a PADI Pro to book a place on this as it is quite inspiring – places are limited so please book your place on this with Sue or Paddy – u2us@scubaducks.co.uk or call 01296 317787.

STOP PRESS! - Discounted space on Nemo 33 trip 26th to 28th Feb
Due to Paddy having to pull out (forgot he was on holiday! Doh!) Steve Field stepped in and took his place, Steve has now been signed off from diving due to a knee injury!
This leaves a fully paid for trip to Nemo 33 – its a use it or loose it opportunity and both Paddy and Steve have said that they would rather it was used as it is paid for – but if someone wants the place and wants to contribute something towards their costs it would be appreciated.
The trip includes Eurostar return, diving at Nemo 33 in Brussels and 2 nights accommodation, depart Friday 26th evening return Sunday 28th afternoon.
You don’t need to take your kit with you.
If you are interested please contact us immediately as the deadline for changing the Eurostar ticket is this Friday 19th February
Email – paddy.green@scubaducks.co.uk or call Paddy on 07980640101.

PADI 2010 Forum – Thursday 11th March 2010 – 19.00 at Northampton
As a PADI Pro (Divemaster or above) it is strongly urged by PADI that you attend a PADI Forum at least once every 2 years (annual is preferable).
This years local one is on 11th March at The Holiday Inn Northampton West, M1 Junction 16, High Street, Flore, NN7 4LP.
This year there are some major changes in the PADI system and a major overhaul and revision of the Instructor manual, so it is strongly recommended that you attend this year.
Paddy will be going and can offer a lift to other interested PADI Pros, if you would like to attend please contact Paddy on 07980640101 or email paddy.green@scubaducks and he will put you on the list.
The Forum is free of charge.

Shark Diving – Blue Planet Aquarium Ellesmere Port
This weekend sees a group of us going to Blue Planet Aquarium to dive with the sharks! This trip sold out in a couple of hours with many of you being disappointed, so we are organising another trip, it is a maximum of 14 people and we already have 5 people on the waiting list!
If you would like to go on this (it will be in the Autumn) please register your interest as soon as possible to avoid disappointment, when we have the numbers we will book a date that is acceptable to everyone.
It costs £125 per diver – you have to take all your own equipment (Scubaducks can hire out anything you are short of)  and you need to be PADI OW (or equivalent) and is open to any qualified diver (under 16’s must be accompanied by a parent or Guardian).
Remember the places on this will go VERY quickly, so don’t hesitate register your interest now by emailing – u2us@scubaducks.co.uk or calling Paddy on 07980650101.

Scubaducks receives an award!
Paddy Nic & Sue recently attended the Oceanic Dealer Conference which was a 2 day event looking at treds in the diving industry as well as new products coming out!
One of the most exciting things is the new side mount technology where cylinders are not mounted on your back but on your sides! Sounds weird but it is actually very exciting, watch this space for more info and the opportunity to attend a club night talk on the subject including the opportunity to try it out in the pool!
But the highlight of the conference was Gala Dinner (a black tie affair) where presentations were handed out and we were delighted and amazed that we won the Most Promising Newcomer award, which considering we have only been with oceanic since the Summer is quite an achievement, we would like to thank all of you for your part in achieving this.
The award is on display in the shop please stop by to see it.

Diving Liveaboard – Scotland 11th to 18th September 2010
OK guys its make your mind up time, we have to pay the deposit on this by the end of February to secure this trip, so far we have 3 people confirmed and the minimum is 8 – If you are interested in going on this trip you need to act NOW!
It is open to anyone who is Advanced Open Water and above with at least 10 UK sea dives under their belt, we do however recommend Deep Specification and Wreck Specification as we will mainly be diving wrecks. These can be carried out during the week as there are Instructors going.
We will be diving the West Coast of Scotland living on board the boat and putting into a different port each night.
The cost for the week is £420.00 including breakfast and lunch! Air and nitrox are extra and you will need to put aside money to get there and back as well as your evening meal and beer vouchers!
This will be a fabulous weeks diving if we can get enough people, so its up to you guys get your £70 deposit in by the end of February or we will have to cancel the trip.

Membership
This is the last newsletter that will go out to all members, after this it will only go to those that are paid up.
If you have joined, thank you, your membership pack is at the store awaiting your collection if you haven't already done so.
If you havent already joined then please do so via the web at www.scubaducks.co.uk.
If you no longer want to be a member and wish to be taken off the mailing list then please reply to this email stating that and you will be removed.

Club Night
We have revised the Club Night to make it easier for more of us to meet.
From now on we will have one main Club Night per month while continuing with our informal get together on a Thursday after the shop shuts at 7.30.
This will also be our presentation night, we will be handing out certificats to those that qualified in the previous month, so if you have carried out some training you definatly want to be here to be recognised for your achievement!
So here are the Club Night Dates for 2010 (basically the second Thursday in the Month)
All Club Nights are at the Honey Bee in Fairford Leys starting at 7.30pm
11th March
8th April
13th May
10th June
8th July
12th August
9th September
14th October
11th November
9th December
The 11th March Club Night will be a biggie as all those that completed courses with us in January and February will get their awards so if you have completed some training with us make sure you are there.
For those that attend the Club Night to receive their reward you will be entered into a free prize draw to win a £25 voucher to spend in store – one entry per course completed, and is only available to those that attend the night!

POOL CLOSURE
We are giving you advanced notice of the pool closure.
We are having the pool refurbished, this will involve draining it for a period of about 3 weeks while we have a new platform fitted and then the whole of the inside will be fibreglassed – this will stop the contaminant problem we have from the rust causing the water to go green, we will then be back to Blue Water Diving! It will be carried out over the Easter period and be closed for 2 / 3 weeks.


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1st February 2010

MEMBERSHIP
Thank you to all those that have completed your membership forms and
returned them, if you don’t already have your card you can collect it from
the shop or email us to post it to you!
Those of you that have not renewed your membership yet can do one of the
following
1. Download a form from the web, fill it in and return it by post hand or
scanned, or renew by filling in the application form on line.
2. If you no longer want membership please just reply to this email and we
will delete you from the database.
This will be the last email that goes out to unrenewed members, you will get
the quarterly newsletter, but it will be sent to the members 2 or 3 weeks
earlier so that they can have first option on the club dive trips and
holidays.

DIVING HOLIDAY DAHAB - JUNE
This has proved popular and we now have 11 out of the 16 places taken, the
remaining places are only available until the end of this week then we have
to release them back to the holiday company, so if you want to go please
book now by downloading the Longwood Holidays form from the downloads page
and return it to us asap, first come first served, so don’t delay.

MV JAMES EDGAR SCOTLAND – SEPTEMBER
This is now filling up – we have 5 spaces left but three of those are
provisionally taken – its first to return your form that gets the space so
again don’t delay!

SHARK DIVING ELLESMERE PORT
The trip at the end of February sold out in 2 hours! This was really popular
so will be organising another on later in the year – if you want to do this
then please contact us by email to register your interest and when I have
the numbers I will get some dates.

PADI SEAL TEAM
This is about to start on Saturdays 09.30 – 12.30 It is a total of 15
sessions or Aquamissions for potential young divers aged 8 to 12 and
encourages good diving skills, practice and above all fun!
There are a couple of places left - £295 for all 15 missions (payable as one
or 3 x £100 in advance per 5 missions).

PADI COURSES
We are now scheduling in many of the range of PADI speciality courses so
please contact the store with your requirements, we are offerin discounts on
packages of courses booked together, several of you have booked the Master
Scuba Diver Challenge where we sort out a package to get you from Open Water
or Advanced Open Water diver through to Master Scuba Diver, this also
entitles you to enter the PADI MSD of the year competition!
Three of the specialities we will be focusing on this year will be Digital
Underwater Photography, Peak Performance Buoyancy and Nitrox as these three
combine to be able to give you a high degree of skills for great underwater
photography with the ability to stay down for longer times.

PADI PRO NIGHT
The Club Night Talk on Thursday 25th February will be from PADI – this is a
night where anyone that is already a PADI Pro or who wants to or is thinking
of becoming a Divemaster or above then this is the night for you. Spaces are
limited so please contact Sue or Nic to book your place!


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8th January 2010

HAPPY NEW YEAR!
We wish you all a Happy New year and happy diving in 2010

TRAINING
Please visit the training page as we have updated the training that is going on this month, if you would like to join any of these courses please download and complete a course booking form and send it in or call in and book yourself on!

PADI SEAL TEAM
Starting January 16th we are running a PADI Seal Team for kids from 8 to 12 years old.
This is a fantastic way to get into diving by completing 15 individual Aquamissions that teach the scuba skills in a fun way through underwater missions that include building things underwater and fish id.
We are running 15 sessions plus 3 make up sessions at the end for anyone who missed a session.
The Aquamissions take place on a Saturday Morning 9.30 - 12.30
Price is £295 for all 15 missions (payable as one payment or £100 per 5 missions as you go)
To book please call us now on 01296 317787

MEMBERSHIP
Thank you to all those that have returned their membership forms, your cards and pin badges are now ready to collect from the shop, or if you prefer we can mail them out just let us know and we will post them to you!
For those of you who have not filled out a form yet a reminder of the membership benefits are listed below

Membership benefits -

• Calvert Membership (our local dive site) (entry £7 instead of the normal £17)
• £5 discount on Servicing
• Special Member Only Promotion days and discounts.
• 10% Discount at Bengal Blue Indian Resturant (others to be added)
• Discounts on Training Packages
• Priority notification and priority booking for Dive Trips and Holidays
• Discount Voucher on your Birthday
• Many more to come - keep your eye on the web site.

DOWNLOADS PAGE
This is a new page where you can download diving related forms and information, if you can think of anything you want added here please just let us know!

DAHAB HOLIDAY - JUNE 20th - 27th 2010
The dive holiday to Dahab in June is filling quickly - there are now only 6 places left, so be quick if you want to go!



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20th December 2009

SALE NOW ON
The winter sale is now on come on over and grab yourself a bargain - some items have 75% off!

DIVE TRIP UPDATE
The dive trips are selling out quickly
Dry Dive - London Dive Chamber - FULL
Shark Dive - Ellesmere Port - FULL
Nemo 33 - Belgium - FULL
Dahab - Egypt - Only 9 places left
Scotland - Live aboard - Only 5 places left

CHANGE TO CLUB NIGHT TALK
Paddy forgot he was away diving in the Red Sea on the 25th February! He will give the Dive the Philippines talk on the 25th of March. We should still have a talk on the 25th Jan and Nic is seeing who he can get. Watch this space.

CHRISTMAS & NEW YEAR DIVES
The hardy amongst us are going to do 2 dives over the festive period
Sunday 27th December - Stoney Cove
Sunday 3rd January - Vobster Quay
If you are interested please let us know at the shop or txt Paddy on 07980640101 so we can plan if it is worth taking the van and tent up!


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13th December 2009

Web site updated with Dive Trips and Training dates
Just a quick update to let you all know that all the Dive Trips and Holidays have been put on to the calendar on the dive trips page and that all the Training Dates are on the calendar on the training page.


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8th December 2009

This is just a quick update prior to sending out the bumper newsletter at
the end of this week!

NEMO 33 - 26th to 28th FEBRUARY
We have been offered the opportunity to be able to go to Nemo 33 in
Brussels, Belgium. Departing Friday evening with diving on the Saturday, pub
on Saturday night returning Sunday. The cost is around the £150 per person
with the diving extra at €20 each.
I apprciate this is short notice but it has to be booked in advance and if
you want to go you have to book by this Friday the 11th December.
To secure a place a deposit of £50 needs to be paid by Friday, just call or
visit the shop 01296 317787.

CLUB NIGHT VENUE CHANGE
Just a reminder that we have changed the club night venue, we no longer meet
at the Hop Pole but have now moved to the Newly Opened Honey Bee Pub on
Trenchard Street Fairford Leys Aylesbury (just down the road from the dive
shop).
I went in there last night and it is a big welcoming pub and they serve food
through till 10pm and there is no quiz night to compete with.
So it doesnt matter if you are a regular to club night or a newby everyone
is welcome, come on down and introduce yourself and meet new buddys to dive
with.
Adults and children are welcome at this venue.

CHRISTMAS PARTY
I know its short notice but we have booked a table for 20 for our Christmas
Party at The Honey Bee for Thursday 17th December, there are only 20 places
and its first come first served - 6 places have already gone, so to book
yours please call the Shop on 01296 317787 or email club@scubaducks.co.uk.

CHRISTMAS OPENING & WINTER SALE
We will be opening for 2 extra days (Monday 21st and Tuesday 22nd December) prior to Christmas to help with the Christmas shopping and will also be starting our Winter Sale on December
19th - with items up to 75% off! The sale will run through until Jan 17th
but this is on marked stock items only, so when they are gone they are gone,
get in there quick.

CHRISTMAS 2009 Opening Times

Sat 19th December - 10 - 6pm

Sun 20th December - 11 - 4pm

Mon 21st December - 10 -  6pm

Tue 22nd December - 10 - 6pm

Wed 23rd December - 10 - 6pm

Thur 24th December - 10 - 3pm

Fri 25th December CLOSED

Sat 26th December CLOSED

Sun 27th December CLOSED

Mon 28th December CLOSED

Tue  29th December CLOSED

Wed 30th December 10 - 6pm

Thur 31st December 10 - 3pm

Friday 1st January - CLOSED

Saturday 2nd January 2009 - return to normal trading hours

WEIRD FISH
We are now a Weird Fish retailer and have managed to get in 5 different
winter 09/10 t-shirts (£20) and the famous Macaroni Jumpers in Ecru (£50)
sizes from medium to XL but again limited numbers and when they are gone
they are gone we cant re-order.

NEWSLETTER & DIVING CALENDAR
The newsletter is nearly finished so if anyone has anything they want to add
please get it in quick!
This will be a bumper issue with next years calendar of events (Diving SETT,
Shark Diving Liverpool, River drift diving, Holiday in Dahab, Live aboard
Scotland, Dry Diving in the London Diving chamber etc etc and will include
all the training weekends and boat diving weekends - so watch this space and
be prepared to book your places quickly as they will fill up and sell out
very quickly!

MEMBERSHIP
With the newsletter a membership form for 2010 will be sent out - this will
need to be filled out and returned with your payment details so you continue
to recieve the newsletters as they are published.
The cost is £25 per year (or £20 if paid on continuous payment) and gets you
your membership card and pin badge for 2010. The card will also get you
discounted entry to our new local diving site at Calvert (£7 per day instead
of £17 per day!) and will also get you discounts in store and at other local
resturants, watch this space for more info.
If you dont want to be a member but still want the diving newsletter please
contact us and we will keep you on the mailing list - you will however need
to be a member to join any of the dive trips and holidays.