MKSAC Newsletter March 1994

I had to be there to believe it!

It rained, hailed, we had sleet, the sun shone, the wind blew and we had gales. Despite the Cornish Weather the pasties were good, the company even better, we learnt a lot and a really good time was had by all.

Thursday we arrived in dribs and drabs (more drip(b)s due to the heavy rain) with Pat and John managing to get a dive in at Fort Bovisand Recompression Chamber on the way down. Sounds like a good experience and I am sorry we (Neil and I) missed it.

Friday - the weather won - we did not dive but relaxed and caught up on sleep

Saturday - a shore dive was followed by rescue scenarios. This was an educational fun experience which bought home to many of us how we would (or would not) cope in an emergency.  Our budding actors/actresses were so realistic that we had many offers of help and morbid curiosity even got us on video.  I am not sure if they were delighted, or disappointed, to discover it was a set up. My 'mother' had hysterics and three Rufty Tufty Divers (it says so on Phil shirt) battled to restrain her.

Sunday - we did a boat dive. The day started ominously as certain wet suits smelt more than usual, and had extra drainage holes. Politeness stopped some asking but a bold person amongst us refused to sit near them. It turned out that after playing "Pass the Pig" the chaps got the brilliant lateral idea of drying their suits in the pig sty. Believe me this is not a good idea as wet suits readily reek by themselves.

Oh, the dive, (one can get distracted by the side events - most amusing). The dive was a 20m dive and two of us got to see part of the wreck.  Sadly, we (my buddy and I) were the only ones to find this piece of wreck and by the calls from the other boats I might claim the only ones that day (maybe).

Monday - came all too soon but we managed a lovely shore dive in the kelp and some of us managed two. Some got 3 swims if you count the D.O. getting an involuntary birthday dip.

The evenings consisted of entertaining weird 'far side' scenarios (N.B, never eat albatross soup), where you have to establish what happened. Oh yes, what was Cleopatra and Anthony doing on the table?

Enough of the 'tongue in cheek' recounting.  We all would like to say a big "Thank You" to:-

A real big 'Thank You" to everyone who was there and all the people who made it a safe and enjoyable weekend.

Rene, April 1994