If you’ve recently registered, or re-registered on the GLUG website, but not received the email with your password, please check your Spam folder.

It seems that some mail providers (particularly Yahoo, BT Internet, and Virgin) have been marking the welcome email as Spam.  I’ve now altered the email to try to prevent this from happening.

NB: If you’re with Yahoo or BT Internet, you have to use Webmail to view your Spam folder - not sure about Virgin.

If you’ve filled in the new registration form, but still can’t find the welcome email, please use the Contact Form to send an email about “website problems”, and I’ll reset your password manually.

Apologies for the inconvenience!

Neil.

P.S.  If you know how to “whitelist” emails from glug.co.uk, then it’s a good idea to do so!

Just over two weeks ago I came back from Cape Verde Islands and I realised that I have already started thinking about next holiday. I did only four days of diving there as I went there with my non-diving partner. So, the next holiday will be a diving trip and I would like to go away in May or beginning of June.

It seems that all Glug’s overseas trips this year are concentrated in the second half of the year. Therefore, I am willing to organise a trip if there is a demand for it, otherwise I will go away with a friend.

Please leave your comments and let me know if anyone is interested, including suggestions regarding possible destinations. I would like to emphasize that my trips are always accessible to people with all levels of diving experience and these who want to join Glug and learn to dive.

At present, I only have 8 people for the GLUG Social Meal. We need a minimum of 12 to keep the booking, so if you’re thinking of coming along, but haven’t emailed me yet, please do so ASAP (log in, then click on the envelope at the top of the post). I need to let the restaurant know one way or the other by 22nd Feb.

I also plan to get the LIDS tickets at the weekend, so this will be the cutoff date if you want me to buy them.

See the previous post if you’re not sure whether your name’s on the list or not. (You need to log in to view the previous post)

Neil.

If you’ve got Internet access at around 8am tomorrow morning, tune in to Gaydar Radio to listen  to a feature about the club!

Hi everyoneWell, I am pleased to let you all know and share my good news. After two full, intensive weeks on an IDC course in Koh Samui, Thailand – I am now also a PADI Instructor. Sleepless, late nights, preparing and instructing confined and open water presentations, as well as taking five theory exams and a PADI standards exam ! It has been a hard two weeks, made easier with some great folk, some from China, Austria, England and the Netherlands.  The course Director is based here in Samui, with the IDC staff, both from Egypt – good contacts for future dive holidays !If you are interested in seeing the write-up, http://padidivingidc.blogspot.com/A huge party tonight with all the guys and girls and then I can continue to spend the next month or so around Thailand and the Pacific.Best , Fred.  

Steph and I are running a gay murder/mystery weekend in Penzance, 19-21 April.  Programme starts on Saturday with sight-seeing, shopping etc, culminating in a fiendish murder/mystery dinner compiled by our good selves.  Everyone gets a part and the group works out who dunnit after dinner.  Sunday is more sight-seeing etc, followed by a fancy dress dinner (theme: Pirates).  Monday is going home day.  The hotel is owned by a fellow diver who we met in Egypt - straight, but gay friendly.  Hotel is the Talbert - see their website: www.anicelittlehotel.com.  For roughty/toughty divers, there’s an optional dive on the Friday (18th).  Please contact me if interested and I’ll send more details and a booking form.

Don’t forget to book for any UK dives you wish to do this year.  Booking forms should be on the website soon,  but anyone wishing to book now should email me and I’ll email you a booking form.  Plymouth is already full, but I keep a reserve list so worth putting your name down anyway.

Below are the choices for the Post-LIDS meal, as promised. If you’re planning on coming to the meal, please vote for your preferred choice in the Poll on the sidebar (you’ll need to log in first), or at the bottom of this post (didn’t work for some reason - please use the sidebar poll).
(There will be additional dishes specifically for vegetarians, but the prices will be the same as for the omnivores).

The poll will close on February 24th. We need a minimum of 12 people, and there is a limit of 22, so please email me asap to avoid disappointment!

Could this be you?

At the club AGM, we failed to fill the position of Publicity Officer for 2008. Kirk, who has done a great job of organising the GLUG Pride stall for the last 2 years (maybe 3? I can’t remember!), has had to step down, due to other (very worthwhile!) commitments.

If there are any GLUG members who would like to volunteer for the post for 2008, please let myself or Chris know.

What does it involve?
The main task for the Publicity officer is organising the GLUG Stall for the Pride Events. Although as yet we haven’t agreed which Pride events we’ll be going to this year, we regularly go to London Pride and Brighton Pride, and have been to Cardiff Pride in the past. Your task will be to liaise with the Pride organisers (Wilde Ones for London and Brighton Prides), to reserve a stall; and to organise club volunteers to man the stall on the day. It’s not a huge amount of work, but it can be frustrating at times, since the Pride Committees rarely agree on what their fees will be for community groups until a few weeks before the event.

The second task is to handle any email queries which we receive through the website form titled “Press/Advertising enquiry”. We occasionally get emails from organisations such as the Pink Paper, Attitude, GaydarRadio etc. It’ll be your job to respond to these, or bring them to the committee’s attention as appropriate.

Finally, if you want to be a little more proactive, then you could think up ideas which would help publicise the club and increase our membership - e.g emailing Gay or Dive publications to promote GLUG events.

Ray’s asked me to sort out group tickets for LIDS, and a place for a meal afterwards.

For those who’ve never been before, LIDS is the biggest Dive show in the UK, and takes place at the ExCEL centre in Docklands. There are 100s of exhibitors, as well as talks by leading Dive professionals.

You can find more information at the Diveshows Website

Tickets are £7.50 (£10.50 on the door), but group bookings of 8 or more are entered into a prize draw for a £4000 holiday for 8 to Malta, so it makes sense to book through GLUG.

If you’d like a ticket, please email me (link on the Events Page, if you log in). Don’t just leave a comment here - I may not see it.

Post-LIDS Social Dinner

Since a few people will be coming from afar, and staying over in London, it’s a great opportunity for a Social meal.
After a bit of conferring with Ray, I’ve chosen Busaba Eathai, near Googe Street tube, and about a 15-20 minute walk from Old Compton Street. Busaba is a Thai restaurant in the “Wagamamma” style - but with nicer decor, and this one has a private dining room, seating up to 22 people.

They have three set menus (details to follow), priced at £16, £19, and £24pp, excluding drinks and service. I’m not sure as yet whether we all have to choose the same one - but probably. Although they don’t have a specifically Vegetarian set menu, many of the dishes are vegetarian, and they will do an extra couple of dishes specifcally for the veggies among us.

I’ve booked the table for 8pm - I wanted a bit earlier, but they’re already booked from 6-8pm. We have to be out by 10pm.

If you’d like to come to the meal, please let me know ASAP by emailing me (link on the Events Page if you log in). Again, please don’t just leave a comment on this post. I will need payment in advance, once we’ve decided on a price - either by cheque or by online transfer.

Hi everyone,

Hope the cold dark wet skies are making you think towards the coming years diving, new friends and adventures!  Just a quick mention to say that I have uploaded a few more snaps to the website gallery of the recent xmas meal knees up (go on take a peek…you know you want to!) and a reminder to say it is only one month away now (Sat8th March) till the forthcoming LIDS London Dive Show event (see their website for lectures etc.  & note:group ticket entry arranged if sufficient numbers).

Of course for those who have energy left after all that walking around (or cash not spent!) there is also the optional meal afterwards in the city for those who are interested in attending this as well.  Venue & menu will be on site shortly for the post show meal which was a well attended success last year. Hopefully see you all there - Cheers Ray.

http://www.glug.co.uk/archives/1135

Hi everyone. There are 13 places left on the above trip. I have had an inquiry from a US diving club who want to join this trip and I want to keep it as fair as possible by offering it exclusively to GLUG until the end of the month (Feb).

Some of you, who had expressed keen interest, still haven’t paid your deposits and, as ever, the payment of the deposit is essential to securing a place. Once you have paid, could you kindly let me know. Thanks and I look forward to having you on board this fabulous trip.

Deposit of £200 payable to Oonasdivers on 01323 648924

Best wishes

Charlie

Dear AllPlease find attached the Agenda 070208 for our meeting tomorrow night. See you all downstairs @ Halfway To Heaven from 7:15pm  Chris 

Hi

Only 2 spaces left for this trip. Flights are still reasonably priced at £118, making the total cost of this trip £377 including diving & half board accomodation (with pool and tennis) in sunny French Riviera.

Female Glug members especially welcomed to get a balanced group but guys will do too

Don’t forget you need to have enough experience to do at least one challenging dive below 35 mtrs to enjoy this trip to the full.

If you want to come with your non diving partner, that is fine too (and price will be reduced for them).

Contact me as soon as possible!

Charlie Stewart has written a great new trip report, this one from the Xmas/New Year trip to the Sunadese Red Sea.

If anyone else is feeling similarly inspired then email your reports to me using the Contacts Page. Go on, you know you won’t have time to write anything up once dive season starts!