Cork Sub Aqua Club

Dive year 2011 was successful in many ways: Cork Sub Aqua managed to finance the expensive up keep of both our RIBs, trailers and our two oxygen kits, although the available resources were scares. And most importantly all club members can look back on a brilliant dive season.

Since 2008 the number of membership almost halved to 30 members in 2011. However last years total of 539 dives gave an average per member almost equivalent to the average of 2009, where the total amount of dives peaked to 900. Brian Burke, our Club Diving Officer, specifies that the clubs weekends away were always very well attended. Where numbers in
Oysterhaven for diving on Wednesdays and Sundays, largely depend on weather and circumstances.

The first bank holiday weekend away this year was to Dingle at Easter, with Parkmore Point and the Three Brothers as main attraction. Rays, dolphins and octopus were also spotted in Dingle Bay. We decided not to travel for the May weekend, as this was to soon after Easter and we received a kind invite from Inbher Sceine Club for their regional weekend in Cahersiveen, mid May. The diving here was that great that we had to return … soon. For the June bank holiday we wondered off to the boundaries of West Cork, the Allihies. Despite the windy conditions, that forced us to look for new dive sites, some members achieved seven dives in the four days that we were here. On July 8th 9th 10^th, Helen Buckley organized the regional weekend in Baltimore on behalf of Region South. The dives on offer were a mixture between scenic and wreck diving, with the dive to the Kowloon Bridge as main attraction. The great weekend had representation from five different sub aqua clubs: Cork, UCC, Ennis, Inbher Sceine (Killarney) and Aughnish (Limerick). For the first week of August we traveled back to Portmagee. Jim Murphy, the club’s secretary, organized a mooring for both the Humber and the Cuanmhara, which greatly reduced the workload on a daily basis. Although the weather conditions were sometimes appalling, the club got to dive in excess of a dozen dive sites: Skellig beag, Bray head, Cuis Diarmada, Coastguard patch, Lemontoughner Rock, Basalt cliffs, Oilean na Iasc, Puffin Island to name a few. To finish off our travels, we went back to Baltimore for the October weekend. Due to dreadful weather and heavy fog, diving was restricted to Lough Hyne. Some did up to six dives others took the opportunity to visit Sherkin Island. Nevertheless, the craic was mighty over the weekend as several diving clubs, such as our colleagues from Blackwater SAC, were also in Baltimore.

Closer to home, we also had very good diving with, on occasion, extreme good visibility. We all remember the dazzling dives on the Lings, Santo and Black Head. However, the recently rediscovered submarine UC42 was the main attraction for our diving out of Oysterhaven.

At this time of year, Cork SAC will start again with a new diving program for beginners. The pool sessions, were our club instructors will teach the basic scuba skills, and the theory lectures will be finished halfway March, so the new qualified divers are ready for the upcoming dive season. You can find more information about the course here. If you are interested, but still not sure if diving is something for you. You can give diving a go on 18^th January in the pool of Leisure World in Bishopstown at 7pm. Here you can try a dive, for free, under the supervision of experienced divers. You only have to bring swimming gear and a towel, Cork Sub Aqua Club will supply all the scuba gear.

See you there!

(JVM 01/12)