In This newsletter:
We’re looking forward to an exciting year ahead, with a variety of proposed dives and a series of informal lectures designed to keep members up to date with their diving knowledge. Check out the calendar and lecture program on the Upcoming Events page but also shown below. Be sure to contact the organiser to reserve your place.
The following is a list of informal lectures that will/have been taking place. Please apply to the individual lecturers if you wish to attend one of them.
| Event | Date | Lecturers | Participants
(priority order) |
comms | Location |
| Underwater photography (and possibly some pool work) | 29th January 2026 | Paul Crane | Paul Crane Lean Hearn Vivek Masani Oscar Withers Imogen Howarth Karl Wilkinson Magda Snowden Paul Hitchen Vince Wratten Jemima Whitwell |
whatapp group sorted | Forestreet lecture room and pool |
| O2 Admin and resuscitation refresher | March/April 2026 | Raj Mistry | Alan Beaumont Ali Sutor Paul Crane Imogen Howarth Ian Brown Karl Wilkinson |
need a whatapp group | Forestreet lecture room |
| Electronic tools to help plan dives (tidal software etc) | 12th February 2026 | Joe Crofts Alan Beaumont |
Ali Sutor Oscar Withers Jim Spurling Karl Wilkinson Steve Barnes Craig Finbow Ian Brown Ali Sutor |
need a whatapp group | Forestreet lecture room |
| How to organise dive trips | 15th January 2026 | Joe Crofts Alan Beaumont |
Ali Sutor Paul Crane Jim Spurling Karl Wilkinson Ian Brown Shaun Leaberry |
need a whatapp group | Forestreet lecture room |
| Chart work and how to use charts to find dive sites, plan dives etc | 13th December 2025 | Dave Lock | Ali Sutor Vivek Masani Oscar Withers Jim Spurling Ian Brown Craig Finbow |
whatapp group sorted | TBC |
| How to use the club chartplotter to find dive sites etc. First lecture. | 6/11/2025 | Joe Crofts/Rick Westwood | Ali Sutor, Scott Harris, Vivek Masani, Conor Reed |
whatapp group sorted | Forestreet lecture room |
| How to use the club chartplotter to find dive sites etc. Second lecture. | 20/11/2025 | Joe Crofts Alan Beaumont |
Ian Brown, Steve Barnes, Jim Spurling Jim Spurling |
whatapp group sorted | Forestreet lecture room |
| How to use the club’s VHF radios | 09/10/2025 | Paul Crane Alan Beaumont |
Ali Sutor Scott Harris Jim Spurling Ian Brown Tom Spurling Craig Finbow Nikos Christodoulou |
whatapp group sorted | Forestreet lecture room |
| Boat handling course using the club boats to practice steering, anchoring, using the electronics etc | 19th October 2025 | Ian Brown Rick Westwood Steve Barnes |
Paul Crane Lena Hearn Paul Hitchen Tom Spurling William Darby Ian Brown Oscar Withers Vince Wratten |
whatapp group sorted | Orwell or Deben |
| Club boats familiarisation (dry session so you can see where everything is stored (flares, anchor, etc)) | 2nd November 2025 | Rick Westwood? Ian Brown |
William Darby Ian Brown |
Club boat hut | |
| Rescue skills refresher training in the pool. Session 1. | 13th November 2025 | Ian Cross | Alan Beaumont Glenn King Shaun Leaberry Tom/Jon Nicholson Oscar Withers |
whatapp group sorted | Forestreet pool |
| Rescue skills refresher training in the pool.Session 2. | 27th November 2025 | Ian Cross | Ali Sutor Dave B Tom Spurling Jim Spurling Ian Brown Paul Crane |
whatapp group sorted | Forestreet pool |
|
Rescue skills refresher training at Stoney Cove |
TBA |
Self-help following pool refresher with instructors |
Alan Beaumont Ali Sutor Glenn King Dave Barber Shaun Leaberry Melanie Smuk Oscar Withers Tom Spurling Jim Spurling Ian Brown Tom Nicholson Paul C |
need a whatapp group | Stoney Cove |
| Boat handling review/safety session | Apr-26 | Ian Brown Joe Crofts Alan Beaumont |
Coxswains and boat handlers | need a whatapp group | Forestreet lecture room |
| Technical Diving | 19th February 2026 | Mel Smuk Ian Cross |
Karl Wilkinson Jemima Whitwell Paul Hicthen Nikoc Christodoulou Oscar Withers Dave Lock Vivel Masani Jim Spurling Shaun Leaberry Dave Barber Joe Crofts David Hopps |
whatapp group sorted but need to populate with members | Forestreet lecture room |
| Boat handling course | TBD – but probably March 2026 | Dave Grimson? | Vince Wratten Nikos Christodoulou Luke Wilkinson Matthew Willingham Oscar Withers Vivek Masani Dave Barber Tom Spurling Magda Snowdon Karl Wilkinson Thomas Holdaway Riley Spurling Millie Barber Oscar Sutor |
Also, please contact the dive organiser for the following upcoming dives for 2026, or at least block out the event in your diary if a dive organiser has not yet been appointed.
Don’t forget to come along to our AGM which is being held at the Fore street lecture room (at Fore Street baths) from 7pm on the 29th of January 2026. Below is a list of our current post-holders. We warmly encourage you to come along and, if interested, put yourself forward for one of the roles. The committee and the present (or proposed) post-holders would be delighted to welcome fresh faces, especially as many of these positions have been held for some time.
| Committee Post | 2025 post holder | ||
| Diving Officer | Ian Cross | ||
| Treasurer | David Hopps | ||
| Boat Officer | Ian Brown | ||
| Equipment Officer | Simon Alexander | ||
| Membership Secretary | Joe Crofts | ||
| Social Secretary | Rick Westwood | ||
| Club Secretary | Craig Finbow/Lena Hear | ||
| Training Officer | Paul Crane | ||
| Communications Officer | Steve Barnes/Wendy Brumfitt | ||
| Chairman | Alan Beaumont | ||
| Welfare Officer | Tom Spurling |
Finally, our club will celebrate its 70th Anniversary in June 2026—a milestone truly worth marking! We’d love to hear your ideas for how best to celebrate, so please put your thinking caps on over Christmas.
In the meantime, we wish you all a very Merry Christmas and an exciting year of diving in 2026.
Steve Barnes and Wendy Brumfitt
Communications Officers
iDive
