Learn to dive in Sussex, Kent and Surrey with Sussex Scuba diving courses

The latest, and last trip of the year was another trip to Stoney. The trip was originally planned as an impromptu mid week training course for a few people who needed to do their Advanced Open Water for their jobs (they are swimming pool repair engineers)

As usual the course grew. The final planned figure was 5 students, staff and some club members. A planned total of 14 people. Unfortunately a few had to pull out at the last minute, through a number of personal and work related issues.

The whole of November had been surprisingly good in terms of the weather so we didn't expect the lake to have cooled down too much. But we would need to cross our fingers if we were to continue to get the benefit of the fine, sunny, though slightly cool weather, we had been expecting up to now. The plan was to get up there late Tuesday afternoon, have a relaxing evening, and get stuck into the course early the following morning. After all the events we had planned this year that had gone so smoothly, we were overdue for a few problems..

Problem One
The traffic. We had an horrendous journey. After leaving east Grinstead at 3.30 , and calling at our house to pick up cases, we got caught in really bad traffic. As a result, we only got to the hotel at 8.30pm!! After checking in, and quickly unpacking, we met up with the others to have a quick drink before going to the restaurant for dinner

Problem Two
We had been advised by the hotel that the kitchen was having a new floor laid, and that would limit the menus a bit. On Monday we found out that "the bit" was in fact a lot, and as a result there would only be sandwiches and wraps.. "But don't worry" they said, "we will give you a list of local restaurants that are of a similar quality and price"...

Problem Three
The list of restaurants.. There was no list !!! We quickly got some directions and drove off to find the closest pub that they recommended

Problem Four
Yes you've guessed it.. We couldn't find it. We dashed off to another one we had seen on the way to the hotel, to be told they had stopped serving at 9.00pm It was now 25 minutes past. After a fast drive back to our hotel we were told that they stopped serving at 9.30. Yes it was 9.31. However they did agree to serve us and we had more than we expected, as they had added scampi and chips to the menu.

Ah well. tomorrow could only get better. Yes it did. The weather was very good, and though a bit chilly it was dry, sunny and wind free. The course went very well and despite the fact that all the students were worried about cold water, they were in fact very warm and very happy students.

Later in the afternoon after completing the paperwork over the compulsory few beers, we arranged to meet all the club members who were coming up on the evening, before going to a restaurant. This time we ordered a couple of taxis so as to make no mistake. After a very pleasant meal we went back to the hotel for a night cap.

All the students (except one) had taken their wetsuits, hoods and gloves into their rooms to dry overnight. This appeared to have been successful. This leads us onto the next problem

Problem Five.
We had not checked the weather forecast overnight, and due to such clear skies, yes you've guessed it we had a very severe over night frost. So severe that our BCD's had frozen solid overnight !!! The morning temperature was -4°C. You may recall I mentioned that one person had left all his gear, apart from his torch, in the van. Well as a result, not only was his BCD and weight belt frozen solid, but his neoprene dry suit had frozen into a crumpled ball which would be impossible to get into. Some people never listen do they Tom Wilson? Anyway we managed to get things unfrozen by a combination of hair dryers, the inside of hot vans and cars, and cold lake water !!

When we got to Stoney it really was quite a stunning site. Crisp winter sunshine low in the sky, created a mysterious look and feel to the lake. This was made even more beautiful due to the low mist and steam rising from the lake. There are a few pictures below but it is difficult to capture the scene really accurately.

Once again we had an excellent day's diving. As it was late in the season the bloom had died down giving us excellent visibility. Better still, due to the fact it is quite late in the season, coupled with the fact that it was mid week, meant there were very few people to kick up the bottom and generally clutter things up. The pictures below show how good the visibility actually was. I can't claim credit for these, as this must go to Helen Netley-Thomson..

Sorry this has gone on a bit but it was a good two days.

Congratulations to all the people who passed the Advanced Open Water: Steve Craske, David Ball, Mark Fowler, and Tom Wilson. Every one of them worked very hard and made significant improvements to their skills, particularly to their buoyancy. In addition one or two overcame some fears and concerns they had relating to their own skill levels. All in all a very successful and enjoyable two days