There have been several changes to the club since the days (many moons ago) when I was club chair – the long and often tedious club meetings have now (thankfully) been replaced with a far more practical Committee meeting followed by a Club social meeting; the club now offers regular training and try-dive days; the Website has seen a number of improvements, including online payment, and a much better trip booking system.

One thing that appears not to have changed since I stepped down from the Committee, however, is the general apathy of the majority of club members.

Yes, the proposed Constitution may not exactly be as exciting as the latest Boyz magazine – but it is an important document – it states how we want the club to be run, what the club’s aims and objectives are, and the requirements for membership and GLUG trips, among other things.

And yet, only 17 people have so far bothered to download it, read it, and vote on it, out of a membership of over 100.  That’s a worse turnout than at many local government elections!

Come on,  people – take an active interest in how the club is run:  Download the document, read it, and Vote!

Neil.

I’m wondering whether any GLUG members can help me identify a couple of mystery creatures which I spotted in the Philippines…

Firstly, this one.  It looks kinda like a Nudibranch – but has no gills, and it’s too bulbous for a flatworm.

What on earth?!

Secondly, this:

Scorpionfish?

It looks like it could be a Scorpionfish – but I’ve never seen a white one before.  It was also quite small – about 8-10cm in length.

I can’t find either of them in my Indo-Pacific Coral Reef Field Guide

If anyone knows what these are, please leave a comment below.

Almost three weeks ago we came back from this amasing trip and, if not for the pictures, I would have a doubt if that was real.

A group of GLUG divers was joint by three American and one French divers in a trip to Visayas, organised by Neil, a former GLUG webmaster, an accomplished underwater photographer, who has been a very active member of our committee for years.

We were staying in tree different locations and diving around Dauin (Negros Oriental), Apo Islands, Siquijor, Pangalao and Balicasag, starting with muck and reef diving and finishing with wall and drift diving. We achieved our goal of seeing a rare regional species -  Mandarin Fish.

I hope we can organise ourselves and write a good report from this trip adding some beautiful pictures for everybody to read and see on this website. Any volunteers?

A big Thank You to Neil for organising the trip and to all the participants for a good company and lots of fun.

Anna