Did anyone else spot John Bantin’s reference in Diver magazine to his experience with GLUG on a liveaboard trip a couple of years ago?  It’s in the September edition of Diver in the box about liveaboard etiquette on page 35.

He doesn’t refer to GLUG by name, but says how considerate and respectful everyone was on a gay charter he was once on.  A bit stereotypical maybe, but we clearly made an impression on him!  He came with us on a trip on Blue Seas in 2006.  This is a link to the article he wrote about that trip at the time: http://www.divernet.com/Travel_Features/liveaboards/157464/going_overboard.html. 

(When I see him I’ll let him know we want a full reference to GLUG next time!)

Alan

Hi GLUGgers – here is the agenda for next Tuesday’s meeting – September Monthly Meeting Agenda

I hope to see a lot of you there!  The Committee Meeting starts at 6.30, with the Members’ Meeting starting at 7.30 – but of course, you are all welcome to attend the Committee Meeting – all we ask is that you save your comments up for “Any Other Business” :-)

Doug

Hi Everyone

http://www.glug.co.uk/archives/1795

I understand some people have been enquiring about the September Red Sea trip, at the monthly meetings, as well as posts in the thread for this trip. Does anyone know Debbie Lee?
Someone may have to drop out of this trip, therefore freeing up a space. If anyone knows who these people are, can you kindly direct them my way.

Cheers

Charlie

I’m arranging a boat-handling/project course for next Easter (2-5 April) and would like to hear from anyone interested.  On offer is boat-handling (ribs) at all levels (from beginners to advanced) and search & rescue techniques.  We’ll be locating some actual objects to raise – maybe the tin ingot that my mate Alan so carelessly dropped!  There’s also the possibility of some diving, though it will be cold at that time of year!  Definitely 3 days (Friday-Sunday) with Monday optional depending on take-up.  Steve Lewis (skipper & instructor) is one of the best in the business incidentally.

Dear All!

I was supposed to do this weeks ago, but me and deadlines just don’t mix.  There is a movement on facebook and in my local area called Gay Camberwell and they have asked ME??? to do a little Cabaret show for them (My stage name is James Cormack).  It’s tomorrow night, (Wicked Wednesday) so lots of notice for those who tend to forget about these things!

It’s at The Cambria, 40 Kemerton Road, Camberwell SE5 9AR and entry is free.  There’s a great bar and restaurant and the show starts at 9pm prompt. The venue is doing a lot to work along side the gay community and I think it’s important to support that.

There’s a link to the facebook advert thingy here :-

Facebook: James Cormack @ The Cambria

For those who’ve not seen me before, there’s a real mix of musical theatre, jazz, comedy and absolutely NO drag!

Hope to see some of you there

Martin (James [Cormack]) AKA Smokiejoe (just in case anyone was confused!)

Bite Back at Cancer is an organisation raising money for the two charities that are close to the heart for many of us divers. Sadly, many of us will have lost close friends or family to cancer, including our dive buddies, instructors or perhaps our dive club drinking pal.

Marie Curie is one of our chosen charities, as their support is invaluable during the hard times that cancer can bring.

The second charity, Bite-Back, is an organisation dedicated to marine conservation and the protection of sharks and aims to reduce consumer demand upon threatened shark and fish species.

Help support these charities and come along to the next event.

Bite Back at Cancer Black Tie Ball at The Richmond Hill Hotel on Friday 25th September.
www.bitebackatcancer.org

Thanks,
Ian.
GLUG Training Coordinator
Pathfinder Diving

Hi GLUGgers,

Just a quick reminder that we are having one of our legendary (!) BBQs this Saturday in Streatham – so if you aren’t otherwise occupied, why not come along and socialise with members old and new.  The following is the original announcement, in case you did not see it!

GLUG is holding a BBQ on 22nd August as a late summer social event. It’s a bring and share event so please bring enough food for yourself and then a bit more.

Please leave details of what you’ll be bringing as a comment to this post so others can spot gaps in the catering arrangements and select their contributions accordingly – that way we shouldn’t end up with 100 burgers and 2 bread buns!

The venue, 47 Crown Lane, Streatham, London, SW16 3JE, has excellent facilities including a heated swimming pool should anyone fancy a dip in the very warm waters. Plenty of kit tinkering opportunities on offer too should anyone have anything they want to play with.

Music supplied courtesy of a PA system – feel free to bring your iPods, MP3 players and phones with headphone sockets and music output capabilities – variety is the name of the game!

This is an ideal opportunity for everyone to get together, especially those who can’t normally attend monthly meetings. We won’t be letting the weather put us off either… ample indoor space should it turn inclement.

Please click here for a map of the location, the event starts a 3pm and will run through until the evening - plenty of time to chat and relax. We also hope that many new members who  have signed up at the pride events will join us so it’s an opportunity to welcome our newer members as well as catching up with more established ones!

For those driving, please park in nearby side streets (plenty of free spaces) rather than on the driveway – it’s a private residence and we don’t want to block the owner’s in!

See you there!

D

Hello All,

Try Dive & Social

Due to the very successful try dive day in July, we have decided to arrange another!!!

If you or anyone you know are unsure and want to give diving a go, book onto our 2 hour session for only £25. It will be an excellent day!!

Try Dive & Social

Hope to see some new divers there!

Ian
GLUG Training Coordinator
Pathfinder Diving

The minutes of the August monthly committee meeting are now available.

It is planned that all minutes will be in pdf format from now on to keep the posts to a sensible length and make reading the minutes themselves far easier. You will need to have Adobe Reader installed, which is free.

So, here they are: Minutes – Tuesday 4th August 2009.

 Mark
(Webmaster)

Does anyone have a digital camera and housing they want to sell? I am looking for something basic with a zoom which doesnt take an age between taking a photo and being ready for the next one,  like my last camera did, but nothing too fancy as I have a tendency to flood cameras!! 

Allison

I’ve received some information from Sara of Lambda Divers about a GLBT liveaboard trip to the Great Barrier Reef in November next year:

Giant Clams…Dudongs…Coral Polyps…Seen From Outer Space!

What do all of these items have in common?  The Great Barrier Reef!  This enormous reef stretches out over 1600 miles (3000 km) long, and is made up of about 900 islands and 3000 coral reefs – making it clearly visible from outer space.  It is touted as the world’s largest single structure made by living organisms – billions of coral polyps!

The Great Barrier Reef is the home of the largest population of Dudongs – a marine mammal that is related to elephants.  It has a wide diversity of life: 30 species of whales, 215 species of birds, 6 species of sea turtles, 125 species of sharks and stingrays, 49 species of pipefish, 17 species of sea snakes, and 1700 other types of fish.  One of the oldest species of fish, the Red Bass, can live for more than 50 years!  A home to the largest of giant clams, one of which contained one of the largest known pearls which was sold for $10 million US dollars!

What a better way to experience this natural wonder of the world than on a GLBT filled live aboard November 4-11, 2010!  We have reserved Mike Ball’s Spoilsport live aboard boat for Lambda Divers for the week long adventure – the entire boat for divers from the GLBT community – what a fabulous party!  We have currently have half of the boat already filled, mostly by word-of-mouth.  So don’t delay if you want to join us as there is a specific limited number of berths available that cannot be expanded.

I have attached the GBR Flyer.  Please note that the prices are in Australian Dollars (AUD) as that is the currency we are paying to Mike Ball.  The exchange rate between US Dollars and AUD is fluctuating greatly this past year with the economy.  We cannot guarantee a specific exchange rate for your US Dollar payment, but will try for the best available.

All payments to Lambda Divers must be made in US Dollars, either by personal check from a US bank, USD Money Order, or using a credit card with PayPal.

Make sure to send in your registration as soon as possible to get a spot.
Please also to inquire on availability of specific berth choice.

Hope to see you in Australia!
:)

P.S.: Some of those signed up are planning on adding other travel to their itinerary such as New Zealand or mainland Australia.  Let me know if you would be interested in any add-on adventure.

Lambda Divers’ Site for all trips (Cozumel and Belize as well!):  http://www.lambdadivers.org

Mike Ball’s Site:  http://www.mikeball.com/

You can email Sara

Hello All,

If you want to improve your underwater photography skills, then can I recommend Stuart Keasley. Stuart is a professional underwater videographer, who works regularly for the underwater channel with Monty Halls.

Drop me a message, or contact him directly.

Dive safe.
Ian
GLUG Training Coordinator
www.pathfinderdiving.co.uk

Dear all

Thinking of a Cuban diving holiday this year.  Has anyone been recently and can they offer any advice/suggestions on where is good?

Thanks in anticipation of assistance!

Bridget

I realise that this is a long way to travel for a 2 day liveaboard but maybe some of you will be passing the region at this time….

Introducing Koh Losin and Koh Kra

Koh Losin and Koh Kra are some of the most remote and unspoiled islands it is possible to find in Thailand.  Located approximately 100 km east off the southern coast in the warm, clear, fertile area where the Gulf of Thailand meets the deeper blue waters of the South China Sea.

Big fish are abundant here because of the distance from the shore and the quality of the reef.  This is a perfect example of a pristine healthy reef so the marine life here can be  amazing, with black tip reef shark and bow mouthed guitar fish patrolling the deeper waters down to 40 metres and where giant manta rays and even whale sharks can be seen among the huge table corals.

There is no tourism in this region and the 500 kilometres of coast line is left to prawn farms and fishermen.  With no tourism there are no dive operators in this area and no liveaboards based anywhere nearby.  Therefore this unique dive experience is possible only twice a year when one liveaboard scuba vessel makes its way around the coast of Singapore between Phuket and Koh Samui. 

Trip Details
Dates October 9, – 12, 2009
2 full days 3 nights
7 daytime dives
Departure Time: 10:00 PM – Koh Samui
Finish Time: 9:00 AM – Songklah Jetty with transfers to Hat Yai Airport or town.
Arrival to Samui by plane from Bangkok, Pattaya, Phuket, Hong Kong,  Singapore or Kula Lumpur.  Return from Hat Yai by plane to Bangkok or Kula Lumpur or bus across the region
Cabin Prices Approx. in GBP En-suite 420 Deluxe 368 Standard 315

For more detailsd of this non-GLUG trip please contact Adam Preston

The dates for next year’s UK dives are now on the Events Page of the website.  In addition, I am possibly arranging an Easter event in Pembrokeshire for those who want to learn boat handling or improve/revise their boat handling skills.  We may also do some project work, learning how to do searches.  I will send a separate post regarding this in due course.