Reefers and Wreckers

Last few weeks

2009-07-27T11:40:00.002+01:00

We have had a nice pleasant few weeks, teaching in the pool, open water sessions and even had time for a play.

People are getting ready for our Red Sea trip this week. We have 24 people going on MY Blue Fin for a weeks tour of the Northern Reefs and Wrecks. Everyone seems to be looking forward to it except those instructors that are being left behind to hold the fort.

Here's to a great weeks diving, more to follow next week.

IDC and IE

2009-07-14T10:54:00.002+01:00

We have had a full on week last week, we ran the OWSI part of the IDC from Tuesday to Friday then headed over to Pontefract for the Exams.

Everyone worked very hard during the IDC, including the staff!!!!

Thanks to everyone who helped in the pool on Thursday night, it really helped our candidates get a feel for what t would be like at the weekend. Cheers all.

Over at Pontefract we did our open water section of the IE at Blue Lagoon, its a really nice lake and diving centre with reasonable visibility and nice things to look at. It only took an hour and a half to get there from the shop so well worth a trip from Clitheroe. Fees are £5 membership (one off payment), £5 to park (if more than one person in one car just pay once), and £5 to dive. Its not a deep lake but nice and quiet, it opens at 10am on Saturdays and Sundays.

So how did the Staff get through the IE......... just would be the answer, it hard waiting to hear how people are doing, waiting and waiting. How did the candidates get through the IE..... they did great! Congrats to them all.

Mick R passed his Staff instructor course and was initiated into the ranks, if you want to find out more about that initiation you need to ask him. Well done Mick.

Back to normality now, if there ever was any.

Find out the latest

2009-07-08T18:37:00.002+01:00

Seems like ages since I last put anything onto the blog but actually it's not that long really.

We finished our latest open water course this weekend and successfully made 6 new divers open water divers. Well done to them all, they did really well at Capenwray on Saturday and Sunday and I hope they have fun diving!

We also started our Owsi section of the Instructor Developement Course this week and our 4 AI's are getting down to dowing the work required to pass this section of their development. Here's hoping it continues.

Training Updates

2009-06-30T13:48:00.002+01:00

Well we have had a great week so far, a BBQ for the Red Sea trip on Friday, EFR and Assistant Instructors work on Saturday and Rescue at the Delph on Sunday, followed b a pool session in the evening at Barnoldswick.

The BBQ was a success on Friday, it gave those people who are booked on the trip a chance to get to know each other and find out the details of the trip, travel etc. Everyone is looking forward to it and we should have a great time. Hopefully I will be able to write a blog from the boat, well here's hoping!

Saturday was a shop theory day, we had people doing EFR primary / Secondary and child with AED. Congrats to all who passed, it was fun and much laughter could be heard.

Zoe finished her Assistant Instructor course, well done to her, full steam ahead to the rest of the IDC ;)

The Rescue course was fun on Sunday, well almost.... We had a good day out at the Delph, the sun was out, the water was warm and everyone learned a lot from their experience as well as demonstrating great rescue skills. Well done to Gareth, Neil and Craig for completing this course and becoming the next group of PADI Rescue divers.

Next we look forward to finishing some of our open water courses and completing the IDC.

Latest update from the crew

2009-06-22T20:48:00.006+01:00

We have had a good few weeks since the last blog, we have been continuing the training in the pool of our latest Rescue and Open water course, as well as Assistant Instructor, and preparation work for our Instructor development program in a couple of weeks.

We recently went up to Newcastle to Aquanorth the home of our Course Director Gary Mawston where we carried out an Emergency First Response Instructor course. Congratulations to Mick, Mick, Daron and Zoe for successfully completing the course. Contact us of you want to know more about becoming an Emergency First Responder, no need to be a diver, this is for anyone form the ages of about 5 up. We have new instructors waiting to give their new skills an airing and the first of these will be done on Saturday.

We have also been diving, the usual weekly trip to Capernwray happened this last Sunday.

June has Peak Performance Buoyancy as the speciality of the month. There is still time to do this and be entered into the PADI speciality of the month draw.

July's speciality of the month is Deep so we are planning 4 dives at Wastwater over 2 days. Again give us a call if you are interested in taking part in this training, although there are limited spaces available.

There is a BBQ at the shop this Friday for people who are going to the Red Sea with us at the end of July, even if you are not on this trip, come on over and spend some time. The BBQ is available to cook whatever you want to bring.

Saturday we are having a theory day at the shop, we have an EFR course running and also the Instructor candidates are doing some more preparation for their IDC. Come and meet the team any time, we will be there from about 10am until about 5pm. We are happy to discuss any of your training and equipment needs.

Latest on training

2009-06-05T21:17:00.000+01:00

We had a good pool session yesterday, everyone had loads of fun. I am now looking forward to teaching the PADI enriched air course tomorrow. Should be a great day!

Welcome to the New blog for Reefers and Wreckers

2009-06-03T19:21:00.000+01:00

Welcome to the newly launched blog for Reefers and Wreckers a Padi 5 star IDC based in Clitheroe Lancs. Hopefully here you can learn about our courses, our trips and us. Let the diving commence!

2008-07-06T14:53:00.000+01:00

Well, here is my last update of the Scapa holiday

Friday, Dive day 6

the day started pretty much as the rest a little breakfast and then head off to the boat. This time we picked our favourite dives of the week that we wanted a little more of.

Dive 1, SMS Dresdon

The visibility today was a little worse than before, and we all decided to explore the stern... cough... we all know that plans change under water at any given moment in time, soooo.. some of us ended up at the bow. funny that. Another great dive

Dive 2, SMS Coln

Just a fantastic as the day before. lots of fish conga eels, crabs and starfish. Oh and a wreck. A great dive to to more than once, it was not boring at all.

Once back on dry land we unhappily packed all the gear in to the van and either, did a little shopping, went to the pub of fell a sleep. Some of us did all three. then off to dinner and that's when the party Started. There were live bands playing in the Ferry inn so that is where we settled for the night. Then the After shocks started. People drifted off as they chose, and then three mad men launched them selves into the harbour....you know who you are...to an audience of about 50 people.

ahh what an end to a fantastic week of diving. I can Highly recommend Scapa Scuba for overnight repairs if you have a dry suit nightmare up there, Emily aboard the Radiant Queen is a fantastic captain (she is the one that found the camera) and the company has been excellent.

A top week in all and I highly recommend that you dive Scapa at least once in you life. It is awesome. However, these wrecks are deep, the sea is dark, the weather is changeable. You have to be prepared for a strenuous week of deep diving, it takes its toll and is not for novices. Minimum requirement is Advanced open water with Deep Dive Spec and previous sea experience IMHO.

2008-07-03T19:06:00.000+01:00

Well obviously dinner took a very long time as this is the first chance I have had to blog again.

Here goes......

Tuesday, Dive day 3

Dive 1, SMS Kroneprinz Wilhelm

Fantastic dive on the dreadnought, This wreck is almost upside down and you have to get underneath to see anything, but it is really worth the dive as you can see the HUUUUUUGE guns on the stern and then swimming up shallower through the rudders. A very nice deep and dark dive. Torches are a must or you see nothing and the bottom time is a bit short because of the depth. Recommended

Dive 2, SMS Tabarka and Doyle

here we split up as the two Light cruisers are quite close together, the SMS Tabarka need a negative entry so not every one was up to it, still some of gave it a fair crack.

Negative entry in a dry suit with all the stuff attached....special.... Fletch however had an extra special time with his little legs flapping out of the water, it was a sight to behold, unfortunately no one had a camera ready, they were too busy laughing anyhow. needless to say, he dived the Doyle in the end.

Tabarka, not shot lined so you need the tide to take you to the wreck or you miss it, hence the entry. Really nice wreck with lots of swim throughs and a big cavern engine room. lots to explore and covered in wild life, and I am not talking about the divers.

Doyle. similar dive to the day be for.

Everyone had an early night, the scapa diving is taking its toll.

Micks quote of the day "that boat is proper on its side"

Wednesday Dive day 4

Dive 1, SMS MarkGraf

Another Dreadnaught, again almost upside down on the seabed.

Tried to do the gun run on this vessel although if you were not at 40m you missed them. This was a deep dark dive and these ships are sooooo large that sometimes it is difficult to understand what you are looking at. There are 7 guns still in tact along the side of this vessel although again your bottom time is limited to take them all in.

in between the dive we all went to Lyness on Hoy to visit the museum.

Dive 2, F2 and the Barge.

The F2 is a light cruiser that was tied off to the barge. The salvage people moored her too tight for the tide and she sank taking the barge with her. These are two little nice wrecks to do at once in about 16m of water, full of life and fantastic to explore. a great dive. On exit from the dive Mick R had Emily, boat owner and captain, instigating a search pattern, not for him but for the smallest camera known to man that has been lost in Scapa flow. Emily is "a top bird" according to Mick, cos she found it. She is an Excellent skipper, definitely the boat of choice for up here and she gives great briefings and the "Emily drawings" are a site to behold.

once we were all back on land we sat outside in the sun for a few beers and then food. One of us ended up swimming across the harbour, wonder who that was. ( not me that's for sure )

Everyone is having a fantastic time.

Mick's quote of the day "If you catch a weasel asleep, wee in its lug 'ole"

Thursday Dive day 5,

The day started much as the rest, breakfast then all aboard.

Dive 1, SMS Konig.

Dreadnaught battleship, again upside down on the bottom at 46m. 24m to the hull. This dive really is about investigating the engine rooms through the blast hole, again these vessels are so large that it is often difficult to work out where you are and what you are looking at.

Dive 2, SMS Koln,

Fantastic light cruiser in 42m of water, covered in live and fish, "proper on its side", you followed the shot to the hull and then dropped down the side to about 37m and then swam towards the bow, on the way seeing the bridged followed by the conning tower, anchor capstans and where the front guns had been. if you swim of the bow and look back you start to get the feel of what these are like. A very good dive, everyone came up raving about it and want to dive it again tomorrow. So we are.

We are currently in the pub having been fed and watered and playing pool. this is a great trip.

Micks quote of the day "He had breath like Gandhi's flip flop"

Well thats it for now, we have the last day tomorrow. ;(

2008-07-01T18:56:00.000+01:00

Yey, we finally discovered that the pub had Wifi, so here is a very large update.

We arrived at Stromness on Saturday evening checked in and then headed to the pub..

Sunday, Dive Day 1

We arrived at the boat The Radiant Queen at 8:30 and loaded a;; the kit on the boat, It is a fantastic set up and the Captain Emily is top. There is a deck to store all the dive kit, in the open, then there is a cabin with a centre dest that you can all sit around to have a cup of tea and do the dive logs. You go down stairs from the cabin weher you enter the dry room where you can put on your undersuits, this also contains the head. you then go through a door to the wet roon where you put on your dive suit and then up the ladder on to the open deck for your dive
kit. it is fantastic. when you have finished the dive you do it in reverse.

We then set off to the flow...and the The Dresden, this was a fantastic first dive and the water was flat calm. The Dresden is a cruiser, laying on ots side. and the deck at the bow has peeled forward where you can see the guns. Visibility was about 6m and tha water was toasty. Everyone had a great dive. 32m dive.

For lunch we went to the museum on Lyness, a great display of some of the things that had been salvaged and lots of info.

Dive 2 Karlshruhe fantastic dive at nice open wreck, easy to see the guns and capstans a very nice dive. everyone...again....had a fantastic dive. 28m

When we got back we had a night out in town. People drifted off as they chose, a good night.

Micks qoute of the day.......swan neck and giblits.

Monday Dive day 2

After breakfast we headed to the boat and then out to the wrecks.

Dive 1, The Bummer 32m

The shot line is on a really bad place on this wreck as it goes right into the blast hole. you have to spend a fair amount of time working out which way to go to het to the deck of this as it is laying in its side. Once you get there though it is a fantastic dive with the guns and conning towers. Not everyone went the right way. It was a great dive.

Dive 2 , The Doyle 12m

This is a ww2 block vessel a nice open wreck with some very nice swim thoughs, covered in seaweed, a great wrek to spend some time on although we had to wait for the tide to be just right, slack water was only about 10mins though. Everyone is buzzing and has really settled in to the diving up here now.

Quiet evening for everyone, we all needed a rest.

Micks qoute of the day, put wood in thole

More to come after dinner......

2008-06-27T17:30:00.000+01:00

Here we are with less than 24 hours to the trip and a few people have asked about commenting on the blog already. Good effort peeps.

You need to enter the blog, on the left there is an underlined section, click that to open the blog and you can add comments.

The next entry will probably be from somehwere in the UK from the shop van as 8 of us are going to set off in it at 5am tomorrow. Thats when the fun will start.

2008-06-27T00:40:00.000+01:00

Well here we are setting up the first Reefers and Wreckers blog. With any luck we will be able to access the internet in the Orkney's and carry the blog on. Saturday will see the start of the Reefers and Wreckers trip to Scapa flow, 10 of us will head up north and we are all looking forward to a great trip.

Chris