A dive pal and myself are off to Sharm on 13 January for a week, staying at the Sonesta Club Resort in Naama Bay and diving with Emperor Divers. The cost for flights and accommodation (B & B) is GBP274 with a 5 day dive package GBP108 (2 dives a day with 3rd dive - trips to wrecks possible). Something to look forward to after the festive season and to escape the English winter.

If anyone is interested in joining us, drop me a note and I can let you have the booking company contact details. You will however need to book the diving direct with Emperor Divers - again, I have the contact details.

Please click on the envelope to e-mail me direct.

It’s been a while since I posted anything to the “Weird and Wonderful” category, so here are a couple of stories that amused me:

Underwater Press conference

How to sink a $63,000 Mercedes

Alesh tells me that so far he has around 20 people for the Xmas Meal.

If you’re planning on coming along and haven’t yet registered, don’t forget that we need names and menu choices by Monday December 4th at the latest. Meal details are in the original post.

Also, if you sent an email but didn’t get any reply from Alesh, please send him another one - or send it to me (click on the envelope at the top of the post when you’re logged in, or send it using the Contact Form, choosing “Website problems”). Your place is not confirmed until you receive an email from Alesh.

Finally, don’t forget that if you’ve registered, then you’re liable for the cost of the meal, whether or not your turn up - so if your plans have changed, and you can’t now make it, please email again.

Hi there

I am going Christmas Shopping in Berlin from 15th to 18th December and I have got a spare ticket. So if anyone has time and would like to enjoy the fantastic Berlin Christmas markets, be my guest. You will have to pay the name change on the ticket, but I can probably arrange some free accomodation for you.

Sonja

I’ve recently updated the GLUG Gallery Software, and one of the things that it will now do is automatically put a copyright “Watermark” on every photo (thumbnails excepted) - if you click on the photo on the right, to see the bigger version, you’ll see what I mean.

The default copyright is “© GLUG”, but it’s also possible to use your own copyright message - for example my own photos have “© Neil Stead”.

If you have photos in the Gallery, or you plan to upload some, and you would like your own Copyright watermark on them, let me know, and I’ll generate one for you and tell you how to upload it and apply it.

Neil.

P.S. It’s also possible to include your photos in your posts, like I’ve done in this one - click on the “WPG2″ box when writing your post, and it will guide you through the process.

Gerhard tells me that he’s only had three people register for the AGM so far. I’ve grown used to a certain amount of apathy in the club, but this is ridiculous!

I guess that it’s possible that Gerhard’s Spam catcher has filtered out some of the emails, so if you’ve already registered, but haven’t had a confirmation from Gerhard, please email him again (using the Contact Form and selecting “GLUG AGM Registration”). If you don’t get confirmation within a couple of days, please email me instead (choose “Website problems” from the Contact Form).

If you haven’t yet registered - well what are you waiting for?! Do it now!

Neil.

For those of you interested in u/w photos, I have posted some of the pics I took in the Caribbean in September at Diving for Life. Do let me know what you think of them; all comments, (constructive) criticism etc gratefully received. Alan

You can click on the photo on the right to get to the Gallery and view the Photos.

Hi Everyone

I have now secured a full charter (18 People) off Seahunter

Our UK agent will be Scubascuba.com who are offering us the following deal

TOUR: COCOS AND MALPELO 5 DAYS @ MALPELO & 6 @ COCOS
DATES: 1-19TH JULY 2008
2 NIGHTS B&B EITHER SIDE OF OUR CHARTER
TRANSFERS to and from SAN JOSE TO OUR B&B and Seahunter
MARINE PARK FEES

TOTAL PRICE: £3570.00 £3670

Return flights to San Jose should cost around £700. (Scubascuba will try and get us a group discount)
Tip should be in the discretionary region of between £70 - £100
Departure tax: $26

Presently I have 7 places left on this trip of a lifetime!

Scubascuba will be in touch shortly with the required deposit amounts.

And just to whet your appetite a little something Jason Starmer dug up:

http://video.google.co.uk/videoplay?docid=2906316682287402311&q=cocos

Charlie Stewart < !–hidethis–>07958 566118< !–/hidethis–>

P.S. I am off to The Red Sea on 22nd for a week and will deal with all enquiries after then.

The London Diving Chamber are organising an evening of Dive Lectures at the Royal Geographical Society, on Thursday 25th January 2007. For details of the speakers, see the bottom of this post…

The lectures are free, but advance registration is required. I can thoroughly recommend this as a great evening out, having been for the last two years.

If you would like to attend, please either send me an email (log in, then click on the envelope at the top of this post), or leave a comment below, before 25th 21st November, and I’ll make a group booking for us.

Among the speakers will be:

GLUG AGM agenda 9 December 2006

Drinks from 4.00, AGM starts at 5.00.

Venue: Konditor and Cook, 46 Grays Inn Road, EC1X 8LR

1. Apologies for absence

2. Minutes of AGM 2005

3. Matters arising

4. Officers’ reports:
o UK dive coordinator
o Treasurer
o Membership secretary
o Publicity officer
o Webmaster
o Equipment coordinator
o Dorothy Divers

5. Membership subscription 2007

6. Election of officers:
o Chair
o Vice-chair
o Treasurer
o Membership secretary
o UK dive coordinator
o Webmaster
o Publicity officer
o Equipment coordinator
o News coordinator

7. AOB

8. Date of next meeting 7.30 pm Tue 9 January, Konditor and Cook, Curzon Cinema, Shaftsbury Avenue

Please let Debbie know before 2 December if there are other items you would like added to the agenda.

Apologies, I made a right mess of the previous posting, so I’ve deleted it, and started again!…

The GLUG Christmas Meal will be at Strada, St Paul’s Churchyard (opposite the Cathedral entrance), at 7pm on Saturday 9th December.

We need bookings in advance, with your choice of Main course and Dessert. The menus are given at the end of this post. There are no limits on numbers so please bring loved ones, friends, relations and potential GLUG members.

The cost of the meal is £28.10 including service, but not including drinks (although if we get sufficient numbers they may throw in some wine). There is also a Vegetarian menu at £18.60 - see below for details.

The final date for booking the meal is Monday 4th December.
Important Note: Although payment is not required in advance, if you book a place for the meal, you will be liable for the cost of the meal, whether or not you actually turn up. (You can cancel your place up until 4th December without penalty)

Please select your choice of Main Course and Dessert from one of the two menus below, and email your choice to Alesh, who is organising the meal, using the Contact Form (select “GLUG Xmas Meal Booking” from the drop-down list). NB: Your booking is not confirmed until you receive a reply from Alesh - and the GLUG emails have a habit of going into his Spam folder, so if you don’t hear back from him, he may have missed it - just try again.

The AGM and Christmas dinner will be held on Saturday 9th December. This replaces the usual monthly meeting on 5th December.

The AGM will be held at Konditor and Cook, 46 Grays Inn Road, EC1X 8LR at 5.00pm. All are welcome from 4.00pm for a glass of mulled wine and seasonal nibbles, courtesy of Gerhard Jenne. As usual, we will be making a collection for the benefit of the Food Chain, our nominated charity. This will be a minimum of £10 per person, to cover wine and a contribution to the Food Chain.

If you plan to attend this event, please email Gerhard in advance, so that he knows how many to cater for. (If you’re logged in to the website, you can click on the envelope which appears at the top of the post, or alternatively use the Contact Form to send an email, and select “GLUG AGM Registration”)

An agenda will be published in due course. We hope to see lots of you on the 9th.

November’s GLUG Meeting is on Tuesday 7th November, from 7.30pm in the Konditor & Cook cafe bar at the Curzon Cinema, Shaftesbury Avenue. All welcome.