Dear all
A very quick update on where we are as a Club in relation to the easing of the Covid restrictions as no doubt you’re all aware that swimming pools have now re-opened and some sub-aqua clubs around the country are starting to get back to diving, albeit with a number of restrictions still in place.
As a Club one of our greatest assets is the Encroachment we have with the Naval Base for the sole use of the Boathouse as a base for diving and access to the swimming pool for diver training. This gives us a secure space for keeping and maintaining our boats, Club and personal kit; the compressor; lecture facilities; very easy access to the water and dive sites in Plymouth Sound; a very good pool close by for training; and all this for, effectively, free. Clearly, as with everything in life, there are downsides and the big one is we are entirely beholden on the Naval Base to allow us to use these facilities and we have to comply with any restrictions they place on us, which is what happened when Covid kicked off. Since March ALL Encroachments (so all sports / social clubs, not just us) have been suspended as the Naval Base have limited access and focussed purely on military activities. I’ve been in contact with the Naval Base a number of times over the last few months and the latest update earlier this week is that these suspensions are likely to continue until September, possibly longer. There is another impact in that our compressor went out of date for its service a few weeks back but with Covid restrictions we haven’t been able to get maintainers in so this is out of action at present.
Not great, but then again these are fairly unique times. That said the Club does still exist and we can, restrictions permitting, still operate as such. The dull bits like Committee meetings have still been going ahead on Zoom and Steve Cox, The Diving Officer, has been continuing with the Ocean Diver course remotely for those that signed up after the Try Dives back in February. What the Committee is now working through is how we can get back to Open Water diving as soon as possible whilst also staying within the restrictions imposed on us by the Encroachment being suspended. Please rest assured that we are doing all we can to explore all possibilities for diving and whilst this is, of course, very frustrating we are sort of constrained with the art of the possible.
All the very best
Guy Balmer, Chair PDCSAC